Breaking: One teacher's spirit
Thu Dec 07, 2006 at 05:32:15 AM PDT
I’m an idealist, what can I say? I believe in this country; I believe in the power of people; I believe in change, democracy, empowerment.
I also happen to believe in the power of teachers and teaching. In this tiny little head of mine I believe that extraordinary teachers have the ability to help children effect significant, lasting change in their lives.
This isn’t willy-nilly belief mind you. I’m a former teacher, a teacher of teachers, and a scholar in the field of educational policy studies. I know about lead in the drinking water, about asthma, about poverty, and I am under no illusions about the effects of reality on learning. But given these problems, there are amazing things going on in our classrooms...or at least there were...because there are amazing teachers doing their best to engage their students despite rats, poverty, and standardization.
Undoubtedly NCLB is having multiple negative effects on our schools; today I want to foucus on two: silencing teachers and stamping out individuality...
Democracy expresses itself in a continuous and relentless critique of institutions; democracy is an anarchic, disruptive element inside the political system; essentially, a force for dissent and change. One can best recognize a democratic society by its constant complaints that it is not democratic enough.
A political system that ossifies cannot take into account new realities or exigencies. Therefore, democracy requires complaint and challenge, as it is through complaint and challenge that democracies evolve with social, political, and environmental realities. Refusing democratic growth, believing that democracy has for all times been defined is, in the words of John Dewey, "an invitation for revolt and revolution."
If a state does not invite and allow individuals to participate in its remaking, and if a state does not create spaces for that very challenge, then the state is either a monarchy, authoritarian, theocratic, totalitarian, communist, or fascist; it cannot be called democratic.
A school system is as its host country is...
So I suppose that when I asked a particular teacher from a small town in the Midwest if she would talk to a reporter about NCLB, her response should not have surprised me:
I am articulate and intelligent and would be a good source for your reporter. Unfortunately, we have a school board policy that prohibits us from speaking to the press (believe it or not) and our core review process includes an area titled "communication" which prohibits us from negativity. I have argued with my administration that this is a violation of my free speech, but unless I take it to court-it is not going to change. I am not yet a member of a teacher's union and don't feel like taking the financial risk of a lawsuit. So, long story short, I am not comfortable speaking with a reporter on or off the record right now. I hope you can find other teachers (better yet- former teachers) who will. There are degrees of anonymity. I fear I would be identifiable in some fashion.
Land of the free...remember learning that in school?
I will add that teachers here are severely demoralized- many are threatening to leave. I am a good teacher- truly good- my students, parents and principals all will back this. I teach 8th grade language arts and adjunct at the local university. My students actually achieve way above the state and national standard on the NCLB mandated assessments, so I have no "sour grapes." But, I no longer have any control over what happens in my classroom. I can't choose what to teach, how to teach it, how to test it, how much to count the test, nothing. All is dictated to me. The "accountability" is like something out of George Orwell. Big brother is always watching. We must document everything. We are completely controlled- even our emails must be "positive" and exhibit "collaboration" and "consensus". Principals are afraid of Superintendents who fear legislators who fear federal funding cuts. It is a hostile environment.
No...this sounds like the perfect environment for teaching children how to deliberate over pressing issues so that they mature individuals who do the same...
Every child is treated identically. We are doing away with differentiated curriculum. So the very bright, college bound child gets the same education as the special ed child. Neither is served. I as a "highly trained professional" have virtually no impact in my own classroom. I am never consulted about building or district level curriculum decisions. All teachers have to teach same thing, same day, same way. There is no room for creativity, spontaneity, individuality. All teachers are clones of mediocrity since none can excel lest they not be fully aligned.
I used to do a number of enrichment activities with my students during the poetry unit, but because those aren't tested on the state's test, and my colleagues don't enjoy teaching poetry in this way, I can no longer do those activities. My daughter in third grade can only have 1 recess a day- the other activity breaks have to be curriculum connected. We were almost put on academic probation because our special ed students scored two standard deviations below the state norm. The definition of special ed is scoring two standard deviations below the norm, so if they ever did perform on the test, they would no longer qualify as special ed. My world is insane and impossible.
No, this makes perfect sense to me...in a democracy, individuality and nuance is respected, nay even cultivated so that we have different approaches to our most pressing problems. In a more authoritarian state, we’d want people to think and act the same way so they don’t question what they are told to do...
The grading load has never been worse. I assign and assess-I rarely teach. The truth is; I hate my job this year. And I always loved it before. It was truly my calling...We try to find one blanket solution but end up with snake oil. Every child is not the same. Every classroom is not the same. Uniformity in education is inherently unfair. But there is one solution. Ask the teachers what they need. They are the professionals in their rooms. No one has ever asked me. I don't need more money. It won't make me a better teacher. And because I teach in a wealthier district, I don't need more resources. I need a smaller class/grading load. Give me 3 classes in two-hour blocks with a total of 60 kids and I can guarantee they will be reading and writing above grade level at the end of the year. My colleague in ____________ needs computers. My colleague in _________ needs training. Each classroom teacher teaches in a unique context to a unique group of learners. No blanket program will meet those needs. What it has done is create an atmosphere of fear and failure and frustration for teacher, parent and student. No teacher left standing. No student left learning. No parent left trusting.
No snarky comment here...Just a question. Will you help us undo NCLB so that we keep our best teachers in the classroom? So that we create lifelong learners via the joy of engagement rather than miseducating them via the whip? So that our schools might become spaces where debate and deliberation take precedent over blind obedience to dictates and dictums? So that we help develop a citizenry who questions bombing democracy into existence?
The world will thank you...
