Misplaced priorities in a nation gone mad – should teachers smile, frown, or walk on fire
It always amazes me to see the problems facing the US education system. Every step appears to be the equivalent of 10 missteps. Here I was, thinking that the worst I would have to deal with in 2012 is the “common core” garbage. An idea that the US thinks is so innovative – is in fact replicated with ease in countries like India (this, in fact is a terrible idea, which will take the US another 10 or 15 years and a few billion dollars to find out). Today, however I found some drivel far worse than that – a new way of looking at a non-existent problem.
Should a teacher smile or frown on the first day?
No no, this is not me bringing up the issue. This is approximately the title and gist of an article, linked by one of the many education newsletters I have signed up for.
At first, I thought it was some cruel new-school-year joke. Nope!
The article is written with earnest and has interviews and quotations galore, with teachers going on and on about how being stern is important, or how taking a hit of nitric oxide and giggling is really where the stuff is…
Misplaced Priorities
If you ever thought that the US education system was in shambles, you were being mild and conservative. True, the newspaper was just seeking some attention, but why do people respond to silly quote requests from authors?
I am not going to try and summarize what should be the priorities of the US education at this point, but unfortunately, it is not about smiling and frowning. Teachers should be concerned about how much the students are going to learn, what difficulties they will face – such as bullying, teenage problems and so much more.
I don’t think the students will remember if their teacher looked like Cheech, Chong or Hitler’s cousin on the first day, especially when they struggle with global competition in the future.
References:
Clipart:
1. http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/education2.shtml
