As I sit, stand, and pace here this weekend trying to pull together a daunting workshop presentation for tomorrow's Martin Luther King Day professional development day in the district, I cannot get certain thoughts out of my head.
My topic is on can't or won't: how to tell if kids can't do the work or if they just merely won't. The main focus is that we tend to dismiss work refusal, poor progress, late/missing work, bad test scores, and overall classroom apathy/inablity as behaviors that are done on purpose by kids. We often fail to understand that even if a child tests average and does not statistically meet any criteria for a disability in the state of MN education, that it does not mean that they do not have grave learning difficulties in our classrooms. In fact, these are the kids who "fall through the cracks". These are the kids who fall under the radar because they aren't "so" bad and unless their parents cause a ruckus, they are somehow forgotten about or just tracked through grade levels barely skirting by, and likely not learning much. Many of these kids are thought of as "bad apples", or students who are disrespectful, or even possess parents who don't care about education. In all of my years knowing and meeting parents, I can say that for certain, less than 5% really truly did not care if their kids learned anything. The good news is that we are starting to pay attention to these kids more. The bad news is that we still aren't good at figuring out just what the problem is. My presentation is rooted in the fact that many of these kids not only have difficulty learning and showing their learning, but we as educators have difficulty recognizing that and allowing ourselves to change our teaching styles in order to meet these kids is often absent from our efforts to teach children. These are kids who learn differently and need to be recognized, not penalized for their inability to learn effectively by the way we choose to teach them. Why do we expect children to conform to our ideas about how they "should" learn rather than understand how to reach them where THEY are to bring them to where they need to be?
I often hear the argument that teachers cannot just change the way they are teaching to meet the needs of just a few in their classroom. That's incredibly sad. I hope I am never a parent of a student subjected to that attitude. Likely, the way they are teaching is what they've grown used to because it's quick, efficient, easy to execute, and hits most of the students in the class -and it's different than what we've always done and would be unfair to the majority of the kids in the class to tailor things to meet the needs of a few struggling learners. What we sometimes don't remember or understand is that many of the kids we feel we would be "leaving behind" if we switched up our style to meet the needs of a few would STILL be making progress. Much of our average to above average achievers will still make good progress even if we are the worst teacher in the school -and believe me when I say that happens over and over. Also, what we fail to realize is that by changing our styles and attitudes to meet the needs of a few may actually be a good experience for those kids who "know" how to learn our way. When we switch things up to meet the needs of a few, there is a likely possibility that those students who have historically done well may falter at first. Why? We should consider that maybe the reason they are doing well is because they know how to learn in the traditional classroom but the thing is, it's a VERY likely consideration that these kids will adjust and evolve to learn how to learn a different way as well -and quickly too. These are kids who are adaptable and flexible with learning- we could give them material and they could learn it by themselves. That's not teaching...that's managing and a reverse form of babysitting. And think about it...how many times in your life, save college maybe, has the traditional classroom way of learning "worked" for you??? How many of us have sat through boring lectures, boring speeches and saw no benefit to it? How many of us would be appalled if we had to use long division to figure out our taxes and other calculations because using a calculator is "cheating" or "not fair"?? Memorizing facts without application is silly and likely requires little to no instruction. Learning HOW to learn those facts is what is important. Are we teaching subjects such as science, grammar, social studies??....or are we teaching PEOPLE?
So while my brain has been full of this, I cannot help but notice all of the news articles surrounding teaching unions in the past week. The basic premises of unions is admirable: collectively we take care of each other so no one is mistreated. But it's gotten so convoluted, so political, so powerful. Honestly? When I hear unions focus on the rights and fatter paychecks of teachers and less about how to work cooperatively with school districts to best educate kids, I am angry at first but then feel distraught over what has become of our society. It is very difficult for me to regard unions as professional entities for the good of educating children and not money grubbing strong arms. And I used to be a union leader as a teacher -I know that machine and I do understand the history and purpose. But folks, it's getting WAY out of hand and I am embarrassed as an educator when teachers want more pay than a district can afford and then sit back while tax payers must foot a levy bill because things are stretched far too much. When educators who are paid well and taken care of well benefits-wise complain about the vast array of learners in their classrooms and that they cannot possibly be expected to teach every kid that comes through their classroom door and also do the "homework" required by their specific job assignment, it makes me sick to my stomach. When they shorten their work day so that they are "adequately compensated", it leaves kids out and drives up district cost anyway because that only means the teachers must be paid extra to stay extra. This is double dipping -a covert way to squeeze more money out of districts and not a compromise at all. Plain and simple. This is what's wrong with society. Kids aren't the problem, parents aren't, video games and other technology isn't, WE are because this is the example we are teaching kids. It's our own fault if our students are apathetic or want the easy way out -big benefit with little work. Education unions are outdated and miss the boat when it comes to how to be a compassionate human being and teach a strong work ethic to the next generation.
I make approximately less than $10,000-$15,000 as an administrator than a teacher does in my school district when one does the math. I work 12 months out of the year -260 days to a teacher's 185. My contract day is 1 hour longer than a teacher's. I pay 70% of my health insurance premiums, while teachers experience 0% out of pocket for premiums. I am often at the beck and call of teachers during their contract day which means I have to make up that time above my own contract hours to get my assigned district duties done; in reality, I would probably be fired if I said no to a task because it was out of my contract hours. Kind of like what happens in nearly every other industry in today's world.
Granted, I feel only about 20-30% of educators actually believe, follow, and perpetuate what I find ugly and distasteful in unions, but they are the majority voice and more than half of the rest of them ride the wave the union gives them, passively reaping benefit. This is how powerful the union is: If you choose not to be represented by them and wish not to be a part of it as an educator -and want absolutely nothing to do with the union, you STILL MUST PAY "fair share" which is 80% of the standard dues. So, even if you wish not to be a part of this machine, you still have your money stolen from you (after taxes) to fund a train wreck draining our schools of money with little empirical evidence that unions improve student achievement. Also, if you do not participate in what the union decides through a majority (i.e. bullied) vote such as right-to-work demonstrations, strikes, walk outs, and/or not ratifying contracts nor negotiating in good faith with cash strapped districts then you are ostracized and made to feel shut out and alone -and not a "team player" but an administration placator or "principal's pet". If we treat each other that way, it is no wonder why we have bully problems among students in our schools. We model that exact same behavior as adults.
I'm not scared of unions. I'm much too disgusted with much of the false entitlement, bully behavior, and selfishness to have any fear. Many of the improvements to instruction, student management, and even student civil rights protections are bucked by union majorities in many areas of this state. That has stalemated opportunities to really show student achievement and continued learning. It just further reiterates to me that unions as a majority are not looking out for our kids. They are looking out for adults (or just merely themselves) who should be the ones BEING the adults and looking out for vulnerable kids. It really makes me sick and quite tired.
I look forward to the time that unions pull their heads out of their asses. I think there are some districts out there that have a collective group of educators who "get it" and do not meet DMS-IV criteria for paranoia or oppositional defiant disorder. We need more of that sense and sensibility. For the sake of our kids.
This is why I have been starting to lean more towards the right than the left or even middle. I'm starting to wonder if I'm becoming an advocate for privatizing of public schools just to get rid of the present union climate and make that selfish, paranoid, and uncooperative group-think extinct. I want to be proven wrong. I want to see them do good, not harm -because all I see from a student's point of view (and as a member of society) is harm. Exactly what ARE we teaching our kids???
13 hours ago