This week's episode of "Glee" was particularly awful. I know that seems to be redundant, because "Glee" dishes out a fun dose of awful every week, but this newest development was a new brand of disappointing and even offensive.
The premise of the story is that Will Schuester, the Glee club leader and high school Spanish teacher, is trying to get tenure, which is difficult because... he doesn't speak Spanish. At all. Throughout the hour, Will tries to get his students to relate to the Latin culture through a variety of stereotypical and borderline racist escapades.
Now, secondary education is a field I hope to one day enter, and the idea that schools hire and continue to employ such ignorant employees, especially during a time when jobs are scarce, is ridiculous, but also terrifying to me. It's clear the writers and producers of "Glee" have an incredibly warped and awful view of the American education system, and they are perpetuating it through episodes like this that reach an international audience of millions. I am the first one to find faults with my country's education system, and Will Schuester now represents everything that is wrong with it. Observing in actual schools and interacting with my peers, I see a passion for teaching that is intrinsic to people, and not because it is the only job opportunity available, which is how "Glee" made it appear. In fact, at the end of the episode, when Will gives his job over to someone who actually knows the language (SHOCKING), and is asked what he will do now he says, "There's an opening in the History department... and I like History... or the History Channel anyway."
Excuse me.
EXCUSE ME.
This is not a resolution. If teachers have no passion or even interest for the subject they teach, how on earth are they supposed to make their students care about it? I have been led by enough bad teachers to know how this ends. It seems as if this show believes excitement or talent only belongs in the arts or onstage, which is just not the case. People can love Science just as much as singing, and those who dedicate their lives to academics are just as worthwhile as those who turn to entertainment. Just because a job may not have the same prestige does not make it less important or worthy of dedication.
I still love this show, but I was truly, truly disappointed with how they chose to portray the teaching profession.
Sorry for the lack of hilarious in this post, but I needed an outlet to eloquently let my feelings out. And I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS.
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