Dr. Cathy Coker
2023, make it a year to remember. As I was cleaning up from the holidays I reread my Christmas cards written by my 2nd graders. The cards were legible this time. I am proud to say that their afternoon writing practice did help improve their cursive writing. I will continue this routine this coming year.
If I had kept every card, note, or letter that my students had written to me I’d be on the TV show “Hoarders”. Rereading my cards always makes me cry. It’s those kids that you think you didn’t reach surprisingly they show you that they were listening when they tell you in a card.
That is when you change from a summer sprinkle into thunderstorm that will soon be categorized as a tornado, the change you go through because little Mary does not know what you just said to do on these handouts.
Little Mary was not listening and yet you get a card that says “You are the best teacher.” That breaks your heart right then and there. If I could have a penny for all the cards, notes, letters, and pictures that I have received in the 40 years as a teacher I’d be a millionaire. A sad but happy knowing that I made a difference.
My mistake was not having the technology we have now to capture these
5 word sentences and reread them now 40 years later. My note to you is to begin a Best Teacher Portfolio. Carry them with you and reread them to lift up your spirit when you think that you are not making a difference. Believe me you are! Happy New Year 2023!
Send me some of your notes, cards, or letters from your students and I will happily publish them for you. Let’s not forget our students’ notes. Let’s keep them alive for years to come.
What do you do when the same kids that drive you crazy because the butterflies, or the spiders, or another kid’s toy is more important than listening to you talk about the weather.
Send all emails to: cokercathy70@yahoo.com .
Vowel clustering simply means to teach words by sounds rather than by letters. There are no rules to memorize, and students are never allowed to guess at a word. Vowel clustering teaches students to decode or break words down into individual letter sounds and then to encode or reassemble those sounds back into pronounceable words, to learn the meaning of the word, and to use the word correctly in a sentence. We call it the 4 Steps.
My vowel clustering method also teaches spelling, handwriting, oral reading fluency, comprehension, and story writing. Vowel clustering has been tested and proven to work with struggling, at-risk, and failing students—all ages. A student, who failed for nine years using balanced literacy and phonics, learned to read in 3 ½ years using vowel clustering. I have even had struggling students move up four grade levels in one year using vowel clustering. These were students who had failed multiple years in schools that taught whole language, balanced literacy, and phonics.
Why does vowel clustering work so well? Vowel clustering works with the brain. Memorization works against the brain, regardless of whether you are memorizing words from a word list or memorizing phonics rules. Struggling students typically have difficulty memorizing.
So, how do we activate these brain circuits? By the way we teach letter-sound relationships.
Vowel clustering recognizes that vowels are the most important sounds for children learning to read and teaches all the sounds for a vowel in a cluster. With the letter a, the children learn all seven sounds used by letter a and the 22 different letter combinations that can be used to make those seven sounds. The traditional phonics approach was to teach the “short vowel sounds” and then the “long vowel sounds using silent e.” The other sounds were called “irregular
sounds,” but irregular vowel sounds cause children the most confusion. Teaching vowels in clusters teaches children to learn all of the sounds for each vowel in an organized pattern. It’s easier and less confusing, and it works directly with how the brain assimilates and organizes letter sounds.
Vowel clustering teaches all of the sounds for letter a at the same time; therefore, students can see from the first day that the letter a is not just a long and short sound. Even my first graders go to the vowel board and work with letter sounds so that they can learn how words are pronounced and spelled at the same time.
This picture shows the vowel board from my new book, Why Can’t We Teach Children to Read: Oh But Wait, We Can. Since we are talking about the long a vowel sound, we will look at the vowel board for long a. Look at page 160 in the book.
If you have questions about vowel clustering, please contact me: clantonharpine@hotmail.com I am always happy to help.
Student teaching is exciting and scary all rolled into one. This opportunity is something you shouldn’t take for granted. You will gain only as much as you put in.
I’ve compiled 10 things for you to remember while going taking this journey.
