Dewan A 1. Everything has their pros and cons. Teaching has also some disadvantages. Teaching is a huge responsibility. There are many problems for teachers that make the profession more complicated than it has to be. School finance has a significant impact on a teacher’s ability to maximize their effectiveness. Finance is driven by each individual state’s budget. In lean times, schools are often forced to make cuts that can’t help but have a negative impact. Most teachers will make due with the resources their given, but it doesn’t mean that they couldn’t do a better job with more financial backing. Most teachers will tell you that they don’t have a problem with the standardized tests themselves, but how the results are interpreted and used. Many teachers will tell you that you can’t get a true indicator of what any particular student is capable of on a single test on any particular day. This becomes especially frustrating when many students have nothing riding on these tests, but every teacher does. This over emphasis has caused many teachers to shift their overall approach to teach to these standardized tests. This not only takes away from creativity, but it can also quickly create teacher burnout. Standardized testing puts a lot of pressure on a teacher to get their students to perform. Students who wants to choose teaching as their profession sometimes changes their decision watching their teachers facing lots of issues. They learn from what they see. It is called social learning theory. 2. A functionalist’s perspective on education is to have a consensus perspective: examine society in terms of how it is maintained for the common good. A functionalist will put an emphasis on positive aspects of schools such as socialization: the learning of skills and attitudes in school. Education helps maintain society by socializing young people into values of achievement, competition and equality of opportunity. Role allocation is all part of this: education allocates people to the most appropriate jobs for their talents, using examinations and qualifications. Durkheim views education as an entity creating social solidarity: community, cooperation. Education transmits culture: shared beliefs and values. Schools are a miniature society: cooperation, interaction, rules and universalistic standards. Specialist skills: division of labour, schools teach specialist knowledge and skills. There are dysfunctions with this approach to stratification. First, it is difficult to determine the functional importance of any job. For example a primary school teacher in the U.S. earns $29,000 per year, whereas a National Basketball Association player can earn as much as $21 million per year. Are basketball players more essential to society than teachers? Are basketball players more functionally important than teachers? If NBA player went on strike and decided not to work, most people would not notice. However, if teachers, bus drivers, nurses, cleaners, garbage collectors, or waitresses stopped working, society would close down. Thus, functionalism can be critiqued on the basis that there is little connection between income and functional importance. 3. I think teachers does a great job by teaching students with so much stress and issues. They have to go through many difficulties just to teach students and give them a better future. They have to give extra time for students who have difficulty understanding in classes. They have to check the exam papers and it takes lots of time. They do not get time for their families. They are not paid well as they give lots of hard work. They have to prepare students for standardized which is a huge responsibility and takes lots of time and hard work. Government should increase their payment and should appreciate their job as one of the most hard working and respectable job in profession category. And it should motivate youngsters to choose teaching as one of their career.
1.) The issue in this article is that many states are experiencing a decline in individuals attending teacher training programs. The decline is linked to the fact that being a teacher incurs an unstable professional life. The education system, which suffers from flawed standards, solely based on assessments, and budget cuts, directly affected the willingness of many to pursue careers as teachers. The media and politics have found their way into the educational spectrum and poisoned the image of the teacher. This is a social problem, for a few reasons. This is no longer a personal issue, for it has evolved to a statewide dilemma. States as large as New York and Texas are experiencing vast reductions in their teaching staff. This has become a public issue in that, the people who live, breathe, and embody what it means to be an educator feel powerless in the presence of such a powerful yet flawed education system. Incentives, thought to quell the issue like increases in pay, have been revoked, and despite all this some teachers remain unfazed. Just the fact that they get to play such a pivotal role in the child’s life and help them learn gives many teachers the satisfaction to continue pursuing the career.
2.) According to functionalists, teachers have the primary thus manifest function, of educating others. Latent functions of the education system are to be devoted care givers to a child and their parents and guardians. Children spend vast amounts of time in schools throughout their young lives that of which seems to be overlooked. With a sharp decline of teachers, the quality of education and care that children of the modern day receive will pale in comparison to that of others. Functionalists easily would argue teachers are subjected to the pressures of meeting so many unnecessary additional requirements, when in reality their primary role is to educate. Again the problem, with the way things seem to be going, may amount to much less individuals occupying such a necessary role of being educators in the lives of children. Another thing functionalists would argue which again tends to be overlooked is that, schools as institutions designed for the public actually accommodate and assist vastly to disadvantaged youth.
3.) I think that this is definitely a problem. Children, in general, despise school. You can’t find many kids who actually like school because most of them fall victim to being judged solely on the success of their assessments, and not on the quality of their learning. If I talk to a child, and ask them, “did you learn something today? If so, can you tell me what you learned?” If that child goes on to tell me things they learned, that I literally had little to no knowledge of prior, and they say it enthusiastically, that would almost always serves as an indication that they happily learned something. As opposed to the kid whose killing himself because he suffers from a system that penalizes him for not meeting “standards”, and wounds up doing drugs and entraps himself in a downward cycle of life. Now I know these are the extremes on the spectrum of the current education system, but it’s truly sad to think that it all starts in school. Education serves as a means to obtain better jobs and thus improve the quality of life. The system is messed up and I personally resent how things currently are in regard to education. It comes as no surprise people don’t want to teach because it’s not desirable. It’s humbling, but for many can be very depressing. A solution to this problem is to literally put an end to standardized testing and assessing children, and instead teaching them and making them happy. Schools should teach fundamentals at an early age and towards middle school or high school should place emphasis on a few specific field of study, that of which the child him or herself is inclined to. I’m sure simple steps such as those would vastly improve the learning experience, and when there are kids who want to learn there will be teachers who want to teach. It starts with the system requiring change.
Elisa J. 1. In the article “ Where have all the teachers gone?” the issue at hand is the little supply of teachers that there are. A big issue that they are having with this is that they do not have enough people going into the profession and the ones that are going to schools to be teachers seem to be staying away from sciences, math, and special education. This has become a social problem because without the funding to these schools people will stay away. Everyone has to make a living and if someone knows that being a teacher is not going to make them the money then why do it. Another thing that makes it a social problem is that since teachers are not able to teach children the way that they would like to, the children will suffer. Teachers will just be teaching by the book and that gives the children less of a chance to use their imagination and think outside of the box. When our children suffer from not having a great education then their future will suffer and these will be the adults that will move on and some day is able to choose their profession. If the teachers cannot inspire these kids then how will we have a higher rate of teachers in every subject. Another thing is teachers should be compensated more because they are molding the minds of these children. They are with them for most part of the day, five days out of the week. There are some teachers that do take the time to go above and beyond and for that they should be recognized. 2. In a functionalist perspective, school is made to help teach a child how to integrate into society. School is where a child will eventually learn what his or her function in society will be. Going to school gives children that drive and the greatest feeling of success when they finish 8th grade or high school. If less teachers are around then classes will be bigger and soon it will become a dysfunction in society because soon children will stop attending because there is less one on one with the teacher. If they miss school or stop attending on a regular basis then writing, reading and proper talking will start to decline. Without school and teacher society will not function. Another thing that a functionalist will say is without rules on the teachers and them being able to teach how they want it, the children could not be to standards, the children’s standards are set by the state. There has to be these guidelines so they can know what children will have certain qualifications to get a specific job in the future. If we can pay someone to box more than a million just to entertain and not really have a learning value, then why not give teachers more, they help the child when the child is struggling. They spend the time to teach them to write, read, and speak. They make sure you know history, science, math, languages, anything really. The importance of the teachers should be something that we as a society should start to open their eyes because these are the people that are molding their children’s mind and preparing them for the future.
