I find the question “Are we
doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient
for us?” to be a complicated question that cannot be answer with definite certainty
one way or the other. It may seem simple for any current teachers to
self-evaluate their efforts in teaching and then be able to rate their performance,
but to me I think the great majority of teachers are simply doing what they believe
needs to be done based on the constrains placed on them by the educational
system. There are plenty of data that shows that our education system and schooling
has become overtly bureaucratic and standardized that in many cases the overall
mandated standards are not the best solution to address certain schools’ circumstances.
I’m not in the classroom as
of yet, but I’ve spend countless hours shadowing,, observing, and talking at
length with many teachers and what I’ve concluded from all these teachers is
that teaching is not a job that offers a lot of convenience and to have the
energy and motivation to get up each and every day to not only teach but to
deal with multiply non-instructional issues within a 8 hour time slot takes more
than the mere option of convenience. It takes a person that’s truly there to
assist in the developing of their students’ learning abilities.
However like in any other
professions, we do have teachers that are simply doing the basic minimum to get
by. This then can be seen not only as a disservice to our students, but a form
of convenience. Another form of convenience can be defined by sticking with the
cookie cut prepackaged curriculum that’s handed down through State standards
and National mandates. Because of the No
Child Left Behind and the continuous push for standardization from policymakers,
many teachers, who are all about wanting to do what’s best for students, are
force to stay on script and not divert from the benchmarked curriculum. Of
course school administrators and lawmakers will present their justification of
these standards as putting the students’ best interest in mind.
I’m not trying to make the argument
that all state standards and federal mandates are bad or they have created a teaching
environment that boils down to convenience. I’m simply trying to make the point
that someone’s definition of BEST can easily be seen as another man’s form of
CONVENIENCE vice-verse. It is up to us as educators to use as much resources available
to us to address our students’ needs and implement innovative methods to
enhance their learning development. If we are genuine in our approach to teaching
and wanting our students to grow and learn then we will always be able to do what
BEST for them and not worry about what’s convenient for us.
I agree with your posting, especially when you mentioned that "teaching is not a job that offers a lot of convenience." I feel teachers are doing the best that they can, with what they can. When I was in school, I remember thinking a teacher only taught classes, created lesson plans, and graded papers. That thought was only the tip of the iceberg! Teachers are so underrated. Now, I know that there are some teachers who are set in their ways and resist change. Those are the teachers we must look out for. Still, I think this is a personal question that the individual teacher must answer.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful post!
ReplyDeleteI too have no classroom of my own, but have observed in many and enough to see evidence that teaching is not a job to be taken lightly. If a teacher is really in it for the benefit of the children, it is evident. I've seen educators use out of the box methods to teach the concepts that would otherwise be bland and purely for the standards. In my own experiences I designed and implemented a unit plan on plants based on the standards and the "kit" that was provided for the second grade class I was in. Instead of doing the cookie cutter instruction, worksheet with little experiments in between, I expanded and made the experience more whole and authentic. I first did a KWI (I being interests) to find out what the students were interested in. And it was amazing, that some of the things they said about plants were not covered, and I made a point to bring those in. In terms of technology, I made use of the vast amount of information available on the www and used a lime lapse video of strawberries growing to illustrate how fruit come from the flowers on plants. It may sound complicated, but these were small easy changes that made the experience more meaningful to the students.
We go to school and learn all of these brilliant ways to educate our youth, but as you said, many teachers are stuck in the scripted curriculum. It's a cycle that is very hard to be broken, but not impossible. I think that if teachers, particularly groups of teachers are willing, they can collaborate and use their combined knowledge and experience to break the cycle yet still follow the standards at the same time.
Finally, your last point really hit home. It shouldn't matter how hard, easy, convenient, inconvenient something is in terms of teaching. What's best for their growing minds is what matters and it is our job to make it happen.
Well done,
Amy
I loved your post! I agree that there a lot of teachers that teach to the standards and are not allowed to stray far from that. It is very much a disservice to our students. There are so many resources to use in the classroom and it is a shame that they are not being used.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your point about teaching does not offer a lot of convenience. Getting up and going into work an hour earlier than you are required to be there is not convenient. Grading papers each night at home, when you want to be spending time with your family and friends, is not convenient either. However, that is what we take on when we choose to become a teacher. We are choosing to make a difference, not to be convenient. If we do not go above and beyond what is required, we are not giving out students the best that we have.
Great post!
Tiffany
I definitely agree with you, teachers stick to that cookie cutter curriculum but they could be doing so more and implementing more into the curriculum especially in the area of technology , they just choose to do what they feel comfortable with. They should be using resources that are available and many are not. I really wish that some teachers would take a step back and realize that they are there for the students and they should be making it the best possible environment they can for their students.
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