Make a good impression on your mentor teacher and the administration at your hosting campus. At the end of your time there, you can ask for a letter of recommendation. At the end of my time at my host school, I asked my mentor teacher and the principal. The principal told me he had never written one for a student teacher before but he was so impressed with me he wrote one and asked me to apply with the district. Good impressions are important.
Remember on time is late, be early. Report daily because your days are numbered. Always be prepared.
Be genuine and welcoming. Wear a smile as often as you can. It will be easier to warm up to your mentor and students. Show your students kindness and respect. A student will work their hardest for a teacher they love. Treat your class like family.
Befriend the office staff and the custodians. You don’t know how much power they really hold. They are the glue that holds the school together.
Be open to constructive criticism. Don’t let it hurt your feelings. Grow from it. If you burst into tears or become angry, your mentor teacher may not offer you anymore advice.
Ask questions and listen to the answers. You are lucky enough to have a mentor teacher all to yourself. Use their knowledge, their goal is to help you become the best you can be. Take advantage.
If you make mistakes, own it and learn from it. How would your mentor have handled the same situation?
Build a network of support by collaborating with other teachers, staff members, and administrators within your school community. Make your presence known. Build those relationships by showing initiative, offering ideas and standing out. Be memorable.
You may not be getting paid but you are a teacher. Dress professionally. Be the best dressed person there. It’s all about being noticed. No short skirts, tight pants or low cut blouses. No torn jeans or ratty tennis shoes. This is a professional setting dress accordingly. If there is even a remote chance you may show your undergarments...change your outfit. Remember you will be on your feet all day so high heels, tight shoes or bulky boots may not be the most comfortable. Buy a school shirt so that when Fridays roll around you can show your spirit. Just because it is jean day doesn’t mean you have to go for comfort. Pair it with nice professional leisure wear.
What happens in the classroom, stays in the classroom. Respect confidentiality. You are a professional you will be expected to keep student information to yourself. No sharing student, parent or teacher information. No gossiping about teachers or students in the teachers lounge. Do not get sucked in. Even if everyone in the group is doing it. You don’t.
Parents want to know how their kids are doing. They don’t want to only hear from you when their kid is messing up or getting into trouble. Let them celebrate their child’s successes as well. Drop them a note, an email or a phone call. Don’t overstep, clear it with your mentor teacher first.
You are on stage. You have the spotlight. Make it count. Show your mentor teacher or observer how much you deserve to be a teacher. Make them want to hire you. Show your initiative. Be creative in your lesson planning. Be prepared to answer questions about your lesson.
If it is early in the term and you feel like you have nothing to do, jump in and help with students. Show you are ready and willing to be a teacher. Kids don’t always look for help, look around and find someone who is struggling. Pass out papers, supplies and materials.
You have an opportunity to build a portfolio. Keep lesson plans, student products, reflections and suggestions for next time. Take pictures of you working with students (no student faces).
Record a lesson. Sell yourself. Collect as much evidence as you can to prove to others that you were made for this job. Impress a future employer.
Learn their names. Know something about each one. Connect with each student daily. Read their IEP’s know their labels. Watch the way your students interact. In and out of the classroom.
Use your collected information to offer choices and be flexible in your planning. Get in there and interact with your students. When someone walks in the room, make it difficult to find you. Be in the mix with the kids at their level. Not separate away at a table/desk in the corner watching.
This is going to be a grueling time for you. Long hours of unpaid work. If you are lucky, you don’t have a paying job to get too. However, many student teachers have jobs as well. It is what it is, if you have to work make every moment count.
Eat healthy and regularly. Pack your lunches. Get sleep. You will not make it without sleep. Stay healthy so you don’t have to miss any work.
You’ve got this. Enjoy every moment because it can go by quickly.
