MY NEW HERO
Natalie Munroe
Once upon a time I was a teacher, and I can vouch for the fact that teaching a classroom full of unruly teenagers is no picnic. You may think that your little Johnny is the cutest, smartest, and most amazing child EVER, but I can almost guaran-damn-tee you that little Johnny’s teachers may well have a different take on the little urchin. Sort of like what got Pennsylvania teacher Natalie Munroe into so much hot water.
I’ve never had or raised children, save for a few years as a step-parent to two teenage boys (and, yes, they were the cutest, smartest, and most amazing children EVER), but teaching children can be a whole ‘nother magnitude of annoying, even for teachers who love their work. As a parent, you have your child pretty much one-on-one. Teachers might be in a 30- or 35-1 situation, and as much as they might like your little Johnny, they’ve got a few other things on their plate besides just keeping your progeny’s self-esteem from going down for the third time. This is why I admire Natalie Munroe. In an era when teachers are expected to take whatever abuse is shoveled their way (and act as if they’re enjoying the privilege), Munroe at least had the courage to speak her mind. Would that more teachers possessed the cojones to speak out, because the reality is that most parents neither know, understand, nor really care what teachers encounter and have to deal with on a daily basis.
Calling out some of your students as “frightfully dim” and “disengaged, lazy whiners” on your personal blog is probably not the most politically correct thing Munroe could have done. Nonetheless, I defy anyone to demonstrate how and why she’s incorrect in her assessment. Anyone who’s spent any time trying to teach can vouch for the veracity of Munroe’s sentiments. This isn’t meant to disrespect children or the profession of teaching. Most children can be, and are, good kids…if somewhat (and understandably) immature. Teaching is a noble profession, and those who undertake to make a career of it frankly deserve far better than the meager compensation and social status we grudgingly bequeath upon them. The reality, though, is that most children don’t know how (and/or don’t care) to learn. This isn’t the fault of teachers, though many educators do expend an extraordinary amount of effort in helping children learn. No, the truth is that the problems begin at home, where far too many parents have abdicated their responsibility regarding the education of their children. Too many parents prefer instead to cede all responsibility to schools often ill-equipped to be a professional baby-sitting service. When little Johnny can’t get his “3 Rs” straight, it’s so much easier to blame Johnny’s teachers than it is to take a look at what’s happening at home, which just might (and probably does) have more to do with his problems that what’s happening in school. I know; personal responsibility can be such an ugly, inconvenient thing.
“They get angry when you ask them to think or be creative,” Munroe said of her students in an interview with The Associated Press…. “The students are not being held accountable.”
Munroe pointed out that she also said positive things, but she acknowledges that she did write some things out of frustration — and of a feeling that many kids today are being given a free pass at school and at home.
“Parents are more trying to be their kids’ friends and less trying to be their parent,” Munroe said, also noting students’ lack of patience. “They want everything right now. They want it yesterday.”
I’ll concede the point that Munroe chose an exceedingly poor (and yes, perhaps inappropriate) manner in which to express her frustration, but that shouldn’t be seen as an indictment of her. Teachers are expected to control every aspect of the classroom experience, even when confronteded with children who face few if any limits at home. As class sizes continue to increase, the expectations placed on teachers only continue to increase…even though their compensation rarely keeps pace. “Doing more with less” is the operating philosophy in far too many public school districts. As more and more teachers are laid off and programs are increasingly eliminated, the pressure on teachers is progressively ratcheted up…all while the support provided to teachers remains flat or even decreases.
Perhaps the biggest problem, at least from my perspective, is the perception that part of a teacher’s job description is to motivate their children. While good teachers can and certainly do take on this responsibility, it shouldn’t have to be a teacher’s responsibility to motivate children to learn. That responsibility should, and does, fall squarely and solely on the shoulders of parents, who have an important, albeit very different role to play in the education of their children. If children aren’t taught at home about the importance of learning, it’s unreasonable to hold a teacher accountable for falling short in what in reality is a parental responsibility.
Here in Oregon, as in most states, there are scores upon scores of gifted and talented teachers who can’t find work to save their lives. It never ceases to amaze me that there are still people so devoted to teaching that they continue to agree to work within the current system, which neither values teachers nor compensates them fairly. “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” is still a philosophy that far too many Americans fervently believe in. That few of those who feel this way have stood in front of a class full of hyperactive teenagers only speaks to the reality that Americans neither know nor really care what happens in schools. They just want little Johnny to have some place to be during their work day- but he’d better be getting decent grades…or there will be Hell to pay, for the teachers and little Johnny’s school.
If we were to be honest (which isn’t something likely to happen anytime soon), we’d admit that it’s long past time for a serious national conversation about the role of- and our commitment to- the education of our children. School isn’t just some place to park your child for 13 years until you can ship them off to college. We’re talking about the future here- ours, our children’s and our nation’s. If we continue to collectively view our public schools as a cheap babysitting service, we can’t claim to be surprised when little Johnny graduates from high school unable to construct complete sentences or do basic math. These things happen because we continue to allow them to happen…and eventually we’ll be forced to come to grips (too late by far) with the reality that we can’t compete with the rest of the world.
Ms. Munroe is now facing a backlash from parents refusing to allow their children to be taught by her. Part of this controversy can be laid directly at Ms. Munroe’s feet, of course, but parents are missing a larger point here. Though her words and her delivery may have been flawed, Ms. Munroe’s argument was largely correct. Blaming the messenger instead of hearing the message solves nothing. It merely cements the collective separation of parents from the reality of their children’s education, and it completely ignores the ridiculous (and growing) burden we place on teachers. Do we want teachers to be professional educators…or do we expect them to be professional babysitters? Do we hold them responsible for the shortcomings we perceive in our public education system? Or do we as parents accept that we have perhaps the biggest part to play in the creation, continuation of, and the solution to, this problem?
Human nature being what it is, of course, we’ll continue blaming teachers like Natalie Munroe who have the temerity to speak up. It sure beats having to take responsibility for our own part in the breakdown of our educational system…and the nail that sticks up gets hammered down, right?
