Education... *sigh*

I arrived at work today, and like any other day I made my half-mile trip from my dilapidated portable classroom into the mail room to check my mail and sign in.  In the main lobby of the school, there were four posters on poster stands placed in a way that nobody could possibly miss them.  What was displayed on these four posters you ask?  Well what else would you expect, grade distributions for the four classes!  So I walked by, shaking my head and enjoying a nice internal morning giggle.  But here comes kicker.  In the walkway leading into the mail room posted on the wall were the grade distributions of the entire school, alphabetically by teacher.  My internal giggle turned quickly into astonishment.  Astonished by the, tact, that it takes to share individual teacher data, by name, to the entire staff.

So on my way back to my classroom I had the thoughts of any teacher who is questioning education running through my head.  Of course I am concerned about student success.  People do not sign up to be teachers because they enjoy the workload/stress/great pay combination.  We enter this field (especially high school teachers) because we are passionate about our subject area, we want to spread that passion, and we want to help the next generation of human beings to become productive and successful members of society.  Middle and Elementary school teachers should take no offense because they have a longer list of good reasons, it just may not include a passion towards a particular subject.

Anyway, what concerns me is hypocrisy that is spreading so rapidly through the veins of education.  The numbers that I saw, especially the individual teacher data is a perfect example.  Federal education initiatives, no matter how badly implemented, are trying to help us raise the expectations for student success.  Here is where the logic loses me.  As teachers, we are constantly being required to do more behind the scenes work.  Improving lesson plans, writing reflections regarding progress or the lack of progress in the classroom, analyzing data, collaborating with our co-workers, constantly contacting parents, the list goes on and on.  But to what end?  To pass?  To make AYP?

The disconnect between politics and the classroom is rapidly increasing.  The administration, the poor middle-men, are classroom teachers who have changed hats as advocates for student success, and are stuck having to try to make their numbers.  When that doesn't happen, the "perfect world" politicians step in and tell them what they must do.  This gets passed on to the teachers and hours upon hours of extra work is now expected.  And again, to what end?

Back to then numbers I saw today.  12th grade, 19% failing. 11th grade, 21%.  10th grade, 24%. 9th grade, 30%.  And teachers are being asked how we can get students to pass, how are we doing, what are we doing, what else could we be doing?  Again the logic of "student's must succeed" is being distorted into "make the students pass."  As teachers we are being asked to "raise the bar."   We do raise the bar, and then we are asked to build steps so the students can just hop right over. 

Some how the expectations have shifted from the students to the teachers.  No Child Left Behind is in full gear.  We have reached the point where you cannot teach unless you are "highly qualified."  You must have a four-year degree in your chosen field and have the required pedagogical skills to even apply for a teaching job.  So why are teachers under the microscope?

I like the high jump analogy.  As coaches we are asked to raise the bar.  We show the students how to jump over the bar. We encourage them to train hard, practice, and do everything they can to jump over that bar.  We take them to the weight room, we run with them, and we help them work their way to the bar.  Some students don't even want to join the team.  Others come to one or two practices but change their minds.  Many of the students see the bar, say its to high, and go sit on the bleachers and listen to their iPod's.  Others cannot even get mom and dad to drive them to practice.  Then the referee blows his whistle and the coaches get stuck running laps.

Why are the coaches running laps?