“The public interest in education might be better served if teaching was recognized as a profession and if teachers had more autonomy in their work” (S&S). This is a statement that I could not agree with more. Good and effective teachers are those who are able to coordinate lessons with their students’ learning and abilities, incorporate current events and capitalize on “teachable moments”. It is a travesty that this is no longer a part of public education as teachers are bound to “teach to the test”.
The case of Irene Canebrake is one such instance in which the students suffer because of a mandated curriculum which forces to the teacher’s hand to move forward with the material despite the needs of the students. Even though the school board approved the curriculum, unless multiple second grade teachers with years of experience working with the age group were on the panel, I would argue that the teacher in this case does know what is best for her students. Canebrake did attempt to teach the recently approved curriculum and observed that her students were not mature enough or receptive to the new material. Perhaps it would have been to Canebrake’s advantage to approach the administrators immediately after noting the students’ inability to grasp the new material, rather than ignoring the curriculum and having the administrators approach her.
One point that the book notes that will serve us all well as teachers is to have a rationale to defend our decisions regarding why certain material is or is not taught in our classroom. As the book notes, the most effective manner for teachers to defend their opinions and actions is to do so with research and “professional” opinions which reinforce what the teacher is trying to achieve. I think that often teachers fail to procure rationale for their actions because not only does it take extra time and preparation, but sometimes teachers feel a sense of entitlement (especially the older teachers) and are insulted when their practices are questioned or their integrity is challenged.
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I will agree with your last statement, "often teachers fail to procure rationale for their actions because not only does it take extra time and preparation, but sometimes teachers feel a sense of entitlement (especially the older teachers) and are insulted when their practices are questioned or their integrity is challenged". From what I have seen in my years in working at several public schools, that is true that the longer we teach the more complacent we become. Plus, that could come from the fact a lot of teachers will forget to align instruction with student interest and how well each learns the material.
However, there is quite a bit similiarity to the reading where Strike delivers the same message (Curren number 20) referring to the importance of knowing the material that we will teach. Which I still feel is the key ingredient to success in the classroom.
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