Everywhere I look recently I see an article or hear a news story about a bad teacher. The media is digging out bad teacher stories like squirrels looking for a nut. Don't get me wrong--most of the bad teacher stories I read are appalling. But it made me wonder why bad teachers are getting so much attention. Why not bad doctors? Or bad waitresses? Or bad mail carriers?
All of this public attention to bad teachers seems to have created the perception that bad teachers are everywhere. I have to disagree with that. I would say that 95 percent of the teachers I have worked with are good teachers. I have taught in 2 different states and 5 different schools for a total of 21 years. The good teachers I know far outweigh the bad teachers. So why aren't the good teachers getting attention? I'll tell you why--because good teachers do what they do day in and day out without flashiness. Their students come to school, work hard, and learn what they are supposed to learn. Good teachers do their job. There is nothing dramatic about it, so the news doesn't want to report on it. Have you noticed how the news is all doom and gloom? Everything is overly dramatized. Which headline would you read: "Teacher refuses to let student eat lunch" or "5 students finally learn their multiplication facts"?
Don't get me wrong--bad teachers do not belong in the classroom. But here is the problem with the media pointing them out like they are as common as leaves on a tree--good teachers have to deal with the consequences and with a negative public perception.
Take what is happening right now in my state (North Carolina). After several years of successful teaching, teachers are awarded something called "career status." This is NOT tenure. We do not have tenure. All career status means is that you are an established teacher and you have formal observations between 1 - 3 times a year. You can still be fired, or you can be encouraged to resign, or you can be treated so terribly by your administrator that you quit voluntarily. Career status is not a sure thing. Well, a certain politician in our state (his name might be Phil Berger but I'm not really sure about that--wink wink) has decided that TENURE for public education employees must end. Again, I must repeat that WE DO NOT HAVE TENURE, so you know this clueless dude has not even done his homework. He has decided that bad teachers are so prevalent and cannot be easily gotten rid of so all teachers must go on a year to year contract. In theory, that sounds okay. But think about it . . . in this bill it states that teachers may not have their contract renewed for any reason, and this reason does not even need to be revealed to the teacher. Think about these scenarios:
Scenario A--Your principal decides she doesn't like you for some reason. It has nothing to do with your teaching ability. She just doesn't like your personality. Maybe you don't kiss ass enough. Maybe you don't joke around with her enough. Maybe you forget to give her a gift for Bosses Day. End of the year rolls around--guess what? No contract for you!
Scenario B--Your principal asks you to do something that is unethical or illegal. You know it is wrong. If you do what he asks, your conscience suffers because you know it is wrong. If you don't do what he asks, guess what? No contract for you!
Scenario C--You have a class that is loaded with behavior problems, non-English speaking students, special education kids, and children living in poverty. That particular year your test scores aren't as good as normal. The principal decides you have lost your touch. No contract for you!
I think you get my point. Teaching is part art and part science. It is part instinct and part knowledge. It changes from year to year. Teachers do not produce a product. We enable children to gain knowledge. Children are complex. They might not want to learn. They might not be able to learn. They might have more pressing issues in their lives than learning how to divide. A child's medical, social, emotional, and socio-economic background all play a part in how a child learns. Teachers are only one part of the puzzle that determines how much a child learns.
So what is the solution then? We cannot have bad teachers in the classroom, that much I agree with. Here is what needs to happen: Administrators need to step up to the plate. They need to do classroom walk-throughs (unannounced) on a regular basis. They need to see what the climate of the classroom is at various times. Administrators can't be afraid to have a conversation with someone that sounds something like "I think teaching might not be your calling." Also, the media needs to stop presenting stories about bad teachers like they are a dime a dozen. Finally, politicians need to stay out of it. Let the system work. Don't punish good teachers by a knee-jerk reaction to bad teacher stories.
If Phil Berger gets his way, it will be a scary time to be a teacher in North Carolina. I think many good teachers will decide to leave the profession. I think many good teachers will be forced to leave the profession. I think that college students will decide not to go into the field of education. And guess who will suffer? The children.
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
What did you learn this year?
The last day of school for my students is tomorrow. This school year ends my 21st year of teaching. Argh! I just can't believe it! Where did all the time go? And most importantly, how did I get so old? But even as I obsess about my age, I wonder the same thing I wonder every year: what exactly did my students learn from me that they will carry with them? I mean, I know they learned reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, but did they learn the REALLY important lessons that I hoped to teach them. So here are the important life lessons that I hope my students learned from me . . . in no particular order:
*Treat others the way you want to be treated.
