What makes a teacher?
The past couple of days I’ve been thinking about this question, especially given the person who has been recently confirmed as Secretary of Education. I posted my concerns of this on social media, and shared that I went to a certain school in which homeschool workbooks were used to teach and most of the adults supervised. I wrote it in a moment of anger at the confirmation of this woman, and I used the word “babysit” at one point, which caused major blow back from some of the people who went to that school and worked there as well. One person questioned what the difference is between a babysitter and a teacher, as well as the importance we give university degrees.
So, what makes a teacher?
If you look at the origin of the word doctor it comes from the same Latin word meaning “learned person; teacher” and derives from the Latin word docere which means “to teach”. In the Middle Ages those who were learned in Scripture were called doctors because of their knowledge. The first doctorates awarded by universities were to theologians, which with time extended to other fields of study.
Going along this vein, I see that a person who is knowledgeable and imparts their knowledge is a teacher. In today’s society, a professional teacher is this, but has to fulfill certain requirements to be able to teach students in certain educational institutions. Gaining a college degree and passing qualifying exams to gain licensure are the first steps, and once they are in the classroom, teachers are evaluated based on student acquisition of knowledge, be it through standardized tests and various assessment tools. But at the end of the day, a professional teacher has to be subject to evaluation, period.
Now, this person on social media asked what the difference is between a babysitter and a teacher. A teacher imparts knowledge, a babysitter ensures the child is taken care of in the absence if its parents. A professional teacher does both. While many the adults at this particular school took care of us students, they did not fulfill the other part of imparting academic knowledge. Did they impart other knowledge and moral standards? Absolutely. But it is not the same as a professional teacher.
Anyone can be a teacher. However, I speak as a professional teacher, a career for which I have dedicated years of training and knowledge acquisition. Being a professional teacher is a legitimate career, subject to preparation and evaluation, which are not only appropriate but necessary. Let’s not diminish the professionalization of educators, it takes so much work and is a dignified career choice.
PhD and Pañales 