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. 

Educational Apps vs Teachers

                I am worried for the children of our schools.  We are facing hard times, and the decisions that legislators, local school boards, and administrators make in light of the current budget cuts will directly affect them.  I am certain that they are wrestling with what to do – and to what or whom.  I just hope that they use their sense of good judgment when they start trimming the proverbial “fat”.

                I am praying that they can remember a teacher who changed their lives by seeing something in them that they didn’t even see in themselves, by appreciating their passions, by recognizing their God-given talents and abilities, and by giving them opportunities to grow and bloom where they were planted.  That’s what real teachers do for kids.  Sadly, sometimes the folks in charge of education in this great state are convincing local leaders that education must be teacher proof.  It is as if they believe that a new program, such as a canned curriculum, or a cutting-edge piece of technology, like a SmartBoard, can somehow replace a good teacher, or worse, that these tools can magically turn a poor teacher into a good one.  In my 30 years in the business, I just haven’t found that to be the case.  That’s like saying that the “Ghost Finder” app on my iPhone makes me a ghost buster.  All I’ve really accomplished with that app is keeping my grandkids out of the rooms where I store my so-called collectibles.  And, even though my “highway rest stop” app is useful, if nature calls in the West Texas desert where there are hardly any rest stops, I can still take care of business without it. 

                This whole concept of removing the human element reminds me of a lady I once knew. She told me that she didn’t have to worry anymore about the finer points of driving because her husband had bought her a Cadillac that had so many bells and whistles that it could practically drive itself and that she could just put it on cruise and paint her toenails all the way to Houston.  Well, that’s sounds pretty cool, but do we really want her to do that?

                My point is that education is not about investing in the latest educational “app.”  In fact, there is a plethora of research that tells us that the most successful schools do the opposite.  They actually invest in their teachers, the most valuable asset in any school, because they know that kids succeed when they have teachers who understand their unique talents, challenges, and abilities.  Education is a living, breathing organism composed of human beings who have passions that must be fed, or the organism dies - one precious dream at a time.  Our leaders must take this into consideration when they make their decisions about where to start cutting and remember the teacher who made a difference in their lives or in the lives of their children or grandchildren.  I am praying that God will give them the wisdom to make the right decisions - and that they don’t forget to invite Him to the meeting.