Let me first state that
the purpose of this post is not to place blame on anyone, but to be fair in
terms of accountability. Parents,
Students, Administrators, and Teachers are a team and for a team to win continuously
everyone must do their part. The purpose
of the post is not to judge but to openly discuss accountability. Truth is not judgment. 2 + 2 =4 No need to be upset, if you want 5 simply add 2 +3 =5
State testing brings
out the claws. I mean if a child fails someone has to take the blame, and
unfortunately it is usually the teacher. I cannot tell you the emails I get from discouraged,
used, bullied, and unappreciated teachers.
So often I see wonderful educators walk away from the classroom like
Lot; never looking back. It’s
heartbreaking. The attack on teachers
needs to stop. Not just for the sake of
the children, but for the sake of education.
Eventually what’s going to happen is this -> Securing quality
educators will be null and void, impossible, etc. Attacking teachers has a temporary effect on
teachers; however, it will have a lasting and profound impact on learners and education
as a whole. High teacher turnover rates are not good for districts just as parents and teachers not teaching children that they are just as responsible
for education is not good for parents or teachers.
Parents remember a teacher only has to be part of your child’s life for
nine months, you have them forever. Districts must infer that securing effective
teachers is great for increasing learning and scores. Let’s work as a team to create a learner that
will be an asset to the community and succesful in life. Everyone has to do their part. If you are not
doing your part, do not shift blame to others own your stuff and vow to do
better. Simple.
More than often
teachers are held 100% responsible
for the learning of their students. <-This
is unfair. As the old saying goes, “A
child that is only taught at school is an uneducated child.” The foundation of learning begins at home.
Teachers help design it. However, if the foundation is weak the house will not
hold; like a flower or tree the roots must be strong.
I am a fifth grade mathematics teacher. Students in the 5th
grade take the iLEAP assessment every year. The assessment content consist of
50% fractions, you know ½. If students are not successful in the content of
fractions they can hang up passing this assessment. However in order to perform fractions successfully
students must be able to follow an order of operations, add and subtract
fluently, as well as multiply and divide multi digit whole numbers . <-You
see if they cannot do the previous stated and understand the algorithm of
mathematical problems they will be unsuccessful in fractions. Everything needs a solid foundation; children
are not the exception.
When it comes to
educating a child there are four parties involved. They consist of the following:
1. Parent = Foundation
2. Student = Structure
3. Administration/State = Windows & Doors
4. Teacher= Roof
Please note the following as to
why teachers are held 100% responsible: Many
houses are built without solid foundations. However eventually the issue will
need to be addressed and more than often teachers step in and tackle this
task. Resources at times are limited
or/and they are not meeting the needs of certain students, and again more than
often the teacher will create or purchase needed material. <- This right
here now has us with 75% of the responsibility.
Students often refuse to do their part; in today's society many students have
not been required/challenged to do much (their poor behavior and lackadaisicalness is often excused) and again teachers step in and do whatever they can
to get that students structure up. Teachers have instinctively stepped in when there was a need not met by anothert party and thus created the expectation
that it’s solely the teacher’s responsibility.
So, even the idea is our fault. LOL. C’mon it’s funny!
To what extent are
parties truly responsible? Hmmm, I’ll distribute
an equal amount of responsibility to each party involved. Is that fair?
100 ÷ 4 = 25
25% or ¼ or .25 = Parents/Guardians
25% or ¼ or .25 = Students
25% or ¼ or .25 = State/Administrations
25% or ¼ or .25 = Teachers
What are the responsibilities
of each party?
Parents: On the lips of a child, mother/father is the word
GOD. Yes you heard me. To a child their mother and father are the, be all end all. Let’s look at what it means according to our
good friend Webster to be the, be all
end all.
As the, be
all end all, you set the standard. Yes
YOU! You are responsible for revealing to YOUR child the importance of
education; instilling in them manners and respect. As the parent you are to ensure that your
child comes to school with the mindset to learn by encouraging them to listen to
their teachers and do their work. Show
them that you respect their teachers and that they should as well. SUPPORT
your school and its educators.
Students: Respect
your teachers and peers. Come to school understanding that your purpose of
being here is to learn. The teacher’s
purpose is to teach. Listen, behave, and
express yourself respectfully. Know that
doing your part consist of not causing disruptions (this interrupts
instructional time), studying, doing homework, and completing assignments. Teachers have your back and want you to be
successful. We believe in you and we love you, but you need to do your part. Be
positive and know that a bad attitude is like a flat tire; you cannot go
anywhere until you change it. Choose the best for yourself. You deserve
it. You will not be a child forever.
Think of the adult you want to be, the life you want to have and make the
choices today to set you on that path.
