"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Monday, September 12, 2011

Teacher as Stranger; Teacher as Janitor

Education philosopher Maxine Greene in her book titled, Teacher as Stranger, published in 1973, speaks about the teacher's role in "arousing individuals to wide-awakeness, to 'thinking' about their own commitments and actions wherever they work."

So, what are teachers in Texas thinking when they are sweeping the floors and taking out the trash after a long hard day in the classroom? They are thinking about how happy they are to have a job.

From the Texas Tribune:

DRIPPING SPRINGS - Just as Judy Gardner answered the phone last Wednesday afternoon, a coach stuck his head into her empty classroom. He wanted to know if she had swept her floor yet, because he had students offering to do it as community service. Entering the new year, Gardner's district can say something that fewer and fewer schools in Texas can - that no teachers have been laid off as a result of state budget cuts. But the Drippings Springs Independent School District has eliminated custodial positions, and that has left teachers there with new tasks once the school bell rings: sweeping classrooms and taking out the trash.

High school and middle school classrooms must be cleaned within 15 minutes of dismissal. That can cut into time teachers set aside to meet with students. According to a cleaning manual the district distributed to teachers, if the rooms are not swept "room numbers will be logged and reported to respective principals. "If a student comes in the middle of your sweeping, you either have to say. 'No, I can't help you,"' she said , or stop and risk that it will not get done in time.

Read the entire story here.




1 comment:

  1. Caspian Serase9:33 PM

    I have the utmost respect for out school's janitors. They work long hours and often they are disrespected by students. The shortage on janitorial supplies was also showing on how tidy the facilities are and it was not about the effort of the sanitary officials.

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