For about the past month, my colleagues and I have been repeatedly disheartened as we stare down the barrel of a cannon aimed at our profession. Sadly (as is usually the case with education) sweeping, drastic, one-size-fits-all reform is being proposed for public schools that is grossly inaccurate in its assessment of the problem and dangerously short-sighted in its solution. My heart has been so heavy and for the second time in my life, when I arrive at work every day, I have to will myself out of the car. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that I really am making a difference regardless of what my immediate administration, my district administration, the state or the country is saying about teachers. And yes, I take it personally because I AM A TEACHER.
I took this job knowing that I wouldn't be paid well. Knowing that I would get more complaints that accolades. Knowing that I would be responsible for parenting and then criticized for doing so. Knowing that there would never be enough money to suitably teach my content. Knowing that standardized testing was part of the job description. But, most of all, knowing that what I do is the most important thing (besides being a good parent) that is done in our society. Without teachers, there would be few other professions. How does one become a doctor or lawyer or director of a conglomerate? Someone had to teach those people to read, write, do math, and, ultimately, to think! I am aware that much of society views the teaching profession as a "fall-back" career. How many times have I heard, "Those who can't do, teach"? I have even been told by someone at a dinner party that, "You're a teacher - how wonderful. 3 o'clock end to your day and all that time off! Teaching seems like it would be an easy career to pick up. I love kids. I might do that when I retire from my real job." We left that particular dinner party immediately because my husband was aware that I was about to punch that guy in the trachea and he didn't want our children exposed to such violence. And knowing all of those things, I purposely decided to become an educator because I know that I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD EVERY DAY.
Here in Florida, the new Governor is proposing legislation that will effectively end public education as we know it. While I am aware that Pay-for-Performance standards for education are being recommended even from the President, the proposed methods of instituting this policy in Florida will have disastrous effects on the teaching profession. More importantly, it will devastate the good teachers as well as the teachers who need to be removed. Right now, the proposal is for 50% of the majority of teachers' pay to be based on student test scores from ONE test. I teach students for 180+ days and now what I get paid will be based on their performance on ONE DAY out of those 180+ days. And how is it fair to the students to say that ONE DAY encompasses all that they know and have learned? At this time they have not even determined how the other 50% of my pay grade will be determined but they're ready to pass this bill. For teachers in specialized areas (like art or foreign language) it is even worse. Because most of these subjects do not have a standardized test, those teachers' pay will be determined based on how that student performs in all his classes. That's right, an art teacher or librarian's pay will be based, not just on the applicable subject, but on how that student performs in, say, Science. That is, of course, if art and band and other like electives are still offered in schools since these programs will be (and have already been) the first to go due to budget cuts. And, as my colleague Sally D commented, "Would they cut the pay of cops who work in high-crime areas or cut the pay of the cashier who didn't pull through as many customers because the one's she did check-out had more items?" Why are teachers being penalized for all of it when so many variables exist in the education of each student?
What none of this takes in to account is the kids and parents. The kids are the one's who are supposed to be benefiting from all of this change and yet none of the politicians or administrators are looking at the students. As much of this legislation had been in the news here in FL, one of my students commented ,"Why don't they just ask the students who the good teachers are. We know." Indeed. And popularity contests aside, students do make very good judges of which teachers know their shit and which teachers are just collecting a pay-check and biding their time until retirement. Additionally, no one is laying any responsibility for education at the parents' feet. Again, Sally D asked, "What about the parent who buys his kid a $300 phone but won't hand in $4.99 for a supplemental book?" Or what about the parent who asks the teacher why the student isn't doing his homework. Is the teacher at home with the student? And then there are parents who are working 2 jobs, coming home at midnight and still managing to be involved with their student's schoolwork. When teachers leave the profession in droves because the accountability measures are unfair, the students are the ones who will suffer. Teachers are not immediately replaceable as some would like to think and when the good teachers abandon public education for private education or completely different careers where there talents are valued, who will be left to teach?
We are at a crossroads in education but instead of politicians acting as crossing guards to make sure everyone gets across safely, they have set up road-blocks and they're searching
everyone's car whether or not there's any evidence that the driver is a criminal. Legislators need to hear from everyone, not just teachers, that the proposed fix has to be equitable to students and teachers and, ultimately, our future.
