Maestra, maestra

I forget what movie I heard this in, or more importantly, what famous person said this, but I could not at times agree more.

"Those you can - do.
Those who can't - teach."

Now please allow me to disclaim this statement before we go into any further discussion.
I have all the compassion and respect for teachers that one could possibly have. I admire those who throw themselves into classrooms -of children and young adults of all ages- to inspire them to learn. This truly is a commendable act, and one that should not go unnoticed. Especially considered they are always facing cuts, lay offs, criticism and, not the mention, the hyper active/I want it now/ADHD/ selfish brats that comprise at least 20% of their classroom.

I for one could never (even if I started college with the mind-set I would be a K-12 teacher) ever teach. I have my swing at the most bratty, spoiled, self-centered (and might I add STUPID) young whippersnappers when I was in Spain. It was obvious these children did not want to learn English. It was also obvious that their parents didn't want them around - shopping, eating and socializing was much more important than *gasp* parenting. To make a long story short - I hated it.

Although -- I have always thought about teaching in a college setting. Something about having students in your class that actually want to be there has some real sex appeal. It also seems like it would much more rewarding, and that you could build a much stronger bond. Hell, maybe even make a difference in one of their lives. Oh my!

So here's where the going gets rough.

In order to teach at an university level should you first be a professional. Can a law professor teach law students without ever having worked? Should a med student be taught by someone who was only ever a student? Should an English professor teach without ever having had been published?

At first my inclination would be to say - why yes! By golly, if they are trained and skilled (and take continuing ed courses) then yes, yes they should. Well --- turns out I don't feel that way anymore.

Bless the hearts of my teachers in college for all they did. Truly, I mean that. But, there may have been some instances that what I am doing now in my career have absolutely nothing to do with my college education. In fact, some skills I learned in college weren't taught to me how it would be effective in the real world. Let's take PR for example. How to Write a Press Release 101. If the teacher has never actually done this in the real-world, pitched it in the real-world and done the nasty job of making the damn clip book in the real-world then I don't think they should be accessing a student's work. (*Please note this is only an example*)

You don't know how green the grass is on the other side until you get there. So friggin' get there! For the benefit of the feeble minds of your students - get there! (okay, that was over the top, but still....).

I've secretly always wanted to teach college (or at least H.S) Spanish classes. Well, may the truth be told, until the day comes when maybe I actually consider doing it - I am going to be a master in my field. I am going to know the inner working of every irregular verb, the meaning of "old Spanish" and even have the accent down. That is what is fair to students - what they deserve. Especially at the university level. Students pay for expert knowledge.

If they wanted to hear what the textbook said (even if it was updated yearly in this ever-changing world of ours) they could get that on their own. Teachers should be the ones who offer personal insights and "real-world' examples. Because in the end, most students don't become professors - they go out and do. They don't go out and teach (in a classroom that is).

This would have been way too advanced for my limited Spanish to write. Maybe I'll try though and post it to Pedro's blog... ;)