the following are my comments re the recent PhD/EdD debate. Pls use it for your webpage if you like..........................tp
NETTERS,
PLEASE PUT UP WITH ME ONE MORE TIME...PLS BEAR WITH ME JUST FOR A MOMENT.....BUT I FEEL I MUST AGAIN INTERCEDE IN THIS NEW DEBATE BECAUSE, ONCE MORE, THE REAL ISSUES ARE BEING CONVENIENTLY AND POLITELY SIDESTEPPED.
1. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN DEGREE OR IN KIND BETWEEN A PHD AND AN EDD WHATEVER ITS PROVENANCE. THE POINT IS...THE HOLDERS OF EITHER OF THESE PARCHMENTS ARE GENERALLY THE WORST TEACHERS. I HAVE SEEN THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND I THINK EVERYONE HAS TOO.
2. THE REASON PEOPLE GO FOR THE PHD HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR LOVE OF LEARNING OR SOME SUCH. IT HAS TO DO WITH THEIR FEAR, ABHORRENCE AND INCOMPETENCE GOING INTO A CLASSROOM AND TEACHING.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT AFTER 5 YEARS OR SO OF ACTUAL TEACHING, ESPECIALLY IN A FIELD SUCH AS ESL WHICH REQUIRES INTENSE AND DAILY CONTACT WITH STUDENTS, MOST TEACHERS WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL. IF THEY WANT TO STAY IN THE FIELD, THAT MEANS GETTING INTO "ADMINISTRATION". FOR THESE PEOPLE, WHICH MEANS MOST ESL TEACHERS, 2 OR 3 CONTACT HOURS PER WEEK IS OK, SO LONG AS THEIR "REAL" WORK IS IN ADMINISTRATION (PAPER-SHUFFLING)...OR THE BEAUTIFULLY MISNAMED ABOMINATION: MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT. THEY DON'T MIND COMING DOWN AND CAVORTING WITH THE HOI POLOI AND PONTIFICATING FOR A FEW HOURS A WEEK..
BUT4 OR 5 OR 6 HOURS A DAY WITH THE SNOTTY BRATS, DAY AFTER DAY, WEEK AFTER WEEK, YEAR AFTER YEAR....OH,GOODNESS GRACIOUS, NO.
THEREFORE, VOILA, THE PHD. AND ANYWAY, WHAT DOES A PHD IN ESL DO? .....WHAT ON EARTH IS THERE TO DISCUSS? THERE'S NOTHING TO DISCUSS, NOTHING TO PHD OR EDD ABOUT, AT LEAST WITH A STRAIGHT FACE. A NETTER RECENTLY MENTIONED THAT ESL IN JAPAN IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE A FLOP...WHAT I THINK HE MEANT IS NOT THAT ESL IN JAPAN IS A FLOP BUT THAT ESL PERIOD IS A FLOP. ONE MAY AS WELL BE DISCUSSING LAWN-MOWING........CEASE TALKING ABOUT IT....JUST GO OUT AND DO IT.
3. IT USED TO BE THAT A PHD (OR WHATEVER) MEANT SOMETHING. IT USED TO BE THAT A PHD WAS ONLY THE FINAL DOOR OPENING TO AN ACADEMIC LIFE RESEARCHING AND TEACHING (and, heaven help me, reflecting). IT WAS AFTER YOU GOT THE PHD THAT YOU WOULD DO YOUR REAL AND SIGNIFICANT WORK. BUT NOW? IT'S BECOME A WAY TO AVOID FACING THE FUTURE GENERATIONS, UNPALATABLE THO I GRANT THEY ARE. LEGIONS OF PHDS NOW SIT ON THEIR SUPPOSED LAURELS AND COMMISERATE AMONG THEMSELVES ON THEIR UNFORTUNATE STATION IN LIFE. A LITTLE PUBLISHING HERE (HARRUUMPH), A LITTLE PUBLISHING THERE (SMACK, SMACK), AND THAT'S THEIR CONTRIBUTION.
