Many teachers used to be the students who were good at the system. I think that’s a fair statement. I know I was. I didn’t have to work too hard in school, it came fairly easily to me. I got by, played the game, did fine, went to university, and the pattern repeated.  How many students become teachers? What’s the ratio?

According to World Bank, there are about 34 million people in Canada, and according to Stats Canada as of March 2008 there were about 5.2 million students in Canada, and 692,000 teachers. This means that currently about 2% of the population of Canada are currently in a classroom as a teacher.

So does this mean that the ones who are in the school system as teachers and administrators are the 2% that succeeded under the system, and therefore we are less likely to think that the system needs an overhaul and change?  With all the Occupy Wall Street protests around North America pointing out that the top 1% of earners are in control of the majority of decision making, maybe it’s worth a few minutes to consider this in an education context.

Are WE the 2%? If so, what do we do now?