The Impact of Stereotypes in Education and Addressing the Whole Child in Web 2.0

Stereotypes in Education

Stereotypes about educators exist in our society. I have experienced many stereotypes early on in my career. The second year I started teaching was the year Oklahoma had its’ teacher walkout. During this time, I realized how teachers are viewed by society. When teachers asked for a livable wage it was proclaimed that teachers did not really care about their students and that we should not teach for income. This brought me to the realization that education has been built on the idea of martyrdom and has been precariously constructed on the unpaid overtime of degree holding professionals. The gaslighting phrase of “Teachers teach for the outcome, not the income.” is intended to make teachers feel like they are making this sacrifice for the greater good when in reality it is devaluing the expertise and professionalism educators bring to the profession. I want to believe that these stereotypes can change, but there must be a shift in the current zeitgeist. 

My reaction to these stereotypes has made me realize how little value society deems my profession has. This is especially prevalent since the pandemic. Seeing how little policy makers care about the health and safety of teachers and the demand for teachers to work in unsafe conditions has made me question the true purpose of public education. 

This time has made me reflect on a list I was shown by a professor in one of my undergraduate courses. The list reflected the rules for a teacher in 1872. Rules included items like, “women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed” or “any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity, and honesty” (Blystone, 2014). It appears this ideal of teachers to be solely dedicated to teaching without any life outside of the classroom has remained as a stereotype. Evidence of this includes the degradation of teachers who speak out against unfair policies, low pay, unpaid hours, and general bashing in new media. 

Narratives in New Media About Teacher Stereotypes

New media platforms are making the situation worse. Parents, students, policy makers, and politicians post content accusing teachers of various wrongdoings when only one side of the story is told. Narratives to further government control of public education are being passed around to incite outrage and micromanage the professionals who have trained for years in educational psychology. Even when teachers stand up for themselves and discuss topics to clarify stereotypes, oftentimes they are met with comments about how they should not be in education and how they do not really care about students. Teachers are being told that if they do not like the conditions they are working in then they should leave the profession. Many have taken this advice in the past year. I think this is part of the reason there is a significant teacher shortage in Oklahoma and less students are enrolling in undergraduate education programs. 

I hope there continues to be teachers who are outspoken about the gaslighting and issues facing the teaching profession. Teachers should be on new media and voice their concerns and needs in a public forum. We as a profession need to support each other and not judge other teachers but uplift one another. Therefore, I feel it is important to become equipped with the knowledge and expertise to speak publicly and advocate for other teachers. I used to think that the only change I could make was in the classroom. However, by furthering my education and building skills to be successful in leadership I hope I can help change the narrative to reflect the depth of knowledge and professionalism teachers across the country bring to the table. 

Challenges to Students in Web 2.0

Students’ development in the web 2.0 era are met with many challenges that affect their socio-emotional development. Students are exposed to content they are not emotionally equipped to cope with. They do not know how to process material that is beyond their developmental capacity and behaviors emerge that communicate this stress. This is where supervision of digital technologies is becoming more important and communication about what students experience is becoming more significant. Furthermore, education about digital citizenship is noteworthy. Students need to understand that what they put into the world about themselves, and others, has long lasting effects. This is instrumental in the early teen years where students’ impulse control and consideration of future consequences is underdeveloped. There needs to be curriculum in place specifically for the purpose of educating students about being safe on new media and digital citizenship. 

According to Joyce et al. (2003) a primary goal of creating an environment where everyone learns focuses on understanding their social world, being devoted to its improvement, and develop dignity and self-esteem. New media falls under this category as we cater learning to the whole child. Most social interactions between students today occur through new media and ignoring this is excluding a significant detail in their social development. 

References

Blystone, A. B. S. M. (2014, March 19). Rules for one-room schoolhouse teachers. News. Retrieved October 23, 2021, from https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2014/02/rules-one-room-schoolhouse-teachers/. 

Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2003). Models of teaching