Teaching is a difficult job. You have to control a large group of kids for long enough to get them to learn something, or just anything. This teacher’s story is a prime example of why it’s so hard.
Anyone who has a school-aged child during a time such as these has a newfound respect for teachers.
Many parents have had to assume the role of a teacher during this crazy year. And they’ve learned that teaching is hard, hard, hard work. Most parents have had to struggle to get their kids the education they need.
And if you’re a parent who has gone through this year somehow still thinking that teaching is an easy job, just consider this following story.
A teacher was trying to teach her class basic math. She had been over it several times and decided to test the kids.
So she asked one kid, Ricky, the following question: “If I gave you two cats, and then another two cats and then two more cats, how many cats would you end up with?”
Ricky thought about the answer briefly and then responded confidently with the final number: “Seven!”
The teacher sighed in frustration. This was going to be a long day.
So she took a deep breath and gave a calm response: “No, no, Ricky. Listen again. If I were to give you two cats… And then two more cats… And then another two cats… How many cats would you end up with?”
Ricky answered straight away: “Seven!”
The teacher had to grit her teeth and calm herself down.
When she had regained her composure, she responded with the following: “Ricky, please. I know you’re a bright boy. Let’s try it a little differently. I give you two apples. Then I give you two more apples. And then I give you another two apples. How many apples do you have?”
Ricky worked out the answer pretty quickly: “Six.”
The teacher’s self esteem shot up when Ricky said the right answer. So she felt as if he could answer the first question. She tried again:
“So think about that answer and put it to the last question. I give you two cats. Then I give you another two cats and finally another two cats and then no more cats. How many cats do you have?”
Ricky responded once more with: “Seven.”
The teacher sighed with frustration. Defeated she asked: “Ricky, how do you end up with seven cats when I give you two and two and two? This is the damn two times table, which I’ve been over!”
Ricky smiled and answered: “Because I already have a damn cat at home.”
Suddenly it all made sense. From that moment on, the teacher decided to use elephants instead of cats.
Unless any of the kids’ parents owned a safari, this issue wouldn’t come up again!
This story is funny. But it’s also important to remember that teachers put up with stuff like this and much worse every day.
We need to do more to support our teachers. And no, that doesn’t mean getting rid of the beloved family cat. That means paying them a fair wage! In America, there’s a teacher shortage, and it’s only projected to get worse over the next decade.
Naturally, that means that kids, whose educations have already suffered due to coronavirus, are only going to struggle even more as a result of the teacher shortage.
At the end of the day, boosting teaching in America is helping the next generation of Americans. It’s something we need to do!
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