A crack in the boat allows water in and eventually the boat sinks. It can be a slow process that people don't notice, but it can also allow enough water into the boat to cause people to panic and evacuate. In education, that leak seems to constantly cycle. We just can't seem to learn from our mistakes and misguided leadership in history, so we repeat the same issues and programs. Millions/ billions/trillions of dollars are spent to fix the problems, then millions/billions/trillions are spent to re-implement the same wolfy programs in new, shiny sheepy clothing.
Here is another few signs that we can observe right now. Let's emphasize this: these things are listed here as a warning that they could happen, but that they are occurring in the present.
It's a horrible shame to run teachers out of the system and then lament the fact that there is a shortage of teachers. Good grief! It's not hard to motivate this section of our society. They made the decision to teach, wanting to do their parts to benefit the community. Teachers don't want low test scores. Teachers don't want to defy their bosses. But they also want their students to experience the joy of being in their presence and improving their skills. Some teachers know how to do that for kids, and they should never be punished for doing it - even when it means that they are doing things that are different from the norm. Hold them accountable, but don't limit them.
Here is another few signs that we can observe right now. Let's emphasize this: these things are listed here as a warning that they could happen, but that they are occurring in the present.
- Test scores become the goal. Yep, it's a classic tale. Standardized testing is a window into a kid's life during a single day or a single week. It is not a complete picture. The fact is, some kids don't see any use in a test, and they don't do their best. I don't care how much you want to compare Missouri scores to other states or US scores to other nations, the comparison is NOT apples to apples. In fact, you shouldn't even contrast local scores with other local scores without also considering unique local issues and obstacles. In addition, let's put in a measurement of student joy. How much do your students enjoy learning? How motivated are your pupils? How much do they initiate and pursue their own studies? Do they have intelligence beyond the items tested on a standardized test? The bottom line is that we can (and should) still administer standardized testing - there is value there - but we should also consider some other evaluations - non-standardized even.
- Teachers go shallow (skim the surface) to keep up. Here's a byproduct of standards and district pacing guides. For decades, teachers have moved on and moved on just to get to everything before the year runs out. In most instances, that's not the teachers faults, but the curriculum designers and the bosses who have such pride in their own choices that they fail grandly to see that their expectation of getting to everything necessarily dictates that nothing gets covered deeply. As long as we're skipping rocks, those students never get to see beneath the surface.
- Students do not experience the joy of learning. Mentioned above, students must be encouraged by the joy of learning. If they don't feel themselves getting smarter, stronger, faster, etc., my students will resent having to attend at all. They'll fight and rebel against any attempt to get them to learn. In short, they become the enemy of the system. Is that the intention? No. But it is the result far too often. Friends, before we can throw them into the deep water, we have to teach them to swim. If they're afraid of the water, they're never going to take off their floaties. Teachers must be allowed the freedom to develop a family in the classroom - an atmosphere where students are free to be vulnerable and express themselves. The joy of learning should be one of the first things school boards look at. That doesn't mean that classes party all the time and do crafts and games that have no meaning. It doesn't mean that teachers throw out a bag of free time or allow learning to go unchecked. It does mean that the class remains engaged, that the class is compelled to be curious, and that the class wrestles with the material to internalize it and own it. That will never happen if the teacher is constantly squelched in her efforts to develop strong relationships and culture.
- Teachers do not have a passion for teaching. Look around in the local school and see if the teachers are loving their jobs or if they are just going through the motions. I've been pushed to the point that I wanted out, and that's what I hear from many that I talk to. I'll ask them how things are going, and they'll respond, "Well, it's different," meaning that some changes have been made that make them uncomfortable - things that make them reduce their day to coming to work and going back home at the end of the day. They only want to do the required minimum, because they are no longer motivated to be creative or devote any extra time to a job for which they used to have a passion. I remember getting to that point myself, finally telling myself and others that all I could do was my best, and if that wasn't good enough, I wouldn't lose any sleep over failing to live up to what somebody else thought I should be doing. Teachers inherently want to please people and solve problems, but when their own hands are tied, they just aren't much use in helping out.
- Teachers no longer want to go the extra mile. That means teachers no longer do activities or projects that catch the media's attention and lend some positive public relations to the school or district. It means they no longer want to develop killer presentations for the material or encourage students to produce displays that knock the socks off of the standards. When teachers are squelched and lose their passion, they begin to teach straight from the script they find in the teachers edition of a textbook. They find substandard materials online and no longer devote any extra time to developing the things that will bring their students into a positive attitude of learning. Let me ensure you, teachers and students suffer greatly when the bosses and legislators are constantly looking over their shoulders with mistrust. When administrators and members of Congress refuse to see past the noses on their own faces - and legislate with that limited point of view - no classroom under their care can ever escape the blur.
It's a horrible shame to run teachers out of the system and then lament the fact that there is a shortage of teachers. Good grief! It's not hard to motivate this section of our society. They made the decision to teach, wanting to do their parts to benefit the community. Teachers don't want low test scores. Teachers don't want to defy their bosses. But they also want their students to experience the joy of being in their presence and improving their skills. Some teachers know how to do that for kids, and they should never be punished for doing it - even when it means that they are doing things that are different from the norm. Hold them accountable, but don't limit them.