*Try, try, and try again . . . and then if you don't get it, ask for help.
*Be a positive and productive member of your community.
*People make mistakes--the important thing is to learn from them.
*The work products you produce reflect your work ethic.
*Work out problems with people by talking to them instead of about them.
*Look at someone's inside instead of their outside.
*Special needs people deserve more compassion, patience, and love because they cannot help the circumstances they were born with.
*Actions have consequences.
*Own up to your behavior.
*Honesty will get you farther in than lies.
*Use your time wisely.
*Compromise.
*Don't waste materials--appreciate what you have.
*People will give you more respect if you use polite words like Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, and I'm Sorry.
*You will not like everyone, but you have to be able to work with them.
*Share.
*We are all different, and that's okay.
Finally, I wonder about how my students will remember me. Will they say, "Ms. Parker was the best teacher I ever had!" or will they say "Ms. Parker was my favorite teacher of all time!" or will they say "Ms. Parker was a tough teacher but I learned the most from her". And you know what? Any one of those statements would be okay with me.
*Treat others the way you want to be treated.
*Try, try, and try again . . . and then if you don't get it, ask for help.
*Be a positive and productive member of your community.
*People make mistakes--the important thing is to learn from them.
*The work products you produce reflect your work ethic.
*Work out problems with people by talking to them instead of about them.
*Look at someone's inside instead of their outside.
*Special needs people deserve more compassion, patience, and love because they cannot help the circumstances they were born with.
*Actions have consequences.
*Own up to your behavior.
*Honesty will get you farther in than lies.
*Use your time wisely.
*Compromise.
*Don't waste materials--appreciate what you have.
*People will give you more respect if you use polite words like Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, and I'm Sorry.
*You will not like everyone, but you have to be able to work with them.
*Share.
*We are all different, and that's okay.
Finally, I wonder about how my students will remember me. Will they say, "Ms. Parker was the best teacher I ever had!" or will they say "Ms. Parker was my favorite teacher of all time!" or will they say "Ms. Parker was a tough teacher but I learned the most from her". And you know what? Any one of those statements would be okay with me.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Things I Wish I Had Learned as a Student Teacher
I had a student teacher this year. She was actually a year-long intern, but she graduated from college this past Saturday so her time in my classroom is over. I've been thinking a lot about the things I should have told her. Here are some of the things I wish I had learned when I was a student teacher (so very long ago) . . .
- That seventh planet from the sun? You know, that one? DO NOT, under any circumstances, pronounce it as Ur-Anus (with a long a sound). It is Ur-uh-nus (short a sound). If you forget and pronounce it with a long a, don't worry--you will not make that mistake again because you do not ever want hilarity to ensue all day long while you are stuck indoors on a rainy day with a bunch of 3rd graders.
- Not everyone will like you. Get over it. There is bound to be a parent, an administrator, or a co-worker that you will clash with.
- When you read "The Tenth Good Thing about Barney," get the tissues ready--someone may cry and it just could be you. By the way, when they decide to collect some PUSSY willows to put on Barney's grave, just call them "willows." Trust me--it's just better that way.
- Learn to smile and nod, even if you don't agree, because sometimes its just easier.
- "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" is a great book and has a wonderful lesson and an engaging story. However, I don't get why William Steig decided to describe Sylvester as an ass instead of a donkey. Did he secretly want novice teachers to read straight from the text and not change that word? Do yourself a favor and just change "ass" to "donkey." You don't want to have to explain to third graders that an ass is NOT a stupid person but is a donkey, because then you will have multiple issues of "Joey called me an ASS" and then Joey saying "But it's just a DONKEY!"
- You run your classroom. You are the CEO. The 10 months of the school year can be great or miserable, depending on how you set the tone on the first day.
- Another word to avoid is "gay." No matter how many times you tell the kids that "gay" means merry and lively and that they can look it up in the dictionary to see for themselves, they will still giggle incessantly every time.
- You will have to learn to stifle your laughter when one of the kids does something inappropriate but still funny--like Michael shaking his bottom singing "I'm sexy and I know it."
- Keep all the funny and sweet notes you get from kids and parents in a large envelope in your classroom. You will need those to read at the end of a crappy day.
- If a kid comes to you and says "Mary said the S word!", don't have a heart attack. She probably said Shut Up. The same thing will happen with the B word (butt, not bitch) and the F word (fart, not f---).
- Learn to laugh at yourself. You will make mistakes, and plenty of them. You want the kids to learn that its okay to make mistakes.
