I recently read an article about changes in the methods of preparing teachers for the classroom. Now, I’m not going to argue with these new methods – I agree that traditional programs do not prepare teachers to deal with the classroom and its myriad challenges. I was a teacher for almost 2 decades (both full and part-time) and it took me some time to find a classroom management style that worked for me. (The ability to perfect a Vulcan-like raised eyebrow – remember Mr. Spock? – was a great aid in my management style.) So putting teaching candidates into the classroom right away with a dedicated mentor teacher (rather than one who leaves the student teacher on his/her own for the period) is a great step forward in the preparation of successful teachers. But as for this being a solution for the massive exodus of teachers, I will argue against that claim.
As I said, I was a classroom teacher for almost 20 years (14 full-time and 3.5 as a substitute), and what finally drove me out – and many other teachers – was the increasing lack of discipline among students and the increasing unwillingness of administrators to back teachers and stand up to parents. More and more frequently, administrators (from vice principals to district superintendents) seem to be more concerned with placating angry parents than with keeping the classrooms a safe and orderly place for education. I’ve seen a principal rescind a suspension for one of three students seen smoking after school because the parents complained that no adult had seen them, even though several students reported it and the other two students’ parents allowed the suspensions. In addition, this one student was an ongoing discipline problem for all of his teachers.
What we are doing is allowing a generation of students (and not the first one) to grow up with an attitude that they do not have to take responsibility for their behavior, and that there will always be someone they can blame for their actions. This is completely contrary to what makes a country great. Our system relies on the idea of freedom with responsibility, but we are loosing that second part – the idea of responsibility. A woman puts a hot cup of coffee between her legs in a car, spills it, and blames the drive-through for serving coffee that was too hot. Let’s see, the coffee is hot – does putting it between your legs in a moving car make sense? And the list could go on and on.
We need a massive shift in attitudes, and soon. We need to start teaching our children that life is made up of choices, and that they are the ones responsible for those choices. Stop playing the victim and looking for a scapegoat. Choose to do your work at school, and you have a much better chance of learning, getting acceptable (or better) grades, and eventually have a better chance of having a successful adult life. Choose to goof off, and don’t expect mommy and daddy to run interference for you. Choose to cause trouble in school, and plan to take the consequences. And guess what, we will probably see more teachers stay in the classrooms, because teachers by and large love to work with children and would much rather be there than anything else.
I know some of my opinions here will be less than acceptable to some people, but I believe many others will agree. Maybe we can start a movement to return to the idea of personal responsibility.
Until next time, Keep Believing
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