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Is Teaching the New Social Work?
What teachers are being asked to do has changed
The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in America’s history, where societal problems were festering like untended wounds and rather than working to heal society, the finger-pointing and accusations caught fire and raced through towns in Massachusetts. It’s no wonder their society descended into mayhem: the work was nearly impossible, morale was at rock-bottom, and the winters were long and dark. The current state of education feels much like Salem in the late 1600s — societal problems are at an all-time high, and much like Salem’s hard-working women, teachers are bearing the brunt of it.
When I was in college, all it took to qualify for a high school teaching job was a major in a core subject: English, Math, Science, or History, plus a small handful of courses for a Minor in Secondary Education. For the minor, the classes were sedate topics, such as: Assessment, History of Education, and a couple of other unmemorable ones.
The only one that even came close to what teachers are being asked to do today in classrooms across America was Educational Psychology. The class was incredibly engaging and delved into the science of learning and the brain. There was also some information about affective needs, which piqued my interest. I still remember having a discussion with my professor, Dr…