Talk:Teacher: Difference between revisions

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Education Unassessed

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They usually have high esteem but low salaries. Not exactly. I know in Korea (and probably Japan, too) teachers are generally respected, but it isn't the same in many other places, especially if for teachers below the college and university levels. -- Stephen Gilbert

It's also POV. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:36, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

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The image doesn't really mean anything. Could we get a shot of a teacher actually teaching? -- Tarquin 17:53, 30 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Hope the recent image helps. Unfortunately, we will be losing Brian Hodge as he moves to Japan this summer to marry and work over there. Brian: If you read this, buddy, you will be missed by colleagues and students alike. LIVE WELL! Weaponofmassinstruction 23:35, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

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"Educationalist" redirects to "teacher". But does the two words mean the same. Isn't an educationalist a philosopher or researcher of education?

wildt 26. marts 2004 00.50

Never heard of the word "educationalist", and I am a teacher. :-) Is it perhaps specific to one country? Jwrosenzweig 23:52, 25 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Wow - 2 minutes! ... According to Danish-English dictionary Danish "paedagog" can be translated with: teacher if it's someone actually working with children, or if it's a theorist "educationalist". And the word is used about Alexander Sutherland Neill. wildt

According to my dictionary, it's chiefly a British usage. :-) I wasn't familiar with it (I'm American). It apparently does refer more to a theorist in education, but I don't know if we have an article on that. Perhaps it should redirect to pedagogy or something like it? Jwrosenzweig 00:25, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I'd like to start an article specifically about the troubles teachers face nowadays--from growing teacher shortages to school shootings. But should this be specifically about teachers, as opposed to any other profession? Should this be related to labor issues, or to educational issues, or what? Thanks. Mjklin 23:57, 22 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Start small. Teachers only (well, educators and educational administrators only) and both labor and educational issues. If it grows bigger, it grows bigger. ;) --Dante Alighieri | Talk 00:08, Apr 23, 2004 (UTC)

I removed the POV posted on the teacher page. It doesnt really contribute anything new to say that "everyone has an opinion on teachers and how they are misguiding the youth." --RolandG 21:43, 23 Jun 2004 (UTC)

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The article "So you want to be a teacher" is about 20 years old and refers to what will in the 1990's.

Public education is currently nominated to be improved on WP:IDRIVE. You can support the article by voting for it there.--Fenice 20:47, 5 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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Can anyone please explain what the hell this "apple for the teacher" thing is all about, in North American (US?) culture? --NeoThe1 23:32, August 30, 2005 (UTC)

Although late, I will try to help explain. The tradition of giving an apple to the teacher stems to the early days of North American Public Education in the late 1800s. In that era, school teachers were usually VERY poorly compensated, especially in small rural centres. Gifts of food for (literally) hungry teachers was commonplace. The "apple for the teacher" became symbolic of this. It is still used as a symbol for many Teachers Professional Organizations today such as can be seen at http://www.mbteach.org. hope that helps! Weaponofmassinstruction 23:43, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's still very common for students in the US to be given small gifts of appreciation from students who like them. I'm a teacher, and it's well-known that I like spiders, so I have students actually bring me live spiders for "brownie points." I was once given three tarantulas in one day. RobertAustin 12:39, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Information regarding Teacher's in Canada is incorrect and needs to be updated. Teachers in Canada now require a degree in Education to be able to teach in elementry, middle, or high schools.

Do not understand why "didactics" direct to this page, even though related. Doesn't didactics have a broader connotation? Lped999

