Monday, February 28, 2011

A Voice for Teachers

     If you are reading this, then the message is getting out to educators.  I have decided to start a dialogue with teachers in an effort to "revolutionize" the way we communicate with the powers that be by being a voice for teachers.  Oh, I know that some of you have served on the so-called "site-based decision making teams" where you spend hours discussing campus business just to be told that you are serving in an "advisory" capacity only.  It has been my observation that just about all decision making is made, not "on" site, but "out of sight" of the teachers and the community.  Most schools have an EIC (Educational Improvement Committee) where a beautiful luncheon is prepared for the members and one-way communication takes place.  During these meetings the administration accentuates the positive and completely ignores the negative or questionable issues.  Even school board meetings function as one-way communication devices where teachers fear speaking because the "bosses" are there, hearing every word.  I have considered running for the school board, but I don't like the idea of not being able to speak freely.  So, right now I am opting for speaking my mind instead of running for office.
    
     As teachers, you need a voice so that the real issues at hand, the ones that need to be made to educate our children, can be brought into the open for an honest appraisal.  Right now, teachers are so afraid for their jobs that they will not speak out at all.  You may speak to me on this blog site.  You may remain anonymous because I understand your very real fears of reprisal.  I will direct our conversations periodically on specific topics just to focus our collective thinking, but you may submit a comment on any topic involving education.  I will then address the board each month with our concerns.  By law, if an inquiry is made at an open meeting, it must be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.  

Sec. 551.042.  INQUIRY MADE AT MEETING. (a) If, at a meeting of a governmental body, a member of the public or of the governmental body inquires about a subject for which notice has not been given as required by this subchapter,the notice provisions of this subchapter do not apply to:
(1)  a statement of specific factual information given in response to the inquiry; or
(2)  a recitation of existing policy in response to the inquiry.
(b)  Any deliberation of or decision about the subject of the inquiry shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a subsequent meeting.
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.
      I know that you are passionate about teaching, but I caution you to be civil and tactful in what you write.  I suggest you refrain from using real names or any specific identifiable "marks" of any fellow teachers, administrators, school board members, or students.  Our goal is to improve the education of our children, not slam the current board or administration. 
      
     At present, the huge budget cuts are looming.  What suggestions do you have for cutting the budget in a way that won't truly harm the quality education our kids need?  For example, some districts have bought a canned curriculum called "C-Scope". It was touted as costing each district $7.00 per student.  However, because these districts have also bought all of the ancillary materials without any thought about how much paper teachers would have to use to follow the plan to the letter, the actual cost seems to be about $16+ per student per year (This number is based on what some school districts have posted on their budgets. Please visit http://www.etacuisenaire.com/cscope/cscope.jsp for more information.)  For a school of 5500, that is a whopping $88,000 per year, or, as I see it, two full-time teachers with some experience who can create curriculum themselves at a considerable savings to the district or adjust the current curriculum to suit the needs of the students sitting in his/her classroom.  
      
     I have not met a teacher yet who didn't believe in the need for a core curriculum and vertical alignment.  The problem seems to be that these curriculum programs leave very little room for teacher creativity or teacher input concerning how something should be taught.  Teachers with depth of knowledge in their areas of study often find errors in the scope and sequence, which is a "non-negotiable".  The biggest concern, however, is that programs such as C-Scope are designed to do one thing: teach kids only what they need to know to pass the state exams.  To many dedicated educators, this is not what a real education is all about.
       
     Another area of concern is that of out-sourcing for substitute teachers.  A district that chooses to use such an entity often pays around $200,000 per year for the service and gives up all control of who subs in the district.  Is this a necessary expenditure or a luxury?  Are we sacrificing yet another freedom of choice?
      
     I encourage you to send the link to this blog to all of your fellow teachers who genuinely care about the future of education.  Until teachers who are actively working in the classroom have a voice that is heard and respected, education will continue to decline in quality at the hands of people who have been out of the classroom too long or who have never been there at all. 

1 comment:

  1. As a teacher in a high school that was just labeled "academically unacceptable", I am in the midst of a battle of wills between a group of dedicated, creative, well-seasoned math teachers and an administration that feels that the introduction of CScope 3 years ago should not have resulted in our downgrade and the math department must be to blame for the poor showing of our students. Since we are currently under TEA intervention, the administration has declared that the curriculum will be followed without ANY alteration and they are convinced that such a decision is "good" for our students. Of course, they do not really care about the students, they only care that their data and resulting test scores show that they as administrators are successful. We are seeing the effects of this shallow, test-driven curriculum. Our students are much less prepared for courses like physics and calculus. Our gifted and PreAP students are being ignored and the use of the CScope curriculum is leaving them unable to compete on the AP/IB tests at a level that was historically excellent in our school. It is frightening to watch the destructive effects of such a curriculum and to know that it is becoming the curriculum of choice throughout the state. We must take a stand against this dreadful problem. Our student deserve no less.

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