Education Rant

For the last 13 years, I have been a teacher at the high school level:  private school, public school, summer school.  I have taught American Literature, British Literature, World Literature, Women’s Literature, Advanced Placement English Language, Creative Writing, Composition, and Debate, depending on what my school district requires in any given year.  Obviously, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Education, which I have supplemented with a Master’s degree in English.  I could proceed to list the various seminars, classes, workshops, and camps I have attended over the years as proof that I have continued to be a lifelong learner as well as an effective teacher, but no one wants to hear that.

Society wants numbers instead.   

People want to read about local school districts in the paper and feel good about the percentages which are presented.  Most people have absolutely no idea what those percentages mean or how they were averaged, but as long as we can feel smug about our own district trumping others, OR we have a reason to complain about the subpar schools we are forced to deal with, everyone is happy. 

I’ll let you in on a little secret:  The more involved parents are in their student’s education, the better that child does.  The school might be underfunded, the textbooks could be falling apart, the gym floors may need refinished, and the computers might be outdated, but if the parents are paying attention to their children’s education, those kids will have a deeper investment in the learning environment.  When no one pays attention at home, the success rate suffers.

Where is that disclaimer in the arbitrary numbers printed in the paper?  And furthermore, what do those numbers stand for?

Most of the time, what is being assessed is how well students did on state-mandated tests.  For example, students will read a few passages of writing and be asked questions regarding those passages.  Society wants high numbers here.  We want 100% of our students passing that test.  So we want to make sure the teachers are doing their jobs.

“Let’s base teacher pay on the results of those tests!” they shout.

“We need to make sure those teachers are doing their job!” they cry.

You know what you don’t hear?

                “What can I do to help my child do well on his/her next test?”

Society wants to base teacher pay on the most random of criteria:  How a child did on one test on one day.  Understandably, we want success, but if the real dilemma is getting rid of ineffective teachers, this is not the way.  The ill-prepared and incompetent teachers will simply teach to the test.  It happens already, so this incessant whining we hear from society about higher test scores will create an environment of half-truths and short cuts.  The teachers who force students to think and experiment and sometimes fail (perish the thought!) in order to ultimately succeed at a higher level will go away.  They will become university professors or grant writers or librarians or Target cashiers, and the mediocre teachers who are trying to clutch on to their jobs and tenure and insurance will fudge the numbers.  They will make sure those students pass the test, because their job depends on it.