Teachers Matter

Let me be perfectly clear, I love what I do. I am a teacher. It is not just a job; it is not just what I do. It is who I am. Every day I am humbled to be entrusted with the care of Iowa’s most important resources. I take that responsibility very seriously, and believe passionately in the power a caring teacher has to change lives. Do not mistake my defense of my profession for a lack of gratitude for the opportunities I have been given. I love my students, I love my district, and I am happy to go to work each day. I have never been one who feels the need to tell the world how hard we work, never shared a single post about how summers off are a myth, never complained about spending my own money on school supplies, never shared that silly meme about counting down the days to vacation. I love what I do with such intensity that my attitude is typically one of almost annoying enthusiasm and joy. That will never change.

But today, for the first time, I am worried. Today, for the first time, I feel the need to put up my defenses. Here in Iowa, a bill has been presented to severely limit teachers’ ability to collectively bargain. The presumption seems to be that teachers are milking the system by bargaining for such outlandish perks as quality healthcare, a personal day or two, and a 25 minute duty-free lunch.

In a nation that promotes online virtual schools as equal alternatives to public education, and wields anti-teacher memes like swords across social media, there seems to be a severe lack of understanding of the humanity of teachers and the role these dedicated professionals play in shaping the lives of children.  I cannot make anyone truly understand how important what we do is. I can only tell you that we are not exaggerating when we say we save lives, we shape futures, we give hope to the hopeless, and voice to the voiceless. We build thinkers, and innovators. The world is changed by how we do our jobs.  Eliminating our ability to bargain and to be protected by contracts, makes our most experienced and highly educated teachers vulnerable to losing their jobs as a money saving measure for struggling school districts. It makes teaching less appealing to the best and brightest our governor once insisted he wanted to attract to the profession. It makes our schools weaker and our students will suffer for it.

Each time a tragedy occurs in a school, teachers are held up as heroes and for a few moments the nation marvels at the selfless dedication of its teachers. Then they forget and they move on. We do not forget, however. We were in our classrooms when the tragedy occurred at Columbine and we came to school the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. We cried with Sandy Hook, and we came to school the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. We never stop coming because our love is so much bigger than our fear, or our exhaustion, or our frustration, or even our need to be treated with respect. But do not minimize what we do and do not treat us as if we are irrelevant and easily replaceable. Your children know our worth. Ask them.

Protect the Work We Have Done

In recent days the possible confirmation of Betsy Devos as Secretary of Education has been a hot topic on social media. While I pride myself on remaining publicly quiet on politics in the interest of encouraging free thought among my students, I am never quiet on matters of educational importance. With that in mind, I feel the need to share some thoughts today. Originally, I started writing about Arne Duncan and Betsy Devos, hope that didn’t materialize and the monster it created. That post turned into a pages long rant no one would ever read. Instead, I want to focus on just one argument I have seen popping up among comments over the past few days – the argument that education in America has never been so bad.

This comment makes me sad. It makes me sad partly because it is founded on memes, social media posts, and a general disrespect for the teaching profession. Primarily though, it makes me sad because it just isn’t true.  I could spend pages attempting to dispel every myth out there but I won’t. Instead, I want to talk about what is going right in education today. In doing so, I hope I can shed light on why we, as teachers, are so fearful of handing the keys to someone who seems so bent on a complete reboot of the system. You see, we know there are educational reforms that need to happen. We also know there are some great things happening in education we do not want anyone to undo.

·      Teachers today have a far greater sense of why they are teaching what they are teaching to students. Every day children in the classrooms I visit and in the classrooms my children visit, inform students not only of what they will be learning, but why they will be learning it. As a student, I wanted nothing more than to understand where my learning would benefit me in the future. Today’s students don’t have to guess. They know.

·      Teachers today are working hard to innovate and help students to innovate. Contrary to popular belief, the Common Core many decry actually encourages, pushes, and forces creative and innovative thinking. The literacy standards are filled with analytical thinking requirements. The science standards push students to think creatively. Social studies departments are intent on helping student see the connections between history and current events rather than embracing the memorization model of the past. Above all, the Common Core math many social media posts have criticized and demonized is designed to encourage divergent and creative thinking by honoring multiple paths to solutions.

·      Innovation is tied to practical application. Yesterday my 7^th grader read me the business plan he and a partner had thoughtfully constructed for his social studies class. The assignment required creative thinking, math, and writing skills in a very real world application of learning. This is just one example of many but it seems a little more valuable than the maps I colored in the 80’s or the five years of learning I did about the Fertile Crescent.

·      Speaking of the Fertile Crescent, education today is guided by such clear standards that the days of teachers teaching students the same material again and again are over. Repetition happens when it is useful but no child should have to build a solar system three years in a row and history classes should eventually make it out of Mesopotamia.

·      Every student matters. With a renewed understanding that every child is every teacher’s responsibility, teachers work hard to meet the educational and social-emotional needs of children so they can all be successful. Educating a mind isn’t enough. The complete human being is our mission. There is much work to be done in this area. Not every school consistently meets the needs of students of all cultures and socio-economic groups but we have a system in place to help us track that. We are paying attention and we are working on it. That is progress.

I admit there are plenty of weaknesses in education today. Above all, our government mandated testing systems do a poor job of measuring the actual work the Common Core encourages us to accomplish. Reforms are necessary, but we cannot advocate for throwing the baby out with the bath water. Many good things are happening in education despite what the meme pushers want you to believe. Many great teachers are working hard to meet the needs of every child. Many positive changes are occurring. It is ok to admit that the last administration didn’t get it perfect with regards to education, but when I don’t like my doctor I certainly don’t go out and hire an entrepreneur because I need a change and “she can get things done.” I find a new doctor. I will be very honest with you. Teaching is more specialized than you realize. What we do is difficult for any outsider to understand. We need a leader that understands and can help us maintain the positive work we are doing, while reforming the pieces that are broken. While I do not fear alternatives, ideas from the outside, or challenges to the status quo, I fear being led by someone who does not understand what teachers do and why we do it. I fear being led by someone who may buy into the social media fueled frenzy that says US education is in a shambles. I fear being led by a businesswoman who may not understand that schools are not businesses.