There are many challenges in education, but in the U.S. the most challenging is the perception that schools and teachers are not well-prepared and do not know how to educate. The general feeling that as the majority of people ATTENDED school, education is not a specialized field. Everyone understands, knows how to educate. Respect for educators is our greatest hurdle. Every day there are reports of doctors who abuse their power, do not practice ethically or harm patients. Yet, there is still a reverence for the profession. People understand that the medical profession may attract individuals who do not live up to the ideals of the profession, but it is not a reflection of the majority or the profession itself. Why is it different for education? I think people want to a reason, people that are held responsible. Instead of looking at the complex issue of disparity in homes, income, value of education or financial resources, the educators are the constant, easy target.
This attitude is confirmed in the recent Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward public schools. The majority of the public are satisfied, or even happy, with what THEIR local public school is accomplishing. But the REST of the public schools, or public education in general does not. How can this attitude be explained? To me it represents a targeted effort by legislation and media forces, especially those that have an economic interest in controlling public education.
But...the real questions is what are we going to do with this challenge? Because educators don't have the option of giving up. We must move forward. This is why I love the PLN I continue to grow on Twitter. It connects me to educators around the world, exchanging ideas and resources. But most importantly, it connects me with my #MichED community. A community dedicated to a positive, collaborative, supportive approach to the message of what we do in education and how we will shift to continue to meet the challenges of our ever-changing world.
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