With Education It's Always Something

North Miami Beach, FL June 19, 2001 Aaron H.
Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then, Comments are welcome.

WITH EDUCATION IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING

Gail Collins in the Times this morning points out the looming teacher
shortage across the country. States are poaching on other states' teachers
offering better conditions and more money. The times are new but the
situation is old.

In times of teacher shortages there is intense recruitment and making
things better to entice teachers to come and teach in what has always been
eelymosynary (charity) institutions. Teachers never were paid much in the
early days of building the public system we now have because the student
year was based on an agricultural cycle. Also, you could get a woman to
teach instead of a man and he demanded more - and she, the nurturer, would
never complain. Times have changed. Lady teachers will go on strike.

Over the centuries (now two of them) the system grew and grew. When at the
end of WWII I decided to teach I was told that I could not get a job as a
High School teacher of History because during the recent depression many
prospective doctors, lawyers and scientists were desperate to become HS
teachers of English, History (Civics) and Algebra. They told me to get a
job teaching in elementary school. I didn't know that teaching was
considered unprofessional by other professions.

I got jobs on the elementary level and it took seven years before I was
able to snare a job as a teacher of English and History in a junior high and
in High School the following year in Central High in Newark, NJ. I learned
a lot by teaching in ghetto schools. Those kids whipped me into shape, as
do children everywhere.

Then I was lucky. I took advanced degrees over 20 years and ended up
teaching how to teach at Monmouth (formerly a junior college, then a 4-year
Liberal Arts college and now a University). I was lucky - I found a job
that I liked, was good at and then was able to help in preparing good
teachers out of so-so material. Some of these turned out to be significant.
I am proud of the many who matured and developed on the job as I did many
years before.

The times have changed but we are again looking for teachers to fill the
schools we have denigrated, degraded and are punishing because the "system"
stinks. With education it is always something.
Carol's Evaluation:10 out of 10.