Stephen Downes

I think this is a fun podcast episode (you can find a transcript a couple of links deep) that draws out some uncomfortable truths and hides some others. The truths it draws out are listed in this post and relate to the commonly held idea that teaching is something anyone can do; all it requires is dedication and "a little good old-fashioned middle class common sense about individual achievement and personal responsibility." What it hides is how you can make people think something is true with a skewed selection of data and a 20 year-old reference. There's rather more range in media portrayals of teachers than is found here.