It was silent message imbedded in the halls of my high school, an implicit whisper in conversations with family and friends, quiet in its presence but loud in its demand. “Those who can’t do, teach.”
The assumption that we are somehow too good to become than the people that, in one way or another, gave rise to who we are is not only harmful in its elitism but representative of a larger issue of classism. While it’s true that classism is systemic and individual action is but a minor step on the path to a more understanding and equitable society, it is still important that we teach our young people that working in education is both noble and necessary. It’s far easier to glorify tech giants and people on the Forbes 30 under 30 list than it is to pay due gratitude to teachers and local educators because those are the kind of people we’re taught to want to become like—not because those jobs necessarily offer more potential for fulfillment or happiness, but because they generate a high income and come with widespread recognition. But then again, high income and recognition are completely understandable motives to want to chase, which circles back to the issue’s source—a deeply rooted dislike of becoming the people that raised us.
What we must remember is that the commercialization of America comes at the cost of educational values only because we are taught that they form a dichotomy. Working in education is not the direct binary of experiencing the forefront of change, or “making it big.” In other words, teaching is quite literally the only way we can progress as a society. Industry and academia are not opposites of each other—in fact, they rely on each other to remain intact. One is just more glorified than the other because it directly reaps the benefit of the technological revolution. Its silent partner resides in classrooms and laboratories, drawing power from research and books and discussions. It is in its quiet stealth that the power of education lies.
We often forget that teachers offer themselves as stepping stones to a more advanced society, fully knowing that their students will eventually build and experience an entirely different one with the knowledge that they’ve accumulated from their classrooms. They are necessary for evolution and generational growth, and we ungratefully overlook and underappreciate them in pursuit of a shinier prize. It is our kindergarten phonetics and high school AP Chemistry teachers that are responsible for the major actors on Wall-Street, the new money in the Silicon Valley, and everything in between.