Is the Great American Teacher Dead?

Is the Great American Teacher Dead?

Is the great American teacher dead? Perhaps endangered, but I don’t think dead. Brother Ivers raises several issues regarding what may be wrong with teaching and education today that could result in the belief that great teachers are a thing of the past. He cites some observances made by foreign anthropologists, “outsiders looking in” as it were, of American university classes and students. One of these striking observances is a comparison to the “oppressive and ideologically rigid culture” of the former Soviet Union. When I read this I had visions of Cold War dystopian novels like 1984 or Animal Farm, with themes of group think and thought control. I think it would be naïve to say that a measure of that doesn’t exist in today’s society, including (possibly even especially) universities.  Political correctness is a real thing, and it sometimes seems like any opinions outside the accepted correct are shot down, or silenced. There could be some truth to the argument that the education system is resulting in homogenized thought,  not independent original thought.

But, I don’t think all hope is lost. And I don’t think Brother Ivers thinks so either. This paper actually gave some very hopeful ideas and information for future, and current, teachers. I love the quote from William W. Purkey that “The most important aspect of a teacher is to be a romantic.” To me this means a teacher that feels deeply, cares about their students, and is excited about what they teach. Brother Ivers talks about how teachers should “be on a mission”. I can see how that might get difficult when dealing with all of the tangential aspects of teaching like testing, funding, administration, bureaucracy, and just the day-to-day fatigue. Brother Ivers’ answer is Invitational Education; creating a classroom atmosphere of “optimism, trust, caring, intentionality, and respect”. One study used these strategies to not only improve education, but to reduce teacher burnout. It stands to reason that a more inviting environment would help not only the student but also the teacher. I think this symbiotic relationship could also apply to the “10-minute rule” that Brother Ivers suggests. If a teacher is doing something “interesting, exciting, or engaging” every 10 minutes in the lesson, then I think both parties will benefit. One thought I had was that this rule doesn’t have to be overwhelming, thinking that I have to constantly be over the top. Just simple things like inflection, smiling, and having fun with it can go a long way.

The Great American Teacher is definitely not dead. Just the fact that this is a topic of discussion shows that people still care about effective, engaging, “romantic” teaching. I think that just like any area of life, there are good ones and bad ones, and hopefully this class will help us all become the good ones.


Work Cited

Ivers, J.J. (2012). Is the great American teacher dead?: Principles to resurrect meaningful, effective, and consciousness raising instruction. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, 18, 44-51.

Comments

  1. Lilian PerezJanuary 15, 2022 at 10:40 PM

    Hello Amber.
    Something interesting about your post is that we share the same feeling, the great teacher is not dead. I like when you said the word endangered because it means we need to stop and reflect on our attitudes as teachers what Brother Ivers did very well.
    Thank you for your post.

    ReplyDelete

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