Reply #79: You're mistaking "anecdote" for "reality."

[GaYellowDawg]

So, basically, your take comes from dating one rotten teacher and a few of the colleagues who could bear to be around her. Nice sample size, there.

As an education PhD student, I've worked with a lot of science teachers from a lot of different schools, and haven't seen a single one who matched your description of teachers. I have encountered too many teachers to count at conferences like NSTA (National Science Teachers Association), NABT (National Association of Biology Teachers), state conferences, and so forth, who can't wait to learn new approaches, new resources, and share those experiences/approaches/resources with other teachers. In working with the regional Science Bowl, I've seen teachers who find and celebrate the students who share their love for new knowledge. I can guarantee you that I have a much larger sample size to work with than you do. And they UNIVERSALLY despise NCLB.

What you claim as "reality" is an erroneous generalization based on anecdotal evidence of a biased sample. For my part, sure, I'll admit that there are teachers who do nothing more than mark time - they're the same type as office workers who don't do anything but play Solitaire all day. I know I've seen a lot of the more motivated teachers, but I'm not naive enough to assume that they're all like the ones I've met. I can also tell you, though, that I have seen science departments in somewhere around 40 schools. They've been rural, suburban, and inner-city schools. I've seen honors classes. I've seen classes where literally half the students in the class had a probation officer. I haven't seen a single teacher like the ones you've described, and I haven't met a single department head who would tolerate a teacher like the ones you've described. It sounds to me like you dated a crappy teacher who was in a very poorly-run school. Unfortunately, that happens - but it's not the norm, and it doesn't represent "reality." Reality is far more than the sum of your experiences.