Category Archives: Role and Perception of Teachers, Teacher-student relationship, Teachers and Pedagogy

This chapter talked about the growing patterns of development in the educational system two hundred to three hundred years ago.  Women were able to rebel their social standings as schools began to develop in a legal and authoritative manner. They began to be the common figure in education.  The chapter mentions this, and how women are essentially better teachers than men.  My question is: Does biology show that women are essentially better educators? Or is that just the perception because of women’s social standings throughout history?

Pestalozzi’s teaching methods were very interesting.  In the chapter, it meantions that he was trying to psychologize the education of humanity, through “adapting methods of instruction to human development and the laws of the mind”.  Now if this is the case, does this not mean that these perceptions of teachers hundreds of years ago is somewhat irrelevant to today’s teachers?  We think, act, talk, socialize, etc. differently in today’s time so must we be educated differently?

The development of professional teaching and the role of women in the workforce as educators were two significant topics in Chapter 6. During the early 1800’s the ideal responsibilities of women were simply domestic roles where they tended the children and maintained a clean household. Shortly after the American Revolution, the domestic roles of women were linked with their responsibilities for shaping the characters of their children as future republicans. This ideology opened doors for them as educational instructors teaching in areas beyond the basic reading and writing subjects. Although women got paid less than men they looked at this position as a stepping stone that would hopefully allow them to fulfill other roles in the workforce.

Teaching methods were also an important factor that was discussed. During the nineteenth century, there were elementary schools where the majority of teachers had students recite information, stressing memorization, which has been proven to be an ineffective method of learning (pg 147). Since then, although many schools have tried to instill different classroom practices that apply a “learning by doing” method, can we say that major differences have arisen? What are some of the methods that were used in the schools we attended and how do they differ from those of the nineteenth century?

The whole history of women entering the profession of teaching is very interesting. What I found particularly interesting were the reasons women were allowed to become teachers. The first reason, “Women are better teachers of young children because of their natural child rearing talents”, I wouldn’t argue too much against. While a women’s natural maternal instinct does not translate to her being a good teacher, I think it does help them in terms of handling and connecting with young children. The second reason, “Women minds are less distracted by worldly forces……..they can more easily concentrate on teaching”, reflected the inequalities and lack of opportunities women faced at the time. Women in those times were not all fully educated, and those that were did not have many opportunities outside of teaching. The perception that women were only suited to be teachers was very prevalent. Of course much of the acceptance of female teachers was the fact that women were paid much less and were very inexpensive to hire. The third reason, “They are also of purer morals”, is completely bogus. There is no empirical evidence or any logic behind this claim. Do any of these reasons help explain any disparity (if there are any at all) among male and female school teachers today (especially at the elementary levels)?

The evolution of bureaucracy in schools began the process of preparing students to enter the workforce. As schools became more bureaucratic, there was more emphasis placed on disciplining students and getting them accustomed to taking and following orders and a strict schedule and set of rules. The rationale behind this was that these were important “values to be taught to schoolchildren in preparing them to function in society” (p.152). I’m sure we all have experienced how this still occurs in all schools today, public and private. This idea that we all must follow a strict set of rules and give in to authority figures is prevalent in modern schools and education systems. In my opinion, this will always be a part of our school system given the fact that so much emphasis on education today revolves around preparing students to enter the workforce and helping the United States compete in the global market. Such Bureaucracy will unfortunately continue to be a major aspect of our schools. Are there any trends or signs of change that proves otherwise?

Chapter 6 focuses on the role of teachers and the emergence of females in the teaching system.  After the American Revolution, many doors opened up for women as the role of women were linked with the development of republican citizens. This was a time where many young girls were given a chance to learn the same material that was only taught to boys. There was a major increase in female teachers and a decrease in males. Some reasons included that females  are better teachers for young children because of there child rearing talents. Another reason was that this was a major opportunity for females because there were no other possibilities of employment and they were also seen as having “purer morals”. These reasons were interesting to think about now as i look back at my past teachers as a child were all females.

Another area i found interesting in the chapter was what made a qualified teacher. Mann said a qualification for teaching was perfect knowledge of the subject. Another qualification was an aptitude for teaching and an ability to manage and govern a school room and to mold moral character. I found this interesting because im curious to know are the teachers today really passionate for teaching the subject matter. I believe to be a good teacher you must be passionate about teaching and helping others. That is one reason I would like to enter this field. In the past time teaching was not seen as socially desirable. I would like to know the statistics on teaching seen as being socially desirable. Are teachers really teaching for there passion of the subject matter ?

I would also like to know are females still representative in the teaching system today if so what levels ?

Chapter 6 focused on a few main issues in education. The main ideas involved the role of men and women as both teachers and students, the division of students in to grades, and the type of education that should be administered to children. The chapter goes as far back as 1821 when Emma Willard opened up what can be considered the first teacher training program. (141) The focus at the time was to provide the tools women needed to be mothers in society. This was largely the role of women in education for sometime after this as well. One of the things I found most interesting in this chapter was that People who advanced woman’s position in society in the long run such as Emma Willard held a patriarchal view in the beginning. Also, the job offered to women (teacher) was not desirable at the time, and in many instances could only be obtained through receiving ones own education on credit and teaching to work it off. This is something I did not expect of the time.