- Some days you will feel like a terrible teacher. It's okay. Every teacher has those days.
- Believe you can reach every child, but do not beat yourself up when you realize that you can't.
- Understand that "dam" (as in They built a dam to create a reservoir of water) is a funny word for children and be prepared to keep teaching right on through the smirks and snorts.
- And finally, realize that you won't become rich with money, but you will become rich in the ways that count the most.
Friday, March 30, 2012
A Day In the Life
written: March 2011
7:00 Arrive at School. Run to the conference room to check out the testing books. Feel like I have to sign my life away to get the testing materials. Run back to my classroom where my students are hapazardly arranging their desks into "rows". Scream at them to sit down and shut up (not really, but it's a good fantasy).
8:00 Testing begins. Walk around the room peering at student's answer sheets for 2 1/2 hours to make sure they are bubbling correctly. Blood pressure rises steadily as I notice students are not using the strategies I have taught all year. Argh!! But I can't say anything, not yet anyway. E gets done in 1 hour. HELLO??? There are 8 LONG reading passages on the test with 58 questions.
9:00 Still testing.
10:00 Still testing.
10:30 Done at last! Count every single test booklet, answer sheet, scrap piece of paper, and pencil. Collect all and take back to the conference room. What do you mean the students were supposed to bubble their names in? No one told us that. So I have to do them all? F@#*!
11:00 Trying to hold the fort down. No one allowed to leave the room until the "all clear - testing is completed" call is made. Poor kids are trying so hard to be patient. I know their behinds are tired from sitting in those awful plastic chairs, and they are dying to talk.
11:20 Lunch! We tiptoe to the cafeteria. I monitor the lunch line to make sure no one decides to act like an animal and that everyone makes healthy food choices (because now that is the school's responsibility too). Finally, I get to sit down to eat my lunch. 20 minutes . . . okay, I think I can manage to finish my salad if I don't talk to anyone at all. "Ms. Parker, can I go to the bathroom?" "Ms. Parker. there is nowhere to sit at our table." "Ms. Parker, may I use the restroom?" "I need to go to the bathroom." 5 minutes left. Principal sits down next to me cheerfully. Uh-oh, this can't be good. "I want to talk to you about a situation . . ." Lunch time is over.
11:45 On the way back to classroom, tutor informs me that the kids I picked for tutoring are different from the ones the principal picked for tutoring, and she is supposed to tutor the principal picked kids. "Um, who do you think knows these children better? Who teaches them day in and day out? Who grades their papers and sees what they understand and don't understand?" I want to say all this, but I don't. I just smile and nod, because sometimes it is easier that way.
12:00 Kids are all sprawled around me listening to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as I read it aloud. I love this part of the day. I love re-reading my favorite children's books to new kids every year. I love listening to the children laugh when I read the funny parts--they cackle especially heartily at the part "Mrs. Salt's enormous behind was sticking in the air like a giant mushroom." Hee hee. I giggle too.
12:45 Conferencing with J and D and one of them lets an SBD. "Boys, what I have I told you about passing gas around me?" "It wasn't me!" D. exclaims, opening his eyes widely. I give the other boy my mean teacher look, but he just laughs.
1:15 Recess! Oh crap, we can't play on the blacktop because of the sighting of the "dog that looks like it might be a pit bull" (WTH??), so we have to go to the mud pit we call the playground. Two injuries and several muddy kids later, I decide it's time to go in.
1:45 "No homework tonight. You guys worked really hard on the reading test and you need to rest your brains to be ready for the math test tomorrow." Smiles all around.
2:00 Dismissal. Walk 3 kids to after school tutoring. No adult present to be in charge. Wait--does that mean I have to be in charge? Upon investigation, it appears that the kids were supposed to go home and then come back from 3 - 5 for tutoring. Miscommunication again. Will it ever get better?
2:30 Principal pulls me aside for another talk. I'm getting a student who is being pulled out of a different classroom. I now have 27 kids. But I can't say no. With budget deficits and talk of less teachers next year, I can't afford to be the non-compliant one.
3:15 Leave school to go to get treats for tomorrow's staff meeting. It is fourth grade team's turn to provide snacks for our monthly celebration. I'm in no mood for a celebration, and I don't think anyone else on staff is either. But this is a required staff meeting and a required celebration, so we will all be there. Because that's what teachers do. They show up when they supposed to, even when they are dead dog tired, they give even when it feels like there is nothing left to give, and they smile until it feels like their cheeks might crack.