• 2/3 cup cooked whole-wheat couscous
• 2 tablespoons honey-mustard viaigrette, divided
• 1 roasted chicken thigh, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• hot sauce to taste
Combine couscous and 1 tablespoon dressing a medium sealable container. Top with chicken, celery, carrot ribbons and blue cheese. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon dressing. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Top with hot sauce just before serving.
Make One of Your New Year’s Resolutions to Take Care of Yourself. Please submit any recipes you would like to share by sending them to articles4magazine@gmail.com subject: recipes visit www.testprepcertification.com for submission requirements
Dr. Cathy Coker
Did you know that it was Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, who is quoted as saying that “change is the only constant in life.”
If you find it hard to accept these changes that are now our new normal, think about what our students have gone through. Humans like routine. It makes us feel in control of our lives. If a society or country rejects change there is no growth, no progress. The inability to change, progress, or grow can result in stagnation. Stagnation rejects realizing one’s full potential. Stagnation is not a healthy flowing river; it is an idle and stale pond. In the August issue of this magazine, I commented that I wanted this magazine to be my stone to be the pebble that ripples in a newness into the field of education.
Over the past three years we have gone through so much change we don’t even recognize what was any more. So much about our working and daily lives has changed it is hard at times to recall what “normal” was. Nothing now is what we can consider normal. For this reason, we should embrace whatever newness that will come in 2023 into our lives as something positive and make lemonade with those new lemons.
For those that are unfamiliar with Mother Teresa’s quote here it is, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples”. For those that are reading this issue I ask you for help. Help me make a new ripple that can bring a bigger and better change into the field of education. Why are educators not receiving salaries that are just and right for the work that we have had to do through these changing periods?
Who do I need to contact, talk to, or email to do to get heard? A sales consultant’s beginning salary is $120,000, where are teachers’ beginning salary is $55,000, and this is at the top end of the teacher’s pay scale.
Our students look up to us and know that we will always know what to do and say. We are never never teachers, even at the grocery store, at home, or on vacation we are teachers. When we go home after a long day at school, we think about how we can make our lessons better for tomorrow.
2023 is the year that I will throw my pebble or boulder to make gains to get heard on this topic. I can’t do this alone teachers, I need your help. Those that are pulling the strings are happy that we are docile and a little naivete.
For those that don’t know what naivete means, it means the quality of being naive; lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment, innocence or unsophisticated. I believe that those that can make a difference in our salaries see us as individuals that lack sophistication.
Why are we not standing up for our rights and demand to get what we deserve instead of trailing after that carrot on the stick called the TIA Teacher Incentive Allotment. We will still teach via zoom, face to face, or through home visits. That is what teachers do because our students are our priority and that is our Constant Change. We change every day to meet the needs of our students and our pay should change with it. What will you do to help make a change for teachers in 2023?
Send all emails to: cokercathy70@yahoo.com
Date:______________
Pythagorean Review
c=15 b=9
1. What is the measure of the missing side?
2. Elena translated this point 5 units down and 3 units to the right. What is the distance between D and D’ ?
7 18.7 b
3. The diameter of the base of the cone is 6 meters. The slant height is 7 meters. What is the measure of the height of the cone?
4. Samson and Kayla were in the forest. Samson walked due west 3 miles. Kayla walked due north at 3.9 miles. How far apart are they now?
5. What is the measure of b? Round to the nearest whole number?
by Eric Abrego
Many have accused me of being insensitive towards students who have been deemed “SpecEd” or Special Education. While there is nothing wrong with this label it’s the meaning behind it. Like our middle finger...at a glance just a finger, but raised high and pointed at someone, that finger speaks volumes.
If he wants to sit in class and play fortnight... rather than do his math...so be it. And if he gets upset..he has a “Time Out Card” or “Cool Down Pass”. Where he is allowed to step out of the room for 5 minutes to collect himself. These students have no consequences for their behavior because of the letters. And they know it! They have all become the John Gotti’s of the school system. Here’s a harsh dose of reality... in the real world.. there are no “Time Out Cards” or “Cool Down Passes” . If you have a violent outburst in the work place..you know what that gets you Joe? Arrested and Fired!
