This transpired in Atlanta recently: “America’s biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta. At least 178 teachers and principals in Atlanta Public Schools cheated to raise student scores on high-stakes standardized tests, according to a report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.”
This is one of the consequences education will suffer when you cause teachers to be responsible for student’s actions. If teacher’s employment, increase in pay and performance appraisal relies not on their performance, but the students, teachers in all probability may do anything to protect themselves, including cheating. Especially when you have absolutely no control over most of the variables that contributes to their performance such as: Family life; attitude towards education; ability; desires; respect towards authority; just to name a few. Wouldn’t you do whatever necessary to keep food on the table and a roof over your children’s head?
We insist on miracles from teachers and little from the students. Teachers are required to instruct to each child’s “learning style;” we are to manage each child’s behavior no matter how appalling it is and if you remove a disruptive child it is because of something YOU did not the child; we are obliged to save EVERY child and if we do not we are awarded a deduction in pay, a contemptible evaluation or even terminated.
Is it any marvel we cannot procure teachers? It is equivalent to terminating a bank teller because their patrons were not depositing sufficient funds into their accounts. I comprehend we are in a condemn teacher’s mode in America right now, however we must get beyond it if we crave for our children to be suitably educated. If children are going to be taught they MUST respect those who are instructing them and if the general public does not respect them, how do we anticipate the children to do so?
I can enlighten you with this – if we persist on assessing teachers on student achievement education will fall short and what transpired in Atlanta is merely a diminutive illustration of what America’s education system has to look forward to.
Jim Blockey
Teacher/Author “Teachers… It Ain’t Your Fault.”
One of the most destructive fallacies pushed in the last decade is that the teacher is the most important factor is a child’s learning. The corollary is how much a child gains or loses in classes taught by effective or ineffective teachers. What this has translated to parents and students is that if a child does not learn get a better teacher. Which once more takes the responsibility from the student.
Posted by Peter Smyth | July 8, 2011, 11:51 amCan someone give me an AMEN!!!
Posted by Jim Blockey | July 8, 2011, 3:43 pmI voted for our governor, although some of the decisions he’s making are discouraging to families and insulting to my profession. I’ve worked for CCSD and the families in the Las Vegas area for 13 years, and it may come to an end. I shell out thousands of dollars annually of my own money to purchase student supplies and further educate myself, hundreds of extra hours to coach, sponsor clubs, work with at-risk students, and provide free tutoring, and I frequently skip lunch due to grading papers or contacting parents. (not complaining here, I do it willingly) Not only does our governor wish to decrease my pay, increase the number of students in my classes, and increase the paperwork, but now my pay is dependent upon whether or not my middle school students perform on a test that holds little value to them. I have read how students have actually purposely tanked tests knowing the teacher’s pay is tied to their performance on the test. How absurd is that? If we are so worried as a community about poor teachers in the classrooms, then let’s focus on the administrators to do the paperwork required to get those teachers out. It is already in place. I’m afraid that what is going to happen is we are going to lose some of our best teachers. I am already considering a career change. Perhaps this is what our governor intends by driving out those of us who do make more money and replace us with first or second year teachers that cost less. If I was running a business for profit, I’d surely understand that cheaper employees don’t necessarily give me the greatest bottom line.
Posted by Laura | July 8, 2011, 6:10 pmI have been somewhat disappointed with the gov also. He has chosen to believe the gossip that teachers are the reason for failing education. Our best hope is to shed light on an extremely dark situation. Spread the word of what you are saying and if also about my blog. I am getting more and more readers by the week. If enough start listening others will have to start acting, after all I AM one of them… a Conservative Republican.
Posted by Jim Blockey | July 8, 2011, 6:38 pm