On Saturday the Coalition for Justice in Education hosted a “Teach In” that worked to create a plan of action to address current educational issues. One topic of discussion was “Attacks on teachers and administrators.”
It seems as though we have come to a place in our society where no one is responsible for the education of children except teachers and administrators. No one is to be evaluated except this special group of people who have such a great influence on young minds that they alone are responsible for the success and/or failure of the educational future of our children.
For six hours a day, one hundred-eighty or so days a year teachers and administrators are responsible for pouring knowledge into the minds of children so that they can pour that knowledge out onto a piece of paper to show learning. For the rest of the time the child is not required nor expected to be taught or to learn anything relevant to their success as human beings.
The advent of MeTv makes it quite apparent that this was not always the case. In the early days of television it seems that all of society realized its responsibility for the proper upbringing of our nation’s most valuable resource, the children.
Shows like The Lone Ranger, Superman, The Rifleman, and Saturday morning cartoons, Skipper Sam, and Howdy Doody all had a message for the children; go to school, do your best, do the right thing, try hard, never give up.
Every day children were reminded, “Did you finish your homework?” by Skipper Sam and Miss Rita’s “Romper Room” taught pre-school children as mom’s cleaned the house.
Back then teaching wasn’t just for teachers. Teachers taught the academics, how to speak properly, how to read and write properly, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Citizenship.
Teachers and Administrators weren’t held accountable for a child’s educational failure because a child’s education was everyone’s responsibility.
If a child failed in society, it was understood that society failed the child.
Some things never change.
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