I've done some work on the Canada section. Hope it clarifies a few things. I'm a little leery about leaving the whole section on "may require a TB test.... THAT smacks as an illegal requirement to provide medical information/history. Somebody is definitely getting sued if I get asked to take a TB test, Strep test, HIV test, or drug test as a condition of my employment! Unless somebody can back that statement up, I'd like to see it killed. Weaponofmassinstruction 23:08, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A teacher serves many purposes. Often, people solely name teachers as being the people who are in front of the classroom, the adults leading the class in discussion, the individuals discussing and introducing new topics to the children, and those responsible for evaluating the progress of the pupils inside the classroom. That is one way of looking at the term “teacher”, but that simple definition shouldn’t be all there is to define such a complex and significant role. A teacher is anyone who passes information through the process of communication from themselves to another individual. A teacher can be anyone ranging from an elderly adult to a very young child, there is no age requirement for someone to be considered a teacher. On the contrary, not just anyone can be a teacher any given moment of the day. It requires specific traits and strengths for someone to be a teacher. A teacher is also someone who can, most importantly, effectively pass information from their personal knowledge onto someone else. A teacher does not just necessarily use only verbal communication to teach an individual. Some might teach by example, drawing a picture, acting something out, or in many other endless ways. A teacher is someone who adjusts their teaching methods to the individual to whom they are teaching. A teacher is someone who works and relays information every hour of the day, every day of the week, every week of the year, and every year of their life. A teacher is a mother or father showing their child good eating habits, table manners, and respect. A teacher is not necessarily someone that went to college for a teaching degree, and received a teaching certificate; but, it can also be the student who never even graduated from high school. A teacher can be your five year old son that teaches you to love life and be grateful for everyday that you are given to live on this earth and be around the ones you love, or it can be their simple thoughts that teach you not to make things so complicated. WASTREL 09:53, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The section on Australian bachelors' degrees being ranked lower than other countries' needs to be referenced in some way. I would be rather interested in the source of that information myself, actually, having not come across the claim before. GrubLord 10:09, 18 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd like to see a source on the US teacher payscale -- the school district that I work for doesn't differentiate between primary and secondary teachers as far as pay goes, and I'm not familiar with any other one that does. --Tthaas 10:48, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, the opposite is probably true. I saw a pbs story being shown in Australia on sbs and it showed things being taught in a US Masters course that are first year B.Ed material here. The 4 year Australian B.Ed would not be considered less than an American degree, especially as all 4 years are spent on course specific knowledge not a generalist courses like a B.A. Tmothyh 22:54, 31 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

While I think this section is a good one, it really needs work. There needs to be some more organization and worded to be less POV. MrMurph101 03:25, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I understand the contributor's reasons for including this section, but I don't think it fits here. Essentially, the section discusses a particular problem or issue that teachers and students (and parents) have to contend with. Rather than "Blaming the teacher", the title of the section should probably be "Teachers vs. students - responsibilities for learning" or something like that. An intelligent discussion about teacher and student responsibilities in the learning process is what is needed. I think, however, that this would be way beyond the scope of this article. There can be lots of discussion about the millions of other problems that the teaching profession must deal with (e.g. are they paid too little, do they get too much time off, should teachers be paid for prep time, should parents stay out the the classroom, should parents have a say in hiring and firing, should parents have a hand in managing a school, how should discipline be handled, and so on.) Where would it end? So, the real question is, should this article start discussing the problems associated with teaching/learning? The article is not a forum. Perhaps, if anything, a separate article is needed. This can get sticky and complicated. If the section is to be kept, it needs a lot of work. It's confusing with lots of errors and it is POV. Unless the original contributer can make this less POV and more understandable, I vote we remove the section in a week. BrianC 19:17, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Im sorry. I've removed my contribution. RandallFlagg Scotland 22:09, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Slow down, now... being one of those lucky enough to be "in the trenches" as a career choice, I definitely think that hese things mentioned above DO need to have voice put to them. however, the general article here is likely not the place for it. It "could" be yet another valuable tangent in the Wikipedia, though. the tough part will be in determining what to call it. It goes without saying that it should link back here.Weaponofmassinstruction 23:49, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe a section entitled "Burdens?" It could lead to a new article discussing it further. MrMurph101 02:18, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think this is a good article, and I have added it to the list.whicky1978 19:47, 17 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is that a specific list, like the one Nixon kept? :D Weaponofmassinstruction 21:23, 19 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is a pretty good article but it needs work to earn featured article status. Wikipedians are pretty strict about that I've noticed. MrMurph101 17:04, 22 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It might be a good idea to nominate this article for a Peer Review. MrMurph101 03:29, 25 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed the sentence "An example of a good teacher is Diana Bishop" from the Primary and Secondary Teaching heading. It has no hyperlink, no source and no use - I have no idea who Diana Bishop is, and for a wikipedia article it's not exactly neutral. Crimson Blacknight 16:45, 24 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Quoting the article: "Teachers in almost all states must have a Bachelor's degree with the appropriate teacher preparation course and complete a Master's degree within five years." I'm a teacher in Arkansas, and have never heard of this five-year rule. Exactly how many states have such a rule? Can anyone provide examples, or citations? RobertAustin 14:03, 22 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know in California you receive a "preliminary" credential that lasts five years without a renewal but if you do some more things you can get a "clear" credential which can be renewed every five years. There is no requirement to get a Master's but it is recommended and the pay scale is better if you have one. I think that could be part of where the confusion comes from. MrMurph101 23:14, 23 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In Ohio, a qualified college graduate holding a bachelor degree may apply for a two year, non-renewable, Alternative Educator License due to shortages of teachers in grades 7 thru 12. The applicant must must also pass the required subject area of the Praxis 2 assessment. Then, and I'll have to clarify this and report back, a Master's Degree is required. I'm not sure what the timeline is with this, one would think that it would be a Master's Degree upon the end of the two year licensure but I seem to remember being told that there is a 5 or 10 year requirement. I'll get back with the info as soon as reasonably possible, in the mean time, I would check with your State/Province/Country official website as most seem to have one. User:paulsprecker 4/23/2007

