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Unfortunately, the unspoken purpose of the so-called reformers is to cut down the forest and build a gated sub-division, staffed by temporary workers under constant threat and intimidation, where it once stood.

my god, run, they’re coming to flame you!

Hmmm.  My read of the “current discussions of education reform” is not so much that children are hapless and helpless, but that the teaching profession is under attack. 

So now GS has a new columnist who decries testing (an easy point), but to my eye mischaracterizes the public debate as to which group is being mischaracterized, while humbly underplaying the role of teachers under the humble banner of humility?

Pardon the jaundice, but I do look forward to reading more.

William, just wondering, if you feel “sheepish” about taking credit when students do well, how do you feel about teachers being blamed when students fall short?

That’s a good question. In both cases, I feel like the problem is our tendency to look at the teacher-student relationship as though it occurs in a vacuum. Teachers are a great scapegoat for people who are frustrated with our current school system’s problems, but the research indicates that teachers are just one (and not the most significant) factor that influence student learning. So, I don’t think any one person should be “blamed” for poor student performance. Instead of looking for people to blame, I think we should frame the conversation differently. Our desire for  scapegoats and silver bullets doesn’t help students or teachers.

Will Johnson,

Perhaps this is just a quibble, but is it really accurate to speak about “our” need for scapegoats? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to speak of “their” (billionaires privatizing education policy and schools, pundits, academics and think tanks funded by those same billionaires, captive politicians and charter school entrepreneurs, et. al.) need to scapegoat teachers and the public schools, all in service of their narrow interests?

People who’ve had more than a cup of coffee in the classroom know that there are no silver bullets.That kind of rhetoric is provided by the  know-nothings and privateers who are destabilizing the public schools and trying to sell something, whether it’s unproven technology or charter schools. They can only make that sale by demonizing teachers, their unions and the public schools.

To me, the idea that a teacher can “overcome all obstacles” is a very dangerous one. It’s dangerous for teachers because it sets up unrealistic expectations. When teachers discover that they cannot, in fact, overcome many of the obstacles that they and their students face, they get disillusioned, burned out, etc.

This idea is dangerous for students because it takes the responsibility for learning out of their hands. Practically, this gives students an excuse for not performing well (blame the teacher); philosophically, this assumes that young people can only overcome obstacles with the help of a trained specialist, an idea that I think is both patronizing and demeaning to young people.

Culturally, this idea is extremely dangerous. It’s not based on any actual research, data, or understanding of education, yet it’s spread about like gospel. Why? Because the policy makers who’ve been in charge of education for the past decade need a scapegoat. If good teachers can overcome all obstacles, then the problem must be bad teachers. So the solution to our education is simply to get rid of bad teachers. It’s simplistic, misguided, and ultimately designed to let the reformers off the hook for their failure to address the problems of poverty and inequity which are really at the root of our “education crisis.”

Phew. I guess that tells you what I think about that. Sorry for the long-winded answer, and thanks for reading.

Great answer, nice to see the GS status quo shaken up with the perspective of a real teacher in the trenches.