Few people have more influence over the future of the country than teachers.
We all remember teachers who helped shape the people we became as adults. Often we don't realize just how good they were until later in life. I'm talking about the tough teachers, with high standards and strong work ethics. The ones who won't settle for anything but the best from us.
Among the educators I remember is Miss Lathrop, who taught me how to diagram sentences in the sixth grade. And Mrs. Van Dyk, who, a few years later, instructed me in the unceremoniously dying art of arranging those sentences into cogent paragraphs, essays and stories. They — and the other skilled, passionate teachers under whom I was fortunate enough to study — fostered my intellectual curiosity and fed my nascent talents. They helped make possible the livelihood I've enjoyed as a journalist and an analyst.
Sadly, we also forget far more teachers than we remember, and I certainly had my share of this group. They did only what they needed to collect a paycheck. That is to say, they showed up for class, assigned textbook reading and homework and, ultimately, administered exams. They viewed teaching as just a job and approached it as such, with no passion or creativity.
It is, of course, no secret that too many of our schools today lack for teachers like Miss Lathrop and Mrs. Van Dyk. Instead, they are overrun with mediocrity or, worse, incompetence.
That's why I'm so encouraged by President Obama's plan to improve our public education system by, among other things, more accurately measuring teacher performance and rewarding the best in the field with higher compensation. Other highlights of the proposal: foster the development of charter schools, beef up curriculum standards and weed out bad teachers.
The National Education Association and other teachers' unions for years have resisted common-sense measures such as these that would greatly enhance both the quality of our culture and our economic competitiveness. Predictably, the unions greeted the Obama plan as it does any idea that would inject accountability for performance: with an unenthusiastic whimper. Take the following excerpt from the New York Times coverage of the plan's release:
Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4-million-member American Federation of Teachers, said her union embraced “the goals and aspirations” outlined by Mr. Obama. “As with any public policy,” Ms. Weingarten said, “the devil is in the details, and it is important that teachers’ voices are heard as we implement the president’s vision.”
The unions can no longer blindly fight any reforms that would alter a status quo that for too long has been poorly serving our youth, and thus our nation. It may not win me many admirers to say this, but poor teachers should have no job security. If I don't perform well at my job, I could be in danger of joining the unemployment line. Because their work is so important to the greater good, teachers should be held to no lower a standard. Conversely, the most outstanding educators should be rewarded commensurately, so that the best and brightest of our college graduates may be drawn to teaching careers rather than selling out to the highest bidders on Wall Street or in corporate America.
Americans can only hope that our elected representatives in Congress have the courage to transcend the tired political battles over public education and back the president's and other out-of-the-box approaches that might actually begin to solve the problem of our failing schools. Everyone deserves to remember at least one good teacher's positive influence.
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3 comments:
I write this with conflicting feelings. Nothing in this world is perfect. I am never one to sit back and say, "This is how we do things. It is how we always have done them and that is that."
In fact the argument that 'this is how it always has been done' is the worst reason to give me for anything in life.
So I am all for a good overhall and a thorough check -under- the- hood of anything in life-and I believe change is good.
I agree with your statements that a good teacher cannot be there to collect a paycheck. If that is the case and money is there only concern, they have chosen poorly and do no kid any good. Plus the money sucks. I also agree that a great teacher is a memory in our lives we will carry forever. I am proud to be a gifted teacher. I know this about myself internally and have been told by colleagues, peers and parents over the years. I have it written in my evaluations that I am known for " not coming for the paycheck".
I have worked side by side with those who are at best adequate and also with those about whom I wonder how they ever got a job. They should not have job protection- you are correct.
All that being said- don't all work environments have those who keep their post when they should not? Schools do not have a higher rate of that than any other work environment.
I am very protective of teachers-the ones who deserve protecting- and often feel I come off hard- assed when I ask people who criticize public school how they know it to be bad. By what criteria are you judging? What training do you have to impose such judgements? Do you asses your doctors medical abilities? Do we as a culture call in to question the competeance of our lawyers? No. But since we all went to school , we all think we know what it is like to be a teacher....or run a school. So we all see fit to weigh in at random on what is wrong with schools.