Elisa J. 3. I commented on this specific topic because I feel that I had a good education. Even though I went to a private school, I still feel like a lot of things I learned from K-12 stick with me because the teachers were so interactive. I also feel that if it were not for most of my teacher I would not have become the person I am today. I think that it is terrible that we have these standards on teachers and are constantly trying to force these rules. The purpose of learning is to expand your imagination and think outside the box. How is that happening if they have to teach by the book? Even though I know the teachers I had were not paid much, they still did above and beyond things because they wanted us to be stronger, more independent women. I think a solution to the problem would be to give teachers higher pay, while being able to teach how they want but within some guidelines. I believe student’s grades will go up which will increase schools funding as well. There’s room for ideas to flourish in these schools. Also more people would want to become teachers because our main goal in life is to make a difference and inspire why not do that and get paid for it. Also they are working hard to mold the minds of children everyday. I think anyone would want the best education they can possibly afford for their child regardless of the type of school it is. Giving teachers these higher incentives, and better teaching guidelines, they will be more willing and able to go out of the box. I know that is what a parent ultimately wants is a child that will grow up to be his or her own adult with the ability to think for themselves and be able to survive in the world.
Siranush M. 1. In the article “Where are all teachers gone?” mainly talks about education issues and specifically that a lot of professors stays away of teaching program especially in science such as math, physics, etc. Several big states have seen alarming drops in enrollment at teacher training programs. The numbers are grim among some of the nation's largest producers of new teachers: In California, enrollment is down 53 percent over the past five years. It's down sharply in New York and Texas as well. The issue is that a lot of people trying to avoid this type of profession and that becomes a big social problem. What educational institutions will look like without having good teaching team? Well the first reason is might be the salary of the teacher. A lot of people won’t agree have a teacher status and get paid less. Usually they will go for highly paid profession. The teacher employment picture is, of course, local and regional. One part of a state may have too many elementary teachers, while another may have too few. And the gaps vary by specialty — with many places facing serious shortages in areas including science, math and special education. 2. As we know functionalists look at the function or role of an institution in society in keeping the social body ‘functioning’ (working) properly. The functionalist theory focuses on the ways that universal education serves the needs of society. Functionalists first see education in its manifest role: conveying basic knowledge and skills to the next generation. Functionalists see in education is sorting—separating students on the basis of merit. Society's needs demand that the most capable people get channeled into the most important occupations. Schools identify the most capable students early. Functionalists point to the ironic dual role of education in both preserving and changing culture. Studies show that, as students’ progress through college and beyond, they usually become increasingly liberal as they encounter a variety of perspectives. Thus, more educated individuals are generally more liberal, while less educated people tend toward conservatism. 3. I decided to comment on this topic as it is common nowadays. Education and its system as well as teachers has a huge impact of the student’s life. When teachers get paid the way it should be they will be more mindful about their job they are doing as the students are our future. The way they get educated is the way to look like our future. When future so called “doctor” does not have a good science teacher how can he or she prevent human beings’ lives? This seems not to be a huge problem for some people, but when we think deeply, unfortunately, it remains an everyday problem which has unsolved parts of it. The problem is not the teachers, but the educational system and fundings. K-12 teachers apparently take the opposite approach to their pension funds--they don't care what the fund invests in as long as the checks go out. I hope one day this won’t be a he problem as it is now. We need to do all these things to keep the good people who are already in the profession. There are a lot of fantastic teachers who are disillusioned. We are often told that the problem with schools is that we become teachers because we cannot do anything else, and schools would improve greatly only if skilled people would join the ranks. Teacher education programs must help teaching candidates to link the moral purpose that influences them with the tools that will prepare them to engage in productive change.
Armen G. Education is vital to the progression of contemporary society and schooling is as vital a socializing agent, which makes teachers one of the most important members of society. Without them, and subsequently without the educational function enabled by the presence of teachers who are adept and capable, much of modern society, which involves a significant degree of preparedness and special education/schooling, just wouldn’t be possible. Therefore, the problem being discussed in the article is one that is a problem of function, or, more accurately, is the testimonial of a current dysfunction within society in the area/institution of education. A functionalist may say that this dysfunction may serve to inspire and instigate a revamping of the entire system as it relates to this area, so that it may grow in response to the threat. That it may lead to some new method of schooling and teaching or relating to schooling and teaching as the current practices become unacceptable as a greater threat to this “organ” of society. This might involve giving teachers better incentives to work while minimizing disincentives in the areas of scrutiny, job-insecurity related to unrealistic evaluations based quantified rather than qualified standards. Essentially a careful evaluation and examination of what truly works and what doesn’t work in our current system of schooling, allowing for a discernment between what will allow this dysfunction to be functional as it provides areas for reform, and jobs for those involved in that process, and what actions/inactions will cause this system, and society, to fall further into unhealthy dysfunction and decay.
Narineh T In Reply To Dewan A 1. I agree with whatever the writer said. Teaching is very important part of life and it is a big responsibility. Students learn many valuable lessons from teachers. So teachers should be paid well for their hard work. Teachers gives extra effort to prepare students for standardized tests. But their payment is not sufficient for the hard wok they does. Financial crisis make them think to leave the job and do another job. But teaching helps students for better future. So we should do something about financial problem to stop them from leaving the job. I agree with his theory "Social Learning Theory." Kids learn from what they see. So we should show them good examples by appreciating teachers' efforts and increasing their wage. 2. I want to see this through conflict point of view. Conflict theorists in education argue that schools create and sustain inequity in society by creating a “false consciousness” that causes students to internalize their lower status and buy into the myth that they have failed through a lack of merit rather than a lack of opportunity. Conflict theorists argue that teaching this false consciousness, a concept which stems from the literature and in‐ sights of Karl Marx, is the primary aim of the institution of school. By inserting a false consciousness into their student bodies, schools guide each student to an understanding of his or her “place” or “status culture” in society, which in turn becomes a self‐fulfilling prophecy. They argue that teachers and students are not passive participants in the school process, and they do not always follow the expectations that result in social reproduction. Theory implies more hope for changing the educational system, suggesting that students can resist their socialization into lower‐status groups and that teachers and other school staff can empower students to do so. 3. I completely agree with his proposed solution. Government should of course consider increasing the payment for the teachers because they does lots of hard work and gives most of their time to students preparing them for their future. We should appreciate their effort and respect it. Another solution can be providing teachers with free health care programs especially for sports teachers because they gives lots of strength to prepare students metabolism and be good athletic. Sometimes they injure themselves while coaching kids so free health care program is necessary.