Another thing that grabbed my attention in the chapter was that I had never heard of Pestalozzi’s methods of teaching. Given what Finkelstein said on page 147: “teachers during this period were of two major types: “the ‘intellectual overseer,’ who stressed memorization and punished failures in assignments, and the ‘drillmaster,’ who had the students repeat material in unison.” I thought with divisions like this teachers would take logical approaches to balancing the two duties, like many do today, and not go so far as to have youth grades learn one way (Pestalozzi’s way) and then introduce the idea of books and learning. But, given Pestalozzi’s method raised a question to me, do you think that “‘maternal love'” is the first agent in education,” (148) or that it is religion or some other agent that we have not discussed yet?

Another question I had was regarding the last line of the conclusion of the chapter. “Women continued to toil in the factories of education.” I was wondering, given all the bureaucracy involved in the new standardized schooling system, is that what education became, an “education factory.” Do the ideals and morals shared by a female’s motherly teachings help to make this system more friendly and effective at all, or does sex no longer play a role in today’s society when it comes to teaching?

Chapter 6 discusses the perception of teachers in american society.  Women were predominantly the teachers from the beginning.  The teaching profession was seen as their predisposed role.  Over time as women began to assume more and more responsibilities, they become more well educated and this led to the rise of the teaching profession.  women in the classroom were supposed to promote moral values and become role models for their students.  The Pestalozzi method explained why women were effevtive teachers.  it says that women offered their students a certain motherly affection that made the classroom a more enjoyable place and encouraged learning.  But this view of teachers changed as time went on.  Teachers were then given a more strict curriculum to follow and were limited to what they were able to teach their students.

Over time al well, teachers began to lose their connection with their students, and their parents as well.  This led to a commonizing of the teaching profession.  Teachers were no longer looked upon as role models but were just seen as a means of an everyday process.  Teachers then began to care less about teaching the students and started to just stick to what was given to them.  The personal and home feel of school was lost between the teachers and the students.  Can this home comfortable feeling be reestablished in the classroom, and if so what actions will have to be taken and will it be effective?

Because teachers were greatly respected in the community,  men started to become teachers.  With this sudden increase in male teachers, there were also more male principles.  Also women were left mainly to teach the younger grades and children and the men were given the older more mature students.  Men were viewed as better business men and could run any system better then a women which led to this issue.  This pedogogical harem was becoming more and more upsetting to women.  But why is it that even a profession that was predisposed for women, was taken over by men?

In Chapter 6, Spring drifts away focus from the core structure of school and its purpose to a more individualized emphasis, especially on the role of teachers. As women began to take on important roles within the developing nation, it was believed that women needed to assume the role of “republican mothers”. This eventually led to increased educational prospects for women. As more and more women were educated there was increased interest and demand for them to become teachers. Although a woman’s education was an important factor in her hiring, many believed that women were innately predisposed to be apt educators. This mindset greatly influenced what should be their main role within the classroom. Female teachers primarily had the responsibility to uphold moral values and were considered important role models for proper behavior. Although debate surged over the proper teaching technique, teachers were mainly “drillmasters” and “intellectual overseers” (p 147). More creative approaches emphasized learning through exploration for younger children instead of simple memorization; much like Jean Piaget’s constructivist approach of discovery learning.

Unfortunately, in our modern society, the thought that teachers are “paragon[s] of moral virtue” appears to be a far fetched assumption. Today, educators are often limited to teaching their students necessary information. Though there may be pros and cons in teachers having the power or liberty to inculcate moral or values, teachers aren’t held up to a high standard of conduct and morality. Horace Mann argued that “one could accept eccentricities in a friend but it becomes quite different, when the oddity or eccentricity, is a pattern or model, from which fifty or a hundred children are to form their manners” ( p 144). Our current view of teachers may have impacted and possibly caused the main problems teachers face today in the classroom. Students and parents no longer view teachers as an important influence in a child’s development, which causes lack of communication and , unfortunately, lack of respect.

Personally, I think there needs to be a renewed sense of what a teacher is and their importance. However, has our society evolved to the point where being teacher is just like any other profession? Are there tangible factors (e.g. salary) that has influenced this attitude?

This chapter was a very interesting one talking about the inequalities between male teachers and female teachers in the common school system. It really shows how long ago the inequality began and when the field became a female dominated one.  I found it really interesting that one of the reasons there was such a want for female teachers was because they were seen as being more moral and motherly.

I wonder if that is why you see more female teachers in younger grades and more male teachers in high school.

The Pestalozzi method was very interesting, and from remembering back about my education I do remember seeing some parts of the method used by some teachers. I wonder if some parts of the method have been adopted and kept up by teachers now days.

I am curious if the idea of “pedagogical harem” still holds true in the majority of schools meaning statistically are there still more female teachers being lead by a male principle or have the times really changed?

http://www.rae.org/women.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179408/education/47596/Western-education-in-the-19th-century

http://www.teachushistory.org/detocqueville-visit-united-states/articles/early-19th-century-attitudes-toward-women-their-roles

http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/timeline.html

http://faculty.knox.edu/jvanderg/202_K/Pestalozzi.htm

http://www.localhistories.org/education.html

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP9By3l7rlo

group members: Fanny Choo, Florence Leung, and Jenny Huang