I can remember attending school in the 1960’s. Most students followed the rules, and when they didn’t, they knew their parents would most likely discipline harshly when they got home. It was a much more orderly atmosphere. My mother was a teacher during this time. I remember one particular year when she had one unruly student who impacted the entire classroom. It was her worst year, and she was frustrated at the parents lack of help on their end. Today’s teachers, have to deal with this situation in spades. The respect teachers once had in the profession, has all but disappeared. Parents today are hard to reach, overworked and often feel guilty at their lack of time and energy to deal with their kids. The scapegoat in many cases has become the teacher.
Perception of Teachers
Teachers were once held in high regard in the community. They were often among the most educated members of society. That perception has greatly changed. Many people now see teachers as just as educated as the general population and not as deserving of our respect. The teaching profession is often looked down upon. To those outside the profession, it may appear to be “not that hard”, and a cushy job offering many vacation days. Those outside the profession don’t see the demands placed on teachers and the amount of work done outside work hours.
Politics and Education
Politics may have played a major role in this change in perception. Politicians once had little interest in education. However, when the baby boomers became parents, politicians began to target education as a way to gain the vote for this large block of voters. They began to attack education in an attempt to woo voters. Would-be leaders offered themselves as solutions to the problem of poor education in our schools. It became a hot-button issue in the country. This involvement of government, led to curriculum and daily lessons dictated by government, and largely out of the teacher’s control. Those dictating what was taught, and how, came from those who were completely outside of the world of education. The teachers were no longer seen as the expert in what their students needed.
If there was now a shift in perception, that schools were failing, then a scapegoat was needed. That scapegoat became the classroom teacher. A profession that was once respected and honored, became attacked and increasingly disrespected.
Shift in Parent Attitudes
Another shift in perception has come from the parents, the trusted allies teachers once relied on. Students, back in the day, knew they would be in trouble if they broke the classroom rules. If their parents were called, they would be punished again when they returned home. Today, many parents assume their children must be right, and so the teacher must be wrong. Young people, knowing they’ll have the support of their parents, have learned to deflect the ire of their parents onto the teachers. Parents then proceed to attack teachers who dare to establish discipline and rules in their own classrooms.
Decades ago, with most mothers home parenting full-time, adults had the time to monitor their children and make sure they were following the rules. Today, with two working parents, or single parents working more than one job, parents, exhausted and frayed at the end of the day, have little time for their kids. They count on teachers to teach respect and discipline, and blame them when their children act out. Many parents deal with the guilt of not spending time with their kids. They often make teachers the bad guys in order to deflect the blame they feel. New generations of spoiled parents are demanding their way, and offended that the teacher dares to criticize their child. Rude and demanding, these parents often see teachers as their servants, responsible for the behavior and discipline of their children.
Powerless Teachers Leaving the Profession
Today teachers have become almost powerless in their attempts to maintain control in the classroom. Discipline that involves some sort of pain for the student is frowned upon. Even a mild rebuke is criticized. Teachers know that their actions can result in verbal and even physical attacks. The threat of lawsuits often hang over teachers. And administrators, hesitant to record too many discipline referrals, send unruly students back into the classroom to disrupt again.
Though teachers are leaving the professions in record numbers, little is being done to address these issues. Teaching for many, has become unbearable. Disrupting students often bring learning to a halt in the classroom, as discipline takes precedence over learning. When will this situation reach a breaking point, where something will finally be done? So far, we’ve seen school districts lowering teaching standards in order to fill the spots of those teachers leaving. That does not bode well for the future of education.