7:00 Arrive at School. Run to the conference room to check out the testing books. Feel like I have to sign my life away to get the testing materials. Run back to my classroom where my students are hapazardly arranging their desks into "rows". Scream at them to sit down and shut up (not really, but it's a good fantasy).
8:00 Testing begins. Walk around the room peering at student's answer sheets for 2 1/2 hours to make sure they are bubbling correctly. Blood pressure rises steadily as I notice students are not using the strategies I have taught all year. Argh!! But I can't say anything, not yet anyway. E gets done in 1 hour. HELLO??? There are 8 LONG reading passages on the test with 58 questions.
9:00 Still testing.
10:00 Still testing.
10:30 Done at last! Count every single test booklet, answer sheet, scrap piece of paper, and pencil. Collect all and take back to the conference room. What do you mean the students were supposed to bubble their names in? No one told us that. So I have to do them all? F@#*!
11:00 Trying to hold the fort down. No one allowed to leave the room until the "all clear - testing is completed" call is made. Poor kids are trying so hard to be patient. I know their behinds are tired from sitting in those awful plastic chairs, and they are dying to talk.
11:20 Lunch! We tiptoe to the cafeteria. I monitor the lunch line to make sure no one decides to act like an animal and that everyone makes healthy food choices (because now that is the school's responsibility too). Finally, I get to sit down to eat my lunch. 20 minutes . . . okay, I think I can manage to finish my salad if I don't talk to anyone at all. "Ms. Parker, can I go to the bathroom?" "Ms. Parker. there is nowhere to sit at our table." "Ms. Parker, may I use the restroom?" "I need to go to the bathroom." 5 minutes left. Principal sits down next to me cheerfully. Uh-oh, this can't be good. "I want to talk to you about a situation . . ." Lunch time is over.
11:45 On the way back to classroom, tutor informs me that the kids I picked for tutoring are different from the ones the principal picked for tutoring, and she is supposed to tutor the principal picked kids. "Um, who do you think knows these children better? Who teaches them day in and day out? Who grades their papers and sees what they understand and don't understand?" I want to say all this, but I don't. I just smile and nod, because sometimes it is easier that way.
12:00 Kids are all sprawled around me listening to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as I read it aloud. I love this part of the day. I love re-reading my favorite children's books to new kids every year. I love listening to the children laugh when I read the funny parts--they cackle especially heartily at the part "Mrs. Salt's enormous behind was sticking in the air like a giant mushroom." Hee hee. I giggle too.
12:45 Conferencing with J and D and one of them lets an SBD. "Boys, what I have I told you about passing gas around me?" "It wasn't me!" D. exclaims, opening his eyes widely. I give the other boy my mean teacher look, but he just laughs.
1:15 Recess! Oh crap, we can't play on the blacktop because of the sighting of the "dog that looks like it might be a pit bull" (WTH??), so we have to go to the mud pit we call the playground. Two injuries and several muddy kids later, I decide it's time to go in.
1:45 "No homework tonight. You guys worked really hard on the reading test and you need to rest your brains to be ready for the math test tomorrow." Smiles all around.
2:00 Dismissal. Walk 3 kids to after school tutoring. No adult present to be in charge. Wait--does that mean I have to be in charge? Upon investigation, it appears that the kids were supposed to go home and then come back from 3 - 5 for tutoring. Miscommunication again. Will it ever get better?
2:30 Principal pulls me aside for another talk. I'm getting a student who is being pulled out of a different classroom. I now have 27 kids. But I can't say no. With budget deficits and talk of less teachers next year, I can't afford to be the non-compliant one.
3:15 Leave school to go to get treats for tomorrow's staff meeting. It is fourth grade team's turn to provide snacks for our monthly celebration. I'm in no mood for a celebration, and I don't think anyone else on staff is either. But this is a required staff meeting and a required celebration, so we will all be there. Because that's what teachers do. They show up when they supposed to, even when they are dead dog tired, they give even when it feels like there is nothing left to give, and they smile until it feels like their cheeks might crack.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Black Thursday, March 1
So a few months ago I decided to start a Facebook group called "North Carolina Teachers for Change." I had this idea that maybe some teachers could band together, share information, and keep on top of the changes happening in the North Carolina legislature that affects public schools. I added about 50 of my teacher friends, started adding links to information worth noting, and went about my daily life.
Here we are about 3 months later, and my little group now has about 730 members. Word is spreading, and my group is growing. People are adding friends from around the state. Everyone seems eager to participate and to band together as a united front. It seems people are starting to notice us, everyone from legislators to school board members to the media. All of this is pretty intimidating to a fairly shy woman from Indiana who does not like the spotlight and hates to speak in front of a group and would rather stay home and read than go to a party.
