The Paideia Proposal - Chapters 8 & 9

In Chapter 8, "The Preparation of Teachers," Dr. Adler writes about the bad rates of pay, bad working conditions, the fact that teachers do not receive respect for what they do, administrative, public relations, and quasi-menial duties are all reasons that turn people away from wanting to become teachers today. I believe that he does a very good job in describing each and every one of these reasons that he lists. And, every one of these reasons are logical reasons to not to want to become a teacher today. Along with a "laundry-list" of other reasons to not to want to become a teacher. The "shortage" of teachers that we have seen arise is no ones fault but our own. We have scared people away from wanting to become teachers at the early years of education. Turn on the television at nighttime, listen to the radio; better yet, look on the Internet. The news is abundant about kids shooting one another, kids shooting teachers, teachers being raped, and I could go on. Where does this fault lay? The answer to this question is a tricky one, to which no one is willing to answer.

My answer to it is this: the primary responsibility is at the home. However, I do realize that there are many children who do not have / do not come from the "Cleaver and Cosby" families that my generation grew up with. So, the next person in line for responsibility is the teacher. This is because, next to the parent, the teacher spends the largest amount of time with the student during the day. Dr. Adler answers a very difficult, yet appropriate question that did not have to be asked when my generation was in the early education stages: "Do those who plan to teach in the twelve years of basic schooling need any specialized training? Yes, but it should come after they have completed a general college education, either in graduate courses in a university department or school of education or in what is comparable to internship in medicine - practice teaching under supervision" (Adler, 1982)(p.60). He goes further to state that, "All the skills of teaching are intellectual skills that can be developed by coaching, not by lecture courses in pedagogy and teaching methods such as are now taught in most schools or departments of education and are now required for education" (Adler, 1982)(p.61).

In order to perform / function well in day-to-day operations of early education years of schools, teachers need someone who is going to direct them well, someone who is going to lead them. This person is entitled the principle. In chapter nine, Dr. Adler discusses the principle and what needs to be done, in order to be an effective principle.

One of the first points that Dr. Adler makes is that, "The principal must be first and foremost what the title implies - the head teacher, or what in private schools is called the headmaster, leader of the other teachers who are also called masters. They are so called because they once were masters of the liberal arts..." (Adler, 1982)(p.64). However the school is ran by the principal will often be shown in how teachers run their classrooms. This is called a "top-down" approach to leading. Both the educational success and the conduct of the children will reflect in both of these duties performed, both the principal's and the teacher's.