Socrates
Socrates wasn't a great fan of the unexamined life, and for some reason we were examining Alvin and the Chipmunks the other day (long story). In one episode were two vignettes showing professional women going about their daily tasks. The first was a teacher on an excursion. She is depicted as overweight, harried, exhausted, shrill, etc. Well, see for yourself...
Later in the episode we see a slim, deeper voiced, calm and competent veterinarian...
Of course, the children's reaction in the episode to these two women are very different. You can see the students pushing past and ignoring the teacher in the first, and the hushed respect in the second. It started a thought process about whether or not this situation is a reflection of societal views on various professions, or rather could it be that such media perpetuates the myths and stereotypes?
Being university trained does not give you automatic status it seems, and even though teachers traditionally kill it in the annual "most trusted professions" survey, maybe there is more at play here.
Perhaps the fact that we have all been to school (and maybe are still carrying some adolescent angst with us into adulthood) means that we think we understand education. The corollary would be receiving surgery on a broken wrist and then assuming, post treatment, that the medical profession could learn from your deepened understanding of intra-articular malunited distal radius fractures.
Perhaps it's the perceived lack of remuneration in teaching, or the joyously long long annual holidays (vacation envy anyone)? Whatever the cause, please take us back to Walnut Grove school and the lovely and super confident Miss Beadle; she was a most trusted and loved member of the community, and she certainly seems to know her math...
No comments:
Post a Comment