Pic by Bobby Breidholt on FlickrI was reading DC Chic today and this caught my attention: Vacancy at High Performing Charter School.
Well, I hate to be the party-pooper-- Let's face it, regardless of how 'best' and 'worst' our respective schools are, there will be teachers who will complain and leave the classroom. It’s pretty much expected. Pretty much Maslow-nian.
The state of the school is what the teachers make out of it. Nothing but pure perception.
To put it bluntly, how a teacher sees the school is a reflection of how s/he is as a teacher. (Prove me wrong!)
It's just a matter of time and realization that the best and worst school don't exist. BEST AND WORST TEACHERS DO.
In all of my years of experience in education, the best teachers are the ones who have positive outlook towards the school and the profession in general. The teachers who do less, if not nothing at all are the “best” complainers I have ever met.
Talk about idle minds and idle hands…
That’s why I always take my hat off to teachers who despite of the tough day still show up the following days. And I bow to those teachers who despite of the best and worst in education stick with education for YEARS with a smile.
That’s why I believe that tenureship should become an elite status in education to reflect the years of contribution of the best teachers to the lives of children, of whom some are already been ‘discarded’ even by their own parents.
That’s why I believe tenureship can be the BEST incentive. And any money, say $120K, is just mere icing.
Just a thought...
8 comments:
Yeah, I disagree. How a teacher sees a school is not a reflection on the teacher.
Maybe I'm just a shitty teacher to see my school as being utterly chaotic. It has nothing to do with the fact that children are running up and down the halls, assaulting teachers, and getting in multiple fights every day. (There are probably 20 fights a day at my school - no joke.)
You can say I'm a shitty teacher for seing my school this way, but you cannot say that about the 26 year veteran Kindergarten teacher who is NATIONALLY BOARD CERTIFIED. I only wish I had a child of my own so that she could educate him/her. She is a gifted educator, probably the best I have ever seen. Her thoughts on my school? That is it chaotic almost to the point of being unteachable. She actually wanted to protest our staff evaluations last year, saying that we could not be evaluated until the school approached resembling a safe learning environment.
I don't teach at the "worst school" But if you are going to sit here and tell me that I am a bad teacher because I recognize my school to be chaotic, and the teachers who teach at St. Alban's are automatically better teachers because they look around and say, "Wow, my students are so well-behaved," then you are dreaming.
DC tc,
I didn't say or even imply that you are a bad teacher or the one at St. Alban's is any better.
The premise of my argument is: best/worst school is a perception. NOW, whether the perception has become real or not is another story.
ALTHOUGH, real or not-- fact remains that the school becomes, if I may borrow your vocabulary, "shitty" because of shitty educators.
Enough with the 20 fights a day. Enough with unhealthy snack rhetoric. Let's face the music and take the issues as they are:
THERE ARE 20 fights in your school because probably more than 20 adults in your building are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.
THERE ARE unhealthy snacks because there are adults in your building who are not thinking healthily.
I'm with you on unveiling the issues plaguing the system. I admire you for putting these issues on the light.
BUT, I CRAVE FOR MORE. Bring the root cause of these issues to light. Bring the incompetent ADULTS in-charge of school discipline, foods, etc. Bring them out. HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
AGAIN, your school-- in your own perception may be somewhat SHITTY but it is what it is now NOT because of the kids who are ‘actively’ fighting each day. It’s because of SHITTY adults in your building.
We, the adults in the system are in-charge. If SHIT happens during our watch-- please, let us not point finger to the fights or the kids or the foods. LET’S HOLD EVERY ADULT IN SYSTEM ACCOUNTABLE.
Now, tell me again why is a SHITTY school not a reflection of SHITTY educators?
Peace
genx
Gen X Teacher,
I think I love you!!! I believe that we have to hold everyone accountable. Many educators, like neighbors, close their eyes and think that is not my problem. When you see a fight in the school everyone in the area should be involved! If I am on lunch and I see students in the hall without a pass then I take the necessary steps to make sure that I hold that student and teacher accountable. She/He should not let the student out without a pass, period!!!
Great POST! If you ever run a school let everyone know!
the Educator,
Thanks for the nice comments. My fave part is when you emphasize:
"She/He should not let the student out without a pass, period!!!"
HIGHLIGHT on the word "PERIOD". I wish more adults in the system will grow up and act like adults. PERIOD. No more BUT's, BECAUSE, IF's...
Sorry, I still disagree. My students do not fight because I am a bad teacher. (I break up at least 2 fights a day, sometimes more.) They fight because someone made a negative comment about their dead relatives, or because they saw their mothers get hit by abusive boyfriends, or because their is other anger in them that they are bringing with them to school each morning.
I wish you would stop deleting comments from your blog. I don't delete your comments on my blog, even when you post the exact same message 2 or 3 times.
You are not going to convince me that these fights are my fault. You are certainly not going to convince me that me looking at a building that has 20 fights a day and saying, "Wow, our school is chaotic" makes me a bad teacher, which is the exact argument you put forth in your initial post.
Hi DC Teacher Chic,
First, let me thank you for not deleting my comments on your pages even though at times it's twice.
Note though that the comments that were deleted here were mine and ONLY MY comments. Just as the same issues when I post comments to your pages, it comes twice (sometimes thrice) so I have to delete them. EVERYBODY's comments are published (so far).
Lastly, the main point of this post is not to convince others but to merely express my thoguhts and opinions. I'm happy you see things differently. I'm happy and proud to be a DCPS personnel because of some teachers like you. Just as I'm happy as some share my thoughts and opinions.
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