In the right context teaching is the most fun thing you can do. Hanging out with kids, learning with those far cooler than you could ever be, saying something stupid while pretending to be sage—it is a job that should be vastly over-subscribed.
Yet the headlines in the Netherlands, and America too, are of a critical lack of teachers.
Everyone knows why: Not enough pay, too much grind, and top-down administration that disassociates teachers from their actual work.
But really, shouldn't the solution be more radical than larger salaries, less “everyone has to keep up” stress, and letting teachers do what they want? Good as those would be?
How about school as ongoing kindergarten, a workshop meant to produce adults who skip and sing just as we all did when young?
Wanna work in a machine meant for turning people into cogs? No thanks.
Wanna goof around and tilt that to a purpose for these children of all ages? Sign me up.