- Feb 5, 2008
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I've always been a strict, but fair teacher. My students have always been rewarded whenever they worked diligently, alone, or with someone else.
When I worked in a large school district, parents seemed so far removed from what their children were actually doing that I really wanted to teach in a smaller, more intense, competitive school district.
Well, I got it. Now I work in a very competitive county where everyone wants a bell curve as long as their kid is on the right.
A former administrator once told me about a family who was thinking of moving into the community. The woman wanted to know if the district had a gifted program. My principal informed her that all of the classes were heterogeneously grouped and asked the woman about her child. The woman replied, "Oh, I don't have a child YET, but when I do, I know that it'll be gifted." OMG!!!
There are many groups of children who know that if they band together, they can get an untenured teacher fired. I've heard them talking, and these were "nice" kids. Their parents would freak if they knew, but blame the "other kids".
The school board is mostly comprised of parents whose children attend the school system. They have a lot of clout over the Superintendent, who then squeezes the principals, who then intimidates the teachers.
The big day is when the test scores are published in the papers. If the school district is doing well, the administrators say that they encourage creativity and don't teach to the test. But woe, if the scores are lower than the previous year. Parents call the Superintendent and yell about the amount of money that they pay for their taxes, and how the school just lowered the value of their houses. Not kidding, either. Then the teachers are cowered into "teaching to the test" and are encouraged to ensure that "every child who completes a grade knows the same curriculum". Principals where I work frown on a teacher's creativity because the other teachers might get upset or parents might wonder how come Teacher A taught Johnny one way and Teacher B didn't.
It's discouraging. I used to love teaching as much as I loved being at home. Seriously. When I was paid, it was a necessary, but pleasant surprise.
I thought that it was just my district, but I have friends all over the county and throughout NYS. With increasing "standards", welcome back to the cookie-cutter style of teaching that I had 35+ years ago.
See Spot run...run Spot run.
Suzy
When I worked in a large school district, parents seemed so far removed from what their children were actually doing that I really wanted to teach in a smaller, more intense, competitive school district.
Well, I got it. Now I work in a very competitive county where everyone wants a bell curve as long as their kid is on the right.
A former administrator once told me about a family who was thinking of moving into the community. The woman wanted to know if the district had a gifted program. My principal informed her that all of the classes were heterogeneously grouped and asked the woman about her child. The woman replied, "Oh, I don't have a child YET, but when I do, I know that it'll be gifted." OMG!!!
There are many groups of children who know that if they band together, they can get an untenured teacher fired. I've heard them talking, and these were "nice" kids. Their parents would freak if they knew, but blame the "other kids".
The school board is mostly comprised of parents whose children attend the school system. They have a lot of clout over the Superintendent, who then squeezes the principals, who then intimidates the teachers.
The big day is when the test scores are published in the papers. If the school district is doing well, the administrators say that they encourage creativity and don't teach to the test. But woe, if the scores are lower than the previous year. Parents call the Superintendent and yell about the amount of money that they pay for their taxes, and how the school just lowered the value of their houses. Not kidding, either. Then the teachers are cowered into "teaching to the test" and are encouraged to ensure that "every child who completes a grade knows the same curriculum". Principals where I work frown on a teacher's creativity because the other teachers might get upset or parents might wonder how come Teacher A taught Johnny one way and Teacher B didn't.
It's discouraging. I used to love teaching as much as I loved being at home. Seriously. When I was paid, it was a necessary, but pleasant surprise.
I thought that it was just my district, but I have friends all over the county and throughout NYS. With increasing "standards", welcome back to the cookie-cutter style of teaching that I had 35+ years ago.
See Spot run...run Spot run.
Suzy