By: rob

rob — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:15:48 +0000

As a former teacher myself, I can attest to the widely varying degrees of competence in the field. It’s a lot like opticianry that way. Why is this a problem in fields like education and ophthalmics and yet much less so (or at least less obviously so) in engineering or medicine. Sure, there are bad doctors and good ones, but any doctor as inept as a few of the opticians and teachers with whom I’ve worked would quickly lose his license. So why?
First, I’d say that it’s WAY easier to become a teacher or optician than an engineer or MD. There is less education required for teaching (bachelor’s) and opticianry (associate’s or certificate) than for doctor. Finding a job is also a lot easier due to lower levels of competition.
Why the greater competition in certain fields? The primary reason is money, although the prestige that goes along with higher pay is also attractive. Mark my words, the day teachers make six figures is the day public education will turn itself around. Better minds will be drawn to it, harder work required to get into it, and greater care will be taken to stay in it.
So why do some professions get more money than others? Sometimes, greater liability insurance is needed, as in the case of doctors, whose mistakes can be deadly. Sometimes, the amount of education and training is extensive, and requires some payback once completed. Sometimes, the professional is capable of bringing in large amounts of money to his employer, as with engineering firms (or, sadly, sports teams). Another reason, though, is simply the value placed on the profession by society at large. People just think doctors are more important than teachers, and that means they deserve more. I won’t argue with that, but I think the gap in pay doesn’t match up with the comparatively narrower gap in importance. Is our job of helping people see better less important to society than Barry Bonds’ job? (No, and baseball can burn in Hell for preempting wrestling!)
In short (though it is too late for brevity), if our society made any sense, people would value education, people would dream of being great and famous teachers, education majors would have to work hard and develop teaching skills to graduate and get hired, and classrooms would be temples of knowledge where great minds of every sort are nourished.

Comments on: Critical Thinking or Lack Thereof

By: rob