"It's People, Not Program" by Todd Whitaker
Today, when education is criticized the first scapegoat is normally the teachers. And that's with good reason; they are with the students every day and if they cannot have their students succeed maybe they are the problem. Yet, the teacher unions protects teachers to such an extent that it is an extremely long, tedious and exhausting process in order to fire any incompetent educator who has tenure. "It's People, Not Programs" is an excellent analysis that teachers are not the problem to a school's deficiencies but they ARE the solution. Every teacher I have known has had their strengths and weaknesses. The good teachers would teach to their strengths no matter if the students were able to comprehend the knowledge or not. Sometimes under good teachers, the average student falls through the cracks because they cannot accel like the gifted students and they are not being helped as much like the below average students. Great teachers are able to turn their weaknesses into strengths and are able to engage every student in the classroom.
Constantly new programs are being introduced into an educator's lexicon - these buzz words are the next great practice that will save all of teaching. But no matter how amazing the practice, the teacher still has to implement the program into their classroom. The example from the article "It's People, Not Programs" about the open classroom movement perfectly showcased this idea. The teachers are what made the practice successful not the concept of the program. In order to be an effective and successful teacher, educators need to constantly be wanting to improve. If you look at any great athlete they were never happy when they reached the pinnacle of their sport. Athletes constantly strive to improve and strengthen their game making sure any weakness is covered. Teachers must share the same values. Just because we gain tenure does not mean that for the next 20-30 years of our professional lives that we should sit back and relax. If new ideas are introduced, teachers should actively try to implement them and not be afraid of failure. New programs can only work in the classroom if the teacher wants it to work.
The programs that a school tries to implement may improve the students' quality of life but only if the teacher can effectively put the program into practice. Teachers are the reason for a student's success and failure. They hold a child's life in their hands and if they are not motivated to improve a student's educational life then maybe they shouldn't be teaching.
Danny makes a great point that "We are the solution". I agree that every teacher has their strengths and weaknesses. The difference from being a good teacher to great teacher is turning those weaknesses in strengths and being able to help all students, gifted,average, or below average.
ReplyDeleteDo you think there is an effective way to move good teachers to be great teachers?
I honestly think the only way to move good teachers to great teachers is by increasing salaries, have merit pay, or take away tenure. Teachers need to be pushed just like students to do better and set higher standards for themselves. I know it seems almost anti-teaching but teachers need a reality check that part of hte reason why we choose this profession is for the children. So we have to do what's best for them.
ReplyDeleteYou’re blog reminds me of the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Well, that just means that it will eventually break and you will eventually have to fix it. Teachers who are labeled as “bad” but can’t be broken (fired) should be trained to be fixed. In other words, retrain those teachers who need improvement before they go down the wrong hill. For those teachers who are on a good path, teach them techniques to help them stay there.
ReplyDelete“Athletes constantly strive to improve and strengthen their game making sure any weakness is covered. Teachers must share the same values.” I’ve never thought of this comparison before but it sure is a great one. Another great thing about athletes is that they must work with a team in order to overcome their own weakness. This has yet to carry through in the teaching world but is something we should all look closely into when it comes to improving teaching methods for teachers who need it. The obvious solution is to teach each other.
P.S. I commented to the questions you posed in my comment box on my blog! Thanks for reading!
While discussing this article, an interesting point was brought up. Everyone always says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Often times the new programs which are forced on faculty in schools can in fact help teachers to improve their lessons and become better teachers. Other times though, great teachers can be forced to implement new programs just because they are the new trend and it may actually decrease the level of understanding for the students. Currently, some schools are pro project based learning, while others may be traditional, and doing anything different can put your job at risk. Should these programs be deemed mandatory for all teachers or should teachers be allowed to choose what works for them, even if it may be seen as “old school” or outdated?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matthew that teachers are sometimes forced into changing the way they teach to comply with new reforms imposed on the school. In a situation like that, I feel it is important to allow teachers to adapt to new standards, not force them to comply with them to the letter. That is, they should do their best to work towards new reforms, but not change the way they teach, especially the parts of their teaching that work best.
ReplyDelete