Reflection paper #1

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, I have the passion. But there’s a whole another meaning to hands on when you look back at history and what teaching was really like. In the colonial times being a teacher wasn't a privileged, or a career. Being a teacher was like being an immigrant at a sweat shop. I guess education isn't mandatory when you are just programmed to function, and when you’re program to do your everyday job. Becoming a teacher didn't take four years to accomplish, you were lucky if you even took a year or two. Most teachers who taught in elementary were teenagers who were only teaching one or two years. Teachers never had the learning process, we have now. There were no preparation, no secondary school, and teaching skills were not necessary. It was found that most teachers were there to pay for their passage to America. People in the colonial times thought of teachers, as a joke. Teaching was never a career, just a temporary employment. Even today, we do what we love, what were good at. But if what you're doing isn't what you really want to do. How will others learn from your system? That's where the "sink or swim" system comes to play. Many teachers sank, along with their students during the colonial times. In 1823, Reverend Samuel Hall changed that. Students had a chance at a real education because Reverend Samuel Hall had established a "Normal School"; this includes Private schools, and elementary school grades to produce formal training in teaching skills. In 1839, Horace Man, established the first state support for "Normal Schools" in Lexington, and Massachusetts. This was a begging of a better future for our education system. Even though the school system changed for the better only so much good deed can go so far. Students were getting the education they deserved but what about the teachers? Don’t they have a say in this. In the 1920’s sexism was at its all time high. Even though teaching became a career it wasn’t fit for men. Men where known to do the handy work, or handle money. They had no reason to be in a classroom teaching students. Not only was it frowned upon for males to be doing a “woman” work, woman were not treated right either. The “Miss” had to sign a contract binding them to their studies. Their obligation to the school was a list that had to be followed or their contract didn’t mean anything. Teachers were not allowed to get married, have contact with men, not allowed to leave the house from 8p.m. until 6 a.m., not allowed to leave town without asking the permission of the chairman, and if they were caught drinking or smoking they would be let off at once, and we thought we had it bad. Never mind their salary, we complain about getting an average of 30,969 a year. In the colonial times they were only given 900 a year. Times could only get better, that’s why in the twentieth century the professional teachers training had gained support and were accepted population wise. In the 1900’s, elementary, and secondary education gained popularity, as well as the demand for better trained teachers. As for the “Normal Schools” they had expanded there teaching requirements to a three to four year programmed. In the 1980’s, this marked the beginning of the modern effort to “reshape” education. A highly publicized report which went by the name of Tomorrow’s Teachers and A nation Prepared, called for higher standards and increased professionalism for the nations teachers. They also called for an end to the undergraduate teaching major, to be replaced by master’s level degree in teaching. Still to this day, teachers don’t get the respect or the hard earn cash for what they do. Educating student’s to become high paid business major’s or lawyers, isn’t what life it’s about. Knowledge is the key to success, and your school system contributes to your life learned lessons, and accompanies you with the knowledge to be who you want to be and do what you love. In return we still suffer from lack of support and lack of funds.