where "it's always a siege on education and budgets." This just in (via private email) from my friend and colleague Matt Sanger at Idaho State. Matt is an educational philosopher who worked with Gary Fenstermacher and is finely tuned to the moral dimensions of educational work and policy. (Reprinted with Matt's permission):
My primary obsession at the moment is how advocates of current ‘reforms’ can support those reforms, while at the same time acknowledging that teachers make such a difference in the quality of education—apparently ignoring the fact that they are making teaching a much less desirable occupation. I wonder how they think these reforms are going to draw in even higher quality teachers than we have now? We may finally be able to get rid of the few fabled bad seeds under the current movement, but I’m not sure what that will leave us with for our future teaching corps (aside from a handful of bright and brave ivy grads signing up for a couple years of service, and those who really feel called to teach and who are willing to overlook the condition of the profession).
Spot on, Matt. We can't trash the profession and then attract the best and the brightest. ...
(Thanks to Idaho Writers Groups for the state seal.)
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