Why I'm Not As Worried About Education Reform as I (Probably) Should Be
Let me begin by offering a few disclaimers. First, a warning. This will probably be a long post. It may end up taking two different posts. But this topic has been percolating in my brain for a few weeks and is finally beginning to come together. Secondly, I know there are some of you who read this blog because you are a parent or a student and you are keeping up with the Shakespeare unit. I have tried to be somewhat apolitical. But these days, it seems, the men in suits have made the personal political for me. You see, I love my profession. I love my students. I love public education, and I believe that it is one of the things that has made America great. And I am ANGRY. I am tired of being demonized. I am tired of being portrayed as a lazy union thug who lives off tax payer dollars and refuses to be held accountable for doing my job. So yes, I am bringing politics into my profession. But it is because politicians have forced my hand. They have forced their way into my classroom, and they have smeared my reputation with the public. They have damaged my students, and they have hit my profession below the belt over and over again, so I AM DONE with being apolitical. Disclaimer finished. If you are not interested in hearing about my politics, please check back soon for a different topic! If you're still with me, here we go!
Our illustrious governor announced his newest bunch of malarkey about teacher pay this week. This topic has been all over social media and the blogosphere this week, so I will not beat that dead pony. It was a plan that, at best, proves his ignorance, and, at worst, makes clear to all the world that the NCGA is indeed dead-set on running experienced teachers out of the classroom. It was a sad day indeed, and I was curious. I wondered how many North Carolinians were on board with the governor. McCrory has run absolutely abysmal approval ratings since taking office. As of the middle of January, Under the Dome reports McCrory's approval rating at 37%. The North Carolina General Assembly's numbers are even worse, with the public approval ratings from last year hovering under 20% in most polls. It made me wonder, what would my approval ratings look like?
I thought back to a recent conversation with a friend of mine who teaches at my son's elementary school. She was telling me that she had been speaking with some of the parents there when my name came up. She just wanted me to know that every single one of them had positive things to say about me, my classroom, and the way their child was treated in it. Of course, that made my day! And then I began considering the ways in which I could determine my approval rating. I am friendly with many parents of students who are currently in my classroom or who have been my students in the past. Former students stay in contact with me and return to visit frequently. Current students often tell me how much they look forward to and enjoy my class. My adult friends ask me for book recommendations. I have had lively dialogue with friends, acquaintances, and strangers about books and politics on social media lately. In the past few weeks, as report cards came out and we made contacts about students who are at risk, I have listened to parent concerns, offered constructive feedback, encouraged students, and made recommendations for honors classes at the high school. I have discussed early college with both students and parents, and tried to be as open and honest as possible about my recommendations for such. This year, I have represented our school on several county committees, and was trusted by my colleagues to honestly and fairly represent them and speak about their concerns. I have spoken in public about my school and how wonderful it is. I have developed a good rapport with my administration, both in my school building and at the county level.
I am not perfect. There are so many things that I could do better. Every day, I can tell you at least 3 students I am not managing to reach, and many others that are occasionally disengaged. But I am trying. I try new things, and I tweak old things, and I reuse things that have worked in the past. I learn from my mistakes, and I try not to make the same mistakes over and over. But in the grand scope of things, I trust my reputation. I trust my approval rating.
Governor McCrory and all of his cronies are trying the best they can to dismantle public education, but I think they underestimate the approval ratings of your friendly neighborhood school teacher. The public has been duped in many ways into believing that the education system is broken, but they DON'T believe that the schools their children attend are broken. Time after time, in poll after poll, parents may give public education in the US an "F", but they consistently give their neighborhood schools a "B" or an "A".
In order for reform to work, these politicians are going to be forced, eventually, to face us on our turf. To find local boards who will not stand up for the teachers they hire and the community they represent. To fire your child's teacher for low test scores. To send the teacher who got your child to enjoy reading for the first time packing because her advanced degree costs too much for the state to pay. To convince you that it's a good idea to fire the math teacher who has worked in the school system for 30 years, who taught you and your siblings, and replace her with a Teach for America newbie who received 5 months of training and has never been in a classroom. To tell you it's a great idea to "mainstream" your special needs child into a classroom with 30 other students and one teacher, because all of the students are learning the same thing at the same time anyway, and who needs an assistant? In short, to convince the voting majority of Americans that utter idiocy is a great plan.