Administration/State: It is
imperative that you, like parents, SUPPORT
your teachers. How can you do this? It’s
simple. The first thing is to make sure
that you ensure teachers have an environment that is conducive to
learning. Disruptions should be handled
appropriately. Consequences have purpose. Next, make sure that you provide the teachers
with the resources and material that they will need to present an effective
lesson. If not, at least put them on the
path to get/find the resources. APPRECIATE! Yes, I said it. Appreciate your teachers for spending money
out of their pocket, for using their family and personal time to grade papers,
analyze data, create RTI strategies, etc.
Let’s be honest teachers get paid from 7:45-3:15 in which they are
required to teach from the morning bell to the dismissal bell, you know many of
the requirements that are vital to success in the classroom are done after 3:15
and before 7:45. You can miss me with
the fact that we have a 45 minute planning period which is more than often used
to have meetings or some other stuff like SLTs, PGPS, COMPASS, conferences,
etc. J I say all this with love! PURPOSE: You know how you demand that your teachers
create lessons that are differentiated? Do
that with professional development. Why
should a teacher that is great at classroom management, but is a novice with
technology attend a PD on classroom management?
Send them to PD on technology.
When teachers are sent to PDs just to go and a personal purpose is not
established, respect between teacher and school board is diminished. The message that is being sent is that the
school board does not truly believe that PD is essential, just something that
should be done versus needing to be done.
Again, I say this with love. There is nothing worse than sitting through
a workshop you could present yourself, or the content discussed was covered in
a similar workshop, all the while having 60 or more papers to grade, data to
look at and parent conference to prepare for.
At this point your learner (teacher) is mad and tuning everything out
and complaining about what a waste of time this is and also subconsciously forming
a negative opinion on all future PDs. Get
to know your teachers, identify and be of service to their specific needs,
their specific strengths and weaknesses.
TRUST! I know you are like
what is “trust” about, but it is huge. TRUST your teachers to teach and to know
what is best for them and their students, when that specific teacher fails at
doing it their way then you intervene.
Why punish everyone? Believe it or not that is what most effective teachers do anyway and
just let you think your way is working to prevent a fuss. Some lesson plan templates are the devil
incarnate. You may think that verbiage is a bit extreme, but if you could hear
what other teachers say when talking about some templates…Hmph. We will leave
it at that. Again, you tell your
teachers to accommodate students based on their individual need, you know
differentiation and all that good stuff, yet you create a template and want ALL your teachers to use that same one,
<-This is the skunk calling the monkey funky. J I say this with love!!! If we can create a lesson plan format that
allows us to be effective, why not let us?
Teachers:
Encourage your students and
fellow teachers. Let all students know that the only disability is a bad
attitude and that everyone is born with some level of intelligence. Set the
standard! Provide lessons to learners so that all students have an opportunity
to be successful. Support fellow
teachers. Know that you do not have to blow another teacher’s light out so that
your light can shine. If you see a
teacher who has lost their light relight it with yours. Share information and most importantly receive
it. Do not become bitter because the other ¼, 2/4, or/and ¾ are not doing their
part. <- When this occurs make a
mental note so you do not drive yourselves crazy and do not take responsibility for
another’s shortcomings. Do your best to
compensate without hurting your health and keep on pushing. Whatever you do, do
not become a complainer or become negative.
Being negative and complaining does not produce anything positive.
Analyze/Create/Keep data. I know you hate that word and yes it takes time, but
you will see that it helps makes lessons more effective and makes planning
easier. Most importantly TEACH, TEACH,
& TEACH.
Remember this:
The mediocre
teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.” ― William Arthur Ward
Now ask yourself “Which best describes you?”
Teachers:
1. Be Organized
2. Plan effectively
3. Do not Gossip
4. Collect Data
5. Prepare
6. Plan effectively
7. Comply & Do your job (Do not become one of
those who because so and so did not do something you are not going to do it,
really? C’mon we are better than that)
8. Accept feedback
9. Believe in Yourself
10. Always do your best
11. Forgive your students
12. Celebrate your success and that of your students
(Do not allow the negative to consume you)
13. Know that you are a limited resource, you cannot
do it all, but you can do your best
14. REMEMBER ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY & IT
WAS NOT BUILT BY ONE PERSON
15. Help your fellow teachers do not hurt or hinder
them. It’s not a competition. If one
looses we all lose.
16. Have compassion for you principal. Believe it or
not they have challenges as well.
17. Verify, do not assume
18. Be Organized
19. Plan Effectively
20. Allow room for error (you will mess up and it is
okay)
21. Set a standard
22. Have clear expectations
23. Create an environment that students feel safe
and know that their opinion is valued.
24. Make time for yourself
25. BE PROFESSIONAL (Teaching is a profession; the profession that creates all others)
Happy Teaching! Remember Teachers ROCK! Every day is
a great day to be an educator!
Respectfully yours,
Ms. Ebony
