The American Teacher: An Unsung Hero at 250

Op-Ed by Chad Rowell-The American Teacher: An Unsung Hero at 250

As America approaches its 250th birthday, our nation will pause to celebrate the countless individuals and professions that have shaped our history. Veterans of the Armed Forces and first responders will (rightly) be honored for their service and sacrifice. The achievements of scientists, soldiers, authors, inventors, and statesmen will be remembered through stories told and retold. The monuments of our national heroes—cast in bronze and carved in marble—will shine with a fresh sparkle.

Yet amid the celebration I find myself reflecting on a different contributor to the American story: the often-overlooked, rarely celebrated, and seldom-venerated American Teacher.

The American Teacher is more than a profession; it’s an institution. It is a living reflection of our nation’s belief that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute. From the earliest days of our republic, Americans embraced the radical idea that education should not be reserved for the privileged few but made available to all, regardless of wealth or circumstance.

In fact, the third prong of Thomas Jefferson’s “unalienable rights” upon which he rests the argument for independence is “the pursuit of happiness…”  Education and the arming of our young people to build a happy life is central to the calling of the teacher. 

American independence, it’s often argued, is but a grand experiment—a test of whether free people can successfully govern themselves. The idea of public education is perhaps equally audacious: that all people are capable of learning and an educated citizenry is essential to the success of a free society.

Generations of thinkers and reformers helped shape this vision. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Horace Mann, John Dewey, Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher, and countless others contributed to the early spirit of public education in America. Their belief was simple but profound: democracy and free market capitalism must rest on the shoulders of an educated citizenry.

The American Teacher is the professional who meets this priority for our nation. Teachers are critical to the national purpose ofpreparing generations of citizens for work, service, leadership, and innovation. Time and again, when America has faced a challenge, it our teachers who have answered the call.

For example, when the Industrial Revolution demanded that America produce workers who could maintain the great American manufacturing build out… the American Teacher adapted to provide graduates with the knowledgeable man-power.

Upon the Soviets achieving manned space orbit (ahead of the US), President Kennedy issued a mighty challenge to increase focus on math and science. “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

It was the American Teacher who helped close the gap.

During the civil rights movement, when called upon to literally hold cities and communities together and serve as agents of healing during the painful period of integrating public schools, it was the American Teacher who bore up under the strain.

And of course, who can forget the Corona crises in which teachers and school sites reimagined instructional delivery in efforts to move students forward and keep them from falling behind.  The effort was nothing short of heroic, especially in the light of the sickness and death that permeated our communities in those days.  

Today has challenges all its own.  These include school accountability, and poor compensation brought on by a seemingly consummate funding crises. Certainly, technology and artificial intelligence will offer yet unforeseen benefits and challenges. Meanwhile, students are more distracted, parents and stakeholders are more divided, and the world is more chaotic than ever before.   

Yet the American Teacher still enters the fray and works to continue to help prepare students for their own “pursuit of happiness.”

So, as we celebrate and reflect upon America at 250, who we are, how far we’ve come, and where we hope to go, take a moment to thank the American Teacher.  This experiment would not have long-endured without him.

Chad Rowell is a 27 year educator and administrator.