The Responsibility of a Teacher

Chris Lehmann's An Open Letter to Natalie Munroe writes that when Munroe wrote about what she did on her blog, her students do not need to treat her with respect. He reminds her that each student has value and worth and she ignored that when she disrespected them on a public blog. He criticizes her cruelty towards the teenagers and the fact that she did not apologize. Munroe failed to take the "moral high ground" and instead responded in a rash, inconsiderate, and even childish manner.  Encouraging her to rethink her decision to be a teacher, Lehmann's main argument of his letter is the responsibility of a teacher. A teacher is trusted to educate his/her students, while treating each one with equal respect and valuing their identity as human beings. It is essential that a teacher be humble and genuinely care about the students. He writes that the job of a teacher "should demand the best of you."

Lehmann's argument contains many rhetorical strategies, including appeals to logos, ethos and pathos. He addresses her cruelty to the students and that no student deserves to be treated with such disrespect, which appeals to her emotionally. When discussing the ethical obligation of a teacher and failure to take the "moral high road", Lehmann uses ethos, or ethical appeals. He uses logos when describing the frustration of teaching (especially kids) and how, as an adult, she should have handled the situation. Also, Lehmann uses syntax to drive his main point, such as using one-sentence paragraphs to emphasize emotional appeals.

Do you think Lehmann was correct in his idea of the responsibility of a teacher? Let me know in the comments.