TEACHERS AS POLITICAL WORKERS
If the subject matter is conceptualized as a political resource, the one who delivers the subject matter is then being assigned the role to optimize this political resource. Powerful groups within government place responsibilities on the teachers for equipping students with necessary expertise and knowledge to enhance national competitiveness. What is striking about the politicalization of ELE in China is that teachers act as passive “political workers”. The label of “political workers” here implies the pathetic truth that ELE teachers are selling their labor to the political field in China. In addition to the fact that ELE teachers work for the government, the notion of “worker” also implicitly suggests that they …show more content…
Intense political interference in the realm of education has caused the marginalization of teachers’ participation (Lefstein & Perath, 2013). “In the political rush to bring about reform, teachers’ voices have been largely neglected, their opinions overridden, and their concerns dismissed” (Hargreaves, 1994, p.6). ELE teachers in China are passive recipients in the construction of educational reforms, including the reforms that directly affect their work and lives. Sometimes they are consulted before the formulation of a new policy. However, it is still the educational policymakers who mandate reforms and promulgate new policies via governmental documents. Whist teachers possess adequate experience and expertise related to the issues under reforms (Lefstein & Perath, 2014), their views towards the decision of policymaking on ELE are seldom taken into consideration in China. Unfortunately, “efforts to improve education are doomed to failure until teachers become respected partners in the process” (Cohn & Kottkamp, 1993, p.xvi). The point here is that why ELE policies in China tend to be poorly deliberated can be attributed to teacher isolation within a highly politicalized context. In an attempt to empower teachers’ voice, it is indispensable “to democratize educational reform by giving teachers a say-so in what happens” (Eisner, 2005, p.141). Analogously, Young (2000) highlights the significance of applying the principle of deliberative democracy in educational policy planning, which is also about empowering teachers’ voice in educational reform. Spending a tremendous amount of time in classrooms and schools, teachers know exactly the current situation and complicated realities of ELE practice in China. They are aware of the major problems that needed to be addressed in future educational reforms, which is vital for the formulation of
If the subject matter is conceptualized as a political resource, the one who delivers the subject matter is then being assigned the role to optimize this political resource. Powerful groups within government place responsibilities on the teachers for equipping students with necessary expertise and knowledge to enhance national competitiveness. What is striking about the politicalization of ELE in China is that teachers act as passive “political workers”. The label of “political workers” here implies the pathetic truth that ELE teachers are selling their labor to the political field in China. In addition to the fact that ELE teachers work for the government, the notion of “worker” also implicitly suggests that they …show more content…
Intense political interference in the realm of education has caused the marginalization of teachers’ participation (Lefstein & Perath, 2013). “In the political rush to bring about reform, teachers’ voices have been largely neglected, their opinions overridden, and their concerns dismissed” (Hargreaves, 1994, p.6). ELE teachers in China are passive recipients in the construction of educational reforms, including the reforms that directly affect their work and lives. Sometimes they are consulted before the formulation of a new policy. However, it is still the educational policymakers who mandate reforms and promulgate new policies via governmental documents. Whist teachers possess adequate experience and expertise related to the issues under reforms (Lefstein & Perath, 2014), their views towards the decision of policymaking on ELE are seldom taken into consideration in China. Unfortunately, “efforts to improve education are doomed to failure until teachers become respected partners in the process” (Cohn & Kottkamp, 1993, p.xvi). The point here is that why ELE policies in China tend to be poorly deliberated can be attributed to teacher isolation within a highly politicalized context. In an attempt to empower teachers’ voice, it is indispensable “to democratize educational reform by giving teachers a say-so in what happens” (Eisner, 2005, p.141). Analogously, Young (2000) highlights the significance of applying the principle of deliberative democracy in educational policy planning, which is also about empowering teachers’ voice in educational reform. Spending a tremendous amount of time in classrooms and schools, teachers know exactly the current situation and complicated realities of ELE practice in China. They are aware of the major problems that needed to be addressed in future educational reforms, which is vital for the formulation of