Narineh T In Reply To Dewan A 3. It is possible because citizens pay lots of taxes and it's government duty to spend money on teaching for the well being of students. Students grow up to be successful person and continues to pay taxes. So government should increase the payments for teachers.
1. I respectfully disagree with her response in recognizing the issue to be the shortage in the teaching profession. Yes, this article does talk about the statistics of seeing a major drop within this field, but what is actually proposing the problem to be is the fact that how schools are more focused on standardized testing like the Common Core-aligned test which the results are correlated within teacher evaluations and the other is the low wages that teachers who are a huge influential part of children’s lives are suffering from. These two factors are the leading problems towards having a shortage in teaching, which this then is seen as not just a problem but a social issue because when these two factors lead to the shortage of teachers, we face a social issue that affects the children. When we have fewer teachers, then the training and the quality of teachers are not as high as it should be because of the need for teachers, the district will hire anyone with just a degree; therefore, the children are not being taught correctly and so if they do not do well in school, then our social world would then be affected by having less and less educated people. The one thing that stood out to me within Siranush’s response, which was a key aspect towards explaining this social issue, was the fact that she did manage to acknowledge the fact that yes, because of these problems, fewer people are joining this crucial influential industry, which again reveals the social issue that we face in consequence of the shortage of teachers. I chose to comment on this specific topic because I myself look forward in becoming a teacher; however, I am having second thoughts because I want my students to actually learn and not just worry and focus on testing only, and I also want to do the job that I have always dreamed of doing but to be able to afford a nice living too; hence, this article has given me a voice to state my opinion.
2. Conflict perspective views two groups that are in conflict with one another; essentially, one always being in power and control and the other inferior to that group. Conflict perspective views education as an institution that creates inequality. From conflict theorist Karl Marx explained that education creates “false consciousness” that lets student believe that they have failed because of the lack of merit rather than lack of opportunity. This false consciousness creates a social status within the students towards their gradual understanding of where they stand. However, when conflict theory looks upon teachers and the school district, it sees the conflict between those two groups where the district has the most power that enables the teachers to having higher wages and the teachers having that false conscious that it is because of their social status that they cannot earn more in teaching.
Dina A. 3. I definitely do agree with her proposed solution because money throughout every single aspect is the most important solution to everything in this world. Even though in my previous paragraph I have stated that there are two problems that lead to the shortage of teachers, which one of them is the standardized testing that derives the focus from learning to just teaching them how to pass a test in which it creates massive amount of stress for students. Additionally the second was the low wages, which is the absolute significant reason that most teachers do leave their jobs and most that are even interested in this career do not join because of the fact that it does not guarantee a nice living wage. I absolutely agree with Siranush’s solution in terms of increasing the wages because teachers really do deserve this raise due to them being the most influential part of children’s lives. However, with her second solution, I do not agree that we need to provide free health care programs because that does not make much difference now that we have Obama care; even so, I propose my other solution which to lessen the standardized testing and put more focus on how to engage students in learning various objectives rather than putting focus on how to pass all these tests.
1. I agree with my peer that the shortage of teachers is a problem. With the shortage of teachers there won’t be anyone qualified to teach the next generations. The thing that stood out for me in my peer’s response is how they emphasize teachings with outside the box methods instead of the textbook teachings. I also like how my peer included personal experiences to relate to the problem. I chose to comment on this because I found the subject to be interesting and informative. I knew that the people going into teaching was declining, but with the statistics provided in the article, it was more than I expected. I this is a social problem because if the shortage of people wanting to be teachers continues, there will also be a shortage in the teachers actually teaching stuff they are qualified to teach. Teachers who were trained in teaching English may have to be forced to teach other subjects such as math or science. Then proper teachings won’t be given to the students thus prompting low test scores. In our society where student test results are connected with the assessment of teachers, this could be seen as a problem. The teacher might be seen as insufficient with their teachings and incapable of teaching but in reality they weren’t supposed be teaching that subject in the first place. The image of teaching also worsens with this. 2. An interactionist views things at a micro level. So a interactionist would say to focus on the symbols and images teaching. How does society view teachers, do they respect them and do they respect their profession? The problem can be seen as they image of teaching reinforces the doubts of may looking into pursuing a career in teaching. A teacher these days is seen as not being paid a good amount and not having job stability. Job stability plays a big role for those looking into teaching. The image of a teacher is also important because certain fields in teaching might garner more respect than others. For example a student might see a chemistry teacher more respectful than they would an art teacher. This can be seen as a problem because all forms of teachings should be respected. 3. I agree with my peer on their proposed solution. Providing more incentives would definitely help in persuading others to pursue a career in teaching. Realistically speaking though, it won’t be much of an increase. The solution I would propose is to also have an increase in their pay, provide better job stability to the new teachers and also fix the way teachers are evaluated. If those looking into teaching as a career, the better pay and job security would be important in persuading them. Many people pursuing teaching as a profession see the types of curriculums pushed on the teachers as something unappealing. Often teachers are forced into following the curriculums making them teach a certain way and not necessarily the way they want to teach. The tests are ways of assessing a teacher and it should be changed because then teachers focus more on the tests instead of actually teaching. Having to abide to all the rules seems off putting too many so by decreasing the rules imposed on teachers, teaching can be seen more appealing.
