Saturday, October 6, 2012

The War in Education

Read anything by Diane Ravitch to discover what is going on in education. I am just going to say that the stress of this year in this political climate has teachers as exhausted as they usually are in May. I am at the age of retirement, love teaching and will teach until I don't feel that way. The students keep me young in many ways and focused and thinking. I know that teaching in an 80% poverty school, there is no way for my pay to go up-- that's OK, I am at the end, but why would a young person stay? Why would teachers dedicate themselves to these students who need them the most? The climate must swing, it just won't in my time. I am so grateful to be in art, the joy and creativity has been sucked out of science, my earlier incarnation, now it is practically scripted, day by day and if the student doesn't get it, no matter, we must move on. What happened to mastery? Where is creativity? We are losing it. Second grade teachers having to be on the same page, the same word the same time? bullshit. Not only are students not automatons, neither are teachers. Bring back the joy I say, bring back the joy! Have you ever seen a 6th grader dissecting a frog? It's a peak experience and I thank Ms. Lindsey for teaching me that so I could share it later!

Whenever I post after long periods I realize what a rambler I am-- so what--it's my blog. I'll ramble. But right now it's shoes and socks and go to the clay studio!

1 comment:

Robyn Martins said...

Many of my closest friends are teachers, mostly music, and I hear this same criticism from them. I really don't know what we can do to change things—educators don't seem to be in charge of curriculum anymore. Is that it?

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