Myth: Rookie Teachers Are Always Top Notch
It’s everybody’s love for the underdog story: A young new teacher comes in, takes one look at how things are being run, and says, “No more, you deplorable cave people!” before bringing about change that seemingly makes everyone’s lives infinitely better. Gosh, the stories we like to tell ourselves. These Teachers 2.0 also have a tendency to alienate their colleagues, what with their novel approaches and stubborn unwillingness to hear what Mrs. Grandma has to say. We’re going to go ahead and say that alienating the people you work with is probably not a good idea and will most certainly contribute to any new teacher finding themselves in an unhealthy and unwelcoming environment before quitting after a month.
Roxanna Elden used to be a public school teacher for more than a decade, and she said that “inspiring movies” about new teachers is actually a bit of a problem. Not only do these superhero movie newbies send the wrong message for aspiring teachers by setting the bar at a ridiculous level, but it also implies that those with longer educational experience know nothing, and must be taught the way of the All-Knowing Newbies. As she so cheekily puts it: “Certainly, the experienced teachers in this movie haven’t improved much in the years they’ve been on the job. Just the opposite: The corrupt system has turned them into old people in bad makeup under harsh lighting who only care about keeping their jobs. It is you, the 22-year-old directing that smoldering gaze into the camera, who has not yet learned the word ‘can’t.’”