>21st Century Teacher

> >Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with >all those kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for >learning. Not only that, I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in >their ethnicity, behaviorally modify disruptive behavior, observe them >for signs of abuse and T-shirt messages. > >I am to fight the war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check >their backpacks for guns and raise their self-esteem. I'm to teach them >patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, how and where >to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook and how to apply for a >job. > >I am to check their heads occasionally for lice, maintain a safe >environment, recognize signs of potential antisocial behavior, offer >advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and >scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others, >and, oh yeah, always make sure that I give the girls in my class 50 >percent of my attention. > >I'm required by my contract to be working on my own time summer and >evenings at my own expense toward advance certification and a master's >degree; and after school, I am to attend committee and faculty meetings >and participate in staff development training to maintain my employment >status. > >I am to be a paragon of virtue larger than life, such that my very >presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of >authority. I am to pledge allegiance to supporting family values, a >return to the basics, and to my current administration. I am to >incorporate technology into the learning, and monitor all Web sites while >providing a personal relationship with each student. I am to decide who >might be potentially dangerous and/or liable to commit crimes in school >or who is possibly being abused, and I can be sent to jail for not >mentioning these suspicions. > >I am to make sure all students pass the state and federally mandated >testing and all classes, whether or not they attend school on a regular >basis or complete any of the work assigned. Plus, I am expected to make >sure that all of the students with handicaps are guaranteed a free and >equal education, regardless of their mental or physical handicap. > >I am to communicate frequently with each student's parent by letter, >phone, newsletter and grade card. I'm to do all of this with just a piece >of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a 45 minute >more-or-less plan time and a big smile, all on a starting salary that >qualifies my family for food stamps in many states. > >Is that all? > >And you want me to do all of this and expect me NOT TO PRAY?