--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Definitely we see throughout history that…" description: "\"Definitely we see throughout history that American teachers are asked to be very self-abnegating. They're not supposed to be concerned with the conditi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg" --- # Definitely we see throughout history that American… ![“Definitely we see throughout history that American teachers are asked to be very self-abnegating. They're not supposed to be concerned with the conditions of their labor, they're not supposed to care about pay. This is the kind of vision of the ideal teacher, which is again and again brought to…” quote by Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg) > “Definitely we see throughout history that American teachers are asked to be very self-abnegating. They're not supposed to be concerned with the conditions of their labor, they're not supposed to care about pay. This is the kind of vision of the ideal teacher, which is again and again brought to the fore by reformers, the ideal teacher as someone who is passionately driven to serve children. Almost to the exclusion of a more pragmatic view of what the job actually entails.” [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American education idealizes self‑sacrificing teachers, ignoring labor conditions and fair pay, framing teaching as pure service to children. **In simple terms:** Teachers are expected to sacrifice themselves for students. Key Takeaway Advocate for realistic teacher support and fair labor conditions. Themes education labor rights idealism reform teacher identity Mood critical reflective concerned Type analytical critical When to use this quote - classroom management - union negotiations - policy advocacy - teacher training - public discourse Key Concepts self‑abnegation service ethos systemic pressure Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑sacrifice affect teacher burnout? - What policies could balance idealism with practical support? A Different Perspective Idealism may overlook teachers’ well‑being and effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Pragmatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pragmatic/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [The ideal teacher guides his students but does not pull them along; he urges them to go forward and does not suppress them; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-ideal-teacher-guides-his-students-but-does-not-pull-them-along-he/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The ideal teacher student relationship exists when the student is better than the teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzaburo-oe/the-ideal-teacher-student-relationship-exists-when-the-student-is/) [Kenzaburo Oe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzaburo-oe/) > [American teachers have one indisputable advantage over foreign ones; they understand the American temperament and can judge its unevenness, its lights and its shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philip-sousa/american-teachers-have-one-indisputable-advantage-over-foreign-ones/) [John Philip Sousa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philip-sousa/) > [Teachers are asked to do so much, and they can't be good at every single thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/teachers-are-asked-to-do-so-much-and-they-can-t-be-good-at-every/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [When I was in nursery school, the teachers asked me, y'know, 'What does your dad do for a living?' So I said 'He helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/when-i-was-in-nursery-school-the-teachers-asked-me-y-know-what-does/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [“Focusing on the public school system, former Secretary of Education, William Bennett explains the moral crisis in that institution by contrasting the concerns of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-j-beckwith/focusing-on-the-public-school-system-former-secretary-of-education/) [Francis J. Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-j-beckwith/) > [Prior to being allowed to enter the profession, prospective teachers should be asked to talk with a group of friendly students for at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/prior-to-being-allowed-to-enter-the-profession-prospective-teachers/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [As a matter of fact, I constantly tell audiences all over the world that the single greatest icon of American culture from the publication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-flynt/as-a-matter-of-fact-i-constantly-tell-audiences-all-over-the-world/) Wayne Flynt > [“Currently, “minority” students represent a majority in all but two of our twenty-five largest cities, and by some estimates, the turn of the century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-delpit/currently-minority-students-represent-a-majority-in-all-but-two-of/) [Lisa Delpit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-delpit/) > [“The evidence suggested that many American parents treated their children as if they were delicate flowers. In one Columbia University study, 85 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-evidence-suggested-that-many-american-parents-treated-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Your intensity increases your productivity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-intensity-increases-your-productivity/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Always put your heart into and show commitment in whatever you do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/always-put-your-heart-into-and-show-commitment-in-whatever-you-do/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I think that all people that get to a certain level of their celebrity are brands. I accept that. I don't value it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/i-think-that-all-people-that-get-to-a-certain-level-of-their/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [Germany will continue to play a central - perhaps even a more important - role in the European Union. I think that we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/germany-will-continue-to-play-a-central-perhaps-even-a-more-important/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [“Pragmatic Programmers are different. We are driven to find our bugs now, so we don't have to endure the