This is written in response to a Facebook post about all the teachers
in my area being the perfect example of “ignorant in a tiny town”.
Ignorant– lacking knowledge or awareness in general: uneducated or unsophisticated. Synonyms-uneducated, unknowledgeable, untaught, unschooled, untutored, untrained, illiterate, unlettered, unlearned, unread, uninformed, unenlightened.
At first I was so incredibly angry that you would call teachers within our district “ignorant”. That you would make a sweeping judgement from the overheard words of one individual and then post to social media how all employees of our school are ignorant. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that possibly you were correct. I thought that maybe the definition matched what I know about my husband, a science teacher in the district.
Uneducated – yes, he must be uneducated because why in the world is he always studying and reading books in preparation to teach a class. I often find him up late at night watching science videos and pouring over things like zygotic and gametic.
Unsophisticated – I would agree that he lacks sophistication. He is simple in his tastes and tends to avoid the trappings of this world(unless it involves hunting or fishing). Mostly because we can’t afford sophistication on a salary that is considered “below the poverty line” for our family size. I watch him dress each morning in a suit and tie we purchased from JC Penney’s and I’m guessing that it’s not the height of fashion. I’m also sure it doesn’t bother him that most of the vehicles in the school parking lot driven by his students, are of a newer make and model than his truck, because he is unsophisticated and realizes that life is not about sophistication.
Uninformed – He is definitely uninformed that there are much higher-paying jobs out there for the level of his education and experience. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t know that he could be making double his salary if someone would just inform him of better opportunities. He keeps telling me he likes making a difference in the lives of his students. He also keeps paying money out of pocket for classroom supplies and continuing education. This lack of information is keeping him in a job that demands more and gives less.
Unlearned – I guess he should learn to not waste so many minutes worrying about his students. He should learn to not invite groups of students over at all times of the week to hang out with our family. He shouldn’t spend extra time tutoring students, especially those who have graduated and come back to him for extra help on college assignments. Yes, he should learn to not invest so much into our future generation. If he learned these things, perhaps our family would be able to have more money, more time, more things…
Unaware – Lastly and perhaps most important is how my husband is also completely unaware and treats his students the same regardless of their race, color, sexual orientation, or ability status. I see him encouraging kids that others gave up on long ago. He is totally unaware that these kids have already heard how unworthy they are from many other people. He sees in them something that other’s don’t and he is totally oblivious to the labels that have already been attached. I’m not sure why he is unaware that no one else believes in some of these kids, but I guess he’s just naive. Or perhaps he sees them through some sort of “teacher goggles” that are handed out at the beginning of a teacher’s career.
I’m guessing that my town is lucky to have ignorant teachers. They are unaware and uninformed of so many things in relation to their students, and I see them pouring their hearts into these kids believing in them when others have given up. As a parent, I hope that teachers remain this way, because my children are better for it. As a wife, I am so glad that I married such an ignorant man, I hope he never learns.
