Those Who Can't Teach

Posted by Lisa Greenwood April 23, 2011 at 11:17 a.m.

“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” This flawed adage has suddenly found new life among those in the private sector who have discovered the “enemy” among public workers, especially teachers. The idea that the country’s pool of teachers comes primarily from a slew of failed private-sector workers is baffling. I recall a strong majority of my college cohorts in the school of education being like me – fresh out of high school and full of enthusiasm at the prospect of one day being just like the teachers who inspired us. At the tender age of 18 or 19, none of us had any ‘real world’ experience from which to fail that made us ‘fall back’ on teaching as a second-choice profession. Sure, there were non-traditional students among us who had decided to become teachers after leaving a first career. That choice was not made because they ‘failed’ in the private sector, but was made because they saw a better use of their skills: teaching students to become passionate about the same interests that drew them into the private sector in the first place.

I once overheard a fellow actor say “all high school theatre teachers are just failed actors.” After I sputtered a moment with indignation at walking in on such a loaded statement, I replied that “Some of us become theatre teachers because we want to inspire others to love the performing arts as much as we do,” and then promptly left the room before I said something I would regret. I never tried to ‘make it’ as an actor, as much as I love performing. My high school theater teacher was less than inspirational. I decided that if I wanted to inspire people to love the arts, being an actor would be less effective than being a well-trained theatre teacher.

As for the idea that teachers are people who cannot make it in the ‘real world’ – our classrooms bring us face to face with the realities of our society every day. Teachers deal with the real world effects of poverty, hunger, medical attention (or lack thereof), social legislation, cultural trends, influence of families, and economic policies in a way that very few private sector jobs would. Especially at the middle school, we see students beginning to define themselves and develop ideas of who they will become and what kind of citizens they will be – we see the future of our nation taking shape. Unlike many private sector jobs, our job in the classroom affects the future of all aspects of our society and economy.

Teachers are very much in the ‘real world,’ and some of us do find out sooner or later that teaching is not our true calling. Let’s revise the adage: “Those who can…teach. Those who can’t…have to settle for trying to make it in the private sector.”

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KSManimal (anonymous) says…

Bravo!
April 23, 2011 at 12:12 p.m.
weeslicket (anonymous) says…

floored.
i am simply floored.
i don't know whether your talents lie within theater, or within composition, or perhaps within both.
this is exactly what the public does not KNOW about teaching.

well done, you.

:: please have this letter posted in the ljworld
:: as
:: a letter to the editor.
April 23, 2011 at 8:56 p.m.