I do not know? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.75.117.27 (talk) 05:07, 8 March 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Probably at least the amount of math needed to get a college degree. I'm sure more if you plan to teach math yourself. MrMurph101 03:51, 9 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If you are going to be specifically a math teacher, then of course. If you aren't going to be a math teacher then no. Elementary school teachers learn enough mathematics in high school and elementary school to teach math to younger children. Loghead1 20:43, 12 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Teachers who look after the whole school are called head teachers, school principals, headmasters or headmistresses. The equivalent in colleges and universities is called the dean, principal or vice-chancellor. See also school leadership. Teachers of this status rarely teach students. A teacher in a grammar or public school in Britain may also be a Head of House. Houses were also used in secondary and comprehensive schools.

As with most large organizations a school needs a hierarchical structure of command, allowing matters to be delegated to a specific department or the senior teachers of the school. In many cases there are deputy headteachers, heads of department (or subject, such as science or history) and heads of year. A head of year is in charge of the pastoral care of one year group.

Every school has a disciplinary procedure which dictates how punishments should be given to misbehaving students. One common method of coping with problems is the idea of escalation whereby the classroom teacher attempts to deal with the student(s) themselves before passing it on to a more senior teacher. Eventually, should the situation not be resolved, the headmaster becomes involved. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.75.117.27 (talk) 05:08, 8 March 2007 (UTC).[reply]

"Teachers of this status rarely teach students." That's not really true, and I'm not sure why you are talking about disciplinary procedures here (it's not particularly relevant to the article, I'd say). violet/riga (t) 07:37, 11 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It is americentric to leave USD as they are but convert GBP, so i have included salaries in USD/GBP/EUR. I tidied up the section to include the differences. if specific salaries of US and England without citations are acceptable, then Scottish salaries with a full citation should not have been removed, they are reinstated. --Brideshead 19:20, 27 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I know there will be lots of SOFIXIT replies, but this article is a very poor example of our work. We should greatly improve this vital article. violet/riga (t) 15:30, 31 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This article was better at one time but definately no FA candidate. This article is written focusing on a formal education teacher and not in the general sense. I wonder if "teacher" should be disambiguated into articles that focus on more specific terms that would define a teacher. A "teacher" does not only constitute a person who stands in front of the classroom and writes on the chalkboard. More generally, it is someone with some sort of knowledge that attempts, hopefully successful, to give someone the ability to acquire that knowledge. Do you see what I'm getting at? There are other dynamics besides teacher/student like master/apprentice or master/pupil and so on. It seems that this article should define that better. MrMurph101 02:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I understand your idea but can't quite see how it would logically split. There is some content not directly related to a classroom teacher but not a great amount. violet/riga (t) 07:42, 6 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I put a global tag on the article. The article does focus mainly on the western model of teaching. There might not be enough material at the time to make any splits but we should address how other parts of the world teach and the history of how teachers taught. I guess my issue is the scope of the article. MrMurph101 02:32, 7 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This article has all the makings of a highly informative and helpful piece of work which will benefit thousands of wiki-users. Please stop the negativity and start adding useful material. Rosser 22:37, 23 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You could say that the tiniest stub has the makings of an excellent article, but this is a very poor reflection of what Wikipedia is capable of. violet/riga (t) 20:00, 24 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This is my point - many excellent teachers etc out there and yet no one is keen on adding to this article.Rosser 11:08, 25 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"A teacher may be replaced by another teacher if he or she is absent due to illness, death, or planned absence. In the United States and some parts of Canada, notably Saskatchewan, replacement teachers are known as substitute teachers (or more informally as "subs") and more recently "guest teachers"."

Why, in this bit in which I copied from the article, does it say notably Saskatchewan? I don't understand why Saskatchewan is mentioned here. What is so important about Saskatchewanian supply teachers?

Loghead1 14:40, 12 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Why do students offer teachers an apple? Is this some kind of tradition? And if so, when and where did it started? Does this tradition still exists(golden apple awards)?