Teachers have been in the cross-hairs (Dare I make another gun-related reference?) for years not, not just by parents and students but the federal government, too, which tends to blame teachers for problems that to well beyond their control. The list includes everything from poverty and uninvolved parents to the decline of the family and religion in America and the countless hours kids spend Facebooking, Instagramming, texting, and gaming. So much for homework…
And now comes word that someone named Kyla (or so I assume) has set up a Twitter page that boasts a big white capital F against a bright red background. And what does she call it? “Teacher, You Fail.” Yup! And here’s the accompanying blurb:
“Account created by @whatkylasaid, who would never teach the way these people do. Send your bad teacher alerts my way.”
And what sort of astute and informed responses are coming her way? Here’s an unedited sampling:
- it’s not that ap is hard but my teacher gives us hella work for no reason and never actually teachers us
- My math teachers never teaches us math
- How am I suppose to be good in math when I never learned this and my teacher hardly teaches
My question: How motivated are these kids to apply themselves, pay attention in class, do all the homework, and, when frustrated, stay after school or come in beforehand for extra help, and so on. Would love to know–and also get their teachers’ take on their attitudes, effort, and performance.
Meanwhile, for all you dedicated teachers out there plugging away and giving your all for the students in your keeping–sometimes as may as 150 of them–I give you this from Angela Minnici, director of the Education Policy Center at the American Institutes for Research in Washington:
‘Today, the science of learning has told us what it takes to really help students learn, and which attributes, skills, and knowledge teachers need to succeed with their students. And the hard truth is that few people possess the right disposition to work with children and adolescents, and most can’t master the knowledge and skills to do so. As the education guru Lee Shulman put it a decade ago, teaching is ‘perhaps the most complex, challenging, and most demanding, subtle, nuanced, and frightening activity our species has ever invented.’ He added, ‘The only time a physician could possible encounter a situation of comparable complexity would be in the emergency room of a hospital during or after a natural disaster.’ If he’s right, the ways we recruit, reward, and retain those in the profession need to change to reflect this new understanding. ‘Anyone can teach’ just ain’t so.'”
Right on!
