lonespark | Caring Professions

#ThankATeacher #ThankANurse-nursing and teaching are the caring professions!!! http://t.co/XuaqMWnDUy
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) May 6, 2014

The idea of teaching and nursing as caring professions rubs me the wrong way. It seems to set up a contrast with other professions that says if you're too professional, or not as involved/emotional, then you're not a good nurse or teacher. I definitely don't know many nurses who are in it "to help people." Fewer than doctors. Nurses do help people, and I'm pretty sure that's true whether or not they're mainly in it for the money.

And of course it sets up a contrast with other professions that says says other careers don't express caring. And also that teaching/nursing is a lot of emotional work. It plays into the idea that these are professions for women, and of course that caring people don't demand to be paid for their expertise and labor. Bleh.