Jokes about educators have
been around for a long time. Who hasn't
heard the saying, "Those who can do, do, and those who can't
teach." The portrayals of educators
on TV and in the movies is almost always a caricature of incompetence and
ignorance. Whether it's Sheldon's
disdain for teaching compared to research on Big Bang Theory, or the host of confused and lazy educators on New Girl there are no shortage of modern
versions of educators to be mocked. When
educators are given a hero's role in any portrayal it is usually as an
overmatched new educator who is driven to fight a system (and often fellow
educators) to "save" a group of challenging students. Students who apparently just needed someone
to take a few simple, obvious steps to unlock their vast potential.
Educators aren't alone in
this. Virtually every profession or
occupation is satirized and mocked in some way.
If this is true, then why should we be concerned about the misrepresentations,
misperceptions and lack of understanding that surround educators and what
happens in our classrooms and schools?
The answer to this
question gets at the heart of the ongoing conflicts around public education,
public educators and educator unions.
The portrayals of educators and education in popular culture and in the
media give a false image of many aspects of education. In doing so they continue the stereotypes
that exist and demean the professional expertise of the educators who work in
our schools. While very few people will
even pretend they can match a doctor's level of knowledge or skill, and (while
not necessarily appreciating or respecting them) will recognize the expertise
that lawyers bring to their work, too many people assume that teaching is a
simple and straightforward task.
This mythology around
education is perpetuated in public policy that seeks to deprofessionalize our
educational workforce. The efforts to
change the licensing requirements for teachers and to make teaching a job, not
a career are based in the notion that educators can be quickly trained and
easily replaced. We also see an effort
to make education measurable and to quantify students' learning in ways that
reduce learning to a linear progression of skill acquisition. In doing so, the work of professional
educators is seen as less valuable than the efforts of employees who can follow
scripted lessons and deliver packaged material.
"Reformers" have taken the need for accountability in
education and used it for their own purposes.
Ill-conceived ratings systems can wreak havoc on educators'
careers
america.aljazeera.com
This line of thinking has
the same effect on our entire public school system. Instead of valuing our schools as sources of
strength and opportunity, they are turned into businesses that operate for the
good of the owners and not the consumers.
Market economics may be a viable concept for the selling of products and
some services, but it isn't sustainable or equitable in education.
This animated feature on school privatization stars little
Timmy, a kindergartner who likes his public school. Timmy gets a confusing
lesson in corporate edu...
youtube.com
At the same time we see
the rhetoric around educator unions mirror this disrespect. Educators are depicted as lazy, incompetent
and in need of representation so that they can continue their slothful ways. Teacher "tenure" has come under
fire and the idea that we need to eliminate bad teachers has become a powerful
tool used in undermining confidence in our public schools.
For all the debate about tenure, getting rid of teachers is
relatively easy; it’s getting them to stay that’s the hard part.
forbes.com|By Nick Morrison
Our public educator unions
need to fight back and show the public the reality that surrounds public
education. Unions provide protections
and support for educators who are powerful advocates for their students,
families and the communities they serve.
After speaking and guiding a workshop recently, I was struck
by some distinct impressions I...
radicalscholarship.wordpress.com
These educators who are
under so much fire from the press, politicians and some members of the public
are human beings who are working hard under difficult circumstances. Instead of vilifying them and undermining
their efforts, we need to support and nurture our educators. It starts with an understanding of just what
it is that we are doing when we go to work in our classrooms and schools.
The educators that I work
with on a daily basis do so much more than simply present information to
students. We feed, counsel, clothe and
care for our students in ways that go far beyond the "Three
r's." We advocate for our students
to get medical care, extra support and access to programs and resources. We are a consistent presence in the lives of
students who sometimes have no other consistency. We support families through illnesses,
tragedies and the challenges of daily life.
We become a part of our community and develop strong ties with our
fellow citizens. Any educator you talk
to can give you countless examples of just how much education professionals do
that goes above and beyond a simple job description.
We do all this while still
trying to meet the obligations placed on us by politicians and policy makers
who don't know our students, and who often don't have real school
experience. At times we may speak our
minds about policies and legislation that impacts our students in negative
ways. We may also speak out about
"reforms" that impact our ability to do our jobs in ways that promote
the interests of our students. We do
this because we care about our students, our families, our communities and our
profession. We deserve to be respected
and listened to.
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . Democrats are no friends of public education either. It remains to be seen how the conservative
opposition to Common Core and other types of "reforms" will play
out. However, the current dialog around
education gives us more opportunities to get the message out about what our
schools really need.
First lady Michelle Obama's program to make school lunches
more nutritious takes a hit, too.
washingtonpost.com
The headline isn't necessarily the
"Good" here. Arlene Silveira
has been a strong advocate for Madison's
public schools and her presence on the Board will be missed. However, Anna Moffit is an excellent
candidate who has earned the support of those who value public education
through her advocacy and activism.
Candidate Anna Moffit is the mother of three children with
disabilities in the Madison
schools.
host.madison.com|By Molly Beck |
Wisconsin State Journal
The Bad . . . A broken system of education funding hurts our public schools. The current system puts too much emphasis on
property taxes and other local revenue sources.
As long as the state and federal government continue failing to fully
fund their mandates our schools will struggle to meet their budgetary
needs.
The report from Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Revenue
Secretary Rick Chandler includes no recommendations.
host.madison.com|By Matthew DeFour |
Wisconsin State Journal
It doesn't seem that those
in our state government understand what the general public needs when it comes
to tax reform. These tax
"reforms" are coming from the party that ran as defenders of the
common taxpayer.
MADISON (WKOW) -- Wisconsin's
top business lobbying group wants the legislature to eliminate the state's top
income tax bracket as a way to stimulate...
wkow.com|By Greg Neumann
In the meantime, Governor
Walker continues to prepare for 2016 and his chance to advance his political
career at the expense of Wisconsinites.
MADISON, Wis.
(AP) — Gov. Scott Walker is in Las Vegas to meet
with billionaire casino mogul and Republican super donor Sheldon Adelson, as Walker...
host.madison.com
The uncertainty around
CCSS and other "reforms" can only serve to undermine and confuse the
landscape around our public schools.
Many districts have already invested huge amounts of time, money and
other resources into implementing CCSS.
Now we face another time of instability and debate that could
potentially force districts to spend more of their scarce resources chasing an
elusive "tail" of constantly changing expectations and
standards.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says new legislation will affirm
that if schools like Common Core, they can keep it.
host.madison.com|By Matthew DeFour | Wisconsin State
Journal, Molly Beck | Wisconsin State Journal
The Ugly . . . When you consider the statistics around incarceration in Wisconsin, and around the nation, it becomes clear that
we have formally institutionalized the inequities that existed as part of our
society before the Civil Rights Movement supposedly (especially according to
conservative thinking) eliminated racial inequalities in America.
"Today it is
perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that
it was once legal to discriminate against African-Americans. Once you’re labeled
a felon, the old forms of discrimination— employment discrimination, housing
discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity,
denial of food stamps and other public benefits and exclusion from jury service
— are suddenly legal. ...We have not ended racial caste in America; we
have merely redesigned it." - Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander explains how she came to understand that
the racial caste system in America
has not ended, it's just been redesigned.
billmoyers.com
Despite the continuing
violence and the clear need for us to respond as a society, we continue to
promote a culture of guns and fail to address the underlying causes of these
senseless acts.
A Mother Jones investigation analyzes 21 attacks over the
past two years.
motherjones.com
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