By Sydney Meyer, Nine Network PIN analyst
In this year’s Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession 2012, a collaborate publication by Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, mo
re than 10,000 teachers were asked about their schools and classrooms; student and teacher performance and the way in which they should be evaluated, supported and rewarded. The teachers shared their honest, professional opinions on many subjects ranging from teacher tenure, family involvement, job satisfaction and salaries.
As a former teacher for many years, I found a few of the results just what I expected! Take a minute to read the two that stood out for me and let me know what you think in the comment section below the blog.
- When teachers were asked what was the most important factors in retaining good teachers they were very clear about the need for school-wide systems supporting their teaching including supportive school leaders, engaged parents, help for students with learning or behavioral problems and quality curriculum. In fact, the teachers say these same items would improve student academic achievement indicating
that family, school leadership and curriculum are critical to the mission of today’s schools.
- Not surprisingly, teachers who are very satisfied with their careers are more likely to be engaged in all aspects of their students’ lives.
- Primary Source is the beginning of an ongoing dialogue with America’s Teachers. To read the whole report and give your thoughts on the report go to www.scholastic.com/primarysources.
Sadly again, we are looking for solutions in the wrong place. Teachers are NOT the single most important in-school factor in ensuring students’ academic success. Never have been. The most important factor has always been the student. My understanding of history is that the first schools were composed of students only, students teaching themselves. That is still the best model. Teachers came later as invited subject matter experts, temporary students if you will. Part of the problem is the label “teacher.” That role is demonstrably obsolete. An authority with one teaching style pouring facts into young minds of today with many learning styles will fail. We need to invent a new word for this changed role, a word that means a facilitator of learning. These new “teachers” need not know the subject, only the process; they can also learn. We have to reinvent education, yet we don’t have a consensus agreement on what the word “education” means today, what it is: every stakeholder has a different answer. First, get this right. Then with the right facilitation, students can teach themselves more effectively that a “teacher.” It’s all about the process. With the correct process, the outcome is inevitable.
Jay
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