Children in this category have a lot of letters after their names ; like adhd, add, Ed, ID, Odd.... the list is long. My point is that the education system has catered to these children for far too long. Because little Joe is prone to outbursts and can become violent and destructive... so let’s make sure not to “Trigger” Joe today.
We are setting this Generation up for failure! This needs to stop. To those parents and guardians who are honest with their students...I applaud you. As for the rest of us.. WE NEED TO DO BETTER
1. Writing-Read your students a book on Martin Luther King and have them write a poem, acrostic, haiku or thank you letter to him.
2. Art- A picture is worth a 1000 words. Have the students draw an image from the material they have studied or read.
3. Collage of words- Have students cut out words from magazines that can be used to describe him and his actions.
4. Video-Have students reenact a speech or create a video tribute to MLK jr.
5. Music-Rewrite a popular song to commemorate MLK’s accomplishments.
6. Math- Use the important dates in his life to create math problems that answer questions about him. ex When was he born? 643x3
7. History-Create a timeline to commemorate his life.
Schools across America have reported difficulty finding an adequate supply of qualified and effective teachers .1 While this has been a muchdiscussed problem for years, the pandemic has exacerbated it. 2 Meanwhile, during the past decade, enrollment in teacher preparation programs has substantially declined, in terms of both absolute numbers and racial diversity. According to the Center for American Progress, enrollment in teacher preparation programs has decreased by about a third in the past decade. 3 And even as the American student population is becoming increasingly diverse, researchers have found that Black and Latino enrollment in teacher preparation has decreased by about a quarter.4
kind permanent teacher apprenticeship program leveraging federal workforce development grants.8 While these are steps in the right direction, state policymakers have largely left one huge tool for teacher training on the table: local community colleges.
States have largely responded to this problem by trying to create legislative “patches.” Illinois passed a law extending the state “sunset” for pensions to allow retired teachers to return to teaching without harming their pension benefits.5 Michigan passed a bill that enabled janitors, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers to replace teachers in classes that school districts had difficulty adequately staffing.6
Other states have been more creative and dynamic. As has been profiled in a previous AEI Conservative Education Reform Network report, Arizona overhauled its teacher licensure system to put school districts in the driver’s seat for hiring new staff. 7 And Tennessee created a first-of-its-
Critics of teachers colleges have pointed out the relatively weak evidence suggesting that teacher preparation programs provide much of a substantial benefit. 9 Furthermore, in an era increasingly defined by cultural clashes, some have pointed at teachers colleges as a driver of ideological inculcation.10 But the push to simply tear down licensure systems and put everything in the schools’ hands faces two problems that advocates of licensure reform have inadequately considered: Practically, schools may be reticent to transition to “growing their own.” Politically, there is a clear constituency against eliminating the de facto monopoly held by teachers colleges but no clear constituency in favor of it.
Community colleges are perfectly suited to step into the void. Situated far closer—both geographically and sociologically—to traditional public schools than traditional four-year universities, they are perfectly positioned to partner with school districts to assist in teacher preparation in various ways.
One way is simply allowing community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in education. Currently, two dozen states permit their community colleges to offer BAs. Efforts to expand the degree-granting authority of community colleges can frequently face substantial legislative hurdles. For example, in Illinois, the Council of Community College Presidents approved a recommendation in January 2017 to allow its colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees in nursing. Two years and many amendments later, a bill providing community colleges this authority failed in the Illinois Senate.11 But most legislation that provides baccalaureate-granting authority to community colleges still provides four-year university systems with the authority of deciding which degrees community college systems may grant.
the California programs.14 Most of the students in these programs found the baccalaureate offerings met their needs, as they were “place bound” with family and work commitments.
While providing community colleges with the ability to grant baccalaureate degrees in teaching should appeal to conservatives, it’s not necessarily a “red” or a “blue” idea. Indeed, California and Florida, two seemingly political polar opposites, have done the most to pioneer this capacity.
