Category Archives: Chapter 11 – Teach Unions…

In this Chapter,a couple of issues stood out to me.First, the NYA and CCC.NYA, also known as the National Youth Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps.I feel NYA is very similar to TAP because students are given an monetary award to assist them with payments for school and personal necessities.It also resembles the Work Study award in higher education.Students are given the opportunity to demonstrate their intrapersonal/interpersonal skills in a business environment.

In the text, the Depression also affected the labor market for the youth population so many teens were forced to return to further schooling.If a Depression was to occur again, in most recent days, Do you feel many students would seek further education?Do you think schools, or higher education should make the admission process a bit more competitive during the time of a depression?why not seek education when it is available at all times, then wait for hard times to do so?

This chapter focused on the development of teacher unions. During this time in American history was the development of the first unions and teachers also decided to unite. Formation of groups like the American Federation of Teachers along with minor regional groups was very important in American history. There has always been great opposition towards unions and especially since the teacher unions were made up of mostly females there was even more ill will directed towards them. The formation of a teacher’s union came shortly after women were given the right to vote through the 19th amendment and there were people who feared that women were trying to seek too much power. The men felt that women should not have the right to join a union and try and seek better wages, hours  and working conditions.

Another part of this chapter discussed censorship in the textbooks and the American way which discussed the American dream. The American way is definitely not what was learned in the books as we get older we begin to see America in different light and many of the textbooks brainwashed the children to think a certain way. The idea of the happy white family of four was something that everybody wanted to achieve but how many people really get to see this dream become reality. I don’t think that this type of propaganda should be seen in the schools because the schools were not created as a way to sell things to the students.

The establishment of the teachers unions was definitely vital in ensuring teachers received better pay, benefits, and better working conditions. Teachers up until the late 19^th century were not given these necessities and were in constant conflict with the powerful school boards. I felt this chapter providing a great historical perspective of teachers unions and made me reflect on many of the current struggles between public unions and local governments and businesses. Unions are critical in protecting middle class workers against powerful businesses and in also ensuring that they have a strong representation in government. I think the teachers unions specifically, helps the teaching profession maintain some level of status. It seems as if one of the current goals of conservatives throughout the country is to deprive teachers of rights and benefits in order to take away that bit of status that they might possess. Teachers have become an easy target and a scapegoat for many of the different states financial troubles. Teachers unions have become very powerful however and we have seen some of the negative effects of this with abuses of tenure, rubber rooms and the last in first out policy.  

The whole notion of the “American way of life” was and still is comical to me. I understand why it originated as it was used mainly as a propaganda tool used to counter the threat of communism. However, the American way of life is clearly not the same. People, especially immigrants, have completely bought in to the whole idea of owning a nice home and a car in order to achieve the American dream. But for hardworking middle class families, owning these things often means living above your means and we all witnessed the devastating effects of this during the subprime mortgage meltdown a few years ago. America still remains the land of opportunity, but people should stop buying into the whole concept of the American dream or way of life and all the false promises and just make the most out of those opportunities they have. In my opinion, this will continue to be used a way to keep the poor and the middle class working towards an almost unachievable goal.

Do teachers unions play an important role in maintaining or improving the status of teachers as working professionals? Are notions and beliefs such as the “American way of life” used to motivate and encourage students?

During the early twentieth century there were many major participants in the politics of education, such as the American Legion, that tried to eliminate radical ideas from public schools who believed that  schools taught conservative economic doctrines. The “radical” teachers’ unions wanted to enforce a more liberal agenda for schools where these institutions were to serve as tools working towards social reconstruction  of society (pg 299). This soon became a strain for many teachers because while they were trying to preserve their employment conditions, those in the administrative positions labeled them as unprofessional. Although these teachers were being innovative for the betterment of the students, anyone who opposed the administrative control was seen as unethical.

Later, the chapter discussed how there was an increasing amount of federal government involvement in education due to the accumulative amount of students behaving immorally. Campaigns such as the American Way were designed to introduce particular economic ideas into school curricula. These propagandas were used to control public opinion by trying to stimulate innovation within the American economy to its students by suggesting that “there is no other way than the American way”. Advertising is the books we read and even the media we look at and hear involuntarily. How do propagandas such as the ones discussed in the chapter affect students and their education? Should textbook censorship be allowed? Why or why not? How does this affect a child’s education?

This chapter focuses on the emergence of teacher unions which was contributed primarily through the changes in the election of school boards. Teachers were fighting for better treatment and better pay. I find it interesting how the last chapter we talked about scientific management where in this chapter teachers were seen as objects of scientific management where they had no power or organizational means of influencing educational policy. I don’t see too much of a difference between the teachers of this time and our teachers today. Teachers are still looked down upon. This reminds me of the reading of different cultures with their PISA scores. I read about Brazil and the majority of the country did not view teaching as socially desirable. Today in American school systems, the job of a teacher is still not seen as socially desirable. I also like the topics of “Selling the american way” in schools and as well as the discrepancy with the Rugg Textbook.

I would like to know how can the U.S promote the quality of being a teacher. From the past teachers have been look down upon until today. One would think that this dilemma would get better.

We also see the idea of control again with the selling of the American Way in schools and the use of the Rugg’s textbook. Is there any instances today where we can see this idea of control in what textbooks are being used in American school systems ?