Nevertheless, I will continue to lead my group and I have declared March 1 "A Time for Mourning." What am I mourning, you may wonder. Well, to start with, I am mourning the fact that so many teachers cannot afford to stay in education anymore. Due to a pay freeze plus no more bonus money, having to pay for health insurance that used to be free, and less supplement money for advanced certifications, many of us are making less money this year than we were 5 years ago. Add that on top of the price increases everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pumps, and many people are having a problem making ends meet. I personally know teachers who are quitting because they cannot afford to teach any longer. It is very sad.
I am mourning the lack of respect that the powers that be in North Carolina show educators. Decisions are made without apparent thought as to what the effects will be on those that elected them. This is not about politics--I am just as disappointed in the people I voted for as I am in the people who I did not vote for. Decisions are made that are about money. Where is the consideration for the humans that are involved?
I am mourning the transition our country is making towards making test scores the end all and be all. North Carolina is soon going to include our students' test scores as part of our evaluations. You may wonder why that is wrong. If I am doing my job, shouldn't my students be successful? For the most part, yes, but there are always extenuating circumstances. What about the boy whose dog died the day before testing? Do you think he will do very well on the test? What about the Hispanic girl who just came to America but still has to take a test that is in a language she just started speaking? What about the kids who live with a mom and dad who fight all the time, so the child is always a nervous wreck and can't get adequate rest? What about poverty and the effect that has on children? Although I will try to the end of my teaching career, I cannot save the world. My evaluations should not be based on test scores because I cannot control all the circumstances that go into a child's test performance. Just as lawyers can't win all their cases, doctors can recommend a healthy diet but can't make their patients actually do it, and firefighters can't save everyone who is in a house fire, teachers cannot make every child pass every year.
I tell you all this to ask you to do an easy thing. Wear black to support public education in North Carolina on Thursday, March 1. That's the idea, pure and simple. It may not make an impact on anything, but at least we tried. It's a way to attempt to get our voices heard. This is the United States, and I still believe that average citizens can make a difference.
Here we are about 3 months later, and my little group now has about 730 members. Word is spreading, and my group is growing. People are adding friends from around the state. Everyone seems eager to participate and to band together as a united front. It seems people are starting to notice us, everyone from legislators to school board members to the media. All of this is pretty intimidating to a fairly shy woman from Indiana who does not like the spotlight and hates to speak in front of a group and would rather stay home and read than go to a party.
Nevertheless, I will continue to lead my group and I have declared March 1 "A Time for Mourning." What am I mourning, you may wonder. Well, to start with, I am mourning the fact that so many teachers cannot afford to stay in education anymore. Due to a pay freeze plus no more bonus money, having to pay for health insurance that used to be free, and less supplement money for advanced certifications, many of us are making less money this year than we were 5 years ago. Add that on top of the price increases everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pumps, and many people are having a problem making ends meet. I personally know teachers who are quitting because they cannot afford to teach any longer. It is very sad.
I am mourning the lack of respect that the powers that be in North Carolina show educators. Decisions are made without apparent thought as to what the effects will be on those that elected them. This is not about politics--I am just as disappointed in the people I voted for as I am in the people who I did not vote for. Decisions are made that are about money. Where is the consideration for the humans that are involved?
I am mourning the transition our country is making towards making test scores the end all and be all. North Carolina is soon going to include our students' test scores as part of our evaluations. You may wonder why that is wrong. If I am doing my job, shouldn't my students be successful? For the most part, yes, but there are always extenuating circumstances. What about the boy whose dog died the day before testing? Do you think he will do very well on the test? What about the Hispanic girl who just came to America but still has to take a test that is in a language she just started speaking? What about the kids who live with a mom and dad who fight all the time, so the child is always a nervous wreck and can't get adequate rest? What about poverty and the effect that has on children? Although I will try to the end of my teaching career, I cannot save the world. My evaluations should not be based on test scores because I cannot control all the circumstances that go into a child's test performance. Just as lawyers can't win all their cases, doctors can recommend a healthy diet but can't make their patients actually do it, and firefighters can't save everyone who is in a house fire, teachers cannot make every child pass every year.
I tell you all this to ask you to do an easy thing. Wear black to support public education in North Carolina on Thursday, March 1. That's the idea, pure and simple. It may not make an impact on anything, but at least we tried. It's a way to attempt to get our voices heard. This is the United States, and I still believe that average citizens can make a difference.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Losing the Best
There's something wrong with a system that is losing its best and brightest to burnout. I'm talking about the education system.
