Teachers Talk

There have been a couple of interesting Op-ed pieces in some national newspapers written by teachers. In both cases, the teacher criticized the status quo and offered their personal opinions as to how to better education.

The first article is by a teacher in Alexandria, VA who complained that the new high school he was working in was full of "gizmos" that no teacher wanted - or needed - and that staff morale was at an all time low.

The second article is by two teachers in Seattle, WA and discusses school reform efforts (NCLB in particular) and suggests people needed to start "trusting teachers" to make the best decision about schools.

What is really interested about both these articles - apart from the fact that teachers wrote them - was the plethora of responses that they generated on the newspapers websites. What is evident is that the general public - at least those who read newspapers, have access to newspapers websites and have the ability to express their opinions - are deeply divided on what to do about education. And it is clear that emotions run deep, as many of the responses are passionate in tone and considerable in length.

We have seen a similar kind of "conversation" in Maine in recent years as we have debated everything from Learning Results to school consolidation. My sense is that the passions are getting stronger.

BTW, in the Seattle article there is one last comment which I think speaks volumes about some the sentiment out there. It states:

I am a math teacher in a low SES school in the Seattle School District. There are many challenges in my day, and I try my best with what I have. I am quitting after this year to take an easier, higher paying position in Taiwan. After reading the posts of these writers, I have no more guilt. Good Luck America.

What do you think?

~John Brandt