A Conversation With a "Bad" Teacher

This article interviews John Owens, an educator whose career didn't turn out the way he had hoped. Owens taught at the Latinate Institute and failed to participate in a workshop for writing teachers because he didn't want to take time away from his students. The principle was not pleased with this, and his teaching career ended in less than a year. However, his experience at Latinate stuck with him, and inspired him to write an article about it for Salon. Thousands of people reached out to Owens, and MSNBC asked to interview him. He has now published a book called "Confessions of a Bad Teacher: The Shocking Truth From the Front Lines of American Public Education". In the interview, Owens is asked why he calls himself a "bad" teacher. He responds, "Because I was constantly told that if I were a good teacher, the kids who had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder would sit still and learn...the kids who didn't speak English would speak English...all the problems that these kids faced would be solved in my 46 minutes a day with them...and good teachers could solve these problems." The entire interview really shows how schools will do anything to make them look like they are doing a good job. It is extremely frustrating when teachers get in trouble with the principle when they are trying to do everything they can to help a student. When Owens was a teacher, the school's main priority was showing data and proving that the students were passing. With the implementation of the Common Core, I worry that more schools will become like this. Owens believes that teachers should be teaching good behavior and character to students along with subject matter. I certainly agree with this because these traits will carry you far in life and should be enforced at a young age. All of the answers that Owens gives in the interview are very real, and educators should consider reading his book. I am certainly interested in reading his book since it provides real insight from a former teacher who went against the grain and was punished by the school.