Spinoff: Teachers, what would you like to tell parents, but can't.

[Anonymous]

To our teachers -

I know educational advocates are annoying and I know hearing about how intelligent my sons are is annyoing. I can disagree with me, but I will share my opions and I will listen to yours. My sons are little boys. They can't advocate for themselves yet. I know what my husband and I have done for my sons already. The doctors appointments, the therapy appointments, the stories I've read them daily since infancy, all the hugs and kisses, and the extracurriculars. To you, maybe my boy is another student, to me he is the most special thing on earth. I will teach him to respect you. I am grateful for what you do. I wish every active little boy who is working on impulse control had a teacher as great as you and a mother who would advocate for him too.

From slightly annoying mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"All of the teachers I work with are very highly educated. They are required to take graduate coursework until they earn their grad degree (we are given 5 years to do this)."

You're kidding, right? Graduate level coursework for teachers is on par intellectually probably with junior high level work. I would never view someone as well educated, let alone highly educated or very highly educated, because she has a masters in education. If she attended a high quality undergraduate program, or did graduate work at someplace like Columbia's teachers college, yes. But, really, most people who go into teacher are middle-of-the-class types without a lot of intellectual curiosity or ability. I'm not trying to be rude, but frankly I was shocked when I went to my high school reunion and saw who had gone into education.

... really? Have you ever been in a undergrad or graduate courses for teachers?

I have. Undergraduate school (BA in elementary education) plus graduate school (MA in Deaf Education) equaled about 6.5 years and 7 Praxis exams. Equal to junior high? I don't think so. I had courses on linguistics, psychology, curriculum, differentiating instruction and IEPs, and teaching various subjects (math, language arts, science, social studies, etc) during undergrad then my graduate courses focused on theories of cognitive and language development, bilingual education, etc. I also had field experience work and practicums, and 2 student teaching experiences plus a teacher work sample for each practicum and student teaching (around 90+ pages for each) and papers related to student observations, etc.

I don't know about all teachers but I know I have always had a very strong drive to learn more and I try to share that willingness to learn to my students as well. I think many people enter education field thinking the job is "easy" and the courses will be "easy" but they often are very surprised and don't last long either in undergrad or grad school or once they start teaching.