After reading this short reading I've come to notice that teachers assert their dominance over their students more frequently than they should and it is an issue in classrooms that may go unnoticed. Yes, teachers are supposed to have control of their room, but their "power" should not be abused like it was in the examples given in chapter 2. When a teacher uses their power in a bad way or uses it which results in their students getting down on themselves or not wanting to be in that environment anymore, they have failed and should not do that again. Their job isn't to put students down, but rather to bring them up and encourage them to learn to the best of their ability.
In high school I saw this a lot. The teachers had all the power on every decision, and everything had to be a certain way, or it was not acceptable to them. And when this happened in most cases, the students did not enjoy the class and did not care about what was going on. All they cared about was how much longer they had in class and when they could leave. They got nothing out of it and their time was wasted. This also goes unnoticed and isn't talked about enough. Everyone usually looks over it and says that it's normal. This is the norm that needs to be broken especially if we want students of all ages to reach their full potential in the classroom.
I agree that this issue of teachers asserting dominance goes unnoticed and should be addressed
ReplyDeleteI agree how teachers use their power over their students.
ReplyDeleteI think what often happens here is that teachers (especially those who find themselves unhappy with their careers) feel the need to validate the years spent learning their skills. It can be frustrating to spend so many years and so much money on a degree for a career path you end up resenting, and I think this is a leading factor in teachers overexerting their authority becoming angry when students propose alternative (and sometimes straight up better ideas). This isn't to justify that at all, but having dealt with teachers exactly like this in high school, I think it's a pretty likely theory
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected personal experience to the article
ReplyDeleteReally good start here -- so how does this power issue relate to social class of the kids? That is one of Finn's main points.
ReplyDeleteI agree so much with the idea that teachers find the power normal I think this needs a tap on the glass.
ReplyDelete