Friday, March 27, 2009
Media, Teachers, and Professional Status
A few weeks ago we discussed the professional status of teachers and that got me to thinking about other reasons that profession is not held with the highest regard in public opinion. Part of the issue stems from the media’s perception and persecution of a few of the poor examples within the profession. The public hears about the indiscretions with students and other teachers, the abuse of power, and other disturbing acts. There is some focus on the good work taking place in the classroom but most people remember the negative things and that is unfortunately a result of what the media views as newsworthy. The media plays up ways of grabbing the viewers’ attention and achieving increased ratings which boosts the revenues through advertising sales. What can we do to get the word out about all of the good things that teachers are doing? How much good do we need to do to get the public to care about what we are doing and the lives that we are positively influencing? How can we change the perception of our chosen profession?
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3 comments:
I thought about this topic a lot myself. After class, I was pretty disheartened to think about entering into a career that is not well respected. But I came to the conclusion that teaching is among the most noble of "professions" because it is a job that requires you to give so much of yourself without the recognition. I think that teachers continue to do what they do, despite their often negative portrayal, because every so often, a student lets them know that they have made a difference.
I agree that the public only hears the negative about education and teachers. Everytime a teacher is arrested for inappropriate behavior it has a trickle down effect that makes all teachers look bad. The ineffectiveness of No Child Left Behind has also cast a negative light on teachers and their role in the classroom.
Our media is obsessed with all of the scandalous issues of the world, and like you said a lot of really positive things go unnoticed. Because of this we as teachers will not always receive all the respect and recognition we may publically deserve. I do think that teachers deserve more suppport from the community.
I think that Lizzy is right, it is the differences that teachers make in the students lives that will really matter. As long as we work to make a positive difference in the lives of the students that come into our classrooms, we are also working towards earning more respect from our community.
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