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Monday, September 12, 2011

Schools Matter: Teacher as Stranger; Teacher as Janitor

Schools Matter: Teacher as Stranger; Teacher as Janitor:

Teacher as Stranger; Teacher as Janitor

Education philosopher Maxine Greene in her book titled, Teacher as Stranger, published in 1973, speaks about the teacher's role in "arousing individuals to wide-awakeness, to 'thinking' about their own commitments and actions wherever they work.

So, what are teachers in Texas thinking when they are sweeping the floors and taking out the trash after a long hard day in the classroom? They are thinking about how happy they are to have a job.

From the Texas Tribune:

DRIPPING SPRINGS - Just as Judy Gardner answered the phone last Wednesday afternoon, a coach stuck his head into her empty classroom. He wanted to know if she had swept her floor yet, because he had students offering to do it as community service. Entering the new year, Gardner's district can say something that fewer and fewer schools in Texas can - that no teachers have been laid off as a result of state budget cust. But the Drippings Springs Independent School District has eliminated custodial positions, and that has left teachers there with new tasks once the school bell rings: