Stephen Sondheim celebrates the power of teachers

Broadway musical legend Stephen Sondheim treasures the role that teachers have played in his life, and today helps honor educators with the annual Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards. In this web exclusive, Mo Rocca talks with Sondheim about the teachers who have inspired him, and visits with a recent award recipient, Tracey Rains of Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Tennessee, whose selfless mentoring of student Chelsea Hayes was nothing short of life-altering.
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Thank God there are still those with the common sense to understand that pandering to students is the absolutely worst thing a society can do

[@iamthatguy1169]

Yes, I'm a teacher of 30 years who's worked all around the New York metro area and that is whats being pushed today. It's to the point that so many students have special individual instructions on how to handle them that they are now the ones in charge and the teachers answer to them. Push them past their level of comfort (which doesn't take much today) and risk being falsely accused of any number of harassment narratives. Their favorite go to accusation usually has a sexually inappropriate angle since they've been taught that it will never be challenged, provides instant results and anonymity so no one has to know they fabricated a story. Unfortunately this is not just the education system but the way the world is systematically slipping into degeneracy by pandering to the lowest common denominator. Well at least everyone gets a trophy haha,...actually I wish I was being funny.

[@guystudios]

I never had a teacher who tried to make me struggle, but it’s interesting to see what kinds of teaching methods exist out there.

[@nezahualcoyotlarrieta-rey3341]

We "must struggle"? My late grandmother--and later my mother--would say, "One must suffer in order to deserve"--yes, they were Catholics. Boy oh boy does the church do a number on people! I wonder if this teacher thinks of herself as a Catholic? :P

[@jadenwaz9585]

It’s one of those things that you hate to hear until you realize it’s true.

[@sonnysalvador]

Very nice :) We have to take care of the teachers much more and make them feel appreciated, I believe the more we give our teachers our love the more much more will they give back. I liked it :)

[@ersatie9777]

"Very nice" is where it always stops. Teachers need more than appreciation; they need to be justly compensated. Teachers are already giving; they are not required to give more back. The poor conditions of the teacher is representative of the overall myopic view of education and the arts in the United States. Until more attention is given to this under-respected profession, this country will continue its already declining stature among the world's more civilized nations.

[@yiwen4471]

I so so much agree with this teacher's point. The American culture puts too much emphasis on protecting family members or friends' self-esteem. It restricted people from getting an honest opinion from others, and therefore it resulted in the person who needed to be helped not getting help. It prevents the person who needs to get better but not able to because nobody wanted to hurt that person's feelings. This kind of mentality has produced a bad result in the long-term.

[@miks48]

It's not about protecting self-esteem. It's about avoiding discomfort. Self-esteem is built by overcoming discomfort and other mental barriers.