Bunuel
According to Patricia Benton’s Shaped by Service, the most defining characteristic of the teaching profession has been its historical framing by policymakers and society as an extension of caregiving, a perception that has profoundly influenced both the responsibilities assigned to teachers and the status of the profession. Benson explores how this ideology emerged not from a recognition of intellectual rigor but from nineteenth-century ideals regarding moral guidance and nurturing, traditionally attributed to women.
Before the late nineteenth century, teaching in the United States was largely informal and conducted within community settings. Women often taught in small, single-room schoolhouses, with salaries that were markedly lower than those of male educators, reinforcing the notion that teaching was more a civic duty than a professional pursuit. This belief persisted in part because female teachers were seen as natural caretakers, their compensation reflecting the idea that teaching was an extension of maternal instinct rather than specialized knowledge.
Even as educational reforms accelerated in the late 1800s, driven by the need for a more standardized public school system, the ideological framework surrounding teaching remained relatively unchanged. Reformers advocated for credentialing and pedagogical training, arguing that while women’s nurturing instincts made them ideal teachers, professional competence required formal instruction. They pushed for teacher training colleges, hoping to create a cohort of educated women capable of instilling moral and academic discipline. School boards and political leaders were supportive of these initiatives, recognizing that structured teacher training aligned with efforts to modernize public education.
However, Benson argues that the motivations of these groups diverged sharply. School boards viewed training programs as a means to supply schools with low-cost, well-disciplined labor. Policymakers valued teacher education but resisted measures that would grant teachers greater control over curriculum design or institutional policy, maintaining that teachers should prioritize fostering moral character over advancing their own intellectual authority. As local school districts increasingly dictated the structure and content of teacher education, educators lost influence over certification processes, classroom autonomy, and professional development, resulting in a system shaped more by institutional priorities than by the aspirations of teachers themselves.
1. Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?
A. The professionalization of teaching in the late 1800s was hindered by the reluctance of policymakers to expand educational opportunities for women.
B. Teacher training colleges in the late 1800s were primarily established to improve the moral character of students.
C. Traditional perceptions of teaching as an extension of caregiving limited the development and autonomy of the profession.
D. Policymakers supported teacher training programs because they viewed teaching as essential to the modernization of public education.
E. School boards sought to expand teacher training programs to ensure a steady supply of low-cost labor for public schools.
2. The information in the passage suggests that Patricia Benton would be most likely to DISAGREE with which of the following statements about teacher training in the late 1800s?
A. Teacher training in the late 1800s fundamentally altered the perception of teaching as a form of caregiving.
B. The establishment of teacher training programs aligned with the interests of school boards and policymakers.
C. School boards viewed teacher training as a means to secure disciplined and low-cost labor.
D. Policymakers valued teacher training programs but resisted giving teachers greater control over curriculum design.
E. Prior to the late 1800s, women often became teachers without formal training, reflecting assumptions about their natural suitability for the role.
3. According to the passage, the ideology of teaching in the late 1800s has determined
A. the types of subjects that were included in teacher training programs
B. the expansion of higher education opportunities for women in other fields
C. the status and responsibilities assigned to the teaching profession
D. the willingness of school boards to allow teachers greater autonomy in curriculum design
E. the creation of leadership roles for women within public education policy
4. The phrase "natural caretakers" (see highlighted text) is used primarily in order to:
A. reflect Patricia Benton’s belief that women were inherently suited for teaching roles
B. emphasize why women’s wages as teachers were lower than those of men
C. explain how societal views about women shaped the perception of teaching as an extension of domestic responsibilities
D. highlight the distinction between teaching as a profession and caregiving at home
E. suggest that the development of teacher training programs was driven by a desire to formalize caregiving skills
Official Solution:1. Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?A. The professionalization of teaching in the late 1800s was hindered by the reluctance of policymakers to expand educational opportunities for women.
B. Teacher training colleges in the late 1800s were primarily established to improve the moral character of students.
C. Traditional perceptions of teaching as an extension of caregiving limited the development and autonomy of the profession.
D. Policymakers supported teacher training programs because they viewed teaching as essential to the modernization of public education.
E. School boards sought to expand teacher training programs to ensure a steady supply of low-cost labor for public schools.
A) Incorrect: The passage discusses women’s role in teaching, but the focus is on teaching as caregiving, not on denying educational opportunities for women. This reflects a secondary idea but distorts the core theme.
