News-Record.com

Today's lead editorial.

Is this what we expect of Guilford County teachers?

That they will always be in school hours before the school day begins and hours after it ends?

That they will keenly desire to sacrifice parts of weekends and vacations for their students,
effectively putting their own families (including any children of their own) on the back burner?

That they will work extra jobs and go thousands of dollars into debt to help pay for educational trips for their students? (Or, finally realizing this is too much, theyll work to get nonprofit status for their classroom?)

It's hard not to see the above as a prescription for anything but teacher burnout. Yet such extreme sacrifice is the modus operandi of Rafe Esquith, an acclaimed Los Angeles public school teacher who spoke to Guilford teachers Monday at UNCG.

Granted, Esquith's talk focused not on his Herculean workload but on his teaching philosophy ("There are no shortcuts," "Replace fear with trust") and his innovative teaching methods. His latest book, "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire," given to Guilford teachers who attended his talk, is full of wisdom and great advice. Indeed, many of the teachers at UNCG Monday were excited to meet Esquith.

And no wonder. Everyone from The Washington Post to Oprah praises Esquith -- and he is a gem. He sets classroom standards of behavior by teaching Lawrence Kohlbergs six theories of moral development. His fifth-grade students, almost all of whom are from immigrant, low-income families, perform a Shakespeare play each year. He exposes students to a wide range of subjects -- from economics to baseball. He takes students on cross-country trips. (Several students accompanied him to Greensboro.) And, yes, his students do well on standardized tests.

But where we started squirming was hearing at UNCG that Esquith shows that "anything's possible," and that "if Rafe Esquith can do it, every teacher in Guilford County can do it."
Yes, Guilford teachers probably could be like Esquith if they, too, became surrogate parents to their students and put their students' needs before anyone else's. But we shouldn't expect or want this.

Those of us with children in area schools know that many teachers are more than generous with their time. Our children participate in after-school clubs run by teachers. They march in bands and play sports because of teachers going the extra mile. They receive tutoring. We don't want teachers to feel pressured to give even more of themselves for our children. We want these people to be teachers, not ex-teachers, 10 years from now. (We also want them compensated for the extra time they do spend with our kids.)

Esquith tells teachers to remember they are role models. "You have to be the person you want the children to be," he says. Surely, a valuable lesson for children (and teachers) to learn — for both long-term mental and physical health — is the importance of leading a balanced life.