I'm so tired of hearing how horrible the education system is. I'm
so tired of hearing about how horrible teachers are. I'm just so tired.
Twenty three years ago, I was the “in
thing”. Now, I am an "old teacher". In 1989, (yeah, before the turn
of the century) after five years and a change of major, I graduated college and
had no clue what I wanted to be. I tried several career paths in the private
sector and after two years decided to become a teacher. It was more of an
answer to a calling than a decision. I quit my job, returned to grad school,
and earned a Masters of Education with a Social Studies Certification. (Some of
those Journalism classes I had taken paid off as I practically had a major in
History and a minor in Psychology). As a "professional" returning to
school to be a teacher, I was a hot commodity. I had "real world
experience" and I wanted to be in the classroom.
During my stint in grad school, I had the experience of working
with a teacher who worked with students with learning disabilities. (The
"LD teacher"). I loved the idea of thinking differently in order to
work with a student who needed something more or different. After starting a
second year as a waitressing substitute teacher, I figured it wouldn't hurt
anything to work on the certification in order to work with students with
Learning Disabilities, as it might increase my marketability. I was a hot
commodity, a professional who not only wanted to be a teacher, but wanted to
work with students who had difficulty learning. I probably have always been a
teacher, but having a job made it more official.
Now, I am "an old teacher".
My entire teaching career has been focused
around the world of testing. First, we had "proficiency" tests. Then
we had "graduation" tests. Now we are moving to "common
core" tests. My entire career has been focused what we are doing to
"align" the curriculum to “the test”. How are we teaching the content
of “the test"? Do we have text books that match the content of “the
test"? Do our tests match the format of “the test”? The newest evolution
of "the test" will be on line. And the best part: my effectiveness as
a teacher will be graded based on how well my students do on "the
test".
Over the course of my career, I have
worked with students who struggle because of the way their brains are wired. I
have worked with students who need more time and more practice to learn what
their peers are learning. I have worked with students who may have a hard time in
the academic realm, but may really shine in a different realm - a
"non-tested" realm. My school district has always pushed students
with disabilities to do their best. To participate to their fullest ability. And,
in the long run, given time, my students have passed all or most of the tests. In
the “proficiency” test days, we pushed students to take and re-take and re-take
the tests until graduation. In “graduation” test days we have done the same,
but held students back from graduating because they did not pass "the
test". The "new age" tests will hold students back from
graduating and "get rid of" teachers whose students don't make the
grade on the test.
Really? Has this become the point of the education system?
If someone were to ask my philosophy of
education I would say: Everyone can learn anything - in time. Everyone has an
area that they shine in, and school is the place to work on those areas. In the
real world, people specialize. Very few people are experts in all areas. Given
time, people can improve their skills and expand their areas of expertise. Sometimes,
we just have no interest in an area. I have students who decline to take an art
class because they state: "I am not good at art." I made such a
comment about my singing to a choir director who was attending a seminar with
me and he said: "I can teach anyone to sing." Well, if he can teach
anyone to sing, I can teach anyone anything given time.
I became a teacher because I love working with students. I get to work
with kids every day. I teach them how to act in the world. I teach them how to
seek assistance when they don’t understand; how to communicate with others to
get what they need. I teach them that every day is a new day and yesterday was
our last best learning experience. If it was a good day, we made progress. If
it was a bad day, we pick ourselves up and try to make today better.
Notice I did not say anything about vacations and days off. I don’t
know anyone who became a teacher because of the hours we work, the vacations we
have, or the days off. I also don’t know anyone who became a teacher because of
the tests we give. We became teachers to make the world a better place – one student
at a time. I don’t think that is measured on any test.
I'm an old teacher because of the time I
have spent in the classroom. I am an old teacher because I have a wealth of
experience from the last twenty-one years of teaching. I am not a worthless
teacher. I’m tired of being regarded as such. I used to be a hot commodity but
now, people just want to get rid of me.
If test results are the mode by which I have become a bad teacher,
how do we assess the worth of the people who are creating this system?
