Teaching, the Underestimated Profession

What careers will today's bright minds seek out, an essay in the New York Times' Week in Review section asked on Sunday:

It’s early, but based on graduate school applications this spring, enrollment in undergraduate courses, preliminary job-placement results at schools, and the anecdotal accounts of students and professors, a new pattern of occupational choice seems to be emerging. Public service, government, the sciences and even teaching look to be winners, while fewer shiny, young minds are embarking on careers in finance and business consulting.

"Even teaching"?

That kind of sums up what I'm afraid is the general consensus about a profession that couldn't be more important and not only for the future of our children, but of all of us. Yes, it's fabulous that more "shiny, young minds" are thinking of teaching and yes, it's regrettable that teaching is thought of something that is a surprise "winner" now that finance has been "disgraced."

Teaching is the heart of what I do at my job as a professor at a small college in Jersey City, New Jersey. It's one thing to tell students about a subject and another thing to teach it so that they learnand, even more, so that they get interested and excited in the subject and in learning itself. I hope I can do this for my own students in my Latin, ancient Greek, and classical civilization classes. I certainly hope that Charlie's teachers can do this for him.

Charlie's been a student for a long long time. He was in a special education classroom for early intervention when he was two years old in St. Paul, Minnesota and, from that time on, he's always had some sort of teaching or educational therapy going on. He had a home program (intensive ABA) for two years and also attended a special ed preschool. From the time he was 4 1/2, he's been in school for most of the day and throughout the year (half-days in the summer). I've lost count of how many teachers, therapists, and aides/paraprofessionals/instructors he's had though (if you give me a moment or two) I can still recall most (even all.....) of their names.

Not just anyone can teach Charlie. You need more than just patience; you don't (necessarily) need specialized knowledge in any of the usual subjects (language arts, social studies, math). You do need to be a good observer and you need to be attuned to his ways of communicating and expressing himself non-verbally and differently. While energetic, enthusiastic, creatively-minded college age young women were among Charlie's best teachers when he was younger, two of the teachers who've stood out in recent years have both been guys. In particular, they've been guys who (from what I've gathered) struggled to find direction in their own education and were mostly drawn to other pursuits, sports (lacrosse) and music (DJ-ing). In talking to them, I've sensed a kind of sympathy, and empathy, for Charlie with his constant struggles in the classroom; when I've noted that Charlie would rather just be outside running in a field or diving under the waves, the response has been not "well, who wouldn't," but a wistfully half-expressed "me too."

Charlie's been taught with a 1:1 teacher:student ratio for all of his life and I think he's going to need that individualized instruction for a long time. I can't remember a time when families weren't bewailing the lack of teachers, aides, therapists---there's a need for all of these now for children with disabilities, and also for individuals of all ages with disabilities. Not everyone will need the same level of support that my son does, but everyone would benefit from a well-educated, thoroughly trained, and well-supervised staff (who in turn need to be supported).

Here's a call for more people---with "shiny young minds" and with those that are a bit older and weather-worn---to consider careers teaching children (and, in particular, older children) with disabilities and to be job coaches and support staff for adults with disabilities. You' are needed.