California was one of the first states to set up a pilot program (Senate Bill 850) for community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.12 And a significant number of community colleges in Florida are presently offering baccalaureate degrees in education.13
California and Florida have both documented that over half the students in their program would not otherwise have pursued a bachelor’s degree. Tuition for all four years costs just over $10,500 in
Whether you care more about social justice, liberty, or efficiency, these are clear wins. It lowers the socioeconomic bar to teaching, providing people who can’t necessarily afford to move away from home for four years for various reasons a pathway into the classroom. And it does so at a fraction of the cost of traditional four-year universities.
Community colleges also bring other particular assets to the table regarding teacher preparation. Community colleges frequently partner with local high schools on dual enrollment and career and technical education programs. It would be easy to foster a school-to-school pipeline—helping high school juniors and seniors get a head start on teacher preparation programs, defraying the cost and enabling them to explore an interest in teaching in a low-stakes setting. Beyond that point, community colleges and school districts could collaborate in creative ways, if policymakers give them the flexibility. For example, schools could allow individuals who have received an associate degree to enter the classroom as a teacher assistant while they continue to work toward their baccalaureate degree in the evening.
Community colleges could also provide a path to the classroom for more experienced professionals with extensive issue-area expertise. It is not uncommon to hear complaints such as “I have a PhD in English, but they won’t let me teach middle school” or “I’m literally a rocket scientist, but they won’t let me teach physics.” School districts could partner with community colleges to offer (continued on pg 26)
initial training and ongoing assistance to people who transition into the teacher workforce from accomplished careers.
The arguments in favor of enabling community colleges to train teachers are manifold. It would lower the socioeconomic barrier to entry, decrease the cost of teacher training to prospective students and taxpayers, enable young professionals to enter the teaching workforce more seamlessly, and provide experienced professionals easier entry. What are the arguments against this? Well, the teachers colleges wouldn’t like it. It seems to us like the proper policy course should be clear: Give community colleges a seat at the table regarding teacher preparation.
Read the full report.
1. Lauren Camera, “Sharp Nationwide Enrollment Drop in Teacher Prep Programs Cause for Alarm,” US News & World Report, December 3, 2019, https://www.usnews.com/ news/education-news/articles/2019-12-03/sharpnationwide-enrollment-drop-in-teacher-prepprograms-cause-for-alarm.
2. Stephanie Malia Krauss, “Investing in Teachers Is Our Nation’s Most Important Jobs Strategy,” EdSurge, March 1, 2022, https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-0301-investing
3. Take a Look at Teaching, website, http:// takealookatteaching.org/
4. Lisette Partelow, “What to Make of Declining Enrollment in Teacher Preparation Programs,” Center for American Progress, December 3, 2019, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/make-declining-enrollment-teacher-preparation-programs/
5. Grace Kinnicutt, “Lawmakers Unveil Bills Aimed at Addressing Teacher Shortage,” Capital News Illinois, February 25, 2022, https://www.capitolnewsillinois.com/ NEWS/lawmakers-unveil-bills-aimed-at-addressing-teacher-shortage
6. John Rigolizzo, “Whitmer Signs Law Allowing Bus Drivers, School Admins to Sub as Teachers amid Shortage,” DailyWire.com,
Teachers Making a Difference | Issue 6, January 2023 26
December 28, 2021, https://www.dailywire. com/news/whitmer-signs-law-allowing-busdrivers-school-admins-to-sub-as-teachers-amidshortage
7. Matthew Simon, “Less Is More: How to Remove Red Tape and Create a More Robust Teacher Talent Pool,” American Enterprise Institute, November 29, 2021, https://www. aei.org/research-products/report/less-is-morehow-to-remove-red-tape-and-create-a-more-robust-teacher-talent-pool/
8. Frederick M. Hess, “Tennessee’s Pioneering Teacher Apprenticeship Program,” Forbes, January 19, 2022, https://www.forbes.com/ sites/frederickhess/2022/01/19/tennessees-pioneering-teacher-apprenticeship-program/
9. Madeline Will, “Enrollment Is Down at Teacher Colleges. So They’re Trying to Change,” Education Week, August 9, 2018, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/enrollment-is-down-at-teacher-colleges-sotheyre-trying-to-change/2018/08
10. Frederick M. Hess and Lindsey Burke, “Does Race Get Short Shrift in Education Research and Teacher Training?,” American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation, April 5, 2021, https://www.aei.org/ research-products/report/does-race-get-shortshrift-in-education-research-and-teacher-training/.
