They are reading resumes. EdGeek Gitmo!

Frankly, the future of public schools under either candidate scares me.

I am currently a public school teacher in rural Alabama, in the classroom and “on the front line”. I hear from our Presidential Candidates about what they think needs to be done to improve public education. Have you been in the trenches and talked with teachers to find out what they think would best benefit our education system? What about polling those who work so diligently for our nation’s future generations? I don’t know of any teacher who has taken a classroom job for the “money”. I believe teaching in a public school classroom is a calling that tugs at the heart of every teacher in America!

In the past 25 years I have seen many programs come and go. I do not think public education can continue much longer the way things are now and survive, but I do believe there are success stories every day as a result of public schools. What can be done to improve the situation? REWARD the “good” teachers and get rid of the “bad” teachers?? How is that to be determined? By test scores? By opinionated observations? By popularity votes? Let parents choose which school they want their child to go to? I can’t pretend that I have the best answer because I don’t. But I DO have some inkling of an idea of what should be considered when looking at rescuing our schools.

If parents could choose the school they wanted their child/children to attend, there would be a “run” on the ones the community thought were the “best” and then they wouldn’t be any better off than where they were to begin with. Let’s start by looking at what makes a school a good school. Well, maybe parents find a school with a good “report card” to be a good school. I most certainly would want my child to attend a school that has good test scores “which lets me know they must have the best teachers”. Therefore, the schools who do not have high scores must have the “bad” teachers (who must be removed). Then, if my child attends a school with good teachers and good scores they will in turn be well educated and succeed in school and society. I wish this were so, but in reality we do not live in a perfect world. What about those students with different abilities and disabilities? Can a “good” teacher “…by taking thought … add one cubit unto their student’s stature…”? (Matt. 6:27) To an extent a “good” teacher can help. A teacher can provide opportunities many children have never had the privilege of being exposed to and thus enable that student with “knowledge”, but the physical capabilities must already be in place to receive that knowledge. If I send my child, who may have “learning disabilities”, to any teacher, can that teacher correct that disability enough for that child to achieve “high” test scores? But give me a student who is already capable of showing a high “IQ” and then see what I can do with them. Now, let’s give these two students the same test and see if I am a “good” teacher or a “bad” teacher! I often quote an author, Jim Grant, who once said, “There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals.” My hope as a teacher is to provide a loving and safe environment for my students to learn in, to the best of their ability. I like to see my students gain self confidence at whatever level they may be learning. When I see any student show progress in any way, be it great or small, then I feel I have succeeded as a teacher.

How do you attract good teachers? After teaching 20 years with a degree in Elementary Education from an accredited college, I found out that I now must become “HIGHLY QUALIFIED”. Fortunately, I happened to have had enough education already that I did not have to go back to school to keep my job. Many times I am not looked at as a Professional in my career as a teacher. If other “Professionals” were treated as teachers are, would they accept that kind of treatment? A classroom teacher cannot raise a family on their salary alone. I consider my career as a very nice second income to my family. I am not a single parent, or the main bread winner for the family and still we struggle to live above the poverty level. There are other attractive, lucrative jobs available, but as I said earlier, being a teacher is a “calling”, not just a job. Many of us put our own money back into our classrooms to try to provide an attractive and meaningful place for our students to learn. I stay late after school to prepare lessons and lesson plans and even stay up late at home and on weekends grading papers. Summers give me time to catch up on continuing education credits and to work in my classroom preparing for the beginning of school the first of August. Then I am spread so thin trying to meet the needs of 20+/- students, discipline, console, bandage, feed, potty, doctor, referee, parent, individually instruct, navigate, drill, … I could use an extra pair of hands to help with so many small people (I teach 2nd grade) safely or have a smaller number of students so I can devote myself to them in a more personable and helpful manner.

For those students who fall between the cracks or who get left behind, what do we need to do? My youngest son attends a very good high school, but struggles academically. He is in the special education program, but mainstreamed in the regular classroom. His report card last year had him failing 2 core subjects and did not average a passing grade at the end of the year, but they gave him a 65% and sent him on to 10th grade. I guess he wasn’t left behind!! My older son went to the same school and received a full scholarship in engineering to the University of Alabama. We have students dropping out of school and becoming problems in our society. No wonder. Not only are they often the ones with a dysfunctional home life, but feel like failures at school in front of their peers. We hold this kids prisoners in our mandated school attendance and are they not allowed to learn a trade while they still have an interest in learning. By the time they are able to drop out or go to a trade school they have already become frustrated and disillusioned (many times, but not in all cases) that they become discipline problems at school and in society. Why not take these students at the beginning of high school and let them use their unique, individual talents to do something that interests them so that they can develop those talents and take their place in society as productive people. Lets provide these misunderstood children with an alternative to sitting in a class that only puts them further and further behind with no hope of catching up. We all have different ways of learning! Let’s face that fact and meet those needs! A person is only as valuable as they think they are. Why do we think a job as a car mechanic is any less valuable than a dentist? Do only those people who fail in higher academics need have those jobs? Why not provide schooling in those “hands on” jobs so that they can feel good about what they do and therefore provide excellent service in those areas. I sure would rather have an “educated” mechanic working on my car than someone who lacked self confidence from the battle scars of failure in the required areas needed for someone else who wanted to go a more “book learning” route in life.

If we met the interest needs of students in public education, we would see the “test scores” of schools rise. I believe all children need a basic education of “learning to read so that they can then read to learn”. This is what grammar school is about (among other things). Let’s give all children that opportunity, but even in the lower grades be aware of capabilities. Teachers are there to guide and enable, not recreate what God has created.

I have loved my job as a teacher, but plan to retire at the end of this year. I know there are “great” and “poor” performers in all professions. But I truly do not believe that is where the “problem” lies. Give teachers a chance to speak out and help solve the problems our educational system faces before “politics” make it impossible to fix. I am overwhelmed at what is required of me and also a bit afraid of what is to come. Let someone younger and inexperienced take my place. By the time they too have learned to teach, they can retire and let the process start all over again. I guess you might say I am “burned out”! I will probably have to find some type of work to supplement my retirement, but I can no longer work the hours I have to put in to meet the requirements of federal and state guidelines, my school system guidelines, my administrations guidelines so that they look good in the eyes of those looking at our school, the parent’s guidelines, and my conscious’ guidelines of trying to fulfill all those needs.

I know I have rambled somewhat. I hope you get the jest of what I am trying to say.

God Bless,

Sincerely,