Ok, I thought to get the ball rolling, I'd mix a little current events with one of my favorite soap boxes.
Oh, public schools. The source of so much frustration in this country. How DO we fix you? If you were to believe the fabulous headlines, all of our kids are basically lazy and stupid and it's all because of teachers.
One of the biggest things going on now is the union arguments in Wisconsin. (Seriously, read that article). The republican governor wants to take away the collective bargaining rights of government unions, including the teachers. This has been somewhat of a popular idea due to school reformists such as Michelle Ree and the new documentary "Waiting for Superman." They low test scores on teachers who are failing to motivate students and come up with effective ways to teach children.
I have a big 'ole problem with this line of thinking. We are told someone must be held accountable, and apparently it's the teacher's who must take responsibility. But I ask: what about the parents? Look, I got good grades, went to college, and recieved a Master's degree. Not all of my teachers changed my life. But my parents did teach me that education was important. We're talking about responsibility and accountability, what about the parents taking a greater part in the education of their children? I believe a good parent who takes a strong interest in their child's education (because, you know, it's kinda their job) can counter-act any teacher who maybe doesn't totally inspire your child. I'm not saying that there aren't bad teachers, and I'm not saying that maybe unions are the best thing ever, but for goodness sake stop putting all the blame on these poor, overworked teachers.
And while you're at it, please stop taking away recess and gym in order to add more academic time. If people knew ANYTHING about child brain development, they would know physical activity is absolutely vital for good brain development.
In conclusion: stop firing teachers, it's not going to fix the problem.
I'm with you on this one, Miss Amanda! I definitely think that something needs to be done about failing public schools, but the people who are complaining about the issue the most are the people who most likely have kids in said schools. And what are most of them doing about it? Complaining. And that bothers me.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you've ever seen the TV show "West Wing". (If not, you MUST do so. Immediately.) In the last season, they cover the presidential race. In one particular episode, the main candidate is addressing parents in rural America about different issues & the issue of whether or not schools should teach religious perspective along with scientific perspective regarding creationism is brought up. These particular parents *wanted* their kids to be taught the religious aspects of creationism & it wasn't currently being taught in their schools. They wanted to know what this candidate thought (& basically wanted him to agree with them). He put it this way: Yes, he believed that there was a "divine architect" involved in the creation, but that since it was a belief (rather than scientific fact), that that was something that parents should be teaching their children at home & not expecting the school to do it all. And then he added that if the parents didn't like what their child's education was becoming, it was their duty as parents to get involved through serving on the PTA & school boards & the like. And that is *exactly* it. Parents need to take responsibility if their child's education is failing them. I'm not saying teachers aren't accountable to do their jobs correctly, but there is only so much they can do if they are unsupported.
I agree that all too often the blame goes on teachers for the failing schools when it really should be shared. With that being said, I don't think that taking power away from unions is an attack on teachers. Unfortunately that is how many view it and teachers sometimes get the brunt end of it, but I don't think that's what its all about.
ReplyDeleteUnions served a purpose, but have gotten out of control (in most situations, I realize there are exceptions). Look at New Jersey for instance. The state didn't have money and cuts unfortuantely had to be made. Chris Christie proposed a plan that would prevent mass layoffs from being made, even though it did mean cutting back on benefits. He presented it to the Unions and they scoffed at the idea of cutting back. So, he had to lay off teachers because they just didn't have the money to pay them. How did the unions respond? They responded by saying that it was the biggest attack on education they had ever seen. Did they ever take responsibilty for CHOOSING that option. No, it was all Christie's fault.
With that being said, parents do need to step it up a notch or two because that's the best way to better children's education.
Thanks, both of you! I hope you see I responded to you here, sometimes blogger isn't clear when you get responses to writing comments...
ReplyDeleteI did want to mention Emily that I agree with you about unions from a fiscal standpoint. And I'm definitely not saying that Wisconsin should keep their unions. What I am against, however, is these reformers placing all the blame for educational failures on bad teachers and the teacher's union. I doubt that the teachers union has a huge effect on education, but it does cause problems with the budget. So either they need to be willing to give to meet budget requirements or they need to dissolve them totally.
I guess my main point with the Wisconsin unions is that the article points out that teachers have reached a point where they've had enough. I wonder if people stopped blaming them for every educational weakness if they would be more open to dissolving the union.
A child goes to Kindergarten and the mom says to the teacher, "so what are you going to do to teach my child to read?" That kind of attitude is a big part of the problem. Yes, teachers are there to instruct and encourage learning, but it isn't their main responsibility. It is ours as parents. Teachers are only secondary. One teacher among 30 students can not effectively teach every child. That is why parent involvement is crucial! Studies show that if you read to your child for 2 minutes a day they will test in the 30th percentile for Reading and Language. 5 minutes = 50th percentile, 10 minutes = 70th percentile, and 20 = 90th percentile. This is reading done OUTSIDE of school. Did you know that Utah is practically at the bottom of the list on standardized testing? Not only are they behind on their curriculum, but there is a large amount of title one schools. Usually title one schools are full of lower class citizens with parents that either don't speak english or don't value education or both.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you posted this because people really need to take responsibility for their actions. Parents are the number one teacher and need to remember that.
My plea to those parents is to read to your children every day. It will make a tremendous difference!