This evening I had a great conversation with a good friend surrounding the issue of teacher evaluation. We talked about value-added modeling, mentioned the MET Study conducted by the Gates Foundation, mulled over how teachers in high-performing schools might be deemed inaffective even though their students go on to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Obviously, this was an engaging conversation.
But, then towards the end we digressed a bit and got on the topic of how teachers feel right now. Unfortunately, the emphasis on evaluation has been skewed in the direction of punishment and negativity instead of how some Districts think of it as supportive (Denver was one example). Many might point to Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of DC Public Schools, as the champion for firing teachers her system deemed ineffective; perhaps if she were not the spokesperson, people might feel better about it.
Today, the 29th annual MetLife Study of the American Teacher was released and it details something well known to use in the field of teaching: overall, it's less satisfying than it used to be. Only 39% of teachers say they are very satisfied with their career. Only 39% If we think others are going to want to go into this career path we should seriously re-evaluate what we are thinking.
Common reasons cited include lack of funding, lack of autonomy in the classroom, lack of support, etc. These are all things I deal with everyday - yet I feel a persistent aura of teacher-bashing when I read the news and get mandates from District officials.
I hope we come up some with some ideas quickly to make teachers feel better about being in the classroom. Otherwise, we should look forward to people in the front of a classroom who really shouldn't be there.
But, then towards the end we digressed a bit and got on the topic of how teachers feel right now. Unfortunately, the emphasis on evaluation has been skewed in the direction of punishment and negativity instead of how some Districts think of it as supportive (Denver was one example). Many might point to Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of DC Public Schools, as the champion for firing teachers her system deemed ineffective; perhaps if she were not the spokesperson, people might feel better about it.
Today, the 29th annual MetLife Study of the American Teacher was released and it details something well known to use in the field of teaching: overall, it's less satisfying than it used to be. Only 39% of teachers say they are very satisfied with their career. Only 39% If we think others are going to want to go into this career path we should seriously re-evaluate what we are thinking.
Common reasons cited include lack of funding, lack of autonomy in the classroom, lack of support, etc. These are all things I deal with everyday - yet I feel a persistent aura of teacher-bashing when I read the news and get mandates from District officials.
I hope we come up some with some ideas quickly to make teachers feel better about being in the classroom. Otherwise, we should look forward to people in the front of a classroom who really shouldn't be there.
RSS Feed