Amber A. 1. In response to Chris S, I feel that the decline of people wanting to be teachers, and the decline of people attending teacher seminars, is a social problem. This is a social problem because it is affecting the masses let alone the individual. The NPR audio clip explains that the enrollment of teachers in California has declined by 53 percent over the past fie years. Not only does this affect the community as a whole, but it affect the young individuals who will not receive education from young fresh individuals with perspectives relevant to our culture society. This becomes a social problem because an upcoming scholar is put at a disadvantage in society because their education will be from teachers who are frankly old in the game and cannot relate to a young teens cultural take on life, or relate with the generational norms that a young student encounters. When students cant relate to their teachers or somehow connect with them, their passion for knowledge and their ability to adapt with the teacher declines and therefore their desire to go to class, be active in class declines, therefore affecting their overall education and essentially affecting how that student make their footprint in society. I feel that the decline in people wanting to become teachers is because of the social stigma that teachers don’t make money. I agree with Chris in his statement that the system is flawed because it requires too much emphasis on testing and achieving high test scores, however I don’t agree with his statement that we should end standardized testing all together. I believe that we as a nation require an over extensive amount of testing and that it definitely needs to be toned down, however I don’t feel that it should be rid of altogether because testing does encourage excellence. 2. From an Interactionist perspective, not having enough individuals signing up to be teachers is a social problem, because of the stigma attached with being a teacher. The stigma associated with being a teacher is negative according to an Interactionist, because they “don’t make any money”. Stigmas are given to occupations or ideas through conversations people have and through the way people interact. The stigma is negative because in society a social norm is that money equals power. Therefore when an individual doesn’t make an adequate amount of money they are looked down upon and seen as powerless. Media and social interactions with individuals exemplify this stigma and reinforce it. The reason why individuals don’t want to become teachers is because their main priority is to make money and since a teacher is on the end of the money spectrum, the desire to become one, diminishes. My experience growing up through the preschool and K-12 educational system in California was definitely affected by my interactions with teachers, classmates, principals, and parents. I had amazing teachers in Preschool, First grade, Fourth grade and Seventh grade. These teachers stood out to me and influenced my passion and desire for knowledge, and essentially inspired me to become a teacher. However my interactions with these groups also influenced my decision to become a teacher, based off of the amount of money that they would make. If I were to choose to become a teacher I would be making an insignificant amount of money as opposed to if I chose to become a rapper like Kanye or a doctor or lawyer. Therefore an Interactionist would say that person’s interactions within society are what help define social stigmas and essentially make or break a persons decision to become a teacher. Since we carry such negative stigmas about teachers, less people have a desire to become teachers, which explains the national decline.
Amber. A 3. Chris’ solution of putting an end to standardized testing all together is not adequate, and I feel that even if we put an end to standardized testing that we would still have a lack of people who want to be teachers and are signing up to become teachers. Being that the U.S is in a huge recession and that the U.S has the stigma of being uneducated and the fact that the U.S constantly cuts funding from anything educational, the idea of paying teachers more money to encourage more people to want to be teachers is absurd and frankly wont happen because we do not have the money to do so. A proposed idea to encourage more people to become teachers and to essentially decrease this negative stigma about teachers is to possibly offer more benefits. For example, offering some sort of system, whether it be a better retirement plan, health care benefits, dental agreements, insurance reductions, mortgage reductions, etc. to provide an incentive other that cash rewards that will put the occupation of being a teacher over the occupation of being a doctor. Also, an Interactionist would say that we need to change societies stigma of being a teacher and the stigma of relating a teacher with low salary. It is up to society and the media to change the way people view and respect a teacher. More positive infomercials would also be solution to this social problem. If we can get society to change their view on a teacher, we can hopefully end the decline of people attending teacher seminars.
I agree with Armen on his view that education is one of our most important social institutions and is vital to the progression of our society. I chose to comment on this entry because I too believe that teachers are one of the most important members of society for all that they do and for shaping the young minds of tomorrow. What stood out to me the most was that our society is actually dependent on the presence of teachers and the value of special education and higher levels of schooling.This is a social problem because teachers are so important they should be getting the best possible incentives and benefits that the government has to offer, instead of being less of a priority. Our society definitely can’t function without an adequate amount of teachers, and individuals can’t grow and progress without an education.
2. A conflict theorist would look at two groups that are in a struggle, one being more powerful than the other. A conflict perspective views that education promotes social inequality through the use of tracking and standardized testing. Standardized testing is usually culturally biased and segregates students in an unfair way. Usually minorities being biased against because of the language barrier, etc. A conflict theorist would say that schooling teaches a hidden curriculum; which would be a set of values and beliefs learned in school that supports the status quo, including the existing social hierarchy. Schools differ widely in their funding and learning conditions.Some schools who are not as well equipped as others are usually the ones in urban areas that have more students who are lower class and minorities. These students do not get the same level of education as a child who comes from a more wealthy neighborhood and family. This type of inequality leads to gaps in education and reinforce social inequality.
3. I think his proposed solution is a great idea. I also believe teachers should get better incentives to work, and have a safety net against the negative aspects of being a teacher that we face today such as lower pay, because what they do is such a crucial part of our society. This is a realistic way to get prospective teachers something to look forward to in terms of job security and what is expected of them. Another solution that I think would work is stopping unrealistic expectations from teachers and letting them teach around certain subjects instead of around standardized tests. This is a good way to get more teachers excited about teaching again. Getting rid of all the unnecessary pressure from standardized tests and really teaching students important subjects and ideas is what needs to be done. This way teachers won’t be looked as scapegoats in society because students are not performing well on the standardized tests that are deemed to be unfair.
Eric K. In response to Elisa J. 1. Elisa did a great job explaining what the problem is in this article. People are starting to stray away from teaching jobs because teachers know they face many obstacles when it comes to teaching. As Elisa mentioned, the education system constantly faces budget cuts and not to mention students as well as the teachers are pressured by all types of standardized testings. Potential teachers are noticing the pressures of the job, and adding to the fact that it isn’t the highest paying job around, it’s no wonder many the number of potential teachers at training programs is dropping at such an astounding rate. I chose to comment on Elisa’s post because immediately after reading the article and reading some of my classmates blog entries, Elisa’s seemed to make sense and covered everything I understood from reading the article. This is definitely a social problem because the children of the education system are all at risk. We constantly face budget cuts, and now the amount of people wanting to become teachers is dropping drastically. There are plenty of potential teachers that care so much, and would make excellent teachers that are turned away due to the financial pressures, budget cuts, and stress from standardized testing. 2. The conflict perspective is always going to look at two groups that are battling for power and superiority. In terms of our education system, it seems to government or area of funding is the superior group while the teachers and students are being oppressed. Conflict theorist Karl Marx came up with the term “false consciousness.” False Consciousness is basically when the education system causes students and maybe even teachers to feel like they have failed because of the lack of merit rather than the lack of opportunity. Kids growing up in a poor neighborhood with very little funding to their schools are going to have unmotivated teachers, textbooks that are not up to date, a high ratio of students to teachers, etc. Even though students in low income areas face all of these obstacles, the education system still creates this feeling of failure for the students. Standardized testing results come in, and the low income schools do poorly compared to other schools and this tells students that they are not trying hard enough or that they aren’t good enough. Instead of tackling the problem of unfair circumstances and unfair funding, we as a society, continue to strengthen this idea of false consciousness. 3. I completely agree with Elisa’s proposed solution to this problem. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I believe teachers are some of the most underpaid workers in our society. There are too many good K-12 teachers that are not being paid enough for all the work they do. K-12 teachers help shape who we become as individuals. I have been lucky enough to for the majority, have wonderful teachers throughout my K-12 school career. I’ve told many of my teachers in high school how under-appreciated they are and how important their job is. The amount of patience exhibited by these teachers shows how much they truly care about their students and they should be commended. Another solution may be to end standardized testing. This eliminated the pressure put on both teachers and students and can maybe help end “false consciousness.” Without standardized testing, teachers can also teach children important things about life that isn’t strictly from the book or geared towards testing.
