I am going to try my hand at starting a Meme. I am hoping that this will create some thoughtful discourse on the state of education. There is much finger pointing, some of it deserved (I have done my share)...But let's dream of a world that we get to make decisions and where the learning and the kids are FIRST and all the real world of budgets and excuses are last.
List FIVE changes you would like to see in the educational system. Your responses should represent your perspective and your passion for learning and students.
Here is my list:
1. The path to becoming an administrator would be changed. People who intend to become administrators should be nominated from a pool of the best teachers in the school. I have had the opportunity to meet some educators online who are passionate about education...But my experience in real life has shown that the motivation for many to get an administrative endorsement is financial more than spiritual. It is vital that the leadership has the same desire to impact students through solid education that a decent teacher does.
2. The teaching profession needs to be relieved of the burden of employees who do not care about student learning. (You notice I didn't call them teachers! Teachers - teach. . . Employees collect a paycheck and give no concern to if the students in their care learn anything.) Your merit should be judged on the atmosphere of the classroom and on students' respect. We can all agree that social promotion is wrong....so should the practice of retaining an employee because they have a contract and belong to a union. Of course the union protects people blindly because of the fear of a 'witch hunt' by administration. SO, if (as in #1) we have administrators that value good teaching above all else, then we can trust them to make good decisions about who is effective (because THEY were effective as a teacher)
3. Homework is getting obnoxious. What once was 'practice of skills' has become a sort of litmus test for who is a good student. Homework should be used carefully and thoughtfully and not just a ritual. My favorite quote from last year was from Bill Page, "The fact that a student gets their homework done may only demonstrate they know who to sit with at lunch." If there is homework, which I don't think is mandatory for all classes....Equal student time must be spent on appreciating the things around them. It must include dancing, singing, smelling something great and time demonstrating a passion for creating or reading. Maybe we would create better citizens of the world if we sanctioned more time for being a part of it.
4. Buh Bye to meetings! In my twenty-three years of teaching, nothing has been accomplished in a meeting that couldn't have been handled in an email. Save that precious together time with colleagues for planning and dreaming and imagining and creating...and maybe recovering from the stress of the days. (No complaining allowed! That's why you have dear friends)
5. Professional Development must be both professional and development. I have spent FAR too many days that are a complete waste of time. Because I am a professional educator, I KNOW things that I could do to make my classroom better--I just need the time to do them. I also have a good support system for finding ideas and nurturing the experience of others. If I want to learn something new to try, the WORLD is available for me. (For the administrators in the crowd who are now thinking, "Oh and everyone will be working toward making their classroom better? See number TWO! I got rid of the dead weight).
I tag the following people... All from a variety of perspectives. If you have been tagged, tag as many people as you choose, but try for a variety.
Paul Bogush @Blogush (Teacher)
LinkPrincipalsPage @principalspage (Principal)
LinkDiane Cordell @dmcordell (Experienced Teacher)
LinkSylvia Martinez @smartinez (Education Change Agent)
LinkKaren Janowski @karenjan (Special Education Advocate and Expert)
LinkKelly Christopherson @kwhobbes (Principal/Teacher)
LinkSherry Crofut @SDSherry (Teacher/Principal Candidate/Grad Student)
LinkPat Hensley @loonyhiker (Retired Teacher / Special Education Guru)
Link
conferences, we have a very special activity planned and there no doubt be MUCH laughter.
