I was reading a post this morning concerning the walk out by Oklahoma teachers.  This angry parent wrote in great detail how not one, but two teachers mistreated her child at school and not only were they not disciplined, they were rehired by the school district.  Because of this experience, she says she will never support teachers in their fight.  All it takes is one, or in this case, two bad apples to spoil the whole bunch.

Is it fair that teachers are held to a higher standard?  Based on what they are paid, probably not.  However, because we work with their most precious young people, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard.  Every time I see a story in the news about some teacher doing something stupid, I become angry because I know despite the fact that there are literally millions of teachers doing their very best, day in a day out, all it takes is that one to give the public the perception that all teachers are this way.

I wish I could say there was a process to vet teachers in such a way that we could guarantee nothing but the very best of people in our classrooms.  However, the truth is that any person who pays their money to go through a teacher education program and then pays to be certified can teach.  Teachers must go through background checks, and then regular observations and assessments throughout their careers, but even the best of administrators and districts cannot keep up with everything their employees do.  Districts have their teachers go through regular training on a myriad of topics, including medical conditions, special needs, mental health issues, and trauma, just to name a few, in order to serve their students as best they can, but this training can’t guarantee that the teacher won’t do something, well – stupid.

You hear a story how a teacher does something inappropriate or neglectful with or to a child and suddenly it’s not just about that individual, but the entire profession is garbage.  I am honestly so sorry this child had such a horrible experience and I can completely understand why this mom who posted is so angry.  I would be too.  But, maybe the teacher wasn’t informed about this child’s medical condition.  Maybe the child was misbehaving and the teacher followed normal procedure and policies in this instance.  Maybe the district backed the teacher because they know the teacher’s complete history of teaching and this was his or hers first offense.  Unfortunately we only know this from the mom’s point of view, completely valid, but not necessarily the whole picture.  Again, not excusing the teachers, but it’s hard to make a judgement without all the information.

I have been a cooperating teacher for many years now, and have worked with student teachers who I knew almost immediately would make great teachers, and I’ve also worked with students who did not belong in the profession.  Most of those students ended up doing something else, thank goodness, as their passions and priorities were in the wrong place. I would never encourage any of the students I work with to stay in education just because they didn’t know what else to do.  I would never recommend a student who didn’t have a strong work ethic, a loving heart for all children and a thick skin because they will need all of these things.  Anyone can pass the classes to qualify to become a teacher, but it takes those intangibles to be a true educator.  And those educators need to be treated with respect, not just monetarily, but by providing them them with the necessary resources to take care of their students.  Up to date materials, safe facilities, and staff support in the form of counselors and mental health professionals are just a few of the things that will show educators that they and their mission are respected.

My hope is that legislators and the public not judge the entire profession by a few individuals with problems, because the vast majority of teachers care about their students like they were their own.  The one bad apple doesn’t have to spoil the whole bunch.