A Teacher is a Teacher
I have a relative who’s a teacher. Well, I actually have several relatives who are, or once were, teachers. The tendency seems to run very strong among the women in one side of my family, for a number of generations. Don’t ask me why. Nowadays it’s a thankless, unappreciated, and poorly paid for job. Of course, as part of a vicious circle, most people that enter the profession get as much payment and appreciation as they deserve. But some are good and intelligent persons, and can be good teachers.
The specific relative I’m talking about has finished her degree just recently. She got the diploma, certifications, and whatever is needed in order to be officially named a teacher. So she’s a teacher, and have the papers to prove it.
I saw her today, and during a short conversation she complained about a recent occurrence. She was talking with someone, and was asked in what school she was teaching. After answering that she isn’t working in any school she got a response along the lines of "Oh, so you’re not a real teacher, then".
According to her she gets that quite a lot. And she is pissed off about it. She may not be teaching in a school, but she has done all she had to in order to become a teacher (Sounds like some ordeal, the way she talks about it. I suppose everything is relative), and feels she deserves the recognition.
Besides, she does actively teach. She currently gives private lessons to "problematical" kids, that need personal attention. But since it’s not school work in front of a class, nobody considers it real teaching.
So there, just to set the record straight, and to do my good deed for the day: Being a teacher is not about what you do, it’s about whether you have the papers claiming you are. Clear?
December 3rd, 2004 at 23:01 EET | Categories: Miscellaneous |
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