Why Do Americans Love to Blame Teachers

Answer: A lot of them need an enemy and teachers are convenient

Education • September 2014 • Views: 1,739

The Atlantic has an interesting article on why teachers so often get blamed for the state of education in America. It’s been going on since the founding of The Republic and continues to today.

I agree with the article’s premise that it is related to America’s frequent ‘moral panics’. Those times when there is ‘an enemy’ that must be controlled and hopefully destroyed. Teachers are a favourite target in those times.

I’ve been wondering recently, is fear the default state of the American mind?

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5 comments

1Peter G1 Sep 3, 2014 9:28:41am

I think in many respects they invite criticism. For one thing no one makes more noise about the parlous state of education in America than teachers, or more accurately their unions. Yet any rational person with a basic understanding of statistics can tell you that education across most of America is doing just fine and requires no massive investments of tax resources. The PISA scores are very enlightening. One could ask therefore why the unions are constantly demanding more money or better benefits or better pensions as if these things would in any way improve the performance of students. Obviously they can’t. The solution? Get rid of measures of performance. On the whole though teachers are more fortunate than, say, police officers. When a teacher gets caught in a sexual relationship with a student we don’t set out to prove all teachers are perverts.

Decatur Deb Sep 3, 2014 9:30:32am

Keep it simple. Half of all Americans leave school with a ‘C’ or below.

wheat-dogghazi Sep 3, 2014 8:50:09pm

re: #1 1Peter G1

I think in many respects they invite criticism. For one thing no one makes more noise about the parlous state of education in America than teachers, or more accurately their unions. Yet any rational person with a basic understanding of statistics can tell you that education across most of America is doing just fine and requires no massive investments of tax resources. The PISA scores are very enlightening. One could ask therefore why the unions are constantly demanding more money or better benefits or better pensions as if these things would in any way improve the performance of students. Obviously they can’t. The solution? Get rid of measures of performance. On the whole though teachers are more fortunate than, say, police officers. When a teacher gets caught in a sexual relationship with a student we don’t set out to prove all teachers are perverts.

Yeah, right. Teach for America, NCLB and Race to the Top, charter schools and vouchers have all come from teachers. Is that what you are seriously arguing here? In fact, most of the present-day school reforms have come from the top down, from people who have little or no experience teaching in the classroom. The reformists’ idol, Michelle Rhee, only worked two years in the classroom before refashioning herself as a school reform expert.

Paying teachers more and giving them better benefits does not ensure students will get better test scores, or learn more. On that point, you’re probably correct. But, better pay and benefits would keep teachers in the classrooms longer, which in the long run would make for more effective teaching and for better learning outcomes. Most new teachers bail out within five years. Why? There are better paying jobs, with fewer hassles and more respect given them.

Your non sequitur about cops and teachers makes no damn sense, and I won’t even comment on it further.

Americans dump on teachers because Americans think anyone can teach. They think teaching is easy. Most of us have been in classrooms, but we only see what teachers do there. Only people who have teachers as close friends or family members realize the many hours teachers put in behind the scenes, outside the classroom, to make their performance in the classroom look so effortless. And, as with anything, experience helps a lot. Keeping teachers in the profession longer would benefit everyone. As far as I am concerned, that point is inarguable.

Sionainn Sep 4, 2014 6:03:09am

re: #3 wheat-dogghazi

Yeah, right. Teach for America, NCLB and Race to the Top, charter schools and vouchers have all come from teachers. Is that what you are seriously arguing here? In fact, most of the present-day school reforms have come from the top down, from people who have little or no experience teaching in the classroom. The reformists’ idol, Michelle Rhee, only worked two years in the classroom before refashioning herself as a school reform expert.

Paying teachers more and giving them better benefits does not ensure students will get better test scores, or learn more. On that point, you’re probably correct. But, better pay and benefits would keep teachers in the classrooms longer, which in the long run would make for more effective teaching and for better learning outcomes. Most new teachers bail out within five years. Why? There are better paying jobs, with fewer hassles and more respect given them.

Your non sequitur about cops and teachers makes no damn sense, and I won’t even comment on it further.

Americans dump on teachers because Americans think anyone can teach. They think teaching is easy. Most of us have been in classrooms, but we only see what teachers do there. Only people who have teachers as close friends or family members realize the many hours teachers put in behind the scenes, outside the classroom, to make their performance in the classroom look so effortless. And, as with anything, experience helps a lot. Keeping teachers in the profession longer would benefit everyone. As far as I am concerned, that point is inarguable.

Well said. I bailed five years into teaching when I got pregnant. I figured that I’d go back when she started kindergarten. Changed my mind. I get paid more with less hassle doing medical transcription and when I’m done, I’m done. No more agonizing over how to reach a kid who isn’t doing well. No more bureaucratic bullshit. No more spending my weekends and evenings on extra work. No more spending my own money to buy supplies for the classroom. No more reading crap in the paper about how lazy, ignorant, and ineffective I was in the newspaper.

You are also absolutely correct that teachers get better the longer they are teaching. I would say that teachers don’t start getting really good until at least the 4-5 year mark. By then, they’ve worked out the kinks.

wheat-dogghazi Sep 6, 2014 7:03:09pm

re: #4 Sionainn

It was true for me. The first year was awful, though I did acceptably well enough to be kept on. I didn’t hit my stride until year 4.

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