The past few weeks have been filled with articles and media reports concerning the education reform package presented by Governor Malloy. Much of the focus has been centered on teacher preparation, certification, tenure, and salary. It is not within reason to want to examine these areas along with the curriculum standards that are now in place. What is troubling is that there appears to be a consensus that there are a great number of teachers who are not qualified, or conscientious enough for the day-to-day learning of students. When the goal is to improve the achievement of students, other factors need to be considered before any real change can occur.
The steps towards certification in the state of Connecticut are among the most rigorous in the nation. There are numerous requirements which must be met in order to reach certain levels. This usually takes years to achieve. Evaluations and professional development is ongoing in most districts, and teachers must take additional credits in order to maintain their license. If a teacher is not sufficiently doing their job, or are not observed to be effective, there are plenty of opportunities early on in their career to not grant certification, or to be released by a district. It is up to the administrative staff, central office, and the state to make this determination, and to have the fortitude to follow through with the decision.
The other factors that come into to play are those which no school, principal, or teacher has control. Children need to understand from a young age that school is important. Attendance is critical. I have seen many students miss too many days to be successful. Children also need an adequate amount of rest. Letting young children stay up late is not beneficial to learning. They also have to be taught how to behave and be respectful. Too much class time is spent dealing with inappropriate behavior. This has nothing to do with a teacher having control. Homework needs to be completed and handed in on time. Less time should be spent on video games or other electronic devices, and more should be spent on reading.
Every student needs a parent, grandparent, guardian, or someone responsible in their life that will ensure that they are prepared and active in their learning. I have seen students in homes run by single moms, working two jobs, go on to college and be successful. I have seen students from all socio-economic levels who are neglected and don’t care about school. It takes caring adults to encourage, inspire, and motivate young people. It takes adults outside of the school to make sure that education is a priority in the life of a child.
Teachers play a significant role in the education of a youngster, but they can’t do it alone. There is no single method that allows every student to succeed. Urban schools are dealing with more issues than their suburban counterparts. They need more assistance in terms of staffing, materials, and social services. It is easy to point fingers and lay blame. Teaching is the one occupation that everyone thinks they understand or know how to do better. It takes more than a few hours on a tour, or even a whole day, to truly understand the magnitude of variables that is facing one person standing alone in a room.
I have met very few teachers that didn’t care about kids. They want to see all students succeed. They fret about the children who were struggling, and work hard to find a way to help. So change the requirements, and change the curriculum, but if you don’t concentrate on the social, emotional, and behavior of our young, nothing will be different. Education doesn’t occur only in a school building. The whole day of a child has an impact. That is the message that needs reinforcing. That is the area that will have the most effect in terms of future success.
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Simple Sensibilities 
So true. In my experiences, when there has been a teacher who is not performing his/her duties to an acceptable degree, they are usually transferred rather than the real issue being dealt with. This person then becomes someone else’s headache. Where does the fault lie in that? I believe this is the responsibility of the administrators to begin the process to remove someone like that. However, there are many checks & balances in place, & a lot of documentation needs to be done. It is a hassle, but it is the job of the administrators to do this, rather than to pass the buck. Because of a few poorly performing teachers, now many hard working teachers are being slammed as inadequate.
Your last sentence is what really bothers me. Most parents I meet don’t know I was a teacher. They are so critical of the schools and of teachers in general. Of course, they don’t want to shoulder any of the responsibility either.
Teaching is like any other profession. There are a handful of exceptional teachers who have amazing energy, enthusiasm, and skill. There are a few who are are inefffective and should really look for other employment. The vast majority of teachers are competent professionals who know their subject area, have reasonable classroom management skills, and can design and deliver lessons. (For the record, I consider myself in that third category.)
I teach in a large school district (25 high schools). Over half of the high schools make the list of top 100 schools in the country. My son attends one of the better schools in the district. I teach at the lowest (in socio-economic terms only) in the district. For the past two years, I have judged science fair at both schools. The difference is staggering. We have some amazing students at my school but they are the exceptions. Almost half of the projects at my school were poor quality and didn’t really belong in a science fair. At my son’s school it was more like one or two of the projects were that embarrassing.
I know the science faculty at both schools fairly well. There is no difference in the qualifications of the teaching staff. The rubrics are dictated by the County. Both schools have the same process of project approval and review throughout the process. The difference is that I am a typical parent at my son’s school. My son has two married, educated, employed and functional parents. For as long as he can remember he has lived in the same single family home that we purchased shortly after he was born. My students on the other hand typically live in single parent households and are eligible for free and reduced lunch. Many come from Central America and their parents have no more than sixth grade educations. On more than one occasion, I have learned that my students’ wages from part-time employment are being turned over to help pay rent or buy groceries.
I don’t have an easy answer, but I believe effort and attention needs to be focussed on the preschool and primary grades. We should develop and support community based programs that provide a safe place for children to go after school and do their homework. And, in the schools there is one thing that has consistently produced better educational outcomes — smaller class sizes. For heavens sake lets stop hiring more administration positions to monitor progress and get more teachers.
I agree Eileen. I did my internship at Briggs (CVA), long term subbed in Darien, and taught at NHS for 14.5 years. I’ve seen all home situations, all economic levels, and the effect of parental involvement. Your comment about afterschool programs was well understood. I was going to add that to the post but it was already long. It might be a follow up. Thanks again. Angela