Making Education Work

By Jerry Wyant

What is a teacher?
A teacher plays a key role in molding today’s children into tomorrow’s citizens and leaders.
A teacher finds ways to inspire different people who have different abilities, different needs, different life experiences; all without having the ability to choose which students to teach, or even how many.
A teacher is motivated to make a positive difference while knowing that most of the important differences won’t be noticeable for many years; knows that many people will never recognize these contributions.
A teacher accepts society’s problems in the form of raw materials to work with, and then receives blame for these problems. Despite this, and often because of this, a teacher is one of the first to be hit when budgets are cut.
A teacher is someone who is a scapegoat for society's problems.
A teacher is somebody who is underpaid.
A teacher is someone who is underappreciated.
Despite all of this, teachers teach because they care. Teachers teach because they can make a difference. Teachers teach because they know that our children and our future are at stake. Because of this, teachers are willing to settle for less than they could get in other professions: less in terms of compensation; less in terms of respect.
Teachers are also human beings. They can only put up with so much before they consider a different profession, no matter how much they care.
Did you ever have a teacher who inspired you to be more than you thought you could be?
What did that teacher do to inspire?
Was it something that a standardized test could expose?
Teachers play a vital role in all of society. They deserve our appreciation; they do not deserve to be treated as scapegoats for all of society’s problems.
Testing is important, but tests alone do not measure the value of a teacher.
The value that an education system adds to society cannot be measured by corporate profits. The goals of corporations are not compatible with the goals of the education system.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jerry Wyant
• Release date: Sep 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301659579

Jerry Wyant

BSBA Economics - University of Missouri Facebook pages: Jerry Wyant, Writer Equality and Economic Growth Making Education Work

Book preview

Making Education Work

By Jerry Wyant

Published by Jerry Wyant at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Jerry Wyant

This e-book is licensed for your personal use only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Essay: What is a Teacher?

Quotes: Teacher Appreciation

Teacher Salaries by State

Quotes: The Purpose and Importance of Education

How Much Do Taxpayers Spend on Education in the United States?

Quotes: Advice for Teachers and Students

Essay: The ABCs of American Education

Quotes: Success in Life

One Question That Should Be on Every Standardized Test (Satire)

Quotes: What Makes a Great Teacher?

Essay: Why a School System Should Not Be Run Like a Business

Inspirational Quotes for Teachers

Essay: Here Is a Novel Approach to Education Reform

Quotes: Respect for Others

Notes on Teacher Evaluations from a Former Educator (the Before and After of NCLB)

Avoid Common Grammar and Spelling Errors

About the Author

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Introduction

Did you ever have a teacher who inspired you to be more than you thought you could be?

What did that teacher do to inspire?

Was it something that a standardized test could expose?

Teachers play a vital role in all of society. They deserve our appreciation; they do not deserve to be treated as scapegoats for all of society’s problems.

Testing is important, but tests alone do not measure the value of a teacher.

The value that an education system adds to society cannot be measured by corporate profits. The goals of corporations are not compatible with the goals of the education system.

If you agree, or would like to see more from this point of view, please check out our Facebook page Making Education Work https://www.facebook.com/MakingEducationWork

This eBook contains material originally created for the Making Education Work Facebook page.

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What Is a Teacher?

By Jerry Wyant

For Making Education Work

A teacher plays a key role in molding today’s children into tomorrow’s citizens and leaders.

A teacher finds ways to inspire different people who have different abilities, different needs, different life experiences; all without having the ability to choose which students to teach, or even how many.

A teacher is motivated to make a positive difference while knowing that most of the important differences won’t be noticeable for many years; knows that many people will never recognize these contributions.

A teacher accepts society’s problems in the form of raw materials to work with, and then receives blame for these problems. Despite this, and often because of this, a teacher is one of the first to be hit when budgets are cut.

A teacher is someone who is a scapegoat for society's problems.

A teacher is somebody who is underpaid.

A teacher is someone who is underappreciated.

Despite all of this, teachers teach because they care. Teachers teach because they can make a difference. Teachers teach because they know that our children and our future are at stake. Because of this, teachers are willing to settle for less than they could get in other professions: less in terms of compensation; less in terms of respect.

Teachers are also human beings. They can only put up with