Yesterday, Nelly and I went by bus to a cultural festival in Calgary. We met a lady on the bus who teaches English for grades 10, 11, and 12. I have an interest in education and it has been my opinion that todays educational system is failing the students.
I expressed that opinion and learned that I was misinformed. Education has changed a great deal since I was a high school student during the 1960’s. In my day, the teachers and the Principal had power and authority, the parents had little to say about education.
Today, the teachers and the Principal have no authority and no power, the parents have it all. Allow me to give you Mrs. English Teacher’s (Mrs.ET ) story.
First of all, Mrs.ET has taught for 23 years and teaches in a school district near Edmonton. She lives in the affluent neighborhood where she teaches. All the students are told her rules before she begins teaching them.
The students call all the teachers by their last names, it is not Mrs. Smith or Mr. Smith, it is just Smith or Jones or whatever your last name happens to be. The students will shout the name of the teacher when they are way down the hall, instead of respectfully waiting for the teacher to arrive so they can speak with them.
Mrs. ET starts with 120 students per semester in all three grades. As the semester goes along the numbers reduce. In every class there are difficult students with some classes having as many as six.
Some of her students arrive at class having had no breakfast. She gives them a coffee and sells them an energy bar, then she has their attention during class.
To maintain order, she never raises her voice. She speaks firmly and to the point. For example, when she speaks to a student and the student swears at her, she will tell that student that he owes the Swear Jar 25 cents. If he refuses to pay up and continues to swear she will give him a choice. Either stop swearing or leave. If he chooses to leave she reminds him that he is welcome to come back tomorrow.
If the student refuses to choose, the rest of the class will remind him not to mess with the teacher and he will make his choice. If the student leaves he usually returns the next day and apologizes to Mrs. ET.
Cell phones are another issue. Mrs. ET states that she doesn’t want to see the phone or hear it. If the student talks on the phone during class, they have two choices, either put it in the Phone Box or leave class, and again they are welcome to return the next day. By the end of the day Mrs.ET will have up to 7 phones in the Box for the students to reclaim after school.
Parents will phone Mrs.ET at home and scream at her because their child has failing grades. Mrs.ET always agrees with them by saying, “yes! I would be mad too! Now what can we do about it? ” Some parents agree to work it out, but others just want to vent and put the blame everywhere but where it belongs.
Every weekend Mrs.ET puts in at least 8 hours marking papers and spends time preparing material for classes during the week. Her own 3 children ages 19, 14, and 10, also need their mother’s attention, but when she comes home from work she is exhausted.
The enjoyment of teaching has run its course. Mrs.ET is now looking for a different type of work, for teaching is too difficult, too toxic, too frustrating, with little gain. This woman is a caring person, but the system abuses her efforts because there is too much control in the hands of the parents.