I had a good debate with a friend of mine on standardized testing and teachers unions, and my own recent experience starting out as a fledgling teacher has gotten me thinking about a lot of different things. It makes me wonder what the entire point of public education is supposed to be. Are liberals and the left on the right side of history with this one or will corporate shills like Michelle Rhee prevail?
I just started out at a private school that was REALLY in need of a teacher. The school has very few kids. I teach middle school Math, Science, Social Studies, and English. I only have some experience teaching grade school children in literacy and one year abroad teaching ESL. I have a Masters, but it's not in any of those subjects. I literally walked into the classroom with the knowledge I still had from when I was in middle school. I was nervous to say the least. The school was in dire straits, which is I guess why they hired me. The teacher before me was a train wreck and the parents were highly dissatisfied. The job is not a lot of pay and I had all of the responsibility thrust upon me. If I didn't do well, the parents would leave for greener pastures and the school would go under.
The school is still standing.
I wowed the parents. I came in with new ideas for projects and assignments. I had to create my own curriculum, because basically on the first day the headmistress was like "Here are the books, go." The parents loved the fact I got their kids interested in studying and learning. One of the projects I had them do was to create their own 10,000 word novel. If that sounds like a lot for a 12 year old, then keep in mind we spent a full month working on it, and most of the kids finished by the end of the 30 day mark. I did my best to keep them inspired and also to give them room for their own creativity.
As for the subjects I wasn't that great in, like Math, I spent about two weeks just doing problem after problem in the book. I've been staying one chapter ahead as best as I can. Even then though, I find that teaching Math effectively involves knowing how to present the information in a step by step, logical, coherent manner. I've taught lessons where the kids were able to effectively use a new math concept when I myself only had a rudimentary grasp. Math is a language onto itself and it's based on logic, something all humans should be able to recognize. For science, well, online videos are a lifesaver.
Basking in the glow of parental approval has been nice, but I always have been insecure in my position. No one really knows I have almost no experience. I do fear somewhat that the gravy train may not last if I start to get into territory I don't know, but I keep working at it. The experience has left me with one undeniable fact about education though:
It's there to build people.
I honestly have no idea if any of my kids will need to remember how to solve quadratic equations or need to remember why Peter the Great was great, but I do know that their school experience so far has challenged them and that they are excited and motivated for school. I know this because the parents are shocked by the way their kids act at home. One kid turned down an afternoon of jumping on a trampoline to write his novel. Another turned down a play date with one of his friends because he didn't want to come to class unprepared without his homework. His mother was gobsmacked to say the least.
This is the kind of thing that would never show up on a standardized test. This is the type of thing that is devalued when you have charter school undertaking brazen wealth extraction, giving the owner a 800k salary while the kids don't have heat. This is the dedication of people that march in picket lines for the teacher's union. I'm not motivated purely by a profit motive. I even had a kid tell me I should find another school so I could get paid more. I do it because I want to make sure the kids get the best education they possibly can. If there parents go, then they'll go. These are the elements of a good education, to enable them to do what they want in the future, to have as many possibilities as they'd like, and to achieve as much as they can.
We win :P