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We Need aTeaching Force!
This revised essay has become far more imperative now that the most recent study has been done on teacher experience. The study concluded that in 1988 a typical teacher had 15 years of experience; today that number has been reduced to 3 years!
Inmany ways teaching is a relay race as one generation of teachers passes the baton to the next. The faster the baton is passed the faster the mentor teacher can get the young protégé ‘up to speed.’
A lot has been made by my Baby Boomer colleagues that we were the first generation (“post the Korean War,”) that embraced teaching as a ‘lifestyle choice’. And with that push, the commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching evolved. No doubt, the children of the Baby Boom made an impact on the lives of new ‘g-g-g-generations’ who fell under their wing.
I had the pleasure of teaching dozens of would-be-teachers who are alumni of my English classes, and I emphasized that they bring something every teacher must have when they walk into a classroom — compassion. Each has had to run hard and fast, often facing hurdles that our generation did not have to leap.
Unfortunately, factors besides the many hoops that these young people have to jump just to get the teaching profession. The financial cost/ benefit of teaching is laughable. Students leave college with, not a money on their back…