In all my years of teaching (20), I have never, repeat never, seen teachers so discouraged, disheartened, and downtrodden. This seems to have hit young teachers especially hard. It is ironic, as these are the teachers that politicians speak of as the type of teachers necessary to save our (supposedly) terrible educational system in the United States.
Well, I have some news for those politicians. Nobody wants to stay in teaching anymore. And especially, talented, creative, driven young individuals.
Can you imagine a job where you were complained about, judged, and yelled at on a daily basis? Where your clients were lazy, unmotivated, and enabled people who you were expected to get to pass the end of year test? Where you were being economically stressed by budget cuts, insurance costs rising, necessary supplies being bought out of your own pocket, supplements for having an advanced degree taken away, bonus money for meeting yearly goals taken away? Where you were told to be "professional and positive and be happy you have a job" but you weren't given the respect that a professional deserves?
This is what is happening to teachers.
All the power is being taken away from us. We used to be allowed to have kids miss recess if they hadn't done homework. After all, that seemed to be a logical consequence: you don't do your work, you don't get to play. But no! No longer can we do that. Kids have to have their 30 minutes of daily physical activity. So we got creative, as teachers do. We started assigning walking laps as a consequence. The students still got their physical activity, but they were not allowed to play if they hadn't done their work. Fair enough. But no! We can no longer even do that. So what consequence do we have if children do not do their classwork or homework or are disruptive in our classrooms? Not much. But that's okay, according to the powers that be. We want little Susie to be physically active and to not view exercise as a punishment. Barf!
This country has gone overboard with pinning all the evils of society of our education system. Teachers are accountable for everything, from bringing non-English speakers up to grade level in reading and math (and don't forget that the end of year test is in English!) to providing character education in the classroom to including globalization studies as part of the curriculum.
It's just ridiculous.
And that, my friends, is my analysis on why we are rapidly losing our future generation of career teachers. It's very, very sad and breaks my heart, but I have to say I can't blame them.
In all my years of teaching (20), I have never, repeat never, seen teachers so discouraged, disheartened, and downtrodden. This seems to have hit young teachers especially hard. It is ironic, as these are the teachers that politicians speak of as the type of teachers necessary to save our (supposedly) terrible educational system in the United States.
Well, I have some news for those politicians. Nobody wants to stay in teaching anymore. And especially, talented, creative, driven young individuals.
Can you imagine a job where you were complained about, judged, and yelled at on a daily basis? Where your clients were lazy, unmotivated, and enabled people who you were expected to get to pass the end of year test? Where you were being economically stressed by budget cuts, insurance costs rising, necessary supplies being bought out of your own pocket, supplements for having an advanced degree taken away, bonus money for meeting yearly goals taken away? Where you were told to be "professional and positive and be happy you have a job" but you weren't given the respect that a professional deserves?
This is what is happening to teachers.
All the power is being taken away from us. We used to be allowed to have kids miss recess if they hadn't done homework. After all, that seemed to be a logical consequence: you don't do your work, you don't get to play. But no! No longer can we do that. Kids have to have their 30 minutes of daily physical activity. So we got creative, as teachers do. We started assigning walking laps as a consequence. The students still got their physical activity, but they were not allowed to play if they hadn't done their work. Fair enough. But no! We can no longer even do that. So what consequence do we have if children do not do their classwork or homework or are disruptive in our classrooms? Not much. But that's okay, according to the powers that be. We want little Susie to be physically active and to not view exercise as a punishment. Barf!
This country has gone overboard with pinning all the evils of society of our education system. Teachers are accountable for everything, from bringing non-English speakers up to grade level in reading and math (and don't forget that the end of year test is in English!) to providing character education in the classroom to including globalization studies as part of the curriculum.
It's just ridiculous.
And that, my friends, is my analysis on why we are rapidly losing our future generation of career teachers. It's very, very sad and breaks my heart, but I have to say I can't blame them.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Doing It For The Kids
Recently I've been doing a lot of thinking about my job. Most of you know I'm a teacher. I've been wondering when it will get to the point when it is no longer worth it to me to be stressed all the time except for two months in the summer. It's funny when you talk to people about it. They say things like "Well, people in the private sector aren't getting raises either" or "It's tough all over" or "Health benefits are being cut for everyone" or "Be lucky you have a job and a paycheck." I do think about all of those things and realize I am lucky to be employed, but I wonder if everyone realizes the toll that is taken on teachers all the time--especially at a time of national budget crises.