shame of others finding our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hunt/pragmatic-programmers-are-different-we-are-driven-to-find-our-bugs/) [Andrew Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hunt/) ## More by Dana Goldstein > [In North Carolina, for example, it takes 15 years to move a teacher's salary from $30,000 to $40,000. So it's really difficult to argue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/in-north-carolina-for-example-it-takes-15-years-to-move-a-teacher-s/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [There's a small movement of teacher-led schools across the country. These are schools that don't have a traditional principal, teachers come together and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/there-s-a-small-movement-of-teacher-led-schools-across-the-country/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [I wrote a work of history, I looked at over 500 sources - I spent three-and-a-half years on the project. I think the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/i-wrote-a-work-of-history-i-looked-at-over-500-sources-i-spent-three/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [Just in general, when we look at our school system, there is so much overlap with our criminal justice system in terms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/just-in-general-when-we-look-at-our-school-system-there-is-so-much/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [I don't think school reform should be motivated by missionary zeal. I think it should be motivated by evidence of what works. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/i-don-t-think-school-reform-should-be-motivated-by-missionary-zeal-i/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [Younger teachers are definitely more likely to have worked at charter schools as opposed to have just heard of them. Charter schools explicitly look,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/younger-teachers-are-definitely-more-likely-to-have-worked-at-charter/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [“In 1899 the Supreme Court ruled in Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education that Augusta, Georgia, had not defied the Constitution by shutting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/in-1899-the-supreme-court-ruled-in-cumming-v-richmond-county-board-of/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [Men are more salary-sensitive when they're choosing a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/men-are-more-salary-sensitive-when-they-re-choosing-a-job/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [The first generation of school reformers I talk about - nineteenth century education reformer Horace Mann, Catharine Beecher - they are true believers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/the-first-generation-of-school-reformers-i-talk-about-nineteenth/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [Younger teachers are definitely more likely to have worked at charter schools as opposed to have just heard of them. Charter schools explicitly look,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/younger-teachers-are-definitely-more-likely-to-have-worked-at-charter-2/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [If you're afraid to talk to the other adults in your school it is definitely throughout history the hallmark of a failing school. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/if-you-re-afraid-to-talk-to-the-other-adults-in-your-school-it-is/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [There are a lot of polls that show that actually Americans have a pretty high opinion of teachers, that Americans think teachers are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/there-are-a-lot-of-polls-that-show-that-actually-americans-have-a/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [Coming to the civil rights movement in the twentieth century, we begin to have this idea that's still with us today, which is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/coming-to-the-civil-rights-movement-in-the-twentieth-century-we-begin/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [The idea that because the school day is shorter or the school year is shorter than the sort of white collar workday or work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/the-idea-that-because-the-school-day-is-shorter-or-the-school-year-is/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [There's definitely a tension between the way teaching is talked about and understood at the political level and how everyday average Americans think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/there-s-definitely-a-tension-between-the-way-teaching-is-talked-about/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) [Explore all 35 Dana Goldstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Definitely we see throughout history that American teachers are asked to be very self-abnegating. They're not supposed to be concerned with the conditions of their labor, they're not supposed to care about pay. This is the kind of vision of the ideal teacher, which is again and again brought to the fore by reformers, the ideal teacher as someone who is passionately driven to serve children. Almost to the exclusion of a more pragmatic view of what the job actually entails.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dana Goldstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/definitely-we-see-throughout-history-that-american-teachers-are-asked/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Care" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/definitely-we-see-throughout-history-that-american-teachers-are-asked/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/dana-goldstein-18041_care_definitely-we-see-throughout-history-tha_524554.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Definitely we see throughout history that American teachers are asked to be very self-abnegating. They're…” — Dana Goldstein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dana Goldstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Definitely we see throughout history that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/definitely-we-see-throughout-history-that-american-teachers-are-asked/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/definitely-we-see-throughout-history-that-american-teachers-are-asked/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```