As a teacher, most of what people feel they know about public education is at best incorrect or misconstrued and at worst gossip. I call it the 20/20 Syndrome. They watch one episode on some dumb, oversimplifying news magazine show on any topic and then feel fully informed on the entirety of the topic. Educational issues often get the worst treatment on these shows and in commonly respected publications like the NYT and the like. Even they cover educational and developmental research in a vacuum. Then, a little knowledge becomes a dangerous thing.
Yes, there are bad teachers and principals, and yes they should be fired like the bad plumbers, waitresses, accountants, dentists and ditch diggers should when they do not cut it.
But I would not say the system is overrun with mediocrity and incompetance. It is replete with teachers who are running as fast as they can and kids who are not being raised by their parents. I will address that below.
I am not opposed to merit pay-god knows I would receive it so why knock that? I also think I should make more than those who are less talented. I couldn't care less about tenure, as anyone who knows me knows I have gotten it multiple times over.
I do think some unions for teachers get in the way just like the auto unions do - even tho they all started with good intentions.
I am not opposed to, like I mentioned before a good examination of what can be altered for the better. I just feel that accusing the entire profession as resisting accountability is unfair.
The teacher is ACCOUNTABLE for everything-whether we like it or not- trust me.. shit runs downstream.
We are raising America kids-not teaching them.
Let's double back for a minute. The measure by which most people will evaluate the education system is by the ALMIGHTY test scores right? Well they are a joke. The reasons kids in certain places do well and the reasons the kids in others do poorly are not what one would think. I always laugh when someone buys a house in a certain town because the looked at the test scores. HA!
Listen up- this is the truth. It is not the schools and teacher by- and -large. I am not passing blame. I will explain. Systems whose kids do poorly and are being 'left behind' (according to Bush- an educational system success poster- child) are usually in poor districts-urban or rural. The psychologist Maslow in his hierarchy of needs (illustrated by a pyramid) outlines that those who are preoccupied with basics needs like food, shelter, basic security and even love cannot reach the higher levels of self -actualization SO kids who are on welfare and whose mom is MIA and dad is in jail and who get reduced lunch and cannot afford a backpack or have to walk 3 miles to school and miss class during harvest time are not going to do well even if Einstein himself taught the classes. (Actually Einstein would probably have been a terrible teacher, but I digress. )
It is the breakdown of family structure that leads kids to come to school and be empty shells in the seats-unavailable learners. I am awesome at my job and I have seen that happen despite all the intelligence, energy and devotion I have to give.
Conversely, we praise other towns for achieving the highest scores in the county. Bull. Those kids are rich and spoiled and over- tutored and their teachers are told many times ,covertly and on the down-low, to teach to the test. One colleague told me in her district they were reminded that test scores drive the town's real estate market. And teachers were reminded that it it was up to them and the kids to keep that going strong. WHAT? The test scores here might be high, but have kids had an authentic learning experience? I think not. But who cares, the scores look good!( Maybe hand those schools some merit pay!!??? See, every good idea can be bastardized.)
Look, the kids who have good parents who love them and spend time with them and nurture them and encourage them and talk with them and handles struggles with care will always be fine no matter what the test scores n their town say and the kids who do not have that will suffer. No school system can fix that problem. One colleague in a moment of utter despair said " You cannot make steak outta chopped meat." She meant no disrespect to her students. She was frustrated and lost.
It is a larger societal issue. Imagine the entire wealthy town of Rye ,NY switching teaching staffs with a poorly performing neighborhood in the Bronx or Appalachia. Do you think, simply by switching the teaching staffs, those test scores would drastically change? Sadly, not likely.
Can a great relationship with a passionate teacher help an individual student overcome his or her family problems and bolster them, and encourage them? Yes. Can a relationship with a great teacher be a tremendous influence? Of course.
But there are only so many teachers in the country and a lot of needy kids. Sometimes it is overwhelming-and I say that knowing I worked in a "good" district.
