9486 in the collection
Not scared, just scarred.
Can anyone say play in Kindergarten anymore?
by Natalie Holland
Teachers say they are scared of being fired with new legislation pending. I am not scared of being fired because I know what kind of teacher I am. My children achieve tremendous gains each year. They will continue to do so as long as a teach. No carrot, nor stick can change that!
However, I am socially minded as well and am a parent. SO I know what kind of education I want for my child ....and the way education has been moving toward scripted, tested crazed, robotic direct teaching is WHAT SCARES ME. I am scared I will lose my drive and get burnt out. Not because I don't want to do everything humanly possible for my children--- but because one day I won't be allowed to.
Our public education, a pillar of our society is being systematically morphed into a test prep factory, our children lab rats to be poked and prodded in this experiment of reform.
This new push in education is more likely to attract the teachers who "dish out the worksheets and scream at their children to do them" than teachers who internalize their children's success like I do.
What kind of professional wants to spend every working hour doing what research says is best for children and best practices only to be second guessed and overridden, asked to do things that aren't developmentally appropriate? (Can anyone say play in Kindergarten anymore?)
I am not in disagreement about "lazy" teachers.
I see teachers who infuriate me, who aren't in it for the right reason. They don't have high expectations for their children. They don't advocate for their children. They don't research strategies when children are struggling. They do leave children behind.
I know there are many just like in any and every profession. I have done a lot of traveling and have worked in Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and now FL. But at every school that I was in there were always no more than 5 of these such teachers, which considering the number is probably the same in most professions.
You may have heard the question posed: what do you call a med student who graduates last in his class? Yes, a doctor.
Plus there are already laws in place, to get rid of these teachers if the administrations do their job to do so. Besides I don't think tenure really exists anymore anyway; I don't think it's unreasonable after working for 3 years and proving yourself to be given at least a 3 year job security. The laws are already reasonable.
I just remember a time when teachers were respected for their duty and service. I had great ones in elementary school. More great in my mind now that I look back and what they did for me than I knew then, because I was an egocentric child with a bad home life.
I would LIKE to see teachers rewarded too. However, I just don't think test scores should be the measure of that reward. All our children are unique individuals who learn at different rates, in different ways.
I am scarred from this experience of participating in a political debate in which THOUSANDS of people expressed disagreement about pending legislation, protests, phone calls, a Republican candidate for Governor agreeing with a Union a few of the main key points, 8 hours of testimony to Congress with many more people waiting to testify when the buzzer sounded, but the House votes it in anyway.
No... not scared. Scarred.
— Natalie Holland
Natalie Rrenee Speaks blog
2010-04-06
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/apr/05/052235/100-teachers-line-testify-against-pay-bill/news-breaking/
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