I have so many dots that are not connected.
I have so many dots that are connected, I just don't know how yet.
Thomas Vaughn wanted to know "why don't teacher's speak up"?
I talk about the "culture of the system". I talk about the lack of integrity in grades, both for students, teachers and school systems. I talk about arrogance with ignorance. I talk about abuse of school person authority.
I wrote this post in September of 2007: "A Piece of the dysfunctional puzzle".
What does a teacher do when an area director tells the teacher to "change the report card grades"?
The irony of this story is that it was the same teacher, either on his/her own or with direction, that had changed a document previously. The fact that I had an undeniable copy of the original provided me credibility, despite the hell that broke out when I challenged the changed document, and then produced the original. My original copy saved me like that blue dress saved Monica. I had finally solved the shell game of paperwork and obfuscation and lies.
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I know why teachers don't speak up. Impotence and an early death.
If you speak up, you get beaten down, branded a trouble-maker, accused of not being a team player.
I was at a faculty meeting last month when AYP goals (average yearly progress) were being used to tell us that we had to get better. A Power Point presentation was being shown. We were being reminded that even though we didn't make the goals this year, we had to achieve more stringent goals next year. The goal for 2013 was 100% of our kids would make AYP.
I slowly and unobtrusively looked around to see the reaction of my colleagues. No one changed expression. I wanted to stand up and shout "BS"!! How can educated people not see the impossibility of such a goal?
But they did see it.
After the meeting many told me that they thought the 100% was impossible. They didn't say anything because they didn't want to make waves. Didn't want to get in trouble. Fear. Grown educated people in fear of speaking the truth.
I love this quote by Jeanne Moreau.
"As long as you don't make waves, ripples, life seems easy. But that's condemning yourself to impotence and death before you are dead."
Impotence and death. We don't speak up because its easier and safer to live quietly and compliantly in the fantasy world they have created for us. Nod your head in agreement, go back to the classroom and do your bests and take the BS the bosses throw at you safe in the knowledge that we are all in this game together and in the end every one who plays on the team will get through.
Get rid of the miscreants, non-team players, the people who challenge the game. I am not sure what it will take but one day this will all have to change.
The kids we are educating are not competing against the other kids playing this game. There is a whole generation of kids out there in countries where education is taken seriously. China, Japan, India.....their kids have not played the game of pretend. Our kids in in for a rude awakening when they find themselves up against the students from these countries. I see it time and time again. I had a student this year from Albania. Not a gifted young man but a well educated one. He told me quietly how easy school was here, how much better behaved kids were in his country. This analysis from a 12 year old!!
Very soon we will see the effect of this game and I feel sad for the kids. They trusted us to get them ready and I fear will have let them down.
Sorry, Thomas--you don't get to take the blame, this time. This year it was readily apparent that teachers were incapacitated and COULDN'T teach what we needed. WE aren't the ones that let those kids down!!! We've met -- and you're awesome!!! You really care and do your best-- but, our best isn't good enough, anymore. Sadly,though, it's ALL we have to give.
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