16 comments:
Dewan A
1. Everything has their pros and cons. Teaching has also some disadvantages. Teaching is a huge responsibility. There are many problems for teachers that make the profession more complicated than it has to be. School finance has a significant impact on a teacher’s ability to maximize their effectiveness. Finance is driven by each individual state’s budget. In lean times, schools are often forced to make cuts that can’t help but have a negative impact. Most teachers will make due with the resources their given, but it doesn’t mean that they couldn’t do a better job with more financial backing. Most teachers will tell you that they don’t have a problem with the standardized tests themselves, but how the results are interpreted and used. Many teachers will tell you that you can’t get a true indicator of what any particular student is capable of on a single test on any particular day. This becomes especially frustrating when many students have nothing riding on these tests, but every teacher does. This over emphasis has caused many teachers to shift their overall approach to teach to these standardized tests. This not only takes away from creativity, but it can also quickly create teacher burnout. Standardized testing puts a lot of pressure on a teacher to get their students to perform. Students who wants to choose teaching as their profession sometimes changes their decision watching their teachers facing lots of issues. They learn from what they see. It is called social learning theory.
2. A functionalist’s perspective on education is to have a consensus perspective: examine society in terms of how it is maintained for the common good. A functionalist will put an emphasis on positive aspects of schools such as socialization: the learning of skills and attitudes in school. Education helps maintain society by socializing young people into values of achievement, competition and equality of opportunity. Role allocation is all part of this: education allocates people to the most appropriate jobs for their talents, using examinations and qualifications. Durkheim views education as an entity creating social solidarity: community, cooperation. Education transmits culture: shared beliefs and values. Schools are a miniature society: cooperation, interaction, rules and universalistic standards. Specialist skills: division of labour, schools teach specialist knowledge and skills. There are dysfunctions with this approach to stratification. First, it is difficult to determine the functional importance of any job. For example a primary school teacher in the U.S. earns $29,000 per year, whereas a National Basketball Association player can earn as much as $21 million per year. Are basketball players more essential to society than teachers? Are basketball players more functionally important than teachers? If NBA player went on strike and decided not to work, most people would not notice. However, if teachers, bus drivers, nurses, cleaners, garbage collectors, or waitresses stopped working, society would close down. Thus, functionalism can be critiqued on the basis that there is little connection between income and functional importance.
3. I think teachers does a great job by teaching students with so much stress and issues. They have to go through many difficulties just to teach students and give them a better future. They have to give extra time for students who have difficulty understanding in classes. They have to check the exam papers and it takes lots of time. They do not get time for their families. They are not paid well as they give lots of hard work. They have to prepare students for standardized which is a huge responsibility and takes lots of time and hard work. Government should increase their payment and should appreciate their job as one of the most hard working and respectable job in profession category. And it should motivate youngsters to choose teaching as one of their career.
Christopher S.
1.) The issue in this article is that many states are experiencing a decline in individuals attending teacher training programs. The decline is linked to the fact that being a teacher incurs an unstable professional life. The education system, which suffers from flawed standards, solely based on assessments, and budget cuts, directly affected the willingness of many to pursue careers as teachers. The media and politics have found their way into the educational spectrum and poisoned the image of the teacher. This is a social problem, for a few reasons. This is no longer a personal issue, for it has evolved to a statewide dilemma. States as large as New York and Texas are experiencing vast reductions in their teaching staff. This has become a public issue in that, the people who live, breathe, and embody what it means to be an educator feel powerless in the presence of such a powerful yet flawed education system. Incentives, thought to quell the issue like increases in pay, have been revoked, and despite all this some teachers remain unfazed. Just the fact that they get to play such a pivotal role in the child’s life and help them learn gives many teachers the satisfaction to continue pursuing the career.
2.) According to functionalists, teachers have the primary thus manifest function, of educating others. Latent functions of the education system are to be devoted care givers to a child and their parents and guardians. Children spend vast amounts of time in schools throughout their young lives that of which seems to be overlooked. With a sharp decline of teachers, the quality of education and care that children of the modern day receive will pale in comparison to that of others. Functionalists easily would argue teachers are subjected to the pressures of meeting so many unnecessary additional requirements, when in reality their primary role is to educate. Again the problem, with the way things seem to be going, may amount to much less individuals occupying such a necessary role of being educators in the lives of children. Another thing functionalists would argue which again tends to be overlooked is that, schools as institutions designed for the public actually accommodate and assist vastly to disadvantaged youth.
Christopher S. (Cont.)
3.) I think that this is definitely a problem. Children, in general, despise school. You can’t find many kids who actually like school because most of them fall victim to being judged solely on the success of their assessments, and not on the quality of their learning. If I talk to a child, and ask them, “did you learn something today? If so, can you tell me what you learned?” If that child goes on to tell me things they learned, that I literally had little to no knowledge of prior, and they say it enthusiastically, that would almost always serves as an indication that they happily learned something. As opposed to the kid whose killing himself because he suffers from a system that penalizes him for not meeting “standards”, and wounds up doing drugs and entraps himself in a downward cycle of life. Now I know these are the extremes on the spectrum of the current education system, but it’s truly sad to think that it all starts in school. Education serves as a means to obtain better jobs and thus improve the quality of life. The system is messed up and I personally resent how things currently are in regard to education. It comes as no surprise people don’t want to teach because it’s not desirable. It’s humbling, but for many can be very depressing. A solution to this problem is to literally put an end to standardized testing and assessing children, and instead teaching them and making them happy. Schools should teach fundamentals at an early age and towards middle school or high school should place emphasis on a few specific field of study, that of which the child him or herself is inclined to. I’m sure simple steps such as those would vastly improve the learning experience, and when there are kids who want to learn there will be teachers who want to teach. It starts with the system requiring change.
Elisa J.
1. In the article “ Where have all the teachers gone?” the issue at hand is the little supply of teachers that there are. A big issue that they are having with this is that they do not have enough people going into the profession and the ones that are going to schools to be teachers seem to be staying away from sciences, math, and special education. This has become a social problem because without the funding to these schools people will stay away. Everyone has to make a living and if someone knows that being a teacher is not going to make them the money then why do it. Another thing that makes it a social problem is that since teachers are not able to teach children the way that they would like to, the children will suffer. Teachers will just be teaching by the book and that gives the children less of a chance to use their imagination and think outside of the box. When our children suffer from not having a great education then their future will suffer and these will be the adults that will move on and some day is able to choose their profession. If the teachers cannot inspire these kids then how will we have a higher rate of teachers in every subject. Another thing is teachers should be compensated more because they are molding the minds of these children. They are with them for most part of the day, five days out of the week. There are some teachers that do take the time to go above and beyond and for that they should be recognized.
