by Nadine Drayton-Keen

Created on: June 22, 2008

Does America Have Just A Few Good Teachers?

James, Jesus' brother, makes the following statement about teachers: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1, NIV). Of course James is speaking about people who choose to become teachers of God's Divine Truth, even though they have not been appointed by God to follow that calling; nevertheless, the message still is applicable. That message is that teachers should be held accountable for the good or bad influences they have had on their students. Therefore, if the United States of America ever hopes to improve her educational systems throughout this nation, in addition to expecting her teachers to multitask as mentors, counselors, nurses, substitute parents, and so forth, today's American public and private school teachers should be expected to know their disciplines, to be passionately committed to their teaching profession, to know how to teach their disciplines to every kind of learner, to promote the idea of students learning multiple languages, and to be committed to teaching pluralism.

As a former teacher of American secondary and post-secondary students, I do know how important multitasking is for today's American educators; however, I also have worked in Asia and witnessed how Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean educators also are expected to be teachers, classroom managers, counselors, nurses, mentors, and so forth. Yet, for the most part, Asian teachers still succeed in motivating and educating their students without complaining about being overworked, underpaid or unappreciated. Moreover, in most situations, these Asian teachers succeed in motivating and educating their students without relying on teaching assistants, without having any "prep" periods, and without using modern-day conveniences like a personal computer and a color printer.

Two of the biggest differences in Asian and American teachers that I have witnessed are that: (1) Asian teachers tend to be the best and the brightest in their fields; and (2) Asian teachers tend to be in education because teaching is their passion. Personally, I did not find the cream of the crop hiring criterion or the teaching-passion allure to be primary considerations of most American school districts or collegiate communities. Therefore, two of my reasons why America just has a few good teachers teaching in today's public and private elementary and secondary schools, or colleges

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>