One of the first things I noticed in this chapter was that the National Association of Manufacturers played a role in purposefully creating a link between democracy and capitalism. I never realized that this was purposeful or planned in such a public manner. I always thought that America just made the two synonymous over time. This leads to the next thing that arose in the chapter. The idea that all things progressive, different, or geared toward an end goal, should be labeled as socialism or communism in schools is ridiculous. The period around 1920-30 involved a lot of turmoil between war and depression, but people held on to their mind state that schools could lead to change and economic stability over time. This however became a “socialist” ideology as soon as war broke loose. In hindsight, it is funny to see how our country response so quickly to crisis by blaming whatever is around them. The same could be said about the flapper or jazz age mentioned in the chapter. Many thought the automobile was the driving force behind this era’s behavior, but it was simply something that may have made it easier—imagine if youth those days were given cell phones, texting, or Facebook. A question I had regarding this is do you think that the period stemming from the war and depression led to a change in roles from teacher’s more toward morality then information based? Could any of the negative effects in youth behavior during the Jazz or flapper age be attributed to schools or teachers directly? Should they be held accountable for leading the way during this time?

Also, the teacher’s struggles from the time period were very similar to today. They discussed how they fought for higher wages, retirement funds/pensions, and an increased social status. I see it as interesting that the same struggles that have lasted so long began as a type of “feminist” movement because it originally was seen as solely a woman’s occupation. Would this have been handled differently if teaching as an occupation began solely with men?

The benefits of being a teacher in the nineteenth century is still very much the same as the twenty-first century, which is very low and unsatisfactory. In the nineteenth century, teachers were paid with low wages and lack of retirement funds. Teachers struggled back then to remain a prominent image for themselves because the occupation was seen as less than prestigious. Just like today’s society, teachers are often looked down upon because of their role in the work field. People have the notion that teachers have fairly easy jobs because all they have to do is teach a subject at a very elementary level compared to those who specialize in a subject and make a career out of it. For example, an elementary first-grade teacher would not get the same praise as a doctor or a lawyer. For this reason, teachers get lower salaries and are not appreciated as much. But teachers in modern society have to have a master’s degree and go through extensive training to get the position, where as a businessman, who would make more than a teacher, would only be required to have a bachelor’s degree. Also, in the nineteenth century, teachers’ social lives were put under constant scrutiny because teachers had to remain a certain way to be considered great educators. That leaves the teachers stressed because they cannot act or behave as their normally would. Even today, I feel teachers have that burden of concealing their real life so that they would seem like a great role model for children. I remember my teachers telling me not to smoke and that it was bad for you when I was in elementary school, but I saw a few of them smoking during their break. It definitely poses a dilemma if children are taught one way but the teachers are doing the opposite. Teachers are getting paid really little to do so much- from educating children to concealing their social lives. I feel that this job asks for a lot of responsibilities from the teachers but offer very little compensation.

Another thing I found interesting was the notion of the “American way of life.” The book describes a billboard ad that features a smiling family with the slogan: “‘There’s no way like the American way'” (317). I find that the value of the American Dream is still prevalent in today’s society. The notion that the American way is to have a family of four in a big house with a dog behind a white picket fence seems to be an ideal that Americans strive for. However, to get to the “dream,” a lot has to be done. By implementing this thought into children when they’re young and in school is to hopefully turn them into productive byproducts of the work force– to work towards this one unattainable goal seemed realistic at the time. So what the government does is feed false hope to children so that when they grow old enough to work, they believe they’re working towards the American Dream, when in reality, they are just working to boost the economy– it is merely a false incentive.

My two questions are: If teachers go through more schooling than most jobs and careers, why are they seen as less adequate in the work force? and what kind of incentives are effective to promote learning to increase a higher level of academic excellence?

Although from the last chapter we see a strong push for education to remain out of politics and business, the national and international climates created organizations that not only fought to maintain a standard of education but also to set up external structures; such as teacher unions. Low wages, few benefits, lack of retirement funds and the struggle to reduce centralized power paved the way for teachers to come together and form their own representative organizations. Teacher unions struggled with the elitist nature of school boards and the rigid functioning imposed by scientific management. Clearly the conflict between teachers and administrators was fueled by their contrasting definitions of proper educational policy and teaching methods. Early critics denounced that teacher unions were militant forces and “radical alternatives”, however, teacher unions were successful by taking away some power from those who craved it most.
Although teacher unions efficiently function to mediate and stabilize any unjust authority within higher administrations, has their influences in educational policy grown too much? In NYC, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has often been criticized for its strong use of political tactics when protecting and demanding certain rights for its teachers. Until recently, “rubber rooms” were supported by the UFT because it limited the city’s power to dispose of teachers. However, the UFT still opposes any negotiations to ease the process for firing ineffectual pedagogues. Defining tenure has also been a tug of war between teacher unions and departments of education; especially in NYC. Any reform to redefine tenure is considered an “attack” by the UFT, which often results in small teacher protests. Although I think teacher unions, such as the UFT, greatly support its members, there is clearly an underlying power and political struggle. Ideally, unions should only step in to protect the rights its teachers but not continually support those teachers with low performances.