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.

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.