Saturday, April 30, 2011

Wtvs with Superman! We'll take any hero at this point

There are two kinds of educators in the world, those that who have chosen this noble profession and those who were chosen by this noble profession. The previous teachers work hard every day, they put in their time, mainly enjoy it, and some even last beyond the first five years. Others reluctantly sacrifice their commitment to nobility in attempt to replace it with a life, an easier job, or a career in a field where your worth is somehow reflected in your compensation. The rest of us, the "chosen" ones are shackled to this profession in one form or another, for life. We are the ones who were born for this, and many of us exist in public education. We come into this profession bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with a tornado of ideas and excitement in our wake. We learn quickly that from late July to mid June its futile to even attempt a real life. Not only are there papers to grade, events to attend, and planning to be done, but our free time is sucked up by the volcano of ideas that will erupt the second our brain notices it may have room for more information. It does not matter where this breed of teacher works, because their commitment is unwavering regardless. We are those crazy people who arrive at work at 7:00am and often don't leave till the late evening hours. We sacrifice time with our families and friends, because in our hearts we know we must. The expectation that we carry for ourselves is far greater, far higher, than anyone could place upon us.  We give every piece of us that we can, because we know no other way. We do this because in that moment, when the bulb of success and understanding illuminates a child's face, almost all of those pieces are replaced and once more we can breathe.

Most of us, surprisingly enough, end up at Title One schools, where the majority of children live in poverty. That takes things to a whole new level. In educating these little guys, what was once a dance of dialogue, persuasion, and motivation in an effort to facilitate learning, now becomes a bloody battle of safety, trust, access to resources and survival skills. Children of poverty have a life, that for most of us, seems unimaginable. They need you as a teacher, a co-parent, a counselor, an advocate and an educator. There is no doubt that schools populated with children in this position have a difficult time retaining teachers. Some last for many years, but eventually need to devote more time to themselves or family. Other teachers would give anything to stay, but are laid off due to the "budget crisis". Some are "placed" there as a result of the district's seniority shuffle. Usually these teachers are simply counting the seconds until there is an opening elsewhere and they can escape the jungle. Then, of course, there are those that remain. I've had the privilege of knowing many of these die-hards, and this breed is indeed rare. Their commitment is unwavering, and it shows in everything they do. Watching them struggle day to day,week to week, year to year is simultaneously gut-wrenching and inspiring. It's like watching a beautiful bird attempting to fly;unfortunately it is unaware of its lead wings.

There are schools, Title One schools, that have found their niche and risen up despite the struggles they face. These schools become community centers that are regularly buzzing with activity, day or night. It takes more than a devoted staff and administration to build this. It takes a community, a collaboration of hearts and minds striving to reach a shared goal. It also cannot be done without the protection of the school district and the respect of the outside community. This is the lesson that many schools are learning as a result of today's "budget crisis". They are expendable and nothing is sacred.

What happens to the families and staffs of these schools when they are dismantled? Let's sit back over the next five years and watch. Our schools are in huge trouble, because with out the support of these types of schools, struggling students will crumble. Some will make it, but most will not. The teachers, unfortunately are going to learn an excruciating lesson as well. They will learn that yes their efforts paid off in the microcosm of that school; but in the destruction of their school the only people who really recognize and benefit from their efforts are the very ones that they will be separated from, the families. They will learn that they have no power to protect  their investment, and that very few people truly understand their work or commitment. They will reluctantly learn that they are not only a unique breed of teacher, but an endangered breed.  Worst of all the entire community will learn that decades of work and accomplishment can be destroyed in one thirty minute board meeting or by the  discussion of a committee that has never even set foot on their campus. So, maybe an evolution will occur. Maybe those teachers that survive this type of catastrophic event, become the teachers who see it as "just a job, with summers off". Let's face it, missing their OWN children's first day of school, Back to School Night, Open House, Dr. appointments and so much more hasn't paid off for them, has it?

In education we embrace the concept of differentiation in the classroom. Yet our administration expects uniformity between schools. Uniformity, "all must do this in this fashion", has been the driving force behind the decline in American education. Mediocrity is rewarded in our current system. Whether we are talking about No Child Left Behind or the willingness of a local education agency (a school district) to examine its own practices, stepping outside the box is a mortal sin. Ineffective teachers sit stagnant in classrooms because principals feel as though "poor evaluations" will cause problems. Even when the principals have union support to start the process of dismissing a tenured teacher, the districts are too fearful of litigation to pursue the issue. Principals receive no support from the union, so if they step outside the status-quo, if they voice too much opinion that is not in line with the district's approach they can be immediately fired. If our leaders are not encouraged to take risks and try new things how can we solve our problems? How can we improve? How can we stay on the cutting edge? We can't. It is far easier to mandate uniformity through encouraging mediocrity. Thus our current situation exists.

Surely, it has its strengths. Parents have no need to school-choice to a different school in the district, if they are all the same. When a family cannot go to a school of their choosing, any other school is "just as good". There can be no bragging about the great things over here, and complaining about the low caliber of things over there. Well, theoretically that's how it works. Uniformity, or fidelity to the program makes it far easier to make unilateral decisions. It also provides an escape for accepting the responsibility of those decisions and how they effect smaller groups of people and smaller programs. The mantra becomes "All of these services are provided or can be provided everywhere". In terms of achievement the catch-all becomes "We have followed the scope and sequence and implemented the program with complete fidelity", which translates into "It's not my fault the students tested poorly, its the program's fault." In forcing all of us to be the same, none of us are personally responsible for the outcome.

So here we are in a community of affluence and prestige; yet we are closing schools. We are surrounded by powerful businesses and yet none of them are supporting our schools beyond the status quo, if at all. Our general community, has spent more time debating the issues of a sign on their freeway, then exploring let alone implementing, a new parcel tax to help our struggling schools. We are educated enough know the importance of innovation, yet we reward mediocrity and mandate uniformity. We comply with regulations that we know to be detrimental to our students for fear of the reprecussions. We willingly place additional burdens on our most struggling populations and conversely acquiesce to the very groups with which we have chosen to form contentious relationships. We are the perfect setting for a new comic series; we only need a hero.

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