大学英语精读第三册.doc

WORD 格式 整理 学习 参考 资料 分享 Passage One A couple of years ago I spent the day at an elementary school in New Jersey. It was a nice average school, a square and solid building, full of reasonably well-behaved kids from middle-class families. I handled three classes, and by the time I staggered out the door I wanted to lie down for the rest of the day. Teachings the toughest job there is. In his new memoir, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt recalls telling his students, Teaching is harder than working on docks and warehouses. Not to mention writing a column. I can stare off into the middle distance with my chin (下巴) in my hand any time. But you go mentally south for five minutes in front of a class of fifth graders, and you are sunk. The average new teacher today makes just under $30,000 a year, which may not look too bad for a twenty-something with no mortgage (抵押贷款) and no kids. But soon enough the new teachers realize that they can make more money and not work anywhere near as hard elsewhere. After a lifetime of hearing the old legends about cushy (舒适安逸的) hours and summer vacations, they figure out that early mornings are for students who need extra help, evenings are for test corrections and lesson plans, and weekends and summers are for second and even third jobs to try to pay the bills. According to the Department of Education, one in every five teachers leaves after the first year, and almost twice as many leave within three. If any business had that rate of turnover, someone would do something smart and strategic to fix it. This isnt any business. Its the most important business around, the gardeners of the landscape of the human race. Unfortunately, the current way of dealing with problems in education is taken directly from business practice, and its a terrible fit. Instead of simply acknowledging that starting salaries are woefully low and committing to increasing them and finding the money for reasonable recurring raises, politicians have wasted dec