The evolution of the teacher…
So what is the role of a teacher? The role of a teacher has certainly evolved
over the years and now, perhaps more than ever, that role is in question? In the 15th Century a teacher
helped children to read and write and of course to understand the bible. The upper class, mostly royals and those in
living in monasteries, were privy to formal education. In the
17th century scientist and educator John Amos Comenius disseminated a reformed
system of universal education that was widely used in Europe. Ivan Betskoy (an educational advisor to Catherine
II) proposed to educate young Russians of both sexes in state boarding schools,
aimed at creating "a new race of men". There was an increasing academic interest in
education and the first attempts to create what might be considered academic
rationales for teaching methods. This
led, in the 1770s, to the establishment of the first chair of pedagogy at the
University of Halle in Germany.
The first American schools in the thirteen original colonies
opened in the 17th century. Boston Latin School was founded in 1635 and is both
the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States. All the New England colonies required towns
to set up schools, and many did so. In 1642 the Massachusetts Bay Colony made
"proper" education compulsory; other New England colonies followed. The larger towns in New England opened
grammar schools, the forerunner of the modern high school. The most famous was the Boston Latin School,
which is still in operation as a public high school. Schools became part of the community
As formal education developed, so did the role of the
teacher. The teacher was at the center
of most formal education. Early schools
were limited to one room and one teacher.
That teacher was charged with supervising, educating, and disciplining
the entire student body. Reading was
taught from books like the bible and math was rudimentary and basic. In the 17th century, the schoolbooks were
brought over from England. By 1690, Boston publishers were reprinting the
English Protestant Tutor under the title of The New England Primer. The
"blue backed speller" of Noah Webster was by far the most common
textbook from the 1790s until 1836, when the McGuffey Readers appeared. Both
series emphasized civic duty and morality, and sold tens of millions of copies
nationwide.
Formal curriculum did not exist, and teaching was done according
to what the town needed. The school
system remained largely private and unorganized until the 1840s. Public schools
were always under local control, with no federal role, and little state role.
The 1840 census indicated that of the 3.68 million children between the ages of
five and fifteen, about 55% attended primary schools and academies. Teaching
young students was not perceived as an end goal for educated people.
Adults became
teachers without any particular skill except sometimes in the topic they were
teaching. The checking of credentials was left to the local school boards, who
were mainly interested in the efficient use of limited taxes. This started to
change with the introduction of two-year normal schools starting in 1823. By
the end of the 19th century, most teachers of elementary schools were trained
in this fashion. As education became
more formal, so did the training of teachers.
Teachers organized themselves during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1917, the
National Education Association (NEA) was reorganized to better mobilize and
represent teachers and educational staff.
During the 60’s teachers also assumed the role of disciplinarian. Tales of “the paddle” instilled fear into
students, allowing teachers to better control their classroom. This image carried a lot of weight in the
public’s perception as teachers were seen to have an important role in raising
a child. The “portrayal” of teachers in
movies was always an older man or woman with rimmed glasses and an ever present
scowl and swinging a yard stick. “Corporal
Punishment” was eventually banned and the image of the teacher would be changed
forever.
The image of a teacher, and the power they once held, was
lost. Now teaching was simply another
career. The apathetic public now sees
teachers as lazy, greedy, and covetous.
The public’s perception is fueled by media reports of sexual encounters,
“greedy” strikes, and demands for higher pay.
The public thinks that teachers work short hours, have summers off, and
do very little work. What the public
does not see is the preparation time, the long hours grading papers and the developmental
education.
If we do not change to the public’s perception of what a
teacher is, teachers will continue to leave the profession in droves. While most teachers do not do it for the
money, paying teachers appropriately will help.
While money may help, regaining the public’s respect is the key. This can be accomplished in different ways.
First and foremost, we must remove ourselves from the front
pages. We need to stop performing
immoral acts with our students and regain the moral character of the
profession. Second, we must work with
the public and reinstall the community feel of our schools. Accentuate the positive; create webpages to
show off the good that our schools are doing to. Invite
the neighbors into our schools to show off the pride.
In the 18th Century, schools were seen as an
important part of the community. It was
where the children learned the skills needed to support the community. Nothing has changed. School is still where our children learn the
skills needed to support the community.
It has been placed on our shoulders, we as educators, are responsible
for rebuilding the image. Let’s get to
work!
