Back to School....

Well, school has started once again and this being an election year, everyone is espousing the same old rhetoric--throw more money into education.  What a bunch of BS!

Now before you start sending me nasty-grams let me remind those who don't know me well, that I am a former teacher. I have taught in the ghetto,  in Catholic schools and even out here in the sticks.  I understand firsthand why our schools are failing and money isn't going to solve the problem.

The problem is that we have too  many people telling the teachers  what to do.  First, most school systems demand a Master's Degree  and passing scores on the Praxis (formerly National Teachers Exam) exams. Thats a great idea. As a teacher you should be highly educated and well prepared. I have no problems with that.

The problem arises when noone lets the teachers teach what their children need. The local school board decides what each grade should be learning and whoa unto you, if you aren't teaching it! I remember several occasions where I was supposed to be teaching advanced concepts and was chastised because I was teaching the basics. I mean, really! If 20 out of 25 students can't add properly, how on earth can you expect them to excel at multiplication or division??  But you have a bunch of people who haven't been in the classroom for years, deciding what your students need.  If the American public wants to subscribe to this, then fine but why require the extensive study/certifications?  If you are going to tell us what teach, when to teach it and in many cases, HOW to teach it--why do we need a Master's Degree and a standardized exam?

We as teachers are down in the trenches but the American public is lead to believe that we need all these high priced folks at the Board of Education to tell teachers what to do. It just isnt so. Why wouldn't you depend on the folks who work with your children every single day to know what they need? You want to save money in education and improve it at the same time? Get rid of everyone but the Superintendent and Ass't Superintendent (if your region is that large) and let the teachers do their job.  We are simply wasting our tax dollars and tying the hands of our teachers.

Would love to hear what you think. Leave me a message or a comment.

Comments

[ame]

I'm sure you knew I'd post to this one ;-)... I agree that more money isn't necessarily the best answer - unless it's used to add more teachers and cut down class size in traditional schools. In working on my masters' degree right now, I admit that, although I love my job, the reason I'm getting my degree is because it's really the only way to make more money in this field - the more educated I become, the more money I make - I don't feel that the education I have received has made me a "better" teacher. Sure, I've learned some interesting things that I may include in my program, but it wasn't my main drive to get a masters... I do agree with the standardized test for teachers to a certain extent but, as with our students, many adults do not perform well on such exams - there should be an alternate way to assess competency. yadda yadda :).

[Lisa Roberson]

wow.

This post brought tears to my eyes - this is stuff I have been spouting off about for years - to hear it straight from a teacher's mouth (read:keyboard) really brings it home!

I really could take up a lot of space here yammering on and on about it, but, I won't.

I will just thank you for validating my passionate beliefs from the 'inside'!

[Therapy Doc]

this is fun-- great job on the grant--you're an inspiration.