9. What Else is There to Learn?

From what I have found, the issue that I spoke about in the previous post is concerning for many teachers, but not all.  This is where I test a different set of bounds of the problem.

1. Who: Because this is a retired IB teacher, she did not see the pay or respect as an issue. 

What: Her husband made significantly more, and because she had been in the field so long, she knew the terms.  In other words, she was not there for the pay, but because of the passion for it.  In fact, she moved and is now a teacher in Maryland where she makes significantly more.  She also never really considered respect to be an issue because of the caliber of students that she taught.  One of her sons is even in the teaching field, despite her not recommending it, she admitted.

Why: Because she was retired, I think she was more attuned to the changes in education.  Considering these things have been happening for her entire career, new changes were less of a concern.  Not to mention, because IB has a separate curriculum, she was not as affected.

2. Who: I spoke to a teacher who left to become an online school teacher.

What: There are not issues here because there is very little interaction between teachers and students.  There is also not the stress of teaching from 9-5 and then having to take work home.  Because a majority of the instruction happens through the computer, they have time in the day to do all of their work.   They also receive higher pay and can work on their terms during the day.

Why: I mean this group could get paid more because they still fall well below the national average, but without the other issues, it really is not targeted at them.

3. Who: A non-teacher's union IB educator.

What: Once again, because of the caliber of student they are dealing with, they will not have as many issues with respect.  Also, they have a military retirement, so they did not see money as much of an issue as someone who only has one income stream.  They found this position very pleasurable, and will probably continue until they retire again.

Why: Once again, with the other IB teacher, they do not deal with the same students which is why they are on the outside of the issue.  In speaking with them, they were able to empathize with the other teachers who they hear struggle with different students.

4. Who: A new teacher at a union breakfast.

What: Being that they are new to the field, they do not know what it is like yet, and so they cannot have an issue.  There was prompting from other teachers that occurred, but they were dumbfounded to learn what happens in these schools.  They could not provide too much detail because they are not in the field yet, but I have a strong feeling their opinions of the field are stark to what they would actually experience.

Why: They are currently outside the trend because they do not have prior knowledge of the issues that happen in the schools.  I would imagine once they learn they will probably agree.  I will say there is some bias here, considering they were at a union breakfast.  I will not say whether this influence is positive or negative, it is influence though.

5. Who: A new school resource deputy.

What: Before entering the school as an SRD, they held the strong opinion that the problems at schools were not as bad as they were being portrayed.  Considering that he had dealt with hardened criminals in the past, there was no way this could be worse.  Once again, this is just a matter of ignorance of the field yet to be a part of.  Their wife is an elementary school teacher, who complains about these issues, but without first-hand knowledge its different.

Why: Once again, I feel they would soon understand the issue, but without proper exposure, they are only thinking of what they know about elementary students, not what the reality could be.  After speaking to them in their role for a little bit, they now see crime. Baker Acts, and kindergartners that are trying to beat him up and using foul language with him.

Summary: With all being said, there is no way to compare education compatibly for different educators, at different levels, with different strengths of students.  All of these factors present different issues to be faced.  At this point, I may not have gone deep enough to realize what the full extent of the issue is, or how I can rethink my thoughts on solving education in a way that will be more impactful for all concerned.  On another note, it may be costly, but an education campaign could be effective to show deep inside the bushes rather than the surface.  People may not fully be aware of the concerns because they have not thought enough about them.  At the same time, it may not be that ignorance is bliss, but that they genuinely do not have an issue, and any problems seen are making a mountain out of a mole hill.  I do not feel this way, but this is why we do research.