Lindsey says:
teachers are not viewed to have knowledge that is esoteric and the average person is capable of walking into a classroom and teaching the students what they need to know. If I understand this correctly then I could not disagree more. I do understand that the average person knows that 2 x 2 = 4. But, my argument is that the average person probably does not know how to teach this to a 3rd grader and know of alternative ways to teach a particular student that is not able to grasp the concept. The average person probably does not have the classroom management skills to deal with students who are acting out or not following directions. The average person also could not teach a child the seven steps to throwing a ball. All of these examples are what I believe to be esoteric knowledge that teachers posses because of their professional training.
This is right on! But I think Strike is getting at another issue. Sure, there are people who think teaching isn't a big deal and they could just walk in and give students all their knowledge and be awesome. Those people don't understand teaching that well. If anything, I think the general public's perception of teaching has gotten better over the years, so the problem isn't with people who think they could just walk in and teach. The problem is with people who see teachers as having skills (and maybe a certain personality), but not esoteric knowledge.
A plumber is a skilled worker, but we're hesitant to call the plumber a professional. That's because he has a certain skill set that is easily codified and replicable. You can learn the basic skills of plumbing in a relatively short amount of time. The amount of judgment required in the application of those skills is limited. And, (here's the kicker), non-plumbers can acquire a reasonably passable version of those skills by having a book handy. If my drain gets clogged, I can turn to my "How to fix it" book from the Home Depot to unclog my drain. I don't think I can just walk in and fix my drain, but I do think that with a limited amount of time, I can get the skills necessary to solve a lot of the basic plumbing problems.
(Now is probably a good time to note that I think plumbers are awesome, lest I get pelted by pipe wrenches. I intend no disrespect to highly skilled workers; my dad's an electrician.)
Notice what's missing here -- knowledge that takes significant skill and effort to acquire and is somewhat abstract in character, as well as the development of a type of professional judgment on how, when, and if to apply that knowledge. Do teachers have that type of knowledge? Do people believe that they do?
I submit that many people think teachers are like plumbers, rather than doctors: highly skilled workers who do a relatively dirty job that's necessary for society to function.
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I personally think that teachers have "that" knowledge but I of course am biased to that opinion because I am going to school to become a teacher. I do however believe that people in society do not view teachers having that knowledge, and may compare a teacher's skills to that of a plumber. But does a plumber have a bachelor's degree in plumbing? A masters degree? If we are going to say that Doctors have esoteric knowledge that they learn in their 7+ years of college and internships, then dont you think that teachers should at least be viewed as on a higher professional level than a plumber (no offense to plumbers) because of their education and training? I definitely have a better understanding of what Strike is getting at now, but I still believe that people should view teaching as a profession. Do teachers not have "knowledge that takes significant skill and effort to acquire and is somewhat abstract in character, as well as the development of a type of professional judgment on how, when, and if to apply that knowledge"? Maybe not as much as doctors and lawyers but to a certain extent they do (in my opinion).
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