2. In a functionalist perspective, school is made to help teach a child how to integrate into society. School is where a child will eventually learn what his or her function in society will be. Going to school gives children that drive and the greatest feeling of success when they finish 8th grade or high school. If less teachers are around then classes will be bigger and soon it will become a dysfunction in society because soon children will stop attending because there is less one on one with the teacher. If they miss school or stop attending on a regular basis then writing, reading and proper talking will start to decline. Without school and teacher society will not function. Another thing that a functionalist will say is without rules on the teachers and them being able to teach how they want it, the children could not be to standards, the children’s standards are set by the state. There has to be these guidelines so they can know what children will have certain qualifications to get a specific job in the future. If we can pay someone to box more than a million just to entertain and not really have a learning value, then why not give teachers more, they help the child when the child is struggling. They spend the time to teach them to write, read, and speak. They make sure you know history, science, math, languages, anything really. The importance of the teachers should be something that we as a society should start to open their eyes because these are the people that are molding their children’s mind and preparing them for the future.
Elisa J.
3. I commented on this specific topic because I feel that I had a good education. Even though I went to a private school, I still feel like a lot of things I learned from K-12 stick with me because the teachers were so interactive. I also feel that if it were not for most of my teacher I would not have become the person I am today. I think that it is terrible that we have these standards on teachers and are constantly trying to force these rules. The purpose of learning is to expand your imagination and think outside the box. How is that happening if they have to teach by the book? Even though I know the teachers I had were not paid much, they still did above and beyond things because they wanted us to be stronger, more independent women. I think a solution to the problem would be to give teachers higher pay, while being able to teach how they want but within some guidelines. I believe student’s grades will go up which will increase schools funding as well. There’s room for ideas to flourish in these schools. Also more people would want to become teachers because our main goal in life is to make a difference and inspire why not do that and get paid for it. Also they are working hard to mold the minds of children everyday. I think anyone would want the best education they can possibly afford for their child regardless of the type of school it is. Giving teachers these higher incentives, and better teaching guidelines, they will be more willing and able to go out of the box. I know that is what a parent ultimately wants is a child that will grow up to be his or her own adult with the ability to think for themselves and be able to survive in the world.
Siranush M.
1. In the article “Where are all teachers gone?” mainly talks about education issues and specifically that a lot of professors stays away of teaching program especially in science such as math, physics, etc. Several big states have seen alarming drops in enrollment at teacher training programs. The numbers are grim among some of the nation's largest producers of new teachers: In California, enrollment is down 53 percent over the past five years. It's down sharply in New York and Texas as well. The issue is that a lot of people trying to avoid this type of profession and that becomes a big social problem. What educational institutions will look like without having good teaching team? Well the first reason is might be the salary of the teacher. A lot of people won’t agree have a teacher status and get paid less. Usually they will go for highly paid profession. The teacher employment picture is, of course, local and regional. One part of a state may have too many elementary teachers, while another may have too few. And the gaps vary by specialty — with many places facing serious shortages in areas including science, math and special education.
2. As we know functionalists look at the function or role of an institution in society in keeping the social body ‘functioning’ (working) properly. The functionalist theory focuses on the ways that universal education serves the needs of society. Functionalists first see education in its manifest role: conveying basic knowledge and skills to the next generation. Functionalists see in education is sorting—separating students on the basis of merit. Society's needs demand that the most capable people get channeled into the most important occupations. Schools identify the most capable students early. Functionalists point to the ironic dual role of education in both preserving and changing culture. Studies show that, as students’ progress through college and beyond, they usually become increasingly liberal as they encounter a variety of perspectives. Thus, more educated individuals are generally more liberal, while less educated people tend toward conservatism.
3. I decided to comment on this topic as it is common nowadays. Education and its system as well as teachers has a huge impact of the student’s life. When teachers get paid the way it should be they will be more mindful about their job they are doing as the students are our future. The way they get educated is the way to look like our future. When future so called “doctor” does not have a good science teacher how can he or she prevent human beings’ lives? This seems not to be a huge problem for some people, but when we think deeply, unfortunately, it remains an everyday problem which has unsolved parts of it. The problem is not the teachers, but the educational system and fundings. K-12 teachers apparently take the opposite approach to their pension funds--they don't care what the fund invests in as long as the checks go out. I hope one day this won’t be a he problem as it is now. We need to do all these things to keep the good people who are already in the profession. There are a lot of fantastic teachers who are disillusioned. We are often told that the problem with schools is that we become teachers because we cannot do anything else, and schools would improve greatly only if skilled people would join the ranks. Teacher education programs must help teaching candidates to link the moral purpose that influences them with the tools that will prepare them to engage in productive change.
Armen G.
Education is vital to the progression of contemporary society and schooling is as vital a socializing agent, which makes teachers one of the most important members of society. Without them, and subsequently without the educational function enabled by the presence of teachers who are adept and capable, much of modern society, which involves a significant degree of preparedness and special education/schooling, just wouldn’t be possible. Therefore, the problem being discussed in the article is one that is a problem of function, or, more accurately, is the testimonial of a current dysfunction within society in the area/institution of education.
A functionalist may say that this dysfunction may serve to inspire and instigate a revamping of the entire system as it relates to this area, so that it may grow in response to the threat. That it may lead to some new method of schooling and teaching or relating to schooling and teaching as the current practices become unacceptable as a greater threat to this “organ” of society. This might involve giving teachers better incentives to work while minimizing disincentives in the areas of scrutiny, job-insecurity related to unrealistic evaluations based quantified rather than qualified standards. Essentially a careful evaluation and examination of what truly works and what doesn’t work in our current system of schooling, allowing for a discernment between what will allow this dysfunction to be functional as it provides areas for reform, and jobs for those involved in that process, and what actions/inactions will cause this system, and society, to fall further into unhealthy dysfunction and decay.
Narineh T
In Reply To Dewan A
1. I agree with whatever the writer said. Teaching is very important part of life and it is a big responsibility. Students learn many valuable lessons from teachers. So teachers should be paid well for their hard work. Teachers gives extra effort to prepare students for standardized tests. But their payment is not sufficient for the hard wok they does. Financial crisis make them think to leave the job and do another job. But teaching helps students for better future. So we should do something about financial problem to stop them from leaving the job. I agree with his theory "Social Learning Theory." Kids learn from what they see. So we should show them good examples by appreciating teachers' efforts and increasing their wage.
2. I want to see this through conflict point of view. Conflict theorists in education argue that schools create and sustain inequity in society by creating a “false consciousness” that causes students to internalize their lower status and buy into the myth that they have failed through a lack of merit rather than a lack of opportunity. Conflict theorists argue that teaching this false consciousness, a concept which stems from the literature and in‐ sights of Karl Marx, is the primary aim of the institution of school. By inserting a false consciousness into their student bodies, schools guide each student to an understanding of his or her “place” or “status culture” in society, which in turn becomes a self‐fulfilling prophecy. They argue that teachers and students are not passive participants in the school process, and they do not always follow the expectations that result in social reproduction. Theory implies more hope for changing the educational system, suggesting that students can resist their socialization into lower‐status groups and that teachers and other school staff can empower students to do so.
