Dr. Loertscher just sent out this link to an infographic about what makes a great teacher.
I read over it and it has some great ideas. The information about the number of teachers increasing was noteworthy, and the the strategies running along the right-hand side are important to think about:
-adjust teaching strategies and lesson plans to cater to their student's needs
-identify ambitious goals to improve the effectiveness of their teaching
-encourage family participation in their programs and advocate learning opportunities outside of school
-focus on student learning & increasing the value of class time
-treat standardized tests as a target for students, not as a metric for lesson plan development
Yep, these are some of the very important qualities that make up a good teacher. Some others are missing:
-the ability to collaborate with colleagues to increase student achievement
-respecting and embracing the many types of diversity found in our classrooms
-choosing to engage with professional development to continuously improve our practice
There are so many others, and obviously this is just a small infographic (although a very wordy one--I don't think it's very good).
There are also some very problematic ideas on here. I am not comfortable with these actions being promoted as qualities of a great teacher--in fact, the national teacher of the year. These type of expectations set up teachers for burning out and leaving the profession. In parentheses I wrote what I have personally seen as the impact of some of these actions.
-giving up lunch periods to help students (not having a break at work and ending up stressed and hungry)
-ensuring that every student has a ride (allowing students to depend on you, rather than helping them find a sustainable way to get to and from school)
-doing her students' laundry when their clothes have been dirty for some time (I've only seen this go on at the gym...but how do you get a kid to give you their dirty clothes?)
-working more than 20 hours per week outside the classroom (not having decompression time, putting a family and friends on hold)
-spending $2,000 to $3,000 on students (giving up potential retirement savings and stressing about money)
I was under pressure from my school and other organizations to sacrifice extraordinary amounts of time, money, and energy for my students. I did it for four years, but then I recognized that it was not sustainable for me. I'm grateful to still be in education as a teacher librarian, and to have time to spend with my family and relaxing. I feel very strongly that we should not be encouraging new teachers to continue working in this type of way. I would rather see someone develop more slowly as a teacher, but make a commitment to it as a career. The things that Ms. Mielwocki does are exactly what leaves classrooms with new teachers year after year after year.
I've chosen to support new teachers in the past and this year I am training to be a new teacher mentor with the Beginning Teacher Support and Advise (BTSA) program. I won't sit by and watch wonderful teachers burn out year after year.
What do you think?
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Posted by Allyson Bogie
Retrieved from http://www.topteachingcolleges.net/great-teachers/
HI Allyson,
ReplyDeleteThe life of a teacher is stressful and burn out is high--I agree. Sometimes I think the solution to burn out is to eliminate homework...I think if we just did the work in class--it would take twice as long and while the kids were reading--I could be grading papers---but then I remember--O YAH--they aren't learning anything....
The money is a totally different issue--and I think it splits most schools into haves and have nots....people who can afford to buy stuff and people who are put in a financial strain when forced to buy stuff--and this gap leads to burn out I think faster than any other issue in education.
Loved your comments,
jaymi marie
Ha ha, Jaymi!
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think that the financial issue is such a big burnout factor? Due to the lack of resources at the school plus the financial strain on the teachers? I feel like it's demoralizing to have to go and spend your own money on your classroom all the time. Having an active PTSA at the school where I work makes a really big difference.
Thanks for your reply,
Allyson
I have worked at five different schools in the last 15 years and it is almost expected for teachers to work a couple of hours beyond their contracted times. In fact, one teacher at my current school tells me she gets this look from the principal if she "leaves work on time."
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.
Mary, I agree--I have seen the same, and in my first few years I often worked 12 hour days and on the weekends. I don't know if this is a general condition of teaching or if there is the potential for things to change, but I would really like to see a change in this area.
