Among 35 nations in a 2018 study, Canada ranked eleventh in terms of the value it places on the teaching profession. It can be challenging enough to teach, even in non-pandemic times, without enduring the ongoing disrespect directed at educators by many politicians, random strangers and otherwise friendly Canadian neighbours. Not surprisingly, some teachers could be forgiven for questioning their career choice. This month, we focus on some reasons why these attitudes persist, to what degree, and whether they’re unique to North America. We lead with an executive summary of a 2018 Varkey [non-profit] Foundation report on the issue.

• Where in the world are teachers most respected?… – Writing pre-pandemic for the Washington Post, Valerie Strauss reviews the non-profit Varkey Foundation report on the level of value 35 countries place on the teaching profession. The survey asked general public participants to rank, by level of respect, 14 professions—among them management consulting, website engineering and teaching. On the last, Canada fared 11^th, the USA 16^th. So, where are teachers most respected? In order of most to least: China, Malaysia, Russia, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey, India, New Zealand, Singapore and…Canada. The survey includes comparative salaries and more. Ms. Strauss’s summary offers a link to the full report, if you’re keen.
• I’m An Ontario Teacher But I Chose To Go Where Teachers Are Respected – China, you say. Alexandra Bazrafshan, who qualified as a teacher in Ontario in 2018, explains why she feels the profession is not respected in Ontario, and why she chose to teach in China. “I always hoped I’d be like those teachers, one day: kind, fun and respected by all. But, I realized that I would not be able to start my mission to be that kind, fun and respected teacher if the drama outside the classroom continued to escalate in Ontario’s education system, year after year.” She cites funding cuts, naysayers who “drag the profession through the mud,” and “I decided I wasn’t going to be part of it. After graduating in 2018, I moved to China instead.” After a year and a half in China, she is happy with her choice; class sizes of 18, some with only 12 students; “I don’t have to be a babysitter or a punching bag for the verbal attacks of students and parents alike. I don’t have to defend the integrity of my career to anonymous social media haters or people who think ‘the work is not that onerous nor specialized and the hours not too taxing.’”
• When Did the U.S. Stop Seeing Teachers as Professionals? – In a 2018 article in the Harvard Business Review, Robert Bruno outlines some reasons why American teachers feel their profession is under attack, citing low pay, increased health care costs and diminished pensions. However, an analysis by UBC professor, Wendy Poole, suggests that, “teachers’ work, once conceived as requiring high discretion and autonomy, is increasingly reduced to technical-rational conceptions of teaching and teachers are increasingly viewed as technicians.”
• Opinion: Why Parents Don’t Respect Teachers – In an opinion piece for TeachMag, futurist Richard Worzel notes that many parents support and respect teachers, and wonders why some do not. A century ago, he says, teachers were regarded as among the most educated members of society—although “they were also looked down upon because they didn’t do ‘honest work.’” Today, however, education levels throughout the community have risen, and while they remain well-educated, they are, “..however, still looked down upon, to some extent, because they don’t work 9-to-5, and they have all of those holidays.” It seems, Mr. Worzel suggests, that parents no longer understand what teachers actually do. The lengthy article also discusses the way teachers are blamed for perceived failures in the educational system, the increasing role of parents, and changing parental values. In the end, he is not optimistic things will change in Canada.
• Why is the teaching profession not better respected? – Writing in the Australian journal The Educator, Brett Henebery argues that teaching ought to be considered one of the most—if not the most—important profession, yet teachers feel overworked and underappreciated. Citing a new book by John Buchanan, he suggests that parents may be softening their view on teachers these COVID days, and showing more respect: “‘Parents have come to recognise how complex teaching is. Parents doing distance learning have, say, two children and they realise the teacher has 20 or 30…The community has come to realise this: teachers are frontline workers. Without teachers, the economy implodes.’” For those of you wishing to dive deep, the book is available here: “Challenging the Deprofessionalisation of Teaching and Teachers,”  

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