Early this morning, for some reason now lost to my advanced stages of ADD, a conversation started between my wife, my 11 year-old daughter, and I, concerning education (always a hot topic in our house, I guess). Our daughter had overheard me mention to my wife, "Wait until they extend the school year." With a horrified look on her face, not unlike what one might see if she had witnessed her cat being slowly crushed by a tracked military vehicle of some sort, my daughter looked up and said, "But WHY?!? Why would they do such a thing?"
And then began the explanation to an 11 year-old of how students from other countries in the world were fairing better than American students at math, science, reading, geography...well...every subject you can think of.
I exclaimed, "It is going to be very entertaining over the next 3-5 years, watching these imbeciles desperately grasp for magic-bullet solutions....false solutions such as extending the school year." (Finland and others ahead of us already go fewer days, not more, than American pupils. They also spend less money per student.) "Yes, all of the 'reforms' will aim at everything but the culprit of causality, and that is why they will all fail. For the real culprit is the total, complete, disdain, and venomous vitriol that people in this country have for education in general, and teachers in particular. What is 'broken' about education in this country, is the culture that surrounds it."
And so I headed to YouTube to reinforce what I already knew. Take a character named HuncleMike, posting in response to a video featuring Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey (if you search the good Governor's name and the word teacher, you will see how highly he values public school teachers). At the bottom of the video linked to this blog, HuncleMike states:
"Rita Wilson could benefit from a few months of starvation. She claims,"we love it, we love to teach" TRANSLATION: We love summers off, we love the ridiculous benefits, we love short work days, we love every blessed holiday off...most teachers I know bitch NONSTOP about how tough they have it."
This, friends, is the picture people have of the profession of teaching. It is an easy job that any simpleton can do. So ridiculously easy, that anyone being paid northward of $50k, and receiving retirement or benefits beyond that of a part-time Walmart greeter, should immediately be reported to Michelle Bachmanns planned Committee of UnAmerican Activities. I'm sure any teacher reading this is, at this very moment, performing the legendary ROTFLMFAO routine.
But for those who are like-minded towards HuncleMike's views, I post my response to him below. And I encourage you, as I did him, to accept my challenge. I triple-dog-dare you!
"@hunclemike. I love opinions from people with NO experience in teaching. Are you also a medical, nuclear engineering, and astrophysicist expert? But then, teaching is not on par with such professions. Being a ridiculously easy gig w/ equally ridiculous benefits, I'm curious as to why YOU don't teach? Are you against such things, or upset that YOU don't have them? I challenge you, and I doubt you have the courage to accept, to walk a mile in their shoes. Volunteer to teach...if you can."
TO WATCH THE VIDEO, AND READ OTHER RESPONSES, FOLLOW THIS LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y59zZTzRE3w
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Education is Broken
Occam's Razor, usually summarized as, "The simplest explanation is most often the correct one," serves as a guiding principle in virtually all fields of science. But in education? Not so much.
The purpose of this blog, Alternative Edukation, is to examine education as a profession and approach the many issues in education from a logical, rational point of view...from the perspective of an everyday teacher in the trenches (read as: the opposite of what the Ivory Tower education bureaucrats do).
Following the aformentioned principle, what is the simplest answer? Most will say, "Well, there isn't a simple answer," but I couldn't disagree more. Education involves only four main variables: teachers, parents, students, and society/culture (ok...ok...I know, I lumped two of them together...so say five variables if you like). Just as there are families, communities, even states and nations, that are dysfunctional and not dysfunctional, what is it about our mix of "variables" that result in a poorer product than, say, Finland? Or South Korea? Or Switzerland? Or Norway? Or Lichtenstein? Wait...Lichtenstein? Really?
Laying all blame at the feet of the teachers doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how all the different factors in public education interact. Don't get me wrong. I have seen my share of poor teachers, from the viewpoint of both student and colleague. But the current crisis in education is the literal embodiment of the old cliché, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Therefore, I dedicate to the teachers the first post in this series that will examine each of the variables involved in shaping a well-educated, young citizen of the United States of America.
Students simply are not interested in drinking what teachers have to offer.
The purpose of this blog, Alternative Edukation, is to examine education as a profession and approach the many issues in education from a logical, rational point of view...from the perspective of an everyday teacher in the trenches (read as: the opposite of what the Ivory Tower education bureaucrats do).
Following the aformentioned principle, what is the simplest answer? Most will say, "Well, there isn't a simple answer," but I couldn't disagree more. Education involves only four main variables: teachers, parents, students, and society/culture (ok...ok...I know, I lumped two of them together...so say five variables if you like). Just as there are families, communities, even states and nations, that are dysfunctional and not dysfunctional, what is it about our mix of "variables" that result in a poorer product than, say, Finland? Or South Korea? Or Switzerland? Or Norway? Or Lichtenstein? Wait...Lichtenstein? Really?
