Passage 3
Teaching
Teaching is the process by which a
person helps other people learn. It is one of our
most important activities. Teaching helps people
gain the knowledge and attitudes they need to
be responsible citizens, earn a living, and lead a useful, rewarding life. Teaching also
provides the chief means of passing knowledge on to the next generation. If there were no
teachers, people would have to learn everything by themselves. Few people could learn
enough on their own to get along in the world. The world itself would changes greatly as
mankind lost the knowledge, skills, and ideals inherited from past generations.
Much teaching takes place informally—that is,
outside school. In the home, for example, parents teach
their children everyday skills, as well as values and habits.
Business and industries often teach their employees
necessary job skills. Nevertheless, when people speak of
teaching, they usually mean formal teaching—the kind
provided in schools by professional teachers.
More people belong to the teaching profession
than to any other. Nearly 20 million men and women
throughout the world are professional teachers. The United States has almost 3 million
teachers, and Canada has more than 300,000.
The teaching profession has developed mainly since the early 1800’s, when the first
teacher—training schools began in Western Europe. Before then, school teachers received
little or no special training. Today, most countries require teachers to complete a
professional training program and to meet professional standards.
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