Senior biology and science education major
It is widely known that teaching is a thankless profession in terms of both salary and respect. While it is one thing to recognize the struggles teachers face, it is something completely different to truly acknowledge those struggles and adjust our attitude toward teachers accordingly. It is far easier to say someone deserves respect than it is to treat them with respect.
The first step is to understand why teaching should be considered an esteemed career in the first place. Think of ideal professionals: They have spent years cultivating the knowledge and skills to carry out their jobs successfully and continually find ways to improve their techniques. They take pride in their work and put their best effort forward in all tasks. This can be said of doctors, athletes, architects and, of course, teachers.
Naturally, the image of an engaged and effective teacher calls to mind the opposite. It is true that some people begin teaching for the wrong reasons and carry an attitude of apathy with them throughout their entire careers. They only do the bare minimum, using textbooks to teach their students and never attempting to develop their professional skills. Ignoring the fact that these teachers make up a minority of the field, it must still be acknowledged that they were deemed by professional institutions as worthy of educating others. This means they are authorities in their field, even if their actions do not reflect this.
But why is it that teachers repeatedly experience a lack of respect from students, parents and even the general population? They, more than most professionals, are constantly evolving their workplace strategies and tools with teaching workshops, mandatory observation and critiques by school administrators, countywide analysis of student learning data and more. The preparation required to assume and carry out the role of a teacher is substantial, and teachers are consistently held accountable for the quality of their work. This alone is deserving of respect.
Much of this logic can be applied to university professors as well. They have spent nearly a decade or more cultivating the knowledge that makes them reputable experts in their respective academic communities. What they learn about the art and science of education has come from assistant and associate professorships, faculty training workshops and engaging in education research. Reviews from both students and the university hold them responsible for their ability to provide a valuable learning experience. Most professors are not trained educators, but many have taken time to study education so they may better serve their students.
Whether parents, students or citizens, we should approach all teachers in the same way we do engineers and lawyers — as highly educated professionals serving an important role in society. Teachers shouldn’t have to earn our respect. They did that with four years of undergraduate study, intensive internships, a comprehensive certification portfolios and master’s degrees. Let only their actions in the classroom determine whether they deserve to keep that respect.
Danielle Wilkin is a senior biology and science education major. She can be reached at dwilkindbk@gmail.com.
