Education is critical to individual and community success. Education is how society recruits and trains its young to become full citizens, adults and contributors to the common welfare. And education is done by teachers.
In these tough times, when taxes are perceived to be too high and the quality of the product these taxes buy seems poor and getting worse and when educational establishment itself is found wanting, let us not confuse the individuals who are responsible for what goes on in the classroom, with those institutions which claim to represent or command them.
Teachers, and teaching are a noble professional. Teachers are the link between our past and the future. They are the bearers of the community's wisdom and experience. They are charge with instilling in the next generation the knowledge, skills and values that make civil society possible. They are expected to take the raw talents and potentials of each child and shape and mold them into the best that they can be, even as the child rebels against it.
Rhode Islanders are today engaged in a serious dialogue over the merits and direction of its educational system. Interests groups are aligning themselves for and against the changes that must be made to bring our educational system into the 21st century and prepare our children to compete in the global economy and rapidly changing technological environment. While contracts, standards, policies, and philosophies are being debated, we most not lose sight of the individual teachers and what they do. These individuals are often maligned, disrespected, and treated as the cause of the problem rather than as the victims of the system that they are.
Ever heard the phrase "Those who can't do, teach"? At the Bowery Poetry Club, slam poet Taylor Mali begs to differ, and delivers a powerful, 3-minute response on behalf of educators everywhere.
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