The Courage to Teach (An Analysis of the Book, To Know As We are Known)

Today, in our classrooms, the more disenchanted and conscientious teachers and students have begun to question the value of education and the direction to which it is headed. As teachers, we are often frustrated when we look into the eyes of our students and see disinterest, boredom and indifference. Rarely do we encounter students who are truly interested in what they are learning. As students, they go into the classroom because the teacher might take roll or their parents would be disappointed if they knew they were not being 'a good student.' Rarely do students come into the classroom with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to learn. When asked why they bother to come at all, the answer the teacher usually gets is, 'So I can get a better job when I graduate.' Is this what education has boiled down to? Are we educating the young today so that they can get a higher-paying job, or a job with status and social position?