Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Law School vs. Credential Courses


lawyer

This cartoon was found on the Principalspage
blog.  The author of that blog posed a question that seems truly ironic.

Society loves teachers but hates lawyers (if the number of unkind jokes about them is any indication.)

Why is it then that most parents are proud when their children head off to law school, but generally discourage them from entering the teaching profession?  

3 comments:

  1. I read that at one time in our not to distant past, doctors, lawyers, and teachers were paid about the same and respected equally. What happened to the teacher pay AND the respect? Doctors save lives, lawyers gain justice, teachers prepare you for your entire future. -Sounds equally important to me.

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  2. Maybe it's because doctors and lawyers have their own distinct culture. They have their own professional knowledge base, language, mindset. They are self-respecting and do not speak of their peers in a disparaging way. Even though many claim to dislike them for these very reasons, these professionals still (sometimes grudgingly)retain respect.
    Teachers who like to dress like their students (or worse), display ill manners toward each other, and resist staying current with their skills, do a lot of damage to their public image. I wonder if teachers can ever regain what they have lost in the public eye?

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  3. I wonder what role unions play? Doctors and lawyers have professional associations, but they are not unionized. And you make a good point, Kathy, about professional dress and behavior. I wonder how busy a lawyer would be who dressed like the clients?

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