Nov 9, 2023·edited Nov 9, 2023Liked by David V. Stewart
A brilliant analysis! My experience on the field is in 100% agreement.
On they pay issue I'd add that a wise teacher always keeps in mind his hourly wage. I.e. the more you plan and grade and do extra, the less pay per hour you get.
This should not dishearten, but instead it should push the teacher to prioritize and get more efficient at the job. A teacher's hourly wage can be quite reasonable, provided he gets serious with efficiency.
Also, I've noted a pronounced gender difference here. Male teachers have less trouble with comparmentalizing the work in their minds, and less trouble prioritizing their work. With female teachers the stress levels tend to be huge, and often they attempt to be caretakers for the kids, and maintain a sort of "straight-A's good girl" mentality they developed back in school.
That mentality does not help them at all at work, instead becoming crushingly stressful. Extra grueling when they notice the seemingly "lazy" male teachers are better in tune with their jobs and deal better with the kids.
That's a good point about the "Straight A" kid. That high conscientiousness is an asset when it comes to doing homework, a burden when you need to set boundaries. There's no extra credit for teachers.
It's only amplified by teacher training, which, as you said, is basically all wrong-headed. First of all, teaching is something you learn by doing and which is based on your personality, general life experience and social skills.
Some kind of training program/certificate may be justified to vet out people who simply don't have it in them (through some kind of entrance examination/interview), but the training itself should be extremely practical. Practical advice in terms of effective grading, classroom management tips... Basically stuff that you often talk about.
Instead, it's all about 'pedagogy', one of the many nonsense fields where something that is human is 'scientified' and made into a fake academic industry. Insane theories rotate in and out, often based on cultural marxism.
The straight A girls go into this 'pedagogy' with their old mindset and believe what they are taught is important and valuable. Then they try to apply this toxic nonsense in real life and find that it is impossible. This causes huge numbers of burnout in the first few years. I saw some statistics that most fresh teachers don't make it for longer than 3 years before they want to exit. They are woefully ill-prepared and mal-educated. Often also personality types who should never even become teachers.
I should add that new teachers should stay out of the teachers lounge as much as possible until they find their feet. They tend to be toxic. Had a few experienced master teachers say as much.
A brilliant analysis! My experience on the field is in 100% agreement.
On they pay issue I'd add that a wise teacher always keeps in mind his hourly wage. I.e. the more you plan and grade and do extra, the less pay per hour you get.
This should not dishearten, but instead it should push the teacher to prioritize and get more efficient at the job. A teacher's hourly wage can be quite reasonable, provided he gets serious with efficiency.
Also, I've noted a pronounced gender difference here. Male teachers have less trouble with comparmentalizing the work in their minds, and less trouble prioritizing their work. With female teachers the stress levels tend to be huge, and often they attempt to be caretakers for the kids, and maintain a sort of "straight-A's good girl" mentality they developed back in school.
That mentality does not help them at all at work, instead becoming crushingly stressful. Extra grueling when they notice the seemingly "lazy" male teachers are better in tune with their jobs and deal better with the kids.
That's a good point about the "Straight A" kid. That high conscientiousness is an asset when it comes to doing homework, a burden when you need to set boundaries. There's no extra credit for teachers.
It's only amplified by teacher training, which, as you said, is basically all wrong-headed. First of all, teaching is something you learn by doing and which is based on your personality, general life experience and social skills.
Some kind of training program/certificate may be justified to vet out people who simply don't have it in them (through some kind of entrance examination/interview), but the training itself should be extremely practical. Practical advice in terms of effective grading, classroom management tips... Basically stuff that you often talk about.
Instead, it's all about 'pedagogy', one of the many nonsense fields where something that is human is 'scientified' and made into a fake academic industry. Insane theories rotate in and out, often based on cultural marxism.
The straight A girls go into this 'pedagogy' with their old mindset and believe what they are taught is important and valuable. Then they try to apply this toxic nonsense in real life and find that it is impossible. This causes huge numbers of burnout in the first few years. I saw some statistics that most fresh teachers don't make it for longer than 3 years before they want to exit. They are woefully ill-prepared and mal-educated. Often also personality types who should never even become teachers.
My daughter is getting into elementary education. So, I'm going to share your insights with her. Thank you!!
I should add that new teachers should stay out of the teachers lounge as much as possible until they find their feet. They tend to be toxic. Had a few experienced master teachers say as much.
I will tell her that. Thanks!