This is what I mean by the toll: what other job does not give you the freedom to go to the bathroom whenever you need to? That may sound funny, but those of you who are in classrooms know what I mean. You can't leave 20 third graders unsupervised so that you can go pee! And try scheduling a doctor's appointment. You can't leave your job for an hour or two just to do that--you would have to take at least a half day off and write sub plans just so you can take care of your health. Go out to lunch? Hahaha!! We get 25 minutes to eat in the school cafeteria surrounded by noisy kids.
I haven't had a raise in years. Not even a small cost of living increase. And we all know that gas prices and food prices have dramatically increased. A friend of mine who is a teacher actually qualified to participate in the free/reduced lunch program for her children. Okay, I know a lot of people haven't had raises in a while either. But what about those bonuses people receive? We don't get that. And business travel. Several people I know travel for business and then get to use their frequent flier miles for personal trips.
So what about all the perks of being a teacher? Oh yeah, those summers off. That is a very nice benefit. Contrary to popular belief, though, we don't get paid during the summer. We can choose to have our annual salary divided into 12 installments, but we have already worked for that money. Cushy hours? I don't think so. My required hours are 7:15 - 2:45. I know that is only 7.5 hours, but in reality most teachers I know come in early, stay late, or both. And remember, we have no breaks during the day and no leisurely lunch hour either. I make it a habit of checking my week's hours when I clock out on Fridays (yes, we have to punch a time clock), and it is always more than 40 hours. Plus considering the time I work at home during the evenings and on the weekends--well, you get the picture.
It's really getting old. And I don't see signs that it is going to get better any time soon. But as everyone says, "You do it for the kids." That is true . . . but I wonder how long that "doing it for the kids" is going to outweigh the cost of being a teacher.
This is what I mean by the toll: what other job does not give you the freedom to go to the bathroom whenever you need to? That may sound funny, but those of you who are in classrooms know what I mean. You can't leave 20 third graders unsupervised so that you can go pee! And try scheduling a doctor's appointment. You can't leave your job for an hour or two just to do that--you would have to take at least a half day off and write sub plans just so you can take care of your health. Go out to lunch? Hahaha!! We get 25 minutes to eat in the school cafeteria surrounded by noisy kids.
I haven't had a raise in years. Not even a small cost of living increase. And we all know that gas prices and food prices have dramatically increased. A friend of mine who is a teacher actually qualified to participate in the free/reduced lunch program for her children. Okay, I know a lot of people haven't had raises in a while either. But what about those bonuses people receive? We don't get that. And business travel. Several people I know travel for business and then get to use their frequent flier miles for personal trips.
So what about all the perks of being a teacher? Oh yeah, those summers off. That is a very nice benefit. Contrary to popular belief, though, we don't get paid during the summer. We can choose to have our annual salary divided into 12 installments, but we have already worked for that money. Cushy hours? I don't think so. My required hours are 7:15 - 2:45. I know that is only 7.5 hours, but in reality most teachers I know come in early, stay late, or both. And remember, we have no breaks during the day and no leisurely lunch hour either. I make it a habit of checking my week's hours when I clock out on Fridays (yes, we have to punch a time clock), and it is always more than 40 hours. Plus considering the time I work at home during the evenings and on the weekends--well, you get the picture.
It's really getting old. And I don't see signs that it is going to get better any time soon. But as everyone says, "You do it for the kids." That is true . . . but I wonder how long that "doing it for the kids" is going to outweigh the cost of being a teacher.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
We're Not Gonna Take It
So it's another school year again. My 21st in the classroom. Anyone out there in my shoes? Let me ask you a question: Do you think it gets harder every year?
I am so frustrated right now. I'm frustrated by the administration. I don't understand why I am given a daily schedule that tells me when to do everything. I am a professional, correct? Can I not schedule my day in a way that is effective and efficient for the students without the dictates of the office? Apparently not.
For example, why do we have to schedule a block in our day called "Intervention/Enrichment?" Isn't that what we are supposed to do in every subject area at all times of the day? What is the purpose of guided reading groups if we aren't intervening and bringing children up to grade level with their reading? What is the purpose of individual writing conferences? Isn't that when we are supposed to be enriching the skills of the gifted writers in our care?
I just don't get it. I work my ass off day in and day out year after year, and every year more is demanded. When I student taught, my cooperating teachers told me "The first year is the hardest. It gets easier after that." But that isn't what has happened. More freedom is taken away from the professional teacher every year. And what is the result?
