Hello former students and those others who may have found your way to my site. I have decided to attempt to enter the realm of blogging, because this seems to be a popular and familiar way for web-savvy individuals to stay on top of what's happening. I plan to offer commentary and advice in the field of education, specifically teaching and learning.
As you can tell from the title, I have decided to proselytize about a subject that is near and dear to me; the acceptance of mediocrity in the teaching field. I will begin with a story about myself as a young and pedagogically challenged teacher.
I began my career as a permanent substitute; someone who came into school everyday whether any one was absent or not. I spent a lot of time in the teacher's room and received an indoctrination into the profession that I would not recommend for prospective teachers. I was subject to the grumbling, complaining, and administrator-bashing that was common fare for faculty rooms in the early seventies. The core value seemed to be one of "take care of your self and avoid interactions with the administrative team - they have no clue what they are talking about."
My strength was in my ability to form relationships with kids - they liked me, because I obviously liked them - not a quality I learned in the faculty lounge. I soon became a full-time teacher in an alternative school for students who could not make it in a traditional school environment. My personal-relationship skills came in handy and my lack of pedagogical know-how was overshadowed by the depth of the emotional issues of the students. I was a mediocre teacher with strong student-skills - enough to get me by and dangerously believing I was a highly skilled teacher. I was mediocre and did not know it.
It was not until I became a high school administrator and had to evaluate teachers, that I realized I knew very little about teaching and learning. And after years spent observing high-school teachers and dealing with their disciplinary issues, I realized that many of them were mediocre at best. How did they get that way? Why were they allowed to remain that way?
The answers to these two questions are complex and do not have easy solutions to remedy the malady. However, when I became a teacher-trainer, I knew I had to take responsibility for doing what I could to eliminate mediocrity in schools. I could no longer pass along the blame to the institutions that train prospective teachers. I was that person.
I do not believe I have to take time to describe what mediocre teaching looks like. In my classes, I use a short article entitled "The Term Paper Assignment" where Marisa has to complete a writing assignment about which she has very little information of the teacher's expectations. In the discussions that ensue after reading the story of no feedback, zero exemplars, and a final grade that meant nothing, my students connect to the experience readily. They all knew what mediocrity meant, because they lived it at some point in their educational career. For the unfortunate ones, their tale was more the rule than the exception.
The answer to this teaching dilemma lies in the individual. The great teachers not only have good personal relationship building skills (which requires them to leave their ego at the schoolhouse door), but they are also hungry. I can tell when they are in my class. They cannot get enough of what I have to offer them. They are the reason I created this website - they keep in touch long after the class has ended asking me to share my resources.
One will never learn all there is to know about teaching and learning. I plan to keep at it until my wife has me cremated and spreads my ashes in our garden. (She feels that I have been so full of fertilizer all my life that I can't help but be beneficial to our vegetables). How will you stay sharp? Will you count on your school district? Your instructional coaches, if you are lucky to have one? I wouldn't!! Make a pledge to keep growing; a movement to end mediocrity in the classroom. Take Gandhi's advice - "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
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