A recent article in Time Magazine discusses what should be done in order to raise the current standards of education in public schools in the United States. The article suggests the inability of politicians, from either political party, to take a stand on raising standards of education is what has yielded “a K-12 education system in the U.S. that is burdened by an incoherent jumble of state and local curriculum standards, assessment tools, tests, texts and teaching materials.” To remedy this “jumble” the article provides a breakdown of how Walter Isaacson, the writer of the article, thinks the standards should be fixed. However, what Isaacson fails to consider is that while consistent curriculum programs are necessary, they mean nothing if the students do not have a teacher who can actually teach that curriculum. Furthermore, Isaacson never considers the need for raising standards for teachers.
If Isocrates were here today he would be arguing that the reason our education system is failing is not because of the inconsistent standards, but because of the people who are left in charge of implementing those standards – the teachers.
The word “teacher,” as we know it today, has forty entries when referring to Greek terms (Perseus). The definitions and terms affiliated with them vary. For example, some terms are used when talking about the specific subject being taught such as στοιχειωτής, which is teacher of elements, while other terms refer to a more general label such as guide (καθηγητής) or leader (ὑφηγητής). However, the Greek term affiliated with the writings of Isocrates, Plato, and Aristotle is διδάσκαλος, which means teacher or master and what I assume is most applicable to how we use the term today.
In “Against the Sophists,” it is evident that Isocrates believes that in order for a student to successfully learn something they must be taught by someone who is innately born with the skill of teaching and has had experience and/or training in the subject they are teaching (i.e. this is why Isocrates was capable of teaching the subjects he taught – he had the natural gift to teach and had formal training on the subjects) (p.65). Arguably, Isocrates is saying that teachers are born, not made. Just as everyone is not innately gifted in certain subjects, not everyone can be a teacher.
Isocrates’ argument is still alive today. For example, Wesley Knapp, the superintendent of the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, writes, "We need teachers with good academic credentials giving evidence of subject matter mastery, but that alone does not ensure good teaching. To be an excellent teacher, it requires dedication and devotion to teaching, learning and working with students." However, while there are still people who believe the same way Isocrates did, the education system of the United States is still being constructed in a way that allows just about anyone to teach; curriculum created solely under the notion of memorize and regurgitate. Education should be more than that and the system should demand more than that from its teachers.
Sources:
[1] Isaacson, Walter. "How to Raise the Standard in America's Schools". TIME Magazine. Online. 15 Apr. 2009. 27 Sep. 2009
[3] Knapp, Wesley. “Good teachers: Born or made?” Bennington Banner. Online. 10 Aug. 2006. 27 Sept. 2009 <
*Knapp also writes that the difference between a teacher and a good teacher is the teacher heart and the ability to have enthusiasm and passion for the subject matter so they can inspire students.
[4] perseus.tufts.edu/hopper
1 comment:
The concept of teaching that Isocrates put forth is just a dream in our society, not a reality. And I don’t think that it will be a reality any time soon. Isocrates lived in a time when teachers were part of the free market. They determined the knowledge that they would teach and the price that would be charged to learn that knowledge. Today teachers are restricted by the government as to what they can teach, how they can teach, and how much compensation they get for teaching. Politicians are deciding what concepts every child needs to know and then developing tests to measure, not how much the students know but how effective the teacher was. With this added pressure to have students perform well on these test, teachers and schools are looking more and more to scripted programs that guarantee success on the test. The problem with these types of programs is that anyone who can read and snap their finger can walk into the classroom and be a teacher. This idea that Isocrates had that teachers are born is not true in our current educational system. I believe that Isocrates would be appalled at the type of teaching we see in our schools today. I agree that perhaps we would see better things from our education system if valued teaching the way Isocrates did.
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