Here is the result: angry teachers. However, we are professionals. So like the professionals we are, we will do our jobs, love the children, and put on smiling faces. And maybe that is why it gets harder every year. Because we never stand up and say "We're not gonna take it." We love teaching children, and because of that one little fact, we put up with a hell of a lot of crap.
I am so frustrated right now. I'm frustrated by the administration. I don't understand why I am given a daily schedule that tells me when to do everything. I am a professional, correct? Can I not schedule my day in a way that is effective and efficient for the students without the dictates of the office? Apparently not.
For example, why do we have to schedule a block in our day called "Intervention/Enrichment?" Isn't that what we are supposed to do in every subject area at all times of the day? What is the purpose of guided reading groups if we aren't intervening and bringing children up to grade level with their reading? What is the purpose of individual writing conferences? Isn't that when we are supposed to be enriching the skills of the gifted writers in our care?
I just don't get it. I work my ass off day in and day out year after year, and every year more is demanded. When I student taught, my cooperating teachers told me "The first year is the hardest. It gets easier after that." But that isn't what has happened. More freedom is taken away from the professional teacher every year. And what is the result?
Here is the result: angry teachers. However, we are professionals. So like the professionals we are, we will do our jobs, love the children, and put on smiling faces. And maybe that is why it gets harder every year. Because we never stand up and say "We're not gonna take it." We love teaching children, and because of that one little fact, we put up with a hell of a lot of crap.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Teachers in August
Can you hear it? Listen closely . . . all around the United States parents are cheering. It is August and back to school time! Simultaneously, teachers are sighing and children are crying. It's enough noise to sink a battleship, I tell you.
Here is what is like to be a teacher in August: you savor the last remaining days of your vacation, but at the same time mentally begin preparing yourself for the upcoming year. You go in to school before you are required to because you know the school system has not allotted you enough time to set up a classroom and get ready for a new year and a new class of kids. You start the year off with lots of energy and excitement. Then, it happens--the energy and excitement begin to leak out of you like the slow drip of the faucet.
The drip starts at the beginning of the year faculty meeting when you are confronted with the uncertainty of the budget and you are told how you are going to have to teach more kids with less resources. It continues when you are told that the state legislature decided to add more days to your school calendar without increasing your pay. It drips even more when you try to get the instructional supplies you need from the supply closet, but there aren't enough and there won't be enough so you are going to have to buy them yourself. And it quickens a little bit and drips a little faster when you see that again this year, you are going to make less money than last year because your supplement has been cut again. Drip, drip, drip.
But somehow, despite this drip, teachers keep going. Teachers are like the little engine that could. We have a purpose. We have the ability to shut out the bad and focus on the good. We cherish the small victories. We are hopeful. This year, when the drip in my faucet starts running too quickly and filling my sink with negative thoughts, I am going to reread the letter I just got from one of my former students. Among other things, he wrote "Thank you for being my best teacher ever. You taught me how to be a good sport. You helped me to understand the things in math that I didn't get."
It's the things like this that help us keep going year after year, leaky faucets and all.
Here is what is like to be a teacher in August: you savor the last remaining days of your vacation, but at the same time mentally begin preparing yourself for the upcoming year. You go in to school before you are required to because you know the school system has not allotted you enough time to set up a classroom and get ready for a new year and a new class of kids. You start the year off with lots of energy and excitement. Then, it happens--the energy and excitement begin to leak out of you like the slow drip of the faucet.
The drip starts at the beginning of the year faculty meeting when you are confronted with the uncertainty of the budget and you are told how you are going to have to teach more kids with less resources. It continues when you are told that the state legislature decided to add more days to your school calendar without increasing your pay. It drips even more when you try to get the instructional supplies you need from the supply closet, but there aren't enough and there won't be enough so you are going to have to buy them yourself. And it quickens a little bit and drips a little faster when you see that again this year, you are going to make less money than last year because your supplement has been cut again. Drip, drip, drip.
But somehow, despite this drip, teachers keep going. Teachers are like the little engine that could. We have a purpose. We have the ability to shut out the bad and focus on the good. We cherish the small victories. We are hopeful. This year, when the drip in my faucet starts running too quickly and filling my sink with negative thoughts, I am going to reread the letter I just got from one of my former students. Among other things, he wrote "Thank you for being my best teacher ever. You taught me how to be a good sport. You helped me to understand the things in math that I didn't get."
It's the things like this that help us keep going year after year, leaky faucets and all.
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