Laying all blame at the feet of the teachers doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how all the different factors in public education interact. Don't get me wrong. I have seen my share of poor teachers, from the viewpoint of both student and colleague. But the current crisis in education is the literal embodiment of the old cliché, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Therefore, I dedicate to the teachers the first post in this series that will examine each of the variables involved in shaping a well-educated, young citizen of the United States of America.
Alt_Education?
People often use the word alternative when they want to describe something that lies outside the cultural, social, or economic norm. As an award-winning, innovative, public school science teacher with a hard-earned reputation for excellence in teaching, you know, one of those “good” teachers that parents lobby to have their children assigned to, one could easily say that my classroom is anything but normal.
But lately I find myself becoming more and more unhappy and disillusioned toward the craft I love. I'm cranky. I find myself saying things like, "Education...who cares?" I'm angry. "At what," you may ask? I'm referring to the prevalent nationwide belief that American public schools, and students, are failing solely because of the teachers. The idea that our schools would be the best in the world if it weren't for all of the idiot teachers.
But lately I find myself becoming more and more unhappy and disillusioned toward the craft I love. I'm cranky. I find myself saying things like, "Education...who cares?" I'm angry. "At what," you may ask? I'm referring to the prevalent nationwide belief that American public schools, and students, are failing solely because of the teachers. The idea that our schools would be the best in the world if it weren't for all of the idiot teachers.
In response to this movement, I must emphatically say, "Enough!" And it is this blog space, Alternative Edukation, that will serve as a venue of discussion for topics in education, especially as they relate to claims of our schools being broken. The "Alternatives" that you will read about here will be from a real teacher, with real classroom experience juxtaposed against the "mainstream" views of educational philosophy. Most of the accepted ideas about what needs to be reformed, e.g. extend the school year, place teachers on commission pay like used car salesmen, etc., are proposed by kool-aid drinkin' bureaucrats and politicians who wish to reform that which they know nothing about. Don't believe me? Then my first challenge to you is this: research the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. On the education subcommittee the majority of members have NEVER been employed by a public school...in any capacity.
Compared to a "mainstream" classroom, the education that students receive in my room is a better alternative. It is a better alternative to the critical-thought killing canned curriculum lessons that district administrators see are clearly not working, yet continue to use. It is a better alternative to the endless parades of worksheets from teacher resource packets.
The reason for the advantage is simple. The "mainstream" community (bureaucrats, politicians, as well as many teachers, principals, and superintendents) want to take something that is simple, and make it complex. Data, curriculum, EPSS, SQS, NCLB, NWEA, and endless other acronyms, policies, procedures, forms, forms, and forms, seek to muddle what was once clear.
But the alternative is what every great teacher knows: Educating a child is a team sport, one in which, currently, only one player is being blamed for losses. Instead, all players should ensure that they are doing their part.
And, perhaps even more importantly, to educate a child, the complex must be made not complex. Currently, bureaucrats with little to no experience in education are ensuring that this, too, is not being considered. Their answer is to make the simple complex, and things will get better. Sure they will. How's that working so far?
These are the secrets, the magical ingredients that once were prevalent in American classrooms: Teachers, parents, and community members all working together without the meddling of "experts" who have no experience in teaching.
But now, they are found only in Alt_Education.
Compared to a "mainstream" classroom, the education that students receive in my room is a better alternative. It is a better alternative to the critical-thought killing canned curriculum lessons that district administrators see are clearly not working, yet continue to use. It is a better alternative to the endless parades of worksheets from teacher resource packets.
The reason for the advantage is simple. The "mainstream" community (bureaucrats, politicians, as well as many teachers, principals, and superintendents) want to take something that is simple, and make it complex. Data, curriculum, EPSS, SQS, NCLB, NWEA, and endless other acronyms, policies, procedures, forms, forms, and forms, seek to muddle what was once clear.
But the alternative is what every great teacher knows: Educating a child is a team sport, one in which, currently, only one player is being blamed for losses. Instead, all players should ensure that they are doing their part.
And, perhaps even more importantly, to educate a child, the complex must be made not complex. Currently, bureaucrats with little to no experience in education are ensuring that this, too, is not being considered. Their answer is to make the simple complex, and things will get better. Sure they will. How's that working so far?
These are the secrets, the magical ingredients that once were prevalent in American classrooms: Teachers, parents, and community members all working together without the meddling of "experts" who have no experience in teaching.
But now, they are found only in Alt_Education.
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