11. Illinois Community College Trustees Association, “Baccalaureate Degree-Granting Authority at Illinois Community Colleges Seminar,” https://www.communitycolleges. org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39:past-seminars&catid=20:site-content&Itemid=137
12. Brooke Binkowski, “Bill to Let Community Colleges Offer Four-Year Degrees Clears California Senate,” KPBS, May 28, 2014, http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/may/28/ california-senate-approves-bill-allow-some-communi
13. Community College Baccalaureate Association, “Baccalaureate Programs in Florida,” http://www.accbd.org/florida/
by Cathy Coker
All excerpts are taken from this delightful children’s book Rabbit Teaches Attitude of Gratitude the Timid Rabbit Series ®.
Available on Amazon
Submit Teacher Author information to articles4magazine@gmail.com
Subject: Teacher Authors visit www.testprepcertification.com for submission requirements
Name:____________________ Date:_______________
This rabbit does not know that he is cute, creative, cuddly, and very approachable. No one has ever told him that. That is why he is afraid of his own shadow at times. Boo! Yelp! Poor Rabbit, he does not know that he is a legend in his field. Rabbits act as guides between heaven, earth, and the underworld. In the earth plane, Rabbit is a sound navigator, having perceptions that pilot him through the darkness. Because of this, Rabbit represents sensitives and seers and their psychic powers. If you see one, it is one of those moments in life when we must “hop to” even in unfamiliar surroundings, using our inner light for direction. This poor little rabbit does not do much hopping nowadays because he does not know where to go. He is afraid of getting lost. Maybe he needs a GPS system. But how will he go buy one if he does not leave his house?
1. What are some adjectives that the author uses to describe rabbit?
2. Why does the author say that Rabbit is a sound navigator?
3. What advice would you give to Rabbit to help him?
By Dr. Cathy Coker
By Dr. Danielle Lowe
“Politics”; “micromanagement”, “lack of administrative support”, “developmentally inappropriate practices,” violence in the classroom”, “dangerous work environment”, “stress - related health issues”, “targeting”, and “workplace toxicity” are just some of the descriptions revealed by “burned out” teachers (and students) across the country. As a veteran teacher and global educational consultant, I have a unique perspective, which allows me insight into the lives of teachers worldwide. Not only is violence ubiquitously exploding in the classrooms, lack of support is causing teachers to feel anguish and despair. As demonstrated in districts nationally, teacher shortages are on the rise. Our students and teachers are the victims of corporate infiltration into our educational policies.
Over the past few years, even prior to the pandemic, as a result of corporate pervasion, standardized testing had taken priority over developmentally appropriate practices. Fouryear- old students, attending school for the very first time, are forced to take standardized tests on computers within the first few days of school. At such a young age, children lack the fine motor skills to manipulate a computer, nonetheless the cognitive abilities to independently participate in this form of assessment. During the first week of school, students were/are experiencing unrealistic expectations and learning to be discouraged by academic content. Furthermore, due to policies such as “blended classrooms,” and other technological adoptions, time is dedicated to working on a device for 30 plus minutes each day, as opposed to time where students can be learning collaboratively or constructively.
