ERIC Number: ED334185
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991-Apr
Pages: 24
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Tracing a Phenomenon: Teacher Burnout and the Teacher Critics of the l960s.
Farber, Barry A.
Teacher burnout, defined as feelings of uselessness and inconsequentiality, did not begin in the l960s, but it was aggravated by increasing lack of respect and appreciation from the general public. The great social unrest of the l960s and l970s focused on the related issues of economic and educational inequity, and much public pressure was brought to bear on teachers to remedy the longstanding social and educational problems of disadvantaged minority group children. A series of books stirred up images of teachers as racist, authoritarian, and anti-progressive. John Holt's message was that schools corrupted the integrity and intelligence of children, particularly minority children, and he blamed teachers for children's behavior. Jonathan Kozol targeted individual teachers and racism in schools; like Holt, he fell into the trap of imagining that schools are the only influence on children's behavior. Herbert Kohl's book saw teacher incompetency as primarily responsible for students' misbehavior. James Herndon believed that schools are too obsessed with order, and Charles Silberman, more sympathetic to teachers, directed his anger towards the entrenched and mindless policies of schools and school boards. The books by these men constituted a source of stress for teachers and contributed to teacher burnout. (LL)
Descriptors: Book Reviews, Criticism, Economically Disadvantaged, Educational Change, Educationally Disadvantaged, Elementary Secondary Education, Libel and Slander, Minority Group Children, Public School Teachers, Socioeconomic Influences, Student Alienation, Teacher Burnout, Teacher Characteristics, Urban Education, Value Judgment
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A