His list of problems consisted of:
-Better academic training is needed
-There needs to be a new approach for recruiting teachers
-A reward system for teachers is needed
Solutions:
The solutions are basically the problems worded differently. For the first point I do believe that this statement is extremely important and should be taken into affect immediately. I remember countless coaches (history teachers), wannabe high school math teachers, and just overall not good teachers that attempted teaching I and my fellow students. I feel like with better training and school these teachers could have been more effective and would have made a better impression. But for example, I remember a new "physics" teacher who would come in my physics class when class ended so she could be tutored by my brilliant teacher everyday. She was your typical blonde, high heels, and tight clothes that really made me step back and say, "I can't believe they let her graduate with her teaching certificate." I mean, they were actually letting her teach children. Come to find out she was marking students' quizzes wrong when they were actually right once rechecked by my own physics teacher...
By using Klein's method of allowing the teachers to create their own standards to rate teachers on then I know for a fact this woman would have been removed. I completely agree with this solution and wish it would come into affect immediately.
The next problem sort of goes hand in hand with the last one. If the teachers had a set of standards handed down by fellow teachers, as Shanker suggests, then recruiting new teachers would not be so difficult because the school would get it right the first time. I also agree with Shanker's take on the beginning of a teacher's career at a new school. He says that there should be an internship process of a 1-3 year span to evaluate possible future teachers. Alongside his proposition of a national exam, I do not think that incompetent teachers would prove to be a problem anymore.
The last problem I have mentioned is the nonexistent reward system for our teachers. Let's be honest here, some teachers are ALOT better than others. It's just a basic fact. But the real problem here is that sometimes it is due to laziness and the unwilling attitude to really take any initiative in their job to help students. This is where the reward system would come in as Shanker suggests. Those teachers that do a better job and are really connecting with their students should be rewarded and start the process of working on a promotion. This will get teachers motivated to do better, even though they should already want to, and give them a sense of gratification that their job doesn't normally provide. Teachers do a lot and so I agree with Shanker and think that their hard work should not go unnoticed or unrewarded.
So, I agree with Shanker's suggestions completely. I feel like their needs to be a huge shift in the education world we have today. Too many people are getting off easy and becoming teachers just because they can and not because they deserve to be. This isn't fair for our students and should not be taken lightly. If we do not take a stand now and fight for professionalism in our career of teaching then teaching will always be treated as second class when we know we deserve a better reputation. When people find out I am going to be a teacher I get the same spill everytime, "Aw, well that's a rewarding job." Excuse me, this is a professional career that is raising up the next generation of your planet. Sounds a lot more important than most other careers to me. Because of this, I feel teachers need to be reevaluated and rewarded throughout their teaching careers so as to keep our teachers at the highest level possible for our students.
 |
| "Add Amazing Teacher Name Here" |
No comments:
Post a Comment