Ch.
9…
As I began reading Ch. 9, I couldn’t help but feel
pessimistic about her ideas. I just kept
thinking that education here is too tied to politics and big business, and that
the people making decisions about educational reform don’t know anything about
education. They don’t trust or listen to
teachers, and they aren’t working to do what’s best or right for children. They’re just pushing their political agendas,
whatever they may be.
I do think that Linda Darling-Hammond has great ideas
about reforming education. Other countries
have been able to implement some very successful changes, but I just don’t
think it can happen on a national level here.
Maybe if it started small with a single school then a few more schools
or maybe an entire district, it could spread.
If politicians thought it would advance their careers, they would jump
on board when they saw it being successful.
I could relate to Boston teacher Liz McDonald trying to
keep up with the pacing calendar even though you know that kids are being left
behind, especially with math. I’ve been
complaining about our math curriculum for years because it claims to “spiral”
concepts, but their idea of spiraling is one lesson each year on certain
concepts such as measurement and telling time.
There’s no depth. Yet, I continue
to keep up with the pacing calendar year after year. It’s the rule follower in me. If it says I have to be done with chapter 7
on Jan. 12, then I will be done on Jan. 12.
This year, after taking MTI, I changed how I taught math
completely. I didn’t even hand out the
math books. I spent time teaching
concepts with manipulatives, collaborative groups, problem-solving and
partnerships. Not only that, but I spent
more than one day on a concept. I was so
far behind the pacing calendar and was afraid for the ISATs, but my class ended
up doing great!
Speaking of the ISATs, on p. 301 Linda says, “Although
the child and the school are accountable to the state for test performance, the
state is not accountable to the child or school for providing adequate
educational resources.” How true is
that? They keep cutting funding, but
expect us to keep performing better and better each year. Our district can’t even afford to get a new
math series even though it’s years behind on a new adoption.
On p. 313 Linda says that “expert teachers are perhaps
the most important resource for improving student learning – and the most
inequitably distributed – it is imperative that the United States develop
policies for recruiting, preparing, and retaining strong teachers, especially
in high need schools.” I really agree with
a lot of her ideas in this section especially the career ladder models. I like the idea of advancement within the district
for qualified teachers, and that people get tenure because they’ve earned it
not because they were hired three years ago.
Finally, the stories of the Tennessee school and Mitchell
Elementary offered a ray of hope that big changes can be implemented with
success.
Chris, I can relate with you as I have also been a rule follower. I have used the curriculum my school provides with fidelity. Fortunately we have had experts come into our school with the MTI training and we are developing units of study teaching those skills, but also trying to use spiraling curriculum with fidelity. I am a bit concerned about changing grades and what exactly I will be using. As a teacher new to a grade it is nice to have something I can follow to make sure I am on track, but I want to use what is best for kids at the same time. I will rely heavily on my new teaching partner to guide me! We also have outdated curriculum in language and math and funding has been an issue, but the bigger issue for us is finding the "magic bullet" that is aligned to the common core standards and research based with data proving it is successful. For three years our Language Improvement team has known we need something for Language, but we just keep spinning our wheels when it comes to finding a curriculum!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the wrong people are making up "the rules" that teachers have to follow. Take Finland for example. on page 290 Darling-Hammond writes, "most assessment in high-achieving countries is school-based...developed by teachers." It seams that when politicians look at other countries for inspiration they are failing to see the big picture - Teachers matter. Teachers are the experts that should be consulted. Teachers can make the difference in education. NCLB is a prime example that external reform is the fast track to epic failure. Now I'm not saying that teachers can do it alone. We need the support from our government and communities. I'm just saying, the teacher voice should carry a lot more weight than it does. We know what we are doing and when teachers are taught by teachers like the MTI classes, great things come out of it just like what you said is happening in your math class this year. Give us valuable and relevant resources, put us in a collaborative, rather than competitive environment and we will succeed.
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