For so long I have been offended when anyone tried to point the finger at teachers as a source of the problem with education. I know many amazing educators who give everything they have to the art of teaching, as I know I do. But the reality is that not all teachers do. And there are unqualified, ineffective teachers in classrooms all across the nation. Do I want them protected, simply because they are part of the same career path as me? Perhaps it is time that I start viewing this approach to teacher performance differently.
As a qualified, effective teacher I am confident that I will be evaluated highly by my administrator. I get nervous about test scores, though. I even wrote a letter to my state representative regarding a bill in the Missouri House related to teacher evaluation, test scores, and tenure, and I posted it on this blog. But if I truly believe that all children can learn and succeed, should I fear? Yes, my students come to me with multiple disadvantages - poverty, unstable homes, lack of parent support - but does that mean that my students can't be proficient in reading and math? And am I enough to make that happen or is there too much out there beyond my control that I may never be able to overcome?
More than every I am open to the elimination of tenure. Other companies and jobs do not have this concept. Teachers have long argued that without tenure, districts would be free to terminate employees at will, without just causes. Isn't that the same in the normal workforce as well? And if we are all effective and high-performing, then what are we afraid of? I, for one, feel pretty comfortable that I could keep my job without tenure and I teach a class that isn't even required by the district! In the film, they showed a deal offered to DC teachers that they could forgo tenure and more than double their salary. The unions wouldn't even vote on it because they found it so threatening. If we were offered that same deal here, I would be the first in line to take the increased salary. I am confident in what I do and honestly, it would be nice to feel like the pay was proportionate to the work.
I have to admit that the film gave me much to think about and digest over the next couple of months as we have summer break (Which for the record is a great example of the variance among teachers. Myself and a handful of others I know will spend the summer meeting with kids, tutoring for free, and attending professional development to grow our craft, while others choose not to. We get paid the same.) My mind is opening to new possibilities and my thoughts about how to fix this broken system are evolving. In short, I am learning. And really, that's what it's all about.
2 comments:
And isn't this open-mindedness and continuous learning exactly what we want to pass along to kids?!? I'm proud of you for your personal evolution. It's important.
I feel the same way you did before the film (it's on my Netflix queue right now, by the way)--immediately bristling up at any mention of teachers being responsible for education's shortcomings. Like any profession, there are "good" ones and "bad" ones. But anyway, we could talk all day about all the issues you bring up, but I did want to mention my concern with relying solely on test scores (because in my most recent district, that's ALL anyone cares about). It's not so much that we don't want kids to be proficient...it's the way we're measuring them. I just don't think teaching kids multiple choice skills is going to help them in an essay world (loosely paraphrased from Kelly Gallagher).
Lots to think about. Make sure you carve out a little time to relax this summer in the midst of all your hard work!
-Kristin-
I absolutely agree about not using test scores alone. There are too many outside influencing factors. Really, the kid could have a terrible morning and then the whole thing is off. Or one of your best students can just not be paying attention and miss two entire pages (happened to me this year)! I think tests have their place, but I wish they were done differently and as you said, they are not always an accurate measure of what kids know. I worry about what will happen in Missouri when they go to electronic testing, which I assume will be all multiple choice. How can we tell kids aren't just guessing? On the other hand, electronic testing means we have more time to teach before testing and can cover more material. So many different perspectives! And this is why I am still evolving!
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