In Praise of Teachers

By: Bruce Taylor
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:26:41
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My son just took a job teaching high-school English in St Louis (hi, Ben) and my sister-in-law teaches at-risk kids in Indianapolis (hi, Carol), and that started thinking me thinking about the role of teachers in my life and in our societies, so it seemed only fair to write down my admiration for them and their effect on kids.

Try this experiment for me: without thinking, write down the five people who have most influenced your life. I'll bet that at least one, and more likely two of them were teachers of one sort or another. My own leading teacher is the guy who taught me Shakespeare with dedication and passion and the determination that we should understand what the Bard was trying to tell us deep in our bones. (hi, Dr. Krueger) What do teachers really teach kids, beyond Reading, Writing and 'Rithmatic?

• There are rules to follow for the good of the class, benefits if you follow them, and sanctions if you don't.
• Someone expects you to do the best you can at every challenge, won't stop until you have done your best, and is proud of you when you do.
• Mastering an impossible task is just a matter of breaking it down into little tasks and mastering those - and anyone can do that to some degree.
• Some people are smarter than others, and some people are stronger than others, and some people are more beautiful than others, and it's all okay.
• There is someone in the world who looks forward to seeing you every day.

And teachers come in a variety of forms, often disguised. My fencing instructor taught me that, no matter how much I practiced, I didn't have the reflex speed to compete at the Varsity level, and that I should be content with that because now I knew one of the limits of my body. I've never been in the Army, but my impression is that Drill Instructors teach more than basic combat skills: they teach the art of getting along with your squadmates, whoever they are; and to take pride in your appearance and the cleanliness of your gear; and to never, ever give up. My Dad was a professor of history at UNC (hi, Dad), and along with dates and battles he taught his students that the Truth is precious and has to be protected from Marxists, Relativists, and other -ists who want to twist it to their own ends.

Of course, there are lousy teachers out there: ones who don't care about the students, or who have retired on the job, or just enjoy the power over the students. You get bad apples in every bushel, and we should find a way of identifying them and getting them out of the classroom and into some job where they won't deprive the students.

Life is upside-down in many ways. Back when I was a software engineer, I made at least three times the salary of local teachers, but I'd say I contributed about a third as much to society as any good teacher. In a just world, they would have been getting the big paychecks because they worked harder than I did and made more of a contribution. Someday maybe we'll come to our senses and start paying teachers what they're worth.

So I tip my cap to all you teachers out there, in whatever form you take, and if I had a glass of champagne in my hand I'd drink a toast to you. Keep doing what you do best, take your pleasure where you can, and know that some of us are grateful to you for helping to give us a sane world where our children can grow up.

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