Teacher Talk Tuesday Edition: I Think Oprah's Pissed Me Off

I decided to go with Teacher Talk Tuesday as the title for my new weekly meme.  It's boring, but to the point.   Also, I've come to accept the fact that my mind is about as sharp as a dull Number #2 pencil, so little puns and school-related references (like the one I just wrote) use up all my brain power, thus leaving no room for me to come up with innovative post titles.

So sorry.

Anyway, before I pass on my weekly teacher tip to you, I have something to discuss.  I've been feeling compelled to get back up on my soapbox lately.  You know, the one about supporting our teachers?  I faltered on my stance last week, realized a few things about myself, and then caught wind of the whole Oprah and "Waiting For Superman" thing and MAN do I have some things to say about that.  So while I know that you guys (23 of you- thank you so much for reading!) don't check in here to read my political viewpoints, I do need to just say a few things and then I promise I will SHUT UP about the whole EDUCATION thing and just get back to trying to be humorous about mommy life.

Keyword: trying. 


All right.  First things first.

Last week I (hypothetically) complained about my daughter not getting a Star Student award.  She got one last Friday, so obviously, as my husband reminded me many times when I was (hypothetically) complaining, I was overreacting just a tad.

Which I now see.

BUT. People, the teacher gave one away every single day, and we were on like, day 20 of school or something, and my kid still hadn't gotten one!  So what was a mother to think (hypothetically)?  Especially when I- er, I mean PG, really wanted the award so very badly?

I hope you're catching my tongue in cheek-i-ness here.  I realized this week that I was morphing into those parents that I so disliked when I was teaching- the ones who tie up their own self-esteem and self worth into their kids achievements and end up giving their kids a complex?  I hate that I'm capable of being that parent.  Hate it.

But I am.

And I vow to stop it.

Let's just move onto the meaty part of my post.

I think Oprah's made me angry.    I say "think" because I still haven't seen last Monday's Waiting For Superman episode, but I have watched the follow-up episode she ran on Thursday, and that made me angry so I'm assuming that Monday's episode would've made me want to kick a wall or something.  I  tried to find it on YouTube and was unsuccessful.  If any one you happen to have a link, can you send it to me?

Anyway, for those of you who don't have a clue of what I'm talking about, on the 21st, Oprah featured the documentary "Waiting For Superman" on her show.  The documentary is about the current state of public education in our country.  Like I said, I haven't seen it, but people who have told me they walked away from it with these three points: a) the failure of the public school system falls largely on the teacher's shoulders, 2) Charter Schools are our only saving grace, and 3) Teacher Unions are evil.

Let me just address these 3 beliefs (and I'll try to be brief, although I could probably write an entire thesis on the topic).

1) It's the teacher's fault:
No.  It's not.  I'm going to tell you a story.  It's my best example of why test scores aren't usually a reflection of a teacher's performance.  I apologize if you're a real life friend of mine and have heard it (cuz I use this example a lot).
For the first 3 years of my teaching career, I taught in an extremely low socioeconomic area.  Despite the amazing staff, excellent opportunities in professional development, and a great principal, the school tested in the low 700's.  Maybe even in the 600's.  I'm not sure.
Then, my principal got called to open a brand new school in a more affluent area.  She took half her staff with her.  The year we opened, we got the highest test scores in the entire district.  Same teachers, same principal, different socioeconomic class- better test scores.

It's not the teacher's fault.  It's about socio-economics.

In fact, I would go on to say that the teachers who stayed behind in the low-socioeconomic school deserve higher accolades.  They return to school every year, every day knowing that they are going to deal with students who have unstable home lives, who haven't eaten since lunch the previous day, whose parents are in jail, or (worse), strung out on drugs.  Many of these students don't speak English and their parents don't speak English.  It may sound like I'm being dramatic to those of you who (like me) exist mainly in the middle class.  I tell you though, that's truly the way of life in these areas.  And while these good teachers exist at these schools, there are many factors beyond a teacher's control that affect their ability to get these students to a proficient level.  These teachers are doing what they can for these kids on a personal level, on an individual level, yet on a school level they're still earmarked as "under performing."
Shame on you Oprah, for disgracing these "under performing" teachers and blaming them.  

2.  Charter Schools are the only answer:
I don't have much to say about this because I don't know much about charter schools.  I do know that they don't have the same government restrictions that public schools do- which shows me that the less government is involved in education, the better.

3.  Teacher Unions are evil-
This one burns me.  Oprah featured a former  Union Rep on the follow up show who said that she believed that Unions solely exist to keep bad teachers in the classroom.  This woman was stupid.  She is wrong.  She had no right to appear on public television and make such a ludicrous statement. The teacher's union exists for the same reason that all unions exist: to make sure teachers are treated fairly.  When I was working for the school district, the union went to bat for us to protect our health benefits, which were going to be taken away due to cut backs.  During cutbacks they also negotiated for us, so that we could work with the district and reach financial agreements together, rather than just have our salary hacked to pieces without any rights or say in the matter.


Are there bad teachers?  Of course.  The same way that there are bad bankers, bad policemen, bad city officials.  There are bad people in every profession.  But I believe that the majority of teachers out there are good, good people who are dedicated to their profession and who now have to deal with an undeserved backlash because an extremely influential talk show host was irresponsible in her statements about how teachers are at fault for the failure of public schools.

And let's talk about that- are public schools failing?  I believe most teachers would answer yes- but I also believe that teachers would be most excited about inciting change.  They'd be first in line to get a conversation going on the topic.  After all, they are just as stuck and frustrated in an outdated failing system as the students they are teaching.   But they know that change does not start with more rules, more regulation, more blame, more finger pointing.  In fact, I believe we are where we're at because there's been too much of that.  We all need to start working together.

Parents!  Teachers are awesome.  Revere them and teach your children to revere them.
Teachers! Parents just want the best for their kids.  It's your one very big responsibility to them.  Remember that and make it your mantra every day when you open the door to your classroom.

Whew.  Okay I'm done with my soapbox.  I don't even have wind enough to write you a tip for the night.  I'm just going to leave you with a little funny that a friend of mine sent me from her trip to San Diego.  It's a list of duties for a 19th century school teacher.

This person?  In dire need of a union.

Have a good night!