Part 2 - Our Reality is Our Reality
Karen Seashore Louis outlines the questions that will guide her presentation. She begins by having the audience think about foundations: even though we are professionals and spend time in schools, we still have a set of assumptions about how schools work and how teachers work. Perceptions about education are influenced by images portrayed in Hollywood movies such as To Sir, with Love; Good-bye, Mr. Chips; and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. These teachers seem very isolated and are loners, authoritative, passionate about their students, and distanced from ordinary teachers. The films give the impression that “special teachers” are the ones who make the difference—what we need, it would seem, is capable teachers and extraordinary leaders, and then we would have wonderful schools. In reality, teachers today are better trained than ever and are more than adequate to do the job.
Think about:
- Do you feel that the perception exists in Ontario that all we need is really special teachers to have a better schools—that the problem is ordinary teachers?
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