Success in school requires more than smart, well-paid teachers
I know a very bright young woman from High Point, a N.C. Teaching Fellow, who began teaching math at a Wake County high school last year. It was very rough going at first because she was assigned to classes where many of the students didn't want to learn and were hard to manage. She was severely tested and might have quit during her first semester. To her credit, she stuck it out, finished the year well and is off to a good start this year, her dad tells me.
My point is that it's not enough for teachers to be smart and dedicated to students. Sometimes, they have to survive in a hostile environment.
That's something to keep in mind as Guilford County, backed by Action Greensboro and the University of North Carolina system, takes extraordinary steps to put good teachers in low-performing schools. Those measures include $10,000 annual bonuses for math teachers.
This approach has become necessary because teaching just doesn't pay enough to draw math and science majors from other professions that reward those skills with good salaries -- and pleasant working conditions.
But the additional money for bonuses will be wasted if unruly classroom conditions make it too difficult for teachers to teach.
Face it: Sometimes students fail because they don't try to succeed, not because they have poor teachers. Sometimes the classroom environment, created by undisciplined students, makes it impossible for anyone to learn.
A teacher might be so gifted that he or she can impart the secrets of algebra or geometry to anyone. But that can only happen if a sense of order prevails in the classroom. There's no guarantee that a teacher earning $45,000 will be more successful in maintaining order than a teacher who's paid only $35,000.
If programs like Mission Possible are to pay dividends, school administrators -- who are responsible for the overall learning environment -- must make sure that teachers are allowed to teach. They have to enforce strict discipline throughout the school.
Not every bright teacher will have the fortitude of the young woman from High Point. And none should be tested the way she was, either.
Comments (12)
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AMEN Doug Clark!
Could you please drive yourself over to the School Board meeting right now and say that to the board members and superintendent?
Posted on September 12, 2006 10:36 PM
Doug,
What refreshing words of wisdom coming out of the News-Record. Your words are clear and direct without the usual spin that we see on the News-Record editorial pages defending everything that happens in this school system. Now, let's get down to it and say who the "school administrators -- who are responsible for the overall learning environment" are. It's simple, it's no one other than Terry Grier. Nothing happens in this school district without his approval. You are right to call him out on this matter...let's call him by his name.
Alan Duncan told me in a conversation two years ago that $10,000 incentive money was not sufficient to attract highly-qualified teachers into low-peforming schools. I didn't believe thim at the time. He said it wouldn't work because of the bad working conditions. He was probably right then. I wonder why he changed his mind on it?
By the way, did the school board ever really approve the Mission Impossible or did Grier blow it by them like most money matters?
Posted on September 12, 2006 10:58 PM
Sad, but true. Another factor that bodes ill for the dedicated, smart teachers is the poor attention spans of practically every student, including those who sincerely do want to learn (thank you TV, sugar addictions, etc.). The sheer dearth of intellectual stimulation outside the classroom benumbs young and old minds alike. It is hard to expect students to just "turn on" their brains the minute they enter the school if the rest of their day is filled with mindlessness. We are all anesthetized to things of the mind by the utter banality of the culture; the major stimulants are eye candy (hard for me to admit as an artist), constant pop/rap/hip-hop/country crooning and agitprop, and consumerist kitsch all around.
Part of the ability to resist the ill effects of the toxic culture is to set an example of intellectual curiosity and bravery in the face of the onslaught, and choose not to drown in it. A parent should encourage a child to admire human achievement using brains, nt just brawn; and the work of unheralded thinkers who don't necessarily become millionaires.
But that has be especially hard for one-parent-one-income-low-income homes. My hat's off to those (mostly mothers) who succeed in steeling their kids against the dumbing-down, anti-think of our youth culture and general media environment --- despite the odds.
Posted on September 13, 2006 1:39 AM
DOUG FOR SCHOOLBOARD!
Posted on September 13, 2006 8:51 AM
Freddy,
I agree with much of your assessemnt, but when you talk about the difficulties faced by one-parent homes, this is a tremendous challenge as our society is quickly moving in that direction. Current studies show that about 1/2 of children born today will enter a single mother home, and its closer to 2/3rd's of black children. The worst part of this is that this is the trend in our society...marriage is irrelevant. If this continues, 10-20 years from now, our entire culture will be what you have described. Now, that is scary. The mindlessness and coarseness of society in another 10 years will be a fright.
Posted on September 13, 2006 9:13 AM
One word for you. Micromanagement. Happens in every corporate environment, but it's worse in government based institutions. Whenever you see poor numbers, they're usually not related to teachers and everything related to the administrators. Strange how teachers are the ones getting the cuts usually while administration get bonuses for the work the teachers do. Somewhat ironic.
Posted on September 13, 2006 10:41 AM
Stormy, I believe you have hit upon the single biggest problem facing our education system today. Too many children are raised in single-parent homes where fathers are completely absent from the picture.
I bet money that there is a huge correlation between a child's academic performance and whether or not he or she comes from a single-parent upbringing. In fact, I'd bet this is a better predictor of academic success than race or poverty. I'm not talking about situations where the parents are divorced, but both still are actively involved in the child's life. I'm talking about the single, unmarried moms and absentee dads.
It may not be the most politically correct thing to say, but it doesn't take a village to raise a child - it takes a mother and a father.
The scary thing is that I'm not sure there is much the schools can do about this. Sure, they can do a better job than they are doing, but I don't think even the best schools can overcome the lack of a good home environment.
Posted on September 13, 2006 11:53 AM
Great post and amen from here too!
If the administration does not back the teachers then the whole exercise is pointless. I have been through the GCS online survey about teaching in at risk schools and it is kind of a joke. It makes me wonder on what basis they will determine who are in fact the "good" teachers. Real solutions are WAY more radical than this.
I can see a pay differential for dangerous and hazardous duty but all those other teachers NOT teaching in these schools, well, they are working hard too.
Posted on September 13, 2006 1:17 PM
Good point about the other teachers, Joel. There's all the more reason for administrators to make sure those teachers who don't get these big bonuses at least can work in tolerable classroom conditions.
Posted on September 13, 2006 1:34 PM
Doug,
You make very good points in your article but,,,,when you have Deena Hayes lowering the "BAR" for student behavior standards, do you think things will ever improve?
When will Deena quit blaming "The Great White Satan" for being to harsh on students that act like Animals?????
Is Good Behavior a Cultural Thing,,,I think Not...
Behave in School and you stay out of Trouble..
Very simple concept,,,,Deena,,,,No Color Involved...
Doug, as long as we have Extremist such as Deena Hayes on our school board, student behavior will never improve.
Posted on September 13, 2006 4:08 PM
No individual board member should set discipline policies for the schools, and discipline breakdowns should not be blamed on any individual board member. Each principal should employ whatever measures are necessary to maintain order in his or her school, with the support of the superintendent and board of education.
Posted on September 13, 2006 4:13 PM
A good friend of mine was an assistant principal at various Guilford County high schools throughout his career. He was a tough disciplinarian. 2 years ago the superintendent himself told my friend to stop suspending certain students.
My friend left the system on July 31 of that year. He's now in Florida and enjoying his new school district.
Posted on September 13, 2006 7:25 PM