Independent technological learning can be extremely beneficial to some learners. Personally, I prefer independent tasks since that is my learning style strength. However, as research proves time and time again, each student learns differently. As teachers, it is our responsibility to meet the needs of each student. Unfortunately, some teachers are not permitted to use their years of expertise to drive instruction due to curriculum demands and constant administration evaluation during walkthroughs…. Which have been also called “drivebys” due to the intent of discrediting teacher virtue.
This article is not to devalue all educational settings, but to bring clarity to the reasoning to the teacher shortage catastrophe. Most of the testimonials regarding teacher resignation do not list the students or a lack of love for teaching as a reasoning for exiting the field. Most States require a Master’s Degree to teach in a public or private educational setting. Yet micromanagement is paramount. All individuals, regardless of field, just want to feel appreciated and respected. Teachers examined the works of Gardner, Piaget, Montessori, and Maslow. In summary, Gardner revealed how each individual has strengths and weaknesses in how they learn information. Piaget concluded that children think differently than adults and there are cognitive milestones during development. Montessori identified the importance of hands-on and collaborative learning through self-directed activities. Maslow associated motivation with student needs. In theory, students must have their basic needs met, feel safe and loved, building self-esteem and self-actualization.
Despite the fact that instruction is differentiated to meet the needs of each individual student in the classroom incorporating the above theories, every child is assessed in the same manner. How is that ethical or justified? Although assessment in some form should be present within each lesson to determine effectiveness, the harsh reality is that educational policy is driven by corporate mentality for financial gain. Each standardized test equates to dollar signs. Standardized preparation is also another venue for corporate profit. Over the past few years, teacher “effectiveness” is determined by student test scores. Therefore placing special education teachers, high poverty area teachers, and multilingual teachers, at a disadvantage and an increased potential of being “a teacher in need of improvement.”
When working in classrooms throughout Europe, I inquired about observations and assessing teacher accountability. All administrators were perplexed. The united response was, “we wouldn’t have hired them if we didn’t trust them.” Teachers were not in need of “drive by” observations or justification of teaching choices. They were trusted and supported to do their jobs. The
statistics of graduation and student success were superior to America. That fact in itself speaks volumes. Why do American teachers have to run gauntlets and endure constant obstacles time could be invested in teaching and preparing for learning?
All of the information shared above ceases to mention the impact that the pandemic has had on our teachers and students. In addition to all the obstacles listed above, we should be focusing on the social and emotional needs of coping with loss and destruction. Despite the fact that students were not in school and missed the full learning experience for two years, when they returned they were still tested on grade level material. Paving the way for failing grades and increased funding to meet needs. Adding discouragement and failure onto the shoulders of our students has caused an explosion of student violence across the country. Teachers nationwide are resigning due to physical assault, sexual harrassment, and an eruption of violence within the classroom. Often this also leads to mental health issues.
The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics reveals that nearly 50% of new teachers leave within the first five years.This is a statistic that has worsened over the past decade. The reasoning behind the career changing decision was identified as a feeling of overwhelment and lack of support. Teacher accountability has been a focus of educational policy since the adoption of Danielson’s Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument in 2011. Based on a 45 minute observation twice a year, teachers are assessed using the four domains. At the conclusion of the observation, teachers are rated as highly effective, effective, in need of improvement, or ineffective. Teacher unions across the country report a pattern of veteran teachers being targeted. A teacher with twenty-five years experience will make three times the salary as a new teacher. New teachers do not have tenure and therefore are limited in speaking up against something they might disagree with. When teachers of all experiences feel respected, valued, and heard… they stay.
It is of the utmost importance that taxpayers, parents, and policymakers listen to the cries of our educators. American students and teachers deserve to be respected and to learn without fear of personal safety. The future of our country is affected by what is happening in classrooms today. Continue to advocate to political leaders and policy makers, despite the harassment that will be endured as a result. Retired or former teachers need to speak up in support of colleagues near and far. There is power in numbers. We must be the voice for the voiceless.
by C&P Educational Consultants
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