Before I start my rant, I'd like to go on record saying that I like teachers individually. I think they get a raw deal because their hands are tied. Society blames teachers, when in reality, teachers have little to do with the education outcome because they have nothing to do with the damage prior to the child entering the classroom. (I copied that last line from someone else in a message board)
I don't understand the need to save the world all at once. I'm a "one day at a time" kind of girl. Here in Louisiana, the governor is proposing a giant education reform bill and the teachers are PISSED! I get that not everyone is going to agree all of the time, but come on people, don't you think that we need to do something?
Standing around with your arms crossed and stamping your foot is doing no one any good. Teachers seem to always be against everything. There is always a reason not to take action. I don't get it. Try it, see if it works. Nothing is working now, so what's the problem with throwing several ideas out there to see what does work? Nope, they are against everything YET they say they want what's better for the kids.
I've had several discussions on facebook about it and they are like little parrots repeating the same party line. No, they can't do it. No, it won't work. No, it isn't fair. With attitudes like that, I can see why.
What they don't like:
1) Teacher accountability. HELLO????? Why wouldn't you be accountable for the minds you are shaping?
2) Teacher raises will no longer be automatic: I hate to repeat my self but.... Seriously? In what other profession are the raises based on longevity and not accountability? Welcome to the real world ladies. (I say that as a stay at home mom LOL)
3) No more tenure: I never ever agreed with tenure so I'm ok with this point too. Why should teachers, especially teachers, be able to get in a point in their career where they cannot be fired? Who in their right mind thinks this is ok?
There are more, but I'll stop there. The problems are so much more than two-fold.
1) Teachers appear to be against everything
2) Teachers take their cues from the teacher unions.
3) Teachers should pick their spokespeople more carefully. Case in point:
4) Here in America, we have an epidemic of poor parenting. They can only do so much with what they are given.
5) More bureaucracy is not the answer.
If you are going to hold teachers accountable via kids test scores, then test them in August and again in May to see how far they've come in a year.
I do not know what the answer is but I feel like we have to start somewhere. Just saying no to everything is going to change nothing.
