It hasn’t been a good week here at the blog–my apologies for denying any of you who visit the opportunity to read snarky commentary about Brad Johnson. I know you miss it, but I’ve just been feeling a bit overwhelmed with school the past week, and haven’t had the mental energy to jump on here and make an irreverent post.
It’s probably not fair to say that school has drained my energy; the education part of what I do is incredibly invigorating, and though there is the occasional week with an enormous workload, I’m lucky enough to have a job that produces more energy than it takes. Being in a classroom with bright, articulate people, discussing the best things anyone has ever written, could hardly be exhausting.
What is exhausting, though, is the enormous weight of the institution involved in education and the pressure to “reform” our schools. The pressure, much of it warranted, is coming from every direction-an administration skeptical about the future of public education, parents worried about low achievement, and employers concerned that their workers aren’t prepared for the job.
With all this pressure, schools feel forced to show a response. Unfortunately, we’re always looking for quick fixes for our systemic problems, for slogans that will cover up our failures, and for gimmicks that offer false hope. If you survey the literature about educational reform, its history is littered with amazing new technique after amazing new technique, almost all of which failed to live up to the claims of the people hyping them.
Of course, the real answer isn’t all that complicated. Quality education comes from honest effort, from students, teachers, and administrators. No catchphrase for student achievement or innovative program can replace the impact of effort, and our endless search for easy answers always seems to run away from that point. We know what works; the big question is are we willing to do it?
If we want our students to be able to read at grade level, the answer probably isn’t educational teams, dual credit classes, block schedules, peer mentoring, the whole child concept, freshman orientation, or any of the other “innovations” in education that flash in the pan for a moment before being forgotten. It’s not going to be found in focus groups or site visits to other schools. It’s certainly not going to revealed at an education conference.
The answer is right in front of us. Want revolutionary change and authentic improvement? The answer might be as simple as turning off the damn DVD players in our classrooms, demanding and demonstrating excellence, and making students believe that education is valuable by treating it as something valuable, not 50 minute chunks of filled, but often idle, time.
Commitment to excellence may not get headlines. It may not be exciting, either, but policy solutions are never going to solve people problems. The public has a right to demand excellence–not excuses about what we can’t do, nor superficial claims about what we have done.
I’m tired, and I’m overwhelmed. Fortunately, I’ve got a lot of great minds tomorrow who will restore my faith and demand my best. I, and everyone in education, owe them the same.
Article by Don Pogreba
Don is an English/Debate teacher and debate handbook author who lives in Helena, MT, and who can't imagine living anywhere other than this glorious state. Much of his writing happens late at night and he is unlikely to respond to your comments during the day.
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Pogie, I’ve been in education a long time, and what you say is very true. Recently, some of my friends in ed have simply called it quits. They can no longer take the bullshit. One, a very, very good teacher in Billings who has taught for about thirty years finally hung it up because of her doctor. He flat told her that if she didn’t quit she would die. Her blood pressure was that high! She loved teaching, but she simply could not handle the pressures of the bullshit any longer. And that’s sad, because we lost a master teacher. She now works a much less stressful job in a bank.
And this woman is only one of many teachers I know who are among the best teachers I know. To them, it really is a matter of life and death. They are destroying their own health for the kids. And it should not be this way. This is truly busllhit.
All these new fangled gimicks and no child left behind have NOTHING to do with education. Teachers know how to teach.
My biggest worry is that no one is going to want into education, and who can blame them. It’s just no worth it any longer. You will see. One day, the doc’s gonna say to you, “Pogie, isn’t there something ELSE that you want to do with your life, cause if you keep this crap up, you gonna die!”. You’ll see. Some of us learn coping strategies, but they’re only so good. The doc wake up call comes to us all!
For what it’s worth, you weren’t ever one of my teachers, at least not in the formal educational system sense, but I learned a ton from you — and I know you’ve made a huge difference in a number of young people’s lives.
Keep it up, Pogie — you kick ass.
I haven’t even had a real teaching job yet (the job hunt starts this Spring…), but I’ve still seen a lot of what you’re talking about. I student taught in a school that was loaded with traditional teachers, and there was a lot of resistance to the kind of change that was being demanded of them.
That being said, there were some truly devoted individuals working there. I agree with you inasmuch as it doesn’t seem to matter whether or not they have a modified block schedule or academic advising periods for their students. It’s all about work ethic and a true desire on the part of the teacher to convey some knowledge upon the student (and to even encourage the student to WANT to learn…) That seems to matter a whole hell of a lot more.
Great post.
Steve, if it’s not too late, CHANGE MAJORS! It ain’t worth it, pal. No one cares any more!
Come on Larry, I’ve got at least 20 more years until my jaded and cynical phase of teaching starts. I’ve got to do this thing the right way.
I have a four-year-old son and a baby on the way. Believe me, I care about whether bright, articulate people enter public education. Keep at it, Steve. Good luck.
I can say, as the daughter of retired teachers, that teachers don’t seem to me to be “the problem”. Parents who are not interested in being parents create way more issues. Teachers can only do so much with what they’re given.
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