Regulating the Regulators

According to Smaller's article: Regulating the Regulators: The Disciplining of Teachers in the Nineteenth Century, the historical transformation of the teaching profession went from strong community involvement to virtually none as state intervention took hold. In 1839 parents were responsible for paying the salary of teachers in their community. Moreover, teachers boarding with community members was widely accepted. It was thought that having a teacher in close proximity allowed for shared interests and a mutual understanding of the expectations for school performance.

In 1841 the Centralized School System was beginning to take shape as the First Common School Act was passed. Teachers were now being held to a high standard both morally and academically as they were to be passing their knowledge and modesty on to their students. By 1870 the school system had been reformed and teachers were being held as the front runners for change. Beginning with their social lives and ending in unfair scrutiny from state proclaimed inspectors, it was a struggle to remain certified. There was also a disconnect between the social lives of teachers and their ability to properly preform. Teachers were now being educated and certified by the state and it was deemed unfit, more so declared a sin, for them to board with residents of the community.

During this time of transformation there was a huge power shift from that of the local community to that of the state. Teachers were once praised for having an intimate connection to community members. Not so much as a decade later they are being scrutinized for the very same thing. What does this say about our society? It is shocking to think how quickly the power shift occurred. Today, the power has again shifted. This time away from the state led notion and moved more toward a community based approach. We acknowledge the importance of community involvement in a healthy school. Parents, teachers, and students work together to achieve opportune learning environments to ensure students can thrive. Parents once again, have a huge impact on the learning of their child.

History does have a knack for repeating itself...

In a continually evolving profession what role will the teacher play in 100 years time?

Are teachers likely to face tyrannical evaluation in the future?

Works Cited

Smaller, H. (1997). Regulating the regulators: the disciplining of teachers in the nineteenth century. Ontario. In K. Rousmaniere, K. Delhi and N.De Conick-Smith (Eds.), Discipline, moral regulation and schooling (pp. 97-116).New York: Garland Publishing Inc.

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