Then on top of all the subtle, emotional, nuanced dynamics with the kids and families we serve, the government is changing the standards and the direction of our priorities every time we turn around and one person cannot keep up with it all. Each time that kids do not reach the standards-they raise them. Does that make sense? Every true educator out there is cringing in their pedagogical boots.
None of this standards and accountability nonsense comes organically from the grass roots. None of the 'reform' is done by anyone who has been there/done that and knows. It is all prompted by elected folks who wanna look tough on education come election time, and taxpayers who feel they are entitled to criticize because they pa taxes.
In short, this is a way more complicated situation than the NYT or any one news magazine show can portray. And it is not always as dire as the headlines will suggest. Some places and kids are a mess and some are great. I believe that no one gets up every day intending to do a shitty job at anything.
I think if we were offered more money and the job got more respect and status, it would be one a better crop of folks aspired to.
We are a profession, but often not treated as one.
(Many men cannot even consider it b/c it is not a living wage for someone who will be head of a family. Stronger male presence in elementary school would be a great addition to the school as a society.)
Make no mistake, high SAT scores are not enough to make someone a good teacher. You can brilliant, and great at Jeopardy , but if you do not have the talent of being able to understand people, demonstrate skills and appropriately question those around you into unearthing their development, your intelligence will be useless. Many of the worst teachers I know are PH.D's (which is one reason why i dropped out of my doctoral program).
In closing, I just hope the Obama plan for reform is ethnographic in its approach, allowing each district, school and even each classroom to be its own unique culture and society with the knowledge and ability and insight for addressing the problems IT has, not having to comply with rules that address the issues someone else has. I hope he does not suggest reform with broad brush solutions but with room for the Bronx to improve one way and Applalachia to improve another way. And a way for everyone else in between.
Sorry this was so long. :)
First, I do NOT believe that teachers are held to the same level of scrutiny as those who work in the private sector. I agree there are many more good teachers than bad. However, too many bad teachers keep their jobs and are entrusted with the education of our nation's youth.
I DO believe that the Teacher's Union deserves heavy heaps of blame for the declining quality of education in our country. To say that it is due more to declining family values is a cop-out.
Numbers don't lie. While no test is perfect, there is an unquestionable and INCREASING decline in the quality of public education whether you are in a poor or not so poor area.
I believe that a good neighborhood and home enviornment increases the ability for a child to do well in school, but does not preclude it.
I also believe that teachers should be charged with teaching, not parenting.
Parents need to be involved and vested in their child's education. Sadly, not all parents take ownership of this, but it starts with encouraging the type of leadership in teachers that promotes parental involvement which Stephanie writes about. This should not start and end with teachers, but extend to others in the community, especially parents.
I think that teaching is one of the most honerable professions. It's a shame that we haven't valued it as much as other countries have, but this needs to change. I've heard that in Japan, teachers are thought of as highly as docters.
I agree with an increase in teacher's salary as standards are raised. If securing a coveted teaching job is as difficult as say, obtaining say a Marketing or Finance Manager position, the perception of teachers would improve in, and outside the profession.
However, it must and should start with better standards. To start, teachers need to be evaluated at the same level of accountability as folks in the private sector. I don't proport that this be done solely on the basis of an "ALMIGHTY" test score; but this should be a component.
Both my parents were teachers and I belive very good ones. Both believed that the teaching profession could have a better system to encourage self-development, and higher standards.
I'd like to know what metrics teachers would recommend they use to evaluate results given the complex nature of their profession?
HOW would a teacher propose to evaluate a peer's effectiveness?
Sadly I wish the "unavailable student" was a myth. But I stand behind my assertion that sometimes teaching is like asking for blood from a stone when kids are not whole and ready to learn. I agree we, as teachers should not be parenting the kids, but by default we end up doing so quite often. This assertion is not a cop- out just one explanation as to why solutions are not always black and white.
PS Given the latest news about the irresponsible behavior of the private sector I find it funny you should demand teachers be held to their standards! As if they are respectable......
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