We’re not alone, we just work that way
I love getting comments on my writing, especially like this one from my March 20 post (“I quit”).
This just suggests to me that more teachers—if not every teacher—should blog. Teacher are the only professionals who really know what is going on in the nation’s schools. Most parents don’t. Politicians certainly don’t (No Child Left Behind has its heart in the right place, but fails to address the real social issues that are the real cause of failing students). Students know, too, but by and large they are too apathetic to do anything about it—I know when I was in high school, I vowed that when my four years were up, I was NEVER going to return (a vow I, of course, broke when I started teaching in high school).
So that leaves teachers.
Teachers need to let the public know what goes on in public schools. Part of the faculty and staff reaction to that frustrated teacher’s blog (see the previous post) was a feeling that this teacher had violated some kind of code by airing his grievances in a public forum. No one is disputing that the things he says happen, happen at that school. They’re just upset that it’s now public fodder.
But why shouldn’t it be? This is a public school, after all. Maybe if people started hearing about what public schools are really like, on a daily basis, politicians would realize that No Child Left Behind isn’t the solution it’s supposed to be. What we really need is total systemic change.
Take, for example, Teacher Man.
My father, himself a 32-year veteran of public schools (first as a 6th-grade teacher, then as an elementary school principal) recently lent me his copy of Teacher Man, Frank McCourt’s memoir of his 30 years teaching in some of New York City’s toughest schools. I’m stalled on page 59. It’s just too depressing. McCourt dealt with the same problems and issues teachers are still grappling with today. Reading Teacher Man is like being back in those situations again, something I fervently never want to do again. Granted, McCourt fought through his tough beginnings to become a highly esteemed and successful teacher, so I’m hopeful the book eventually gets more upbeat. But for now, it’s just too much of a reminder of what I went through.
It’s wonderful that McCourt is being frank about his experiences teaching in New York city. But I think most people will read his stories and think “Well, that was 30 years ago.”
People need to see how little things are changing in the world of education. Sure, there are some success stories, but the cons of our antiquated educational system far outweigh the pros. And in case you don’t believe that our current system is antiquated, consider this:
The original reason schools don’t meet in the summer months is that parents would keep their children home then, anyway, to help bring in the harvest. I don’t know exact statistics for the rest of the country, but I do know that the total percent of the population that works on farms in this country is quite low-probably less than 10 percent. And I know that of all of the students in Chicago Public Schools, that percentage has got to be either zero or awfully damn close.
I loved my summer off, but that structure is archaic, as is so much of American education.
So teachers, start blogging. Start showing America what is wrong with its schools, and start suggesting ways this broken system can be fixed. If enough teachers speak up, someone’s bound to listen eventually.
You very well may be my new hero! I've been teaching in an urban school in Kansas City, Missouri, a notoriously dysfunctional school district. I left a good job as a computer programmer to "save the urban students" but have had the same experience as you -- babysitting apathetic students in a hostile environment, where every problem and low test score is blamed on the teachers. As I've tried to make it through to this June, reading your weblog has encouraged me, if for no other reason than I have seen I'm not alone.
This just suggests to me that more teachers—if not every teacher—should blog. Teacher are the only professionals who really know what is going on in the nation’s schools. Most parents don’t. Politicians certainly don’t (No Child Left Behind has its heart in the right place, but fails to address the real social issues that are the real cause of failing students). Students know, too, but by and large they are too apathetic to do anything about it—I know when I was in high school, I vowed that when my four years were up, I was NEVER going to return (a vow I, of course, broke when I started teaching in high school).
So that leaves teachers.
Teachers need to let the public know what goes on in public schools. Part of the faculty and staff reaction to that frustrated teacher’s blog (see the previous post) was a feeling that this teacher had violated some kind of code by airing his grievances in a public forum. No one is disputing that the things he says happen, happen at that school. They’re just upset that it’s now public fodder.
But why shouldn’t it be? This is a public school, after all. Maybe if people started hearing about what public schools are really like, on a daily basis, politicians would realize that No Child Left Behind isn’t the solution it’s supposed to be. What we really need is total systemic change.
Take, for example, Teacher Man.
My father, himself a 32-year veteran of public schools (first as a 6th-grade teacher, then as an elementary school principal) recently lent me his copy of Teacher Man, Frank McCourt’s memoir of his 30 years teaching in some of New York City’s toughest schools. I’m stalled on page 59. It’s just too depressing. McCourt dealt with the same problems and issues teachers are still grappling with today. Reading Teacher Man is like being back in those situations again, something I fervently never want to do again. Granted, McCourt fought through his tough beginnings to become a highly esteemed and successful teacher, so I’m hopeful the book eventually gets more upbeat. But for now, it’s just too much of a reminder of what I went through.
It’s wonderful that McCourt is being frank about his experiences teaching in New York city. But I think most people will read his stories and think “Well, that was 30 years ago.”
People need to see how little things are changing in the world of education. Sure, there are some success stories, but the cons of our antiquated educational system far outweigh the pros. And in case you don’t believe that our current system is antiquated, consider this:
The original reason schools don’t meet in the summer months is that parents would keep their children home then, anyway, to help bring in the harvest. I don’t know exact statistics for the rest of the country, but I do know that the total percent of the population that works on farms in this country is quite low-probably less than 10 percent. And I know that of all of the students in Chicago Public Schools, that percentage has got to be either zero or awfully damn close.
I loved my summer off, but that structure is archaic, as is so much of American education.
So teachers, start blogging. Start showing America what is wrong with its schools, and start suggesting ways this broken system can be fixed. If enough teachers speak up, someone’s bound to listen eventually.
posted by Christopher at
6:10 PM
1 Comments:
How very revolutionary-esque of you.
Seriously, though, that's the power of the blog. To give those who previously had none a voice in the conversation. It's been used to great effect (not good enough based on the last two presidential elections, obviously) in politics but those lessons are applicable to teaching as well.
The guy in the CHI TRIB article who ran an anonymous blog did it the wrong way. He was all crabbiness and no constructive commentary. If you want to fix something you need to propose the kind of thing you are here, by adding voices to the debate. You're right - Eventually attention will be paid and someone will have to take those opinions seriously.
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Chris Thilk, at 3:36 PM
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