As some of you can tell by the title, I am blogging out of frustration and may not necessarily mean that I don't want to teach anymore. However, after watching Oprahs' episode glorifying D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, I can no longer stomach the disrespect that teachers are subject to. I won't use this as a forum to rip the chancellor (I'll save that for another post), but I do want to address the gamut of issues that plague our school systems. Issues that have seemed to be scapegoated by the teachers who are asked to overcome these issues. So, since the Oprah show only focused on ineffective teachers, I'll focus on everything else.
Compensation: I think this is the most obvious factor when it comes to education. While other fields enjoy pay comparable to the amount of time that they put in, teachers are often asked to go above and beyond without being compensated properly. Now, I don't mind putting my business out there, so telling you all that I started out making 42K in Washington, D.C. doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that after taxes, I can't afford a decent place to live on this salary. If being undervalued doesn't take affect in any other form, it does in the pockets. Of course, people outside of the education arena will try to mind fuck us (yes I said fuck! lol) into thinking that it shouldn't be about money, but how else are we supposed to live?
Socioeconomic Status: I heard the chancellor say (this isn't an exact quote) that all students can learn regardless of the circumstances. In theory, this is a great attitude to have because you shouldn't walk into a classroom and think that all of your students will be failures because they are from a particular background. The thing about theory, is that when it is applied to real life situations, it may not work as well as we liked to think it will. Actually, to really believe that socioeconomic situations don't affect education and learning would suggest that you as a person deal in idealism. For a person to make that statement and actually believe it means that he/she is a little out of touch with reality. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has made it very clear that poor students don't need as much money as students that are well off. While this is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard, it speaks to the agenda of the people at the top pulling the strings.
Classroom Size: Have you ever tried to get order in a room full of 20+ children??? No? Well not only do teachers in the District have to gain order and control, but they also have to make sure every student is on or above grade level. Now, Chancellor Rhee bragged about closing schools that were under performing. These schools already had large class sizes, so what happened to the students at these schools? Yup! You guessed it. These students were placed into already over crowded schools and classrooms to put more pressure on teachers. Sad reality: Given the differences in learning styles, if you place 30+ students in a classroom, they won't all learn.
Standardized Tests: If you have heard of NCLB then you have an idea that test scores tie into how much money schools receive. The problem with this is that administrators put pressure on teachers to raise test scores "by any means necessary". This forces teachers to "teach to the test" instead of create a well rounded educational experience. This method of teaching doesn't not foster learning, but well else can you do if this is required of you as educators?
Parent Involvement (or lack thereof): The first teachers that children will ever have are their parents. The epidemic of "babies having babies" has severely inhibited childrens early years learning. With that being said, children are coming into classrooms knowing the hottest song on the radio, but not their ABC's. How effective can you be as a teacher if you aren't receiving reinforcement at home? Not to mention that curricula are filled with standards that parents should be teaching at home anyway. Why as a physical education teacher do I have to teach about hygiene? Students should come to school without knowing about hygiene!!! But today some parents would rather we raise their kids. I parent told me on the first day of school that they sure are glad that their child is back in school so that they can get a break. Is this what it has come to? Parents placing the onus of child rearing on teachers?
Just writing this post has made me more angry. To enter a career as thankless as teaching, and then to be told that you are the primary reason for the decline of student achievement is a bit of a smack in the face. I do understand that there are teachers out there who are horrible and need to be run out of the school system, but what about the teachers who are being pushed out without any type of support. If this continues, the teaching profession will become more unattractive than it already is, and getting people to enter the field will be more challenging than trying to educate students. I'll just tell people like Chancellor Rhee, goodluck with that. Now, that may sound harsh, but "I'm Just Sayin'"...
3 comments:
Hey! I have a few comments! First, I understand your frustration! I used to be a teacher, as well.
A few things:
While I think teachers should be paid more, and I believe teachers in DCPS just got a raise, I will say that the not so great pay ensures that the people in the field are people who do it because they care. If the salary was somewhere around 80,000, I can guarantee you, the schools would be full of well compensated teachers who are driven by money, and not by a passion for their work. Some people would see the money as a driving factor to do a great job, but others wouldn't.
Also, while I believe students with children from certain poorer socioeconomic backgrounds should receive more funding, I also believe that you can do extremely well with minimal funding. Think of all the countries in Africa that provide their youth with a phenomenal education on a shoestring budget. You know what the difference is? Their parents, which you mentioned. More than money, schools need informed and active parents. Money is always helpful to provide supplies, but if a child has 100 pencils and dozens of textbooks, but no parent to ensure they do their homework, the money means nothing. On the other hand, you can do a whole lot with little supplies but an active parent. We have to focus our energy on parental involvement when money can't be found. I had some students in Watts who were extremely poor, but had active parents, and were straight A students. Meanwhile, other kids who had the flyest clothes, brand new backpacks, but parents who didn't check their homework had horrible grades.
And while you may feel it is thankless, I'd like to say, THANK YOU, for educating our youth. We appreciate it, and the children may not say it now, but they appreciate you too. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for educators. Thank you again!
http://www.awordorthree.com
Hey! I have a few comments! First, I understand your frustration! I used to be a teacher, as well.
A few things:
While I think teachers should be paid more, and I believe teachers in DCPS just got a raise, I will say that the not so great pay ensures that the people in the field are people who do it because they care. If the salary was somewhere around 80,000, I can guarantee you, the schools would be full of well compensated teachers who are driven by money, and not by a passion for their work. Some people would see the money as a driving factor to do a great job, but others wouldn't.
Also, while I believe students with children from certain poorer socioeconomic backgrounds should receive more funding, I also believe that you can do extremely well with minimal funding. Think of all the countries in Africa that provide their youth with a phenomenal education on a shoestring budget. You know what the difference is? Their parents, which you mentioned. More than money, schools need informed and active parents. Money is always helpful to provide supplies, but if a child has 100 pencils and dozens of textbooks, but no parent to ensure they do their homework, the money means nothing. On the other hand, you can do a whole lot with little supplies but an active parent. We have to focus our energy on parental involvement when money can't be found. I had some students in Watts who were extremely poor, but had active parents, and were straight A students. Meanwhile, other kids who had the flyest clothes, brand new backpacks, but parents who didn't check their homework had horrible grades.
And while you may feel it is thankless, I'd like to say, THANK YOU, for educating our youth. We appreciate it, and the children may not say it now, but they appreciate you too. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for educators. Thank you again!
http://www.awordorthree.com
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