B) Incorrect: The passage mentions moral guidance as part of teaching’s evolution, but this is only a supporting detail. The broader focus is on how teaching was shaped by societal views on caregiving, not solely on shaping students' character.
C) Correct: The passage consistently argues that teaching’s identity as caregiving constrained its professional growth and autonomy, making this the best representation of the central idea.
D) Incorrect: Although modernization of education is discussed, this reflects a side effect of teacher training reforms. The primary focus is on how caregiving perceptions shaped and limited the profession, not modernization as a goal.
E) Incorrect: This option reflects a specific point about school boards using training programs to provide labor, but it misses the larger argument about the overarching societal perceptions of teaching as caregiving.
2. The information in the passage suggests that Patricia Benton would be most likely to DISAGREE with which of the following statements about teacher training in the late 1800s?A. Teacher training in the late 1800s fundamentally altered the perception of teaching as a form of caregiving.
B. The establishment of teacher training programs aligned with the interests of school boards and policymakers.
C. School boards viewed teacher training as a means to secure disciplined and low-cost labor.
D. Policymakers valued teacher training programs but resisted giving teachers greater control over curriculum design.
E. Prior to the late 1800s, women often became teachers without formal training, reflecting assumptions about their natural suitability for the role.
A) Correct: The passage emphasizes that despite the rise of teacher training programs, the perception of teaching as caregiving persisted and continued to shape the profession. This directly contradicts the idea that training fundamentally changed societal views.
B) Incorrect: The passage explicitly mentions that school boards and policymakers supported teacher training, seeing it as beneficial to their broader goals of reforming public education.
C) Incorrect: This reflects a key point in the passage—school boards promoted teacher training but with the intent of creating a cheap, disciplined workforce.
D) Incorrect: The passage highlights that policymakers supported training programs but opposed measures that would give teachers more control, aligning this option with the passage’s core argument.
E) Incorrect: The passage clearly states that before formal training, women were seen as naturally suited for teaching roles, reflecting the societal belief in caregiving instincts rather than professional skills. 3. According to the passage, the ideology of teaching in the late 1800s has determinedA. the types of subjects that were included in teacher training programs
B. the expansion of higher education opportunities for women in other fields
C. the status and responsibilities assigned to the teaching profession
D. the willingness of school boards to allow teachers greater autonomy in curriculum design
E. the creation of leadership roles for women within public education policy
A) Incorrect: The passage mentions teacher training programs but focuses on how they were shaped by caregiving ideals, not the specific subjects taught within those programs. This misreads a secondary point.
B) Incorrect: Although the passage discusses women’s role in teaching, it does not indicate that this ideology influenced women’s advancement in other fields. This misreading projects broader effects not mentioned in the text.
C) Correct: The passage clearly states that traditional caregiving views shaped the status and responsibilities of teaching, limiting the profession’s development and autonomy.
D) Incorrect: The passage highlights that policymakers resisted giving teachers more control, but this reflects opposition to change, not a result of teaching ideology itself. This option misinterprets cause and effect.
E) Incorrect: While the passage touches on how teacher training was expanded, there is no mention of creating leadership roles for women in public education policy. This misreads the scope and intent of the reforms.
4. The phrase "natural caretakers" (see highlighted text) is used primarily in order to:A. reflect Patricia Benton’s belief that women were inherently suited for teaching roles
B. emphasize why women’s wages as teachers were lower than those of men
C. explain how societal views about women shaped the perception of teaching as an extension of domestic responsibilities
D. highlight the distinction between teaching as a profession and caregiving at home
E. suggest that the development of teacher training programs was driven by a desire to formalize caregiving skills
A) Incorrect: The phrase reflects societal perceptions at the time, not Benson’s personal view about women’s inherent suitability for teaching.
B) Incorrect: While the passage discusses lower wages, the phrase "natural caretakers" is used to explain why teaching was seen as an extension of caregiving, not directly to justify wage disparities.
C) Correct: The phrase "natural caretakers" underscores the societal view that teaching was simply an extension of women’s domestic and caregiving roles, aligning with the passage’s main theme.
D) Incorrect: The passage does not explicitly distinguish between teaching and caregiving at home in this context. The focus is on how both roles were perceived as part of the same caregiving ideology.
E) Incorrect: Although teacher training programs are discussed, the phrase "natural caretakers" reflects pre-training societal beliefs, not the motivation behind formalizing teaching.