Are Teachers being Demonized?

AFT president Randi Weingarten in a recent speech lamented the notion that Teachers are being ‘demonized’ and blamed for the poor performance of the public schools. In checking the source of these statements referred to by Bob Hebert in a recent NY Times op ed, I found that Ms. Weingarten’s words could be found in political speeches aimed at demonizing republican candidate for president, John McCain. It is obvious that Mr. Hebert wrote his piece to further promote this notion of teachers under some social stigma.

The trouble is that the notion is false, though perhaps not undeserving.

Are teachers to blame for anything regarding the state of public education? The current reality is a great dichotomy: public education is nearly reviled in every state of the nation, yet the actual education providers, teachers, are still voted raises (by the public) continually, even in the worst school districts in the nation. At a time when public opinion of the school system is terrible, the public shows remarkable support for the teachers, and are easily swayed to support them despite all evidence which shows them undeserving.

So where is this idea of teachers being demonized coming from? Why, from the PR department of the teacher’s union. Public support for teachers is historically strong, and the unions are attempting to play off that support by creating a false notion that teachers are under attack. (Absurd, but true.)

The truth is that teachers are not being blamed for the poor quality of education in the schools, even though they are the primary givers of education; Ms. Weingarten and Mr. Hebert’s assertions are pure politics. Over the years all evidence of poor performance and substandard delivery has been excused. Teachers have never in the past, nor in the present, been held accountable for the all too real failure of the public schools.

From the above you may think that I am one who thinks teachers are to blame for the state of public education. You would be wrong.

What I believe is that the teachers are put into a terrible situation by the management of the schools and school districts which cause them to violate their training on a daily basis. It is the constant pressure from school management to forgo real teaching standards which place the teachers in a position to choose between their careers and the well being of their students.

There is no question the public schools do not meet the needs of today’s society. But this is less the result of teacher competence than the fact that the organization and operation of the schools prevents real education from occurring.

Sadly, the teachers are caught in the middle, with no real power to affect any change.