A quote that really prompted me this week was by Buchmann who wrote "teachers are not social workers career counselors, or simply adults who care for children..." (531). Teacher are so much more. Society seems to have a hard time understanding that teachers are a child's foundation in life. If we didn't have teachers we wouldn't have social workers, career counselors, or people who do simply care for children. Most of those jobs require a higher level of education. Why do we expect these people to go above and beyond for each individual child that comes through their classroom and yet we don't want to increase their pay or provide them with extended planning time. Why is the profession of teaching debated at being a profession at all? I honestly can't even begin to comprehend these questions.
On a more positive note I really enjoyed thinking about teaching in a different way as presented by Lisa Delpit. She wrote "we must, finally, come to the realization that the children we teach are the gifts we give to the future" (47). Instead of making teaching about our selves and what we can do for the future of the children. This quote is saying that children are the gift and we need to let them shape our future not the other way around. It is amazing to me at how much children know at such early ages these days. Most grasp big concepts like gender differences and racism. I believe that we can use this knowledge in ways that will enhance a child's understanding of themselves and of those around them. Fostering critical thinking at an early age can help a child's ability to build up buffers and make decisions on there own. Not only do we need to create this environment for our children, but we need to remind ourselves of our biases. My hope for the future is that children are less tainted by false information and teachers are viewed as a profession by all.
BEDUC427
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