From Where We Sit
Teaching Isn't a Profession in America
American schools of education have been
criticized before, but the recent Education Schools Project (www.edschools.org) report,
“Educating School Teachers,” offers up such depressing statistics
that it should shame even the most stubborn establishment educator.
The four-year research study found 75% of American education schools incapable of producing
competent teachers. The report is full of numbers which point to a collapse in the American educational training system, but it is a non-quantitative
revelation that many have found most disturbing—nobody knows what makes a good teacher today.
A program that can't identify the skills and qualities that are needed in a profession is
hardly going to be able to train its practitioners. The lack of consensus on what even constitutes an excellent teacher has created what ESP director
Dr. Arthur Levine refers to as a “Dodge City” training universe where an “unruly” mix of approaches, some trendy and fadish, but ineffective,
vie with each other. Ask any group of lawyers or doctors what makes a good attorney or what makes a good physician, and they will
likely have a ready and fairly uniform answer. So what makes a good teacher?
Law, medicine, and education have one thing in common—they are
heavily invested in person-to-person contact, so any discussion of standards should include both a set body of
knowledge and a interpersonal/social dynamic.
Teacher trainer Jeremy Harmer has looked at what makes a good language teacher or, what Harmer refers to as what teachers should know.
His analysis is broken down into two tiers--the top tier includes the job of teaching, the institution, and the students.
Under the job of teaching, he lists the language for the level; that is, if you
teach advanced students, you must have achieved an advanced level yourself. Also, the teacher must have
mastered the skills for the level. Similar to language for the level, you must have expertise in a particular skill; e.g.,
report writing, before you attempt to teach it. In addition, a teacher must know the learning aids available for the level,
stages and techniques in teaching (teaching methodology), a wide variety of exercises and activities, and classroom management
skills (how to control the classroom).
Under the heading of institution, Harmer lists, time, length and frequency of classes; physical condition of the
teaching venue; the syllabus, whether the teacher is expected to develop it or the institution supplies it; exam requirements; and restrictions
imposed by the institution.
The competent teacher also has to know her students--who they are, age, sex,
social background, occupation; what the students bring to the class, motivation and attitude, educational background,
knowledge, interests. Finally the teacher has to know what the students need, why are the students learning the language
and what specific skills do they need.
An outline of Harmer's criteria would appear as follows:
I. THE JOB OF TEACHING
A. Language For The Level
B. Skills For The Level
C. Learning Aids Available For The Level
D. Stages And Techniques In Teaching
E.. A Variety Of Exercises And Activities
F. Classroom Management Skills
II. THE INSTITUTION
A. Time, Length, Frequency Of Classes
B. Physical Condition Of The Teaching Venue
C. The Syllabus
D. Exam Requirements
E.. Restrictions Imposed By The Institution
III. THE STUDENTS
A. Who The Students Are
1.age
2.sex
3.social background
4.education
B. What The Students Bring To Class
1.motivation and attitude
2.educational background
3.knowledge
4.interests
C. What The Students Need
Most people would agree that Harmer's criteria makes sense,
and that a comprehensive understanding of the job, the institution, and the students provide a sound basis for
competency. Critics, however, might argue that the more abstract elements in the grid are rather difficult to evaluate.
You can test for language skills, but how a teacher manages a class and interacts with students often involves a certain
amount of subjectivity, depending on who is evaluating. Law and medicine face similar restrictions when evaluating novices—
the body of knowledge poses no problem, but less concrete areas such as interpersonal/social dynamics, and ethical issues
are often not addressed in the licensing process.
Despite being imperfect, many points in the above outline could be utilized
to qualify language teachers, and these points could be easily adapted for teachers in other content areas. Teaching,
however, when more broadly measured against other elite careers, fails to meet professional standards. Most universally
recognized professions share several qualities: 1) a definable body of expert knowledge, 2) autonomy over what constitutes knowledge in
the field and how to evaluate mastery, as well as some responsiblity over policymaking, 3) control over access to the field, and
4) compensation falling within the range of that awarded other professional fields.
Teaching falls short in all areas. As already mentioned, there is no consensus on what
constitutes the knowledge a teacher must acquire and how to evaluate that knowledge. Also, teachers, unlike lawyers and doctors,
often have no say in curriculum or policy matters; state and local governments, and boards of education exercise far greater power
than teachers. Furthermore, unlike the ABA and the AMA, which control access into the fields of law and medicine, education
schools are open to anyone and, in fact, often accept the lowest quality students. Finally, while teacher pay seems to be improving,
it still falls far short of other professions and in some areas, such as English as a Second Language, wages often can not sustain
even modest lifestyles. To sum up, teaching in America is an occupation which can not define itself, and which, structurally, has little
in common with other professional callings.
Frank McCourt, retired teacher and Pultitzer Prize winning author, says that America is
"...a nation of people who don't like their kids," the proof being the neglected and dysfunctional state of the
American educational system. The Education Schools Project report simply echoes McCourt. When a child
gets sick, parents seek the best doctor. When they start seeking the best teachers, teaching in America will become what it is in Europe, a profession.
October, 2006
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