June 2008
At its best, the teaching profession is a conglomerate of talented, dedicated, and intelligent citizenry called to act in the best interests of children and society. It inspires great thought and action, and is at the heart of every advance, success, and achievement. The teaching profession, and those who are its standard bearers, are respected, commended, and even loved. It is with great pride that I say I am a member of the teaching profession.
The teaching profession is organized in many ways, from the national level to local, and even campus, level. While I view membership in at least a state level organization to be an important part of teaching, it is what I contribute at the district and campus level that is most significant and meaningful to me. Examples of what I do to strengthen and improve the teaching profession at the campus level are varied and represent my belief system as citizen, teacher, co-worker, and friend. Leadership and mentoring are extremely important at the campus level. I gladly step up to leadership positions when needed, and offer guidance and support to new teachers, whether they are merely new to our campus or are beginning teachers. I enjoy listening more than talking, and I often find coworkers coming to me to bounce off new ideas, improve their lessons and units, blow off steam, cry on my shoulder, or seek advice. When I do talk, I strive to promote communication, encourage those who need it, de-escalate frustrations without judgment, and increase everyone’s daily dose of laughter. Teaching is one of the hardest jobs on Earth, and without teamwork, empathy, energy, and a really good sense of humor, it is very hard to do. I am extremely fortunate to be one small part of an incredible faculty, and we all contribute our strengths to the overall health and well-being of the teaching profession on our campus.
Few things stir controversy and debate more than accountability in the teaching profession. Test scores and other evaluative tools have their place in showing student intellectual growth, and therefore the success of the teacher as an academic facilitator. However, when those are used as the sole measure of a teacher’s worth, a truly myopic view of that teacher (and of the teaching profession) results. Accountability is a multifaceted concept, much as teachers are a diverse group of individuals with multiple and varied strengths and weaknesses. The teacher evaluation system used by administrators is also a valuable tool, but again should not be used as a monologue of teacher performance.
A more realistic method, albeit more difficult to print in a newspaper headline or summarize in a television news report, is a holistic, local level approach to accountability. When a balanced approach combining appli- cable test results, administrative evaluations and reviews, and other factors such as a teacher’s ability to work effectively and efficiently as a team member are considered, then a bigger picture of a teacher’s effectiveness comes into focus. Other factors to consider at a holistic level are a teacher’s curricular competency, classroom management proficiency, prior and ongoing education and training, professional development, leadership at campus and local levels, and even information that can be subjective in nature, such as student, parent, and co-worker feedback. Teachers should also be an integral element of their own accountability. Just as we encourage students to evaluate the quantity and quality of their own learning experiences, so should we encourage teachers to identify their areas of strength and weakness, and set goals for personal and professional growth. This feedback should also be used for end of the year evaluation and accountability.
Communities and school districts should resist the urge to quantify individual teachers, schools, and even districts based on test results alone. While this type of quick portrait yields some useful information, it ignores the fact that teaching children is a dynamic endeavor. Schools reflect the mores and priorities of a community, and while exemplary test scores are everyone’s goal, other indicators of success must not be ignored or left out of the evaluative equation. Other important indicators of district and school success include concepts such as student participation in community service, charitable work, and fine arts. As excitable as the news agencies and state legislators get about test scores, the general public expects schools and teachers to educate students and assist in creating a vigorous workforce and citizen pool. And as long as there are members of the teaching profession around, that is exactly what the general public will get, and then some.