An interesting, if condescending, suggestion

I got this from mizheekay, whose response is a well-written version of, "How dare you condescend to criticize the education of some of the best-educated professionals in the country!" I'm still thinking about my own letter of response. If you want to see hers, it's posted in ontario_teacher.

Dear Friends and Family,

In The End of Education, Neil Postman, a respected American educator and
cultural philosopher, writes that one goal of education should be
"deepening a love of one's country" (130). Postman argues that in
order to instill such national pride in their students, American
teachers would benefit from having read:
a.. Thomas Paine's The Rights of Man
b.. The Declaration of Independence
c.. The Constitution
d.. Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America
e.. The Gettysburgh Address
f.. The Emancipation Proclamation
g.. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
h.. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter
i.. John Dewey's Democracy and Education
j.. John F. Kennedy's inaugural address
k.. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech
Actually Postman goes farther than merely suggesting what American
teachers should have read. He writes, "If a teacher has not read this
material, I would be reluctant to have him or her in close contact with
American children."

It got me thinking. What about Canadian teachers? What should they
have read before they begin to teach Canadian children? Would the texts
necessarily be political? Would they all be authored by Canadians?
Would they trace our history somehow as Postman's list does? Or would
they include poetry, literature, magazines?

What do you think? What book / document should Canadian teachers have
to read as part of their pedagogical formation? Why?

Send us your opinion.

1. Tell us your name and the name of the province in which you reside.
2. Identify your interest in education: Are you a parent? A teacher?
A student? A principal?
3. Name the book or document you want to top list of Required Reading
for Canadian Teachers.
4. Then write a brief explanation of why this book should be on top of
a required reading list for Canadian teachers.
5. E-mail your submission to us at
required_reading_for_canadian_teachers@educationservices.ca

Then what?

-- We'll post your selection (with your name, province of residence,
and comments) on this website.

-- Before the end of the school year, we'll hold a run-off vote for the
top 25 books.

-- Once the list is compiled, we'll send it to the faculties of
education of Canadian universities.

-- Over the summer, we'll begin reading the books you select, and post
one review each month beginning the September 2007.

-- If we get enough entries, we'll publish your recommendations and our
reviews in hard copy.

Get involved in the education of Canada's children! Send us your pick
of the book Canadian teachers must read.


We can't wait to hear from you and to start reading!

Diane

Diane L. Duff, B. Ed., Director
Aldridge-Duff & Associates
www.educationservices.ca 613-730-7096

Punctuality

from kibbles:

A priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the Parish. A leading Senator and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and give a little speech at the dinner. He was delayed, so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited.

"I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had and affair with his boss's wife; taken illegal drugs, and gave VD to his sister.

I was appalled. But as the days went on I knew that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people.".....

Just as the priest finished his talk, the republican senator arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and gave his talk. "I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived," said the politician. "In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession."

Moral: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER BE LATE!

I'm starting to understand.

I'm starting to understand why so many people in Booju do not expect me to know my stuff when it comes to my profession, and why teachers get so little respect in much of the States. There's a thread in the current debate about the stupidity of education majors at U.S. universities, and it's absolutely appalling. First, education seems to be a first degree there, which it isn't here; that is, in the States people study education right out of high school concurrent with a teachable subject, whereas in Ontario, most education majors already have a four-year B.A. before they get into the faculty of education. The grade requirements for education majors are also extremely low. One person posted a link to the verbal scores of college students averaged by major; the education students were second from the bottom.

Around here, you pretty much need an A- average just to get into Teachers' College. My sister had a B+ and they wouldn't look at her. You also need extensive teaching experience, both volunteer and paid. The type of experience varies by faculty, but for Brock, it's three teaching experiences with letters of recommendation from two of them.

So Canada takes only the very successful, while the States scrapes the bottom of the barrel. It explains a lot.