IN FACT, WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT EDUCATION AS A WHOLE HAS BEEN DEMOCRATIZED AND "LIBERATED" SO THAT THE LOWER SOCIAL CLASSES CAN HAVE SOME PRETENCE OF "MOVING UP" TO THE UPPER SOCIAL CLASSES (A PREPOSTEROUS NOTION). (DON'T GIVE THEM MONEY OR POWER....GIVE THEM "STATUS"...IS THE BY- WORD OF THOSE WHO KNOW). AND SO, EDUCATION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.....AND IN MY OPINION ESPECIALLY AT THE TOP, HAS TURNED INTO A FARCE BY ADMITTING INTO ITS ONCE ELITEST (AS IT SHOULD BE) SCHOLASTIC RANKS FRAUDS WHO SHOULDN'T BE THERE.
IT USED TO BE THAT IF YOU GOT A PHD, SAY IN ENGLISH LITERATURE, YOU NOT ONLY WERE AN EXPERT ON ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE FROM DAY ONE TO THE PRESENT, BUT YOU WERE ALSO COMPETENT IN AT LEAST TWO OR 3 OTHER LITERATURES, ONE OF WHICH WOULD IDEALLY BE A NON-INDOEUROPEAN LITERATURE.......AND YOU HAD AT LEAST A READING KNOWLEDGE OF AT LEAST 3 LANGUAGES BESIDES ENGLISH (APART FROM THIS, YOU WERE EXPECTED TO KNOW LATIN, OF COURSE....NOT AS A LANGUAGE BUT AS A TOOL...THIS WAS A SINE QUA NON).
BUT NOW? I'VE MET SO MANY BA'S MA'S AND PHD'S IN ESL AND OTHER FIELDS THAT ARE IGNORANT OF SO MANY THINGS THAT WERE ONCE TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
WHEN I GOT MY PHD, IT WAS...HOW SHALL I PUT IT....NO BIG THING. AS FAR AS MY PROFESSORS WERE CONCERNED, OBVIOUSLY I WAS GOING FOR THE PHD AND OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS NO QUESTION THAT I WOULD GET IT...THERE WAS NO DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.....IT WAS NEARLY A SIDE-ISSUE COMPARED TO THE REAL WORK AND RESEARCH I WAS DOING . WHEN THE TIME CAME TO GO THRU THE MOTIONS, (PRELIM EXAMS, DEFENSE OF MY DISSERTATION ETC.), IT WAS ALL DEJA-VU...WE HAD ALREADY GONE THRU SIMILAR DISCUSSION/MEETINGS SEVERAL TIMES. THERE WAS NO HOOPLA, NO FANFARE, NO NOTHING.
THEREFORE, THE NET DISCUSSION ON THE RELATIVE VALUE OF PHDS AS OPPOSED TO EDDS WHEREVER THEY MAY BE OBTAINED IS SMOKESCREEN, PURE AND SIMPLE THE REAL QUESTION AND THE REAL ISSUE IS: DO PHD'S OR EDDS COUNT FOR ANYTHING ANYMORE....ESPECIALLY IN SUCH A PSEUDO-FIELD AS ESL?
THE ANSWER IS NO. DITTO THE MA.
TIM PERIOR
UPSILON@JUNO.COM
THE FOLLOWING ADDENDUM WAS SENT AS A PERSONAL RESPONSE TO A NETTER. I AM INCLUDING IT HERE BECAUSE IT MAY HAVE SOME USE TO READERS OF MY ABOVE ARTICLE:
Of course, if you are going to stay in the ESL field, a PhD or EdD would be essential if you ever want to do other things than classroom teaching....I recognize that. Therefore, I have no problem with you or anyone else going for the highest degree you can get.
The whole point in my comments to date is to point out that in my opinion, the ESL field - looked at as a profession - is fraudulent. An ESL teacher"s only job is to teach ESL in class...........to go from that point into what it's become has no basis in reality.
Of the thousands of articles, publications, methods etc. that I've run across in the field in my career, I can honestly say that no more than a couple of these have assisted me in my classroom teaching one iota..............My question has always been - after reading these articles - How can this help me in my class? What on earth has this got to do with anything that goes on in my class? My response has always been............ZILCH. But I recognize the world we live in and if you want to continue in the field, I have no problem with it.
As to your particluar concern....here's my advice. When all is said and done, you will almost surely put as much time AND MONEY into getting a PhD as in getting the EdD.....therefore, why take the risk? The PhD is the recognized degree EVERYWHERE, so I'd go for that..................if the EdD were cheaper to get, easier to get and involved much less time in obtaining, then of course, I'd go for that. But it isn't. They both are equal in that respect. Hope this helps. TP