Psycho-babble

"Psycho-babble": what a most unique term. In itself it defines the combination
of words describing the study of the mind or psychology as foolish or
meaningless. As teachers we are exposed to "psycho-babble" not only in its
daily use but often we fall victim to using "psycho-babble" when talking
to and about our children. These are the terms we represent ourselves with
to our peers, to our parents to our children. Meaningless words.

Without going into great detail here, (I will at any other time), suffice
it to say that I do not believe that "psychology" is a science. I have been
told that it is a "soft-science" yes, by those who feel the need to justify
this existence. Psychology was founded less than one hundred years ago and
yet the science of education has existed since the beginning of thought.
But where does the relevance fall? As laypeople around this country we tend
to put more authority onto the "psychologists" of this world instead of the
educators. Why is this? Medical and other research "professional" journals
have put forth the claim that 90% of what we "know" about the human brain
has been discovered in the last 5 years. And yet! We "treat" these brains
with a muddled sense of professionalism based upon psychological tenets which
were developed years before we fully understood how and why the brain works.
This is something akin to writing on a computer with a chisel and a mallet.
Fortunately we are only hammering the chisel into the minds of our students.

I bring this up because I am curious. As a Special Education teacher I have
to be licensed by the state, certified by the Department of Education and
educated by a certified teaching college. I am a teacher certified et al
to teach children with Emotional/Behavior and Learning Disorders. And yet
when we put together the information regarding how to teach and educate these
children people want to know what "psychology" is involved. And yet we have
therapists, and other para-professionals who will remove students from our
classrooms to pursue that concept for which we are licensed, certified, and
regulated to. Why?

Why is it we require teachers to be certified and stipulated in order to
teach Special Education students but then tell them to take a back seat to
a "therapist" with less education, less certification, and less regulation?
Now I know this could become an argument of higher education and I do not
mean it to be. I will not state that a two year degree is less than a four
year being less than a six year etc I believe that there exists many educated
people who never had a lick of the higher education whip. (This would also
include real world or life experiences.) What I am ranting about is the fact
that we negate the individuals who have become educational professionals
and then negate their worth.

The more immediate question is why do we negate the worth of our teachers?
Because they choose to work in a profession most people would not tolerate?
Because they work extensive hours dealing with behaviors not allowed the
work arena? Because they like working hard for little pay? Because they put
up with the training of our children because we are too busy "playing"? Come
on I've heard the arguments: "This is my life. I only have one chance of
it. I'm going to live my life before I dies." And yadda yadda yadda.

It seems that the faster this society moves the further separation exists
between parental responsibility and social responsibility. That leaves the
teacher to bear the brunt of it -- the responsibility that is.