Why a teacher is a legitimate authority
Teachers are the legitimate authority because they are a fundamental part of our society. Teachers provide education and install responsibility and moral principles in students. Moreover, they ensure student success by mentoring and motivating them. Therefore, a person possesses a significant amount of authority over their students by being a teacher.
Students must demonstrate solid acceptance and respect for teachers’ authority. In addition, through education and guidance, teachers help solve various problems, such as poverty, unemployment, and family issues. Unfortunately, not all members of society understand the importance of the teacher in the development of society. Many members of this profession face disrespect and criticism.
Evidence of respect to a teacher
Based on the Harvard Business Review, there are many examples of teachers’ strikes that have happened in West Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina, among other states, because of the disrespect towards teachers. The fundamental reasons are poor pay, increased health care costs, and low school funding. Teachers argued that the government sees them as fungible costs of production. Education is vital to provide a better living for every citizen; therefore, teachers should be respected.
The article by Robert Bruno demonstrates a problem of disrespect and abuse that teachers face daily from their students. Moreover, there is plenty of disregard, insults, and threats that teachers report in order to fight injustice. According to the article, the Google survey was shared via email with teachers. The results show that more than sixty percent of teachers faced verbal abuse in the classroom and approximately fifty-eight stated that students abused them verbally in the hallway.
Notably, many teachers are outraged that their students or even government treat them like service personnel. Teachers are shown disrespect because of misunderstanding of the profession’s importance, student resentment, and inability to accept the teachers’ authority.
An appropriate way to voice concerns with a teacher would be a polite conversation or a meeting where students can express their suggestions for improvement. Disrespectful behaviors, threats, violence, and verbal abuse should not be accepted. Furthermore, if students cannot voice their concerns, their parents could outreach to teachers in order to understand the situation better, engage in school events, and create a strong connection.
Positive sources about a teacher
The article “Science Teacher Transforms His Kitchen into a Chemistry Lab Making Online Lessons Fun, Zoom-Bombed by Kevin Hart,” tells the story of Jonte Lee, a science teacher at a Washington, D.C. high school who transformed his kitchen into a chemistry laboratory. His main idea was to facilitate the learning process and make it fun for students during the pandemic. Moreover, his videos were so engaging that they became popular among school children across the USA. Jonte Lee is a brilliant example of a teacher who cares about his students during pandemics and provides them with easy-to-learn materials.
The article “Teacher Shares Brilliant Band-Aid Lesson to Teach Kids About Fairness – And it Goes Viral,” presents Aimee Scott, a third-grade teacher, who made a video for her students to explain what fairness means. She became famous after posting it because of her creativity and a simple lesson that she showed by using band-aids as a prop.
In an accessible way to both children and adults, the teacher stated that fairness does not mean that everyone receives the same. Nevertheless, it means that everyone will receive what they need to be successful. To conclude, such initiatives enhance the education process and motivate students to achieve more by being fair.
References
Bruno, Robert. “When Did the U.S. Stop Seeing Teachers as Professionals?” Harvard Business Review. 2018. Web.
“Science Teacher Transforms His Kitchen into a Chemistry Lab Making Online Lessons Fun, Zoom-Bombed by Kevin Hart.” Good News Network. 2021. Web.
“Teacher Shares Brilliant Band-Aid Lesson to Teach Kids About Fairness – And it Goes Viral (WATCH).” Good News Network. 2021. Web.