So I say to Pat McCrory, the NCGA, and all of the national reform-y types, BRING IT ON. I will pit my approval ratings against yours any day, and I will pit my school's approval rating against the NCGA's any day, and WE WILL WIN. The parents of this nation are not stupid, and they will see through this scheme. The pushback has already begun in so many places, in quiet, unobtrusive conversations, in raucous board meetings with angry parents, in rants on social media and phone calls to politicians. Let's keep the pressure on. Let's take back our schools.
Our illustrious governor announced his newest bunch of malarkey about teacher pay this week. This topic has been all over social media and the blogosphere this week, so I will not beat that dead pony. It was a plan that, at best, proves his ignorance, and, at worst, makes clear to all the world that the NCGA is indeed dead-set on running experienced teachers out of the classroom. It was a sad day indeed, and I was curious. I wondered how many North Carolinians were on board with the governor. McCrory has run absolutely abysmal approval ratings since taking office. As of the middle of January, Under the Dome reports McCrory's approval rating at 37%. The North Carolina General Assembly's numbers are even worse, with the public approval ratings from last year hovering under 20% in most polls. It made me wonder, what would my approval ratings look like?
I thought back to a recent conversation with a friend of mine who teaches at my son's elementary school. She was telling me that she had been speaking with some of the parents there when my name came up. She just wanted me to know that every single one of them had positive things to say about me, my classroom, and the way their child was treated in it. Of course, that made my day! And then I began considering the ways in which I could determine my approval rating. I am friendly with many parents of students who are currently in my classroom or who have been my students in the past. Former students stay in contact with me and return to visit frequently. Current students often tell me how much they look forward to and enjoy my class. My adult friends ask me for book recommendations. I have had lively dialogue with friends, acquaintances, and strangers about books and politics on social media lately. In the past few weeks, as report cards came out and we made contacts about students who are at risk, I have listened to parent concerns, offered constructive feedback, encouraged students, and made recommendations for honors classes at the high school. I have discussed early college with both students and parents, and tried to be as open and honest as possible about my recommendations for such. This year, I have represented our school on several county committees, and was trusted by my colleagues to honestly and fairly represent them and speak about their concerns. I have spoken in public about my school and how wonderful it is. I have developed a good rapport with my administration, both in my school building and at the county level.
I am not perfect. There are so many things that I could do better. Every day, I can tell you at least 3 students I am not managing to reach, and many others that are occasionally disengaged. But I am trying. I try new things, and I tweak old things, and I reuse things that have worked in the past. I learn from my mistakes, and I try not to make the same mistakes over and over. But in the grand scope of things, I trust my reputation. I trust my approval rating.
Governor McCrory and all of his cronies are trying the best they can to dismantle public education, but I think they underestimate the approval ratings of your friendly neighborhood school teacher. The public has been duped in many ways into believing that the education system is broken, but they DON'T believe that the schools their children attend are broken. Time after time, in poll after poll, parents may give public education in the US an "F", but they consistently give their neighborhood schools a "B" or an "A".
In order for reform to work, these politicians are going to be forced, eventually, to face us on our turf. To find local boards who will not stand up for the teachers they hire and the community they represent. To fire your child's teacher for low test scores. To send the teacher who got your child to enjoy reading for the first time packing because her advanced degree costs too much for the state to pay. To convince you that it's a good idea to fire the math teacher who has worked in the school system for 30 years, who taught you and your siblings, and replace her with a Teach for America newbie who received 5 months of training and has never been in a classroom. To tell you it's a great idea to "mainstream" your special needs child into a classroom with 30 other students and one teacher, because all of the students are learning the same thing at the same time anyway, and who needs an assistant? In short, to convince the voting majority of Americans that utter idiocy is a great plan.
So I say to Pat McCrory, the NCGA, and all of the national reform-y types, BRING IT ON. I will pit my approval ratings against yours any day, and I will pit my school's approval rating against the NCGA's any day, and WE WILL WIN. The parents of this nation are not stupid, and they will see through this scheme. The pushback has already begun in so many places, in quiet, unobtrusive conversations, in raucous board meetings with angry parents, in rants on social media and phone calls to politicians. Let's keep the pressure on. Let's take back our schools.
Is it possible to share this?
ReplyDeleteThe post link can be shared using the buttons above. I don't mind it being copied as long as you give me credit. Thanks for reading!
DeleteFYI: TFAers only train for 5 weeks, not months. But it is an "intense" 5 weeks, so it has that going for it...
ReplyDeleteAnd I really enjoyed reading your blog :)
ReplyDeleteWow...makes it even worse! Yeesh! Thanks for reading!
DeleteThis is wonderful! Thank you.
ReplyDelete