3. I completely agree with his proposed solution. Government should of course consider increasing the payment for the teachers because they does lots of hard work and gives most of their time to students preparing them for their future. We should appreciate their effort and respect it. Another solution can be providing teachers with free health care programs especially for sports teachers because they gives lots of strength to prepare students metabolism and be good athletic. Sometimes they injure themselves while coaching kids so free health care program is necessary.
Narineh T
In Reply To Dewan A
3. It is possible because citizens pay lots of taxes and it's government duty to spend money on teaching for the well being of students. Students grow up to be successful person and continues to pay taxes. So government should increase the payments for teachers.
Dina A.
In response to Siranush M.
1. I respectfully disagree with her response in recognizing the issue to be the shortage in the teaching profession. Yes, this article does talk about the statistics of seeing a major drop within this field, but what is actually proposing the problem to be is the fact that how schools are more focused on standardized testing like the Common Core-aligned test which the results are correlated within teacher evaluations and the other is the low wages that teachers who are a huge influential part of children’s lives are suffering from. These two factors are the leading problems towards having a shortage in teaching, which this then is seen as not just a problem but a social issue because when these two factors lead to the shortage of teachers, we face a social issue that affects the children. When we have fewer teachers, then the training and the quality of teachers are not as high as it should be because of the need for teachers, the district will hire anyone with just a degree; therefore, the children are not being taught correctly and so if they do not do well in school, then our social world would then be affected by having less and less educated people. The one thing that stood out to me within Siranush’s response, which was a key aspect towards explaining this social issue, was the fact that she did manage to acknowledge the fact that yes, because of these problems, fewer people are joining this crucial influential industry, which again reveals the social issue that we face in consequence of the shortage of teachers. I chose to comment on this specific topic because I myself look forward in becoming a teacher; however, I am having second thoughts because I want my students to actually learn and not just worry and focus on testing only, and I also want to do the job that I have always dreamed of doing but to be able to afford a nice living too; hence, this article has given me a voice to state my opinion.
2. Conflict perspective views two groups that are in conflict with one another; essentially, one always being in power and control and the other inferior to that group. Conflict perspective views education as an institution that creates inequality. From conflict theorist Karl Marx explained that education creates “false consciousness” that lets student believe that they have failed because of the lack of merit rather than lack of opportunity. This false consciousness creates a social status within the students towards their gradual understanding of where they stand. However, when conflict theory looks upon teachers and the school district, it sees the conflict between those two groups where the district has the most power that enables the teachers to having higher wages and the teachers having that false conscious that it is because of their social status that they cannot earn more in teaching.
Dina A.
3. I definitely do agree with her proposed solution because money throughout every single aspect is the most important solution to everything in this world. Even though in my previous paragraph I have stated that there are two problems that lead to the shortage of teachers, which one of them is the standardized testing that derives the focus from learning to just teaching them how to pass a test in which it creates massive amount of stress for students. Additionally the second was the low wages, which is the absolute significant reason that most teachers do leave their jobs and most that are even interested in this career do not join because of the fact that it does not guarantee a nice living wage. I absolutely agree with Siranush’s solution in terms of increasing the wages because teachers really do deserve this raise due to them being the most influential part of children’s lives. However, with her second solution, I do not agree that we need to provide free health care programs because that does not make much difference now that we have Obama care; even so, I propose my other solution which to lessen the standardized testing and put more focus on how to engage students in learning various objectives rather than putting focus on how to pass all these tests.
Jose I.
In response to Elisa J.
1. I agree with my peer that the shortage of teachers is a problem. With the shortage of teachers there won’t be anyone qualified to teach the next generations. The thing that stood out for me in my peer’s response is how they emphasize teachings with outside the box methods instead of the textbook teachings. I also like how my peer included personal experiences to relate to the problem. I chose to comment on this because I found the subject to be interesting and informative. I knew that the people going into teaching was declining, but with the statistics provided in the article, it was more than I expected. I this is a social problem because if the shortage of people wanting to be teachers continues, there will also be a shortage in the teachers actually teaching stuff they are qualified to teach. Teachers who were trained in teaching English may have to be forced to teach other subjects such as math or science. Then proper teachings won’t be given to the students thus prompting low test scores. In our society where student test results are connected with the assessment of teachers, this could be seen as a problem. The teacher might be seen as insufficient with their teachings and incapable of teaching but in reality they weren’t supposed be teaching that subject in the first place. The image of teaching also worsens with this.
2. An interactionist views things at a micro level. So a interactionist would say to focus on the symbols and images teaching. How does society view teachers, do they respect them and do they respect their profession? The problem can be seen as they image of teaching reinforces the doubts of may looking into pursuing a career in teaching. A teacher these days is seen as not being paid a good amount and not having job stability. Job stability plays a big role for those looking into teaching. The image of a teacher is also important because certain fields in teaching might garner more respect than others. For example a student might see a chemistry teacher more respectful than they would an art teacher. This can be seen as a problem because all forms of teachings should be respected.
3. I agree with my peer on their proposed solution. Providing more incentives would definitely help in persuading others to pursue a career in teaching. Realistically speaking though, it won’t be much of an increase. The solution I would propose is to also have an increase in their pay, provide better job stability to the new teachers and also fix the way teachers are evaluated. If those looking into teaching as a career, the better pay and job security would be important in persuading them. Many people pursuing teaching as a profession see the types of curriculums pushed on the teachers as something unappealing. Often teachers are forced into following the curriculums making them teach a certain way and not necessarily the way they want to teach. The tests are ways of assessing a teacher and it should be changed because then teachers focus more on the tests instead of actually teaching. Having to abide to all the rules seems off putting too many so by decreasing the rules imposed on teachers, teaching can be seen more appealing.
Amber A.
1. In response to Chris S, I feel that the decline of people wanting to be teachers, and the decline of people attending teacher seminars, is a social problem. This is a social problem because it is affecting the masses let alone the individual. The NPR audio clip explains that the enrollment of teachers in California has declined by 53 percent over the past fie years. Not only does this affect the community as a whole, but it affect the young individuals who will not receive education from young fresh individuals with perspectives relevant to our culture society. This becomes a social problem because an upcoming scholar is put at a disadvantage in society because their education will be from teachers who are frankly old in the game and cannot relate to a young teens cultural take on life, or relate with the generational norms that a young student encounters. When students cant relate to their teachers or somehow connect with them, their passion for knowledge and their ability to adapt with the teacher declines and therefore their desire to go to class, be active in class declines, therefore affecting their overall education and essentially affecting how that student make their footprint in society. I feel that the decline in people wanting to become teachers is because of the social stigma that teachers don’t make money. I agree with Chris in his statement that the system is flawed because it requires too much emphasis on testing and achieving high test scores, however I don’t agree with his statement that we should end standardized testing all together. I believe that we as a nation require an over extensive amount of testing and that it definitely needs to be toned down, however I don’t feel that it should be rid of altogether because testing does encourage excellence.
