The Hero Teacher in Perspective

By Matt Parlow, Associate Professor of Law

Prologue:  I’d like to thank Dean Bill Henk for inviting me to blog about a terrific project on which we collaborated.  On Tuesday, the College of Education, the Office of the Provost’s Social Entrepreneurship Initiative, and the MU Law School sponsored a conference entitled “Urban Education Innovation and Reform Programs: High Success for High-Need Kids.” The event began with an engaging talk by Raj Vinnakota, Marquette’s 2010 Social Entrepreneur in Residence and the founder of The SEED Foundation (Schools for Educational Evolution and Development), and its nationally acclaimed boarding schools.  A panel with local urban innovators and reformers next discussed their pathways to high success with high-needs students here in Milwaukee.

Over the lunch hour, National Teacher of the Year Rafe Esquith talked about his experience working with inner-city kids in Los Angeles, and some of his fifth grade students — the Hobart Shakespeareans — performed Shakespearean scenes and a couple of rock n’ roll songs.  And, in the evening, Rafe and the Hobart Shakespeareans spoke to, and performed for,  an audience of education students, faculty, local educators, and interested community members (thanks to all of those at the College of Education for making the evening such a great success).

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I thought I would focus my blog post on the topic of the “hero teacher,“ particularly as it relates to Rafe.

For you see, I was one of Rafe’s students twenty-seven years ago.  And during my introduction, I labeled him “my hero.” I stand by those words, and one only need peruse the Hobart Shakespeareans’ Web site — in particular, the links on the “Press” page — to understand why.

The concept of the “hero teacher” has received much critical analysis in education scholarship…and for good reason.  Indeed, I think it is a fruitful subject for future teachers and current educators to reflect on and discuss.

The topic raises important questions: Should aspiring or current teachers emulate hero teachers?  Should we view people like Rafe as a hero?  What are the dangers in this elevated status of being a hero teacher?

For anyone who attended Rafe’s talk last Tuesday evening, you’ll know that he provides answers to all these questions.  Rafe told those in attendance that they shouldn’t do exactly what he does.  Teachers don’t need to teach Shakespeare to their students (unless, of course, it interests them to do so).  Instead, Rafe explains, teachers should take their own passions — poetry, baseball, music, etc. — and use those interests to inspire their students and instill a love of learning in them.

Listening to a hero teacher like Rafe can be overwhelming to an aspiring (or even current) teacher.  But it needn’t be.  His message to teachers is one of inspiration, not a cause for paralysis.  Indeed, in an era obsessed with standardization, Rafe’s call for creativity, passion, and authenticity in the classroom should be a freeing message to teachers.

NOTE: The entire day was a great success and furthered important discussions about education reform.  My colleague, Alan Borsuk — Senior Fellow in Law and Public Policy at the Law School — has a more detailed blog post about the event that you can read by clicking here.