It has been one week, but it feels like much longer. To some, this may imply boredom or disillusionment. For me, it is just the opposite. I left every day more inspired and excited to be a part of this incredible team. This is truly the most intelligent, talented, and competent group of people with whom I have had the privilege to work. Though everyone on the staff seems to have a unique skill-set, we share common values and a trust in one another’s abilities. Every single person adds value to the team. Every comment seems to be insightful. Everyone contributes. What resonates with me in this reflection is that I am a public school teacher. I wonder how many other teachers have shared in this inspiring experience… My guess is not very many.
Unfortunately, this is not the norm in our field—far from it, in fact. When I began explaining my new school to people, they were surprised and impressed. I must admit that I had fun bragging about my new Ivy League colleagues. But as I reflect on the implications of this reaction, I start to realize the overall flaws in our mindset in regards to education. No one is surprised when a doctor, lawyer, or even a financial advisor is a Yale graduate, but people are shocked to hear that my new principal is a graduate of both Yale and Harvard. No one questions a doctor who works 75 hours a week. However, when I tell people that this is an average workweek for teachers at my school, they think I am crazy.
Education is the most important field. It is the solution to many (if not all) on-going problems in our society. Though some may wish to debate such a cut and dry conclusion, this is not a particularly controversial statement. If there is overall consensus about the importance of educating our children, why do we wince when we hear that teachers are working 75 hours a week? Why are we surprised when I mention that my co-workers are alumni of some of the best universities in the country?
On our first day of training, my new principal said these words: “This is harder than most things.” It seems simple, but in practice it’s true. Getting kids who are four or five reading levels behind to college success… That is hard. Thus, if teaching is among the most difficult but important professions, it requires the most competent and committed individuals to get the job done.
Moving public education forward requires a fundamental shift in mindset: We should no longer be surprised that some teachers are highly educated and committed. Rather, we should wonder why others are not.
Kim --
ReplyDeleteits' great to read about how inspiring your experience is so far. When do students start?
You write about teachers being highly educated; first I would say that someone can be highly educated without attending an elite institution or having a graduate degree. And being highly educated in elite institutions can produce people who are not as able to understand and build relationships with the students and families we serve in high-poverty, urban settings -- that is, students of color, primarily African-American. In fact, my personal experience is that, as a white middle-class woman, I was certain I knew best and that I was helping poor families. I was largely unaware of the biases I brought to my work until, gradually, people of color were kind enough or frustrated enough to point them out to me. Just keep an eye out -- often, as Noam Chomsky says, "the most highly-educated are the most highly-indoctrinated."
I'll keep reading your blog with interest & high hopes for your success.
best,
Jane Burnett
Minneapolis
Thanks for your comment Jane!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about people being "highly educated." Certainly not every (or even most) Ivy League graduates are cut out for education. I was mainly trying to get at the lack of normalcy with which we view people from elite institutions in the education field.
Though I understand where you are coming from in regards to cultural understanding, I am not sure that I agree 100%. What I have seen, at least at my current school, is that people from all different backgrounds are able to understand and build relationships with any student. I think this ability is largely a product of passion and compassion for our students and families, and a great deal of self-reflection on the part of individuals and the school as a whole.
Thanks again for your comment! Keep them coming! :)
Kim