2. From an Interactionist perspective, not having enough individuals signing up to be teachers is a social problem, because of the stigma attached with being a teacher. The stigma associated with being a teacher is negative according to an Interactionist, because they “don’t make any money”. Stigmas are given to occupations or ideas through conversations people have and through the way people interact. The stigma is negative because in society a social norm is that money equals power. Therefore when an individual doesn’t make an adequate amount of money they are looked down upon and seen as powerless. Media and social interactions with individuals exemplify this stigma and reinforce it. The reason why individuals don’t want to become teachers is because their main priority is to make money and since a teacher is on the end of the money spectrum, the desire to become one, diminishes. My experience growing up through the preschool and K-12 educational system in California was definitely affected by my interactions with teachers, classmates, principals, and parents. I had amazing teachers in Preschool, First grade, Fourth grade and Seventh grade. These teachers stood out to me and influenced my passion and desire for knowledge, and essentially inspired me to become a teacher. However my interactions with these groups also influenced my decision to become a teacher, based off of the amount of money that they would make. If I were to choose to become a teacher I would be making an insignificant amount of money as opposed to if I chose to become a rapper like Kanye or a doctor or lawyer. Therefore an Interactionist would say that person’s interactions within society are what help define social stigmas and essentially make or break a persons decision to become a teacher. Since we carry such negative stigmas about teachers, less people have a desire to become teachers, which explains the national decline.
Amber. A
3. Chris’ solution of putting an end to standardized testing all together is not adequate, and I feel that even if we put an end to standardized testing that we would still have a lack of people who want to be teachers and are signing up to become teachers. Being that the U.S is in a huge recession and that the U.S has the stigma of being uneducated and the fact that the U.S constantly cuts funding from anything educational, the idea of paying teachers more money to encourage more people to want to be teachers is absurd and frankly wont happen because we do not have the money to do so. A proposed idea to encourage more people to become teachers and to essentially decrease this negative stigma about teachers is to possibly offer more benefits. For example, offering some sort of system, whether it be a better retirement plan, health care benefits, dental agreements, insurance reductions, mortgage reductions, etc. to provide an incentive other that cash rewards that will put the occupation of being a teacher over the occupation of being a doctor. Also, an Interactionist would say that we need to change societies stigma of being a teacher and the stigma of relating a teacher with low salary. It is up to society and the media to change the way people view and respect a teacher. More positive infomercials would also be solution to this social problem. If we can get society to change their view on a teacher, we can hopefully end the decline of people attending teacher seminars.
Ellen G.
In response to Armen G…
I agree with Armen on his view that education is one of our most important social institutions and is vital to the progression of our society. I chose to comment on this entry because I too believe that teachers are one of the most important members of society for all that they do and for shaping the young minds of tomorrow. What stood out to me the most was that our society is actually dependent on the presence of teachers and the value of special education and higher levels of schooling.This is a social problem because teachers are so important they should be getting the best possible incentives and benefits that the government has to offer, instead of being less of a priority. Our society definitely can’t function without an adequate amount of teachers, and individuals can’t grow and progress without an education.
2. A conflict theorist would look at two groups that are in a struggle, one being more powerful than the other. A conflict perspective views that education promotes social inequality through the use of tracking and standardized testing. Standardized testing is usually culturally biased and segregates students in an unfair way. Usually minorities being biased against because of the language barrier, etc. A conflict theorist would say that schooling teaches a hidden curriculum; which would be a set of values and beliefs learned in school that supports the status quo, including the existing social hierarchy. Schools differ widely in their funding and learning conditions.Some schools who are not as well equipped as others are usually the ones in urban areas that have more students who are lower class and minorities. These students do not get the same level of education as a child who comes from a more wealthy neighborhood and family. This type of inequality leads to gaps in education and reinforce social inequality.
3. I think his proposed solution is a great idea. I also believe teachers should get better incentives to work, and have a safety net against the negative aspects of being a teacher that we face today such as lower pay, because what they do is such a crucial part of our society. This is a realistic way to get prospective teachers something to look forward to in terms of job security and what is expected of them. Another solution that I think would work is stopping unrealistic expectations from teachers and letting them teach around certain subjects instead of around standardized tests. This is a good way to get more teachers excited about teaching again. Getting rid of all the unnecessary pressure from standardized tests and really teaching students important subjects and ideas is what needs to be done. This way teachers won’t be looked as scapegoats in society because students are not performing well on the standardized tests that are deemed to be unfair.
Eric K.
In response to Elisa J.
1. Elisa did a great job explaining what the problem is in this article. People are starting to stray away from teaching jobs because teachers know they face many obstacles when it comes to teaching. As Elisa mentioned, the education system constantly faces budget cuts and not to mention students as well as the teachers are pressured by all types of standardized testings. Potential teachers are noticing the pressures of the job, and adding to the fact that it isn’t the highest paying job around, it’s no wonder many the number of potential teachers at training programs is dropping at such an astounding rate. I chose to comment on Elisa’s post because immediately after reading the article and reading some of my classmates blog entries, Elisa’s seemed to make sense and covered everything I understood from reading the article. This is definitely a social problem because the children of the education system are all at risk. We constantly face budget cuts, and now the amount of people wanting to become teachers is dropping drastically. There are plenty of potential teachers that care so much, and would make excellent teachers that are turned away due to the financial pressures, budget cuts, and stress from standardized testing.
2. The conflict perspective is always going to look at two groups that are battling for power and superiority. In terms of our education system, it seems to government or area of funding is the superior group while the teachers and students are being oppressed. Conflict theorist Karl Marx came up with the term “false consciousness.” False Consciousness is basically when the education system causes students and maybe even teachers to feel like they have failed because of the lack of merit rather than the lack of opportunity. Kids growing up in a poor neighborhood with very little funding to their schools are going to have unmotivated teachers, textbooks that are not up to date, a high ratio of students to teachers, etc. Even though students in low income areas face all of these obstacles, the education system still creates this feeling of failure for the students. Standardized testing results come in, and the low income schools do poorly compared to other schools and this tells students that they are not trying hard enough or that they aren’t good enough. Instead of tackling the problem of unfair circumstances and unfair funding, we as a society, continue to strengthen this idea of false consciousness.
3. I completely agree with Elisa’s proposed solution to this problem. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I believe teachers are some of the most underpaid workers in our society. There are too many good K-12 teachers that are not being paid enough for all the work they do. K-12 teachers help shape who we become as individuals. I have been lucky enough to for the majority, have wonderful teachers throughout my K-12 school career. I’ve told many of my teachers in high school how under-appreciated they are and how important their job is. The amount of patience exhibited by these teachers shows how much they truly care about their students and they should be commended. Another solution may be to end standardized testing. This eliminated the pressure put on both teachers and students and can maybe help end “false consciousness.” Without standardized testing, teachers can also teach children important things about life that isn’t strictly from the book or geared towards testing.
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