ReplyDeleteAllyson, I think you have really hit the nail on the head in pointing out that it can be harmful to individuals--if not detrimental to the profession as a whole, in the big picture--to champion behaviors that involve consistent self-sacrifice above and beyond the "regular" heavy demands of being a teacher. Like many other polarized areas of the country's political landscape, it seems that the most people I've heard discuss the current state of public education in America are split fairly over the role/condition of teachers: half seem to deify teachers almost as martyrs while the other half feel that teachers get overpaid for the number of hours worked and complain too much about how difficult teaching is. Of course, having taught and having numerous friends and family members who are teachers, it's obvious which opinion I tend towards--however, I feel like both views are equally dangerous for the health and future of teaching in general because they each establish unrealistic expectations: if teachers are near-saints, then it is assumed that they will sacrifice *everything* (personal finances, rest, peace of mind outside of school hours, family, etc.) for the sake of their students; while, if teachers are just complainers, then there's the assumption that they're *not* giving enough but *should* be sacrificing much, much more. In either case, it is the norm that teachers should only ever give--that to do otherwise would just be horribly selfish because, hey, anything you "keep" for yourself is tantamount to "taking" from children, right?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I know that there are a handful of teachers who are able to balance their work demands with having a social life of their own outside work, devoting time to family, exercise, sleep, etc. I have to admit that the majority of teachers I've known struggle with giving too much, and I have myself been guilty of that. The last school I taught at had to cut the classroom annual budget of $100 the last year I was there and, with no PTA at all, everyone paid out of their pockets for snacks, art supplies, fidgets/rewards, etc. or else went hungry so to speak (we were the self-contained special ed. school and, in spite of all the progress made in recent decades to make services equitable, the school was the most under-funded/overlooked program in the district).
ReplyDeleteI was happy to do this for the first 5 or 6 months until situations like my cat needing to go to the vet, my car breaking down, and my needing to pay for a flight to attend a friend's wedding, for example, would cut into how much I could afford to spend in a given month and the teaching assistants in my class began complaining regularly about supplies being short or not the brand
name, etc. Although they were not typically demanding people, I had unknowingly created an expectation that I would be devoting X number of my personal funds each month to keep things going and, when that amount was somewhat less for whatever budgetary reasons, the reaction was an implicit feeling that I was being cheap or selfish somehow, which produced a bit of guilt and resentment on my part.
Although this is only highlighting one negative aspect of an otherwise overwhelmingly positive teaching experience, I'm sure you get the point, which affirms the viewpoint that it is not only reasonable but ultimately necessary and beneficial for teachers (and teaching assistants, administrators, etc.) to have boundaries protecting them from having their personal time/finances/emotions infringed upon above and beyond a reasonable extent.
Can you imagine expecting a pilot to wash your child's dirty laundry--or a postal worker to stay two hours after their shift on a regular basis to supervise children until their parents arrived to pick them up? Why then do we assume that educators should do so on a daily basis? Of course circumstances arise which demand every educator to stay late/arrive early now and then and, yes, it is likely that teachers will usually work 1 or 2 hours out of class every day or couple days, but expecting and encouraging these behaviors on an ongoing basis creates unhealthy expectations and only contributes to our society undervaluing social service occupations. Yes, lawyers work long hours out of the office, but are compensated financially for their efforts--either teachers need to get paid for *all* of the hours actually worked, or the actual boundaries of time, finances, and space need to be respected. You can't have it both ways without something giving and, unfortunately, teacher burn-out is frequently the result for which, ultimately, everyone suffers. (Hey, it's like riding in an airplane: you've got to put the air mask over your own face before you can assist others with putting on theirs, otherwise you're no good to anyone!)
What a great discussion. I completely agree with your point of view, "but expecting and encouraging these behaviors on an ongoing basis creates unhealthy expectations and only contributes to our society undervaluing social service occupations. Yes, lawyers work long hours out of the office, but are compensated financially for their efforts--either teachers need to get paid for *all* of the hours actually worked, or the actual boundaries of time, finances, and space need to be respected."
DeleteI taught at a high school for six years, and the first four years I gave it absolutely everything. I loved my job, and I didn't mind putting in some extra time. But I had the time to give, and I had hopes that the pay would improve. After the four years, with no changes in pay, recognition or any paid planning time, I had had it. It took me two years to leave the high school and my "dream job" but I think it is better now for me and for the school. I was burnt out, and because of that I wasn't a good teacher anymore.
To expect anyone to go above and beyond expectations for years and years with no compensation whether it be help, time or money is just not right and it is not fair.
Your example of lawyers working long hours but getting paid is a very good example. How can a teacher be expected to work the same type of schedule and get paid 1/3 of the lawyers' salary?
All that being said, what can we do? As school librarians (and former teachers) we understand the demands made on teachers. We know they need assistance. We need to be prepared to help by offering programs, services and instruction on how to be more efficient. We need to let teachers know that we can help their students be more information literate and that will save them time for dealing with content related specifically to their subjects and classes. We can research organizations that help children who are hungry and need some clean clothes. We can provide the information to the teachers, families and administrators which will hopefully help teachers feel less responsible to pay for these things and do these things on their own. We can research grant opportunities for teachers as well as for the libraries. When looking for professional development resources for school employees we can look for workshops on burnout and stress relief and setting boundaries. We can keep in mind that teachers are just as important as the students, and that we are in a position to help.
Thanks for your posts!