Quote:
Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie
To play the devil's advocate...
Don't we do the same thing here on GC? There are some very strong feelings on this board that people should not give out recruitment information if they have no firsthand knowledge of the process of the school or conference in question.
I wouldn't dream of offering detailed advice about an SEC recruitment because I have no personal experience in that department. I wouldn't give advice about NPHC because I know nothing about it.
Did I have thoughts and opinions about children before I became a parent? Yes. Did I have thoughts and opinions about delivery before I became pregnant? Yes. Am I better qualified to speak to those issues now that I've experienced both? Yes.
Are all people entitled to have opinions about education? Yes. Do all people have the education, skills and experience to make valuable contributions to the discussion? No. I don't think educators are trying to tell people they shouldn't contribute to the conversation. But unless you are a teacher, you really don't know what it is like to be a teacher. Being a student for 13 or 17 years doesn't make a person insightful on the experience and plight of a teacher.
And even after going through pregnancy and having a child... I still keep my mouth shut about those topics most of the time.  |
There's a difference between teaching as a profession and membership in a fraternity and sorority, particularly because of the closed nature of ritual/membership selection, etc. Teachers don't typically keep secrets - in fact, at the core of their profession they are sharing knowledge.
One may not want to give advice on SEC recruitment, but any GC member who is correct can give advice about mutual selection, RFM, Quota, etc. It's when people get into rumor mongering that it gets them into trouble. Also when people give advice about clothes to wear when they're an asshole, that'll get them in trouble, too.
But shutting down someone's opinion about education because "they're not a teacher" is particularly counterproductive because many people who are shut down pay the taxes that allow public schools to remain open, and they certainly have a place in the dialogue.
Just like I'm well within my rights to call your kid an asshole if your kid is being an asshole, and I'm well within my rights to call you an asshole if you're the reason your kid is an asshole.
I don't think it's right to say "no you're wrong your experience is invalidated!" to a teacher because, obviously, they live it. But it's not impossible for someone who is not a teacher to understand what teachers go through every day (in fact, this understanding is a reason why I'm NOT a teacher), and it's not impossible for someone who's not a parent to understand what parents go through. It's not like it's a conceptually hard idea to grasp.
Hybrid Mode
