Woo-who! The first checks since the pay scale was restored have already been issued, and I can only imagine the gratitude and appreciation that will quickly follow from our teachers. This is a great first step in mending the rift between teachers and district leaders. While we are celebrating, we can also look for ways to continue to build that bridge. This means we have to face an ugly truth that permeates this district: the culture of fear and all that is left unsaid.
Fear is something our teachers mask beautifully. They all have strong opinions and thoughts about our district but fear speaking out. I remember feeling furious at the system at different times, angry at ridiculous decisions being made and unable to say a word when I was teaching. This was not because of my building principal or colleagues, this was because of the unspoken fear all teachers have in the back of their minds. One day I realized, I am not a district employee anymore. I could say something. I could give a voice to the voiceless. I could finally tell people that every day, teachers fear for their current position if they speak out. They fear their reputation being damaged. They fear being bullied and pushed around. In short, they are mortified to speak out against everything they see is wrong in our schools.
I have always felt that bearing the burdens they do on a daily basis gives them every right to be heard and not fear repercussions. Yet, this doesn’t happen. Why? Because we have all seen the consequences; that person suddenly moved to another building, a person put into the “pool” because there is no spot for them this year, or the person whose contract is not renewed because they spoke out against some sort of policy or procedure. Now, some are moved with a justified reason, but it needs to be said that this is a tactic that gets used. For every example of someone who needed to be moved there is an example of someone who didn’t. Every teacher has a story of it happening somewhere, somehow to someone they know. It is just part of the system. It’s been done for years to support staff, teachers, and even principals and it is awful.
Another factor is the top down mentality. The culture of “fear” is proof that our district is functioning from the top down approach. This tells our teachers “We don’t trust you. Do what we say, we know better.” For months community members have been commenting on the need for this to change. We need to trust our leaders again. From the State Representatives to the local board, from the Governor to local administrators, everyday citizens are skeptical. The approach you are taking is not working. The public does not have a renewed faith in the system. Flipping our focus upside down, putting our staff and students at the top of the priority list will improve the culture and gain back some trust.
Allowing teachers to bring their strengths to the table and developing greatness in them is a key component that is missing from the current model. We were not made the same, or trained the same, or even have the same strengths. It is exhausting for all of us to try and teach the same. This is an important fact that those not in the classroom seem to forget. I understand we need to be unified. However, we also need room for individualization. I am not speaking to common classroom language or discipline plans. I am talking about personality, about the ability to differentiate our instruction, and the need to match students with unique teachers to meet their needs. We have to show our teachers they are more than their test scores or a snapshot observation. We have to understand they feel powerless. They feel defined by numbers, primarily based on student assessments. Our educators are far more than a proficiency rating. They are EVERYTHIING to our children during the day. They are one of the biggest influencing factors in their lives.
Nurturing good teachers, reinforcing positive changes, and praising all the good that is happening at the foundation of our schools would be a drastic improvement from the current climate. When a leader builds up their staff by training them well, valuing their opinions, and giving them responsibilities that are fairly compensated, those employees will follow that leader. Are we giving teachers an environment where they can shine professionally? Are we training teachers with a full support system in place? Are we letting them become leaders within a building? Our district could create designated mentors and give all teachers the opportunities to observe and learn from each other. Allow them to present their ideas to their peers and value the need to learn and grow from innovation. This includes paid professional development and giving them the encouragement to learn from educators across this nation and around the world. Celebrate differences!
Unfortunately, teachers are reminded by society, our government, and our own district that who they are every day simply isn’t good enough. Our teachers are often told to do better, regardless of any positive ground they may have gained with a student. Nothing crushes a spirit more when you are told “Great job! Now change this, this, and this about yourself and see if you can gain a percentage point. And while you work on that we are going to put more students with emotional issues and learning disabilities in your class, and we are cutting support. By the way, the curriculum is changing again and we have new tests from the State and Feds to help secure funding. We will also use those scores to make sure you are doing your job right, even though we haven’t trained you properly or given you opportunities to learn from master educators. Everything we previously embraced was wrong, this way is much better. We can always do better! But remember to keep up the good work!” Yeah, right. Thanks. You know what? Why don’t you do better?
Why don’t you as a leader say, “Our staff and students deserve better.” Why aren’t those of you at the highest level really ready to serve those who are in the trenches? Fight for our right to modern professional development. Fight to provide the best help for our most challenging students. Fight to reduce classroom size. Fight to keep creativity and innovation alive and well in our schools. Fight to give teachers what they really need. Fight the status quo and fight being mediocre.
Our teachers understand this fight. They fight every day to reach those kids from troubled homes. They fight every day to combat the consequences of students from a low socioeconomic background. They fight to get help for kids that desperately need it. They fight to help some kids gain whole grade levels of learning in a short amount of time. They fight to keep students from dropping out and giving up. They fight their instincts to stand up and shout “Stop it! Stop legislating us! Stop making us jump through hoops for funding! Stop sending us more tests! Stop thinking you know what is best for the kids in my class that you don’t even know.” They fight to stay positive and support those in charge even though, there are few examples of anyone fighting for them. All of this inner turmoil is buried and pushed aside for this ever present fear.
Our teachers have served this community in the worst of conditions and still manage to do well. At the core, they are serving our children in the most honorable way. They stay and carry on, focusing on the kids. If our leaders would fight like our teachers do, with all of their hearts for the best interest of other educators and students, all of this fear will disintegrate. In my world, changing the culture of this school is not impossible; it’s the single most important thing we can accomplish. We have to overcome these fears and speak truth.
Fear is something our teachers mask beautifully. They all have strong opinions and thoughts about our district but fear speaking out. I remember feeling furious at the system at different times, angry at ridiculous decisions being made and unable to say a word when I was teaching. This was not because of my building principal or colleagues, this was because of the unspoken fear all teachers have in the back of their minds. One day I realized, I am not a district employee anymore. I could say something. I could give a voice to the voiceless. I could finally tell people that every day, teachers fear for their current position if they speak out. They fear their reputation being damaged. They fear being bullied and pushed around. In short, they are mortified to speak out against everything they see is wrong in our schools.
I have always felt that bearing the burdens they do on a daily basis gives them every right to be heard and not fear repercussions. Yet, this doesn’t happen. Why? Because we have all seen the consequences; that person suddenly moved to another building, a person put into the “pool” because there is no spot for them this year, or the person whose contract is not renewed because they spoke out against some sort of policy or procedure. Now, some are moved with a justified reason, but it needs to be said that this is a tactic that gets used. For every example of someone who needed to be moved there is an example of someone who didn’t. Every teacher has a story of it happening somewhere, somehow to someone they know. It is just part of the system. It’s been done for years to support staff, teachers, and even principals and it is awful.
Another factor is the top down mentality. The culture of “fear” is proof that our district is functioning from the top down approach. This tells our teachers “We don’t trust you. Do what we say, we know better.” For months community members have been commenting on the need for this to change. We need to trust our leaders again. From the State Representatives to the local board, from the Governor to local administrators, everyday citizens are skeptical. The approach you are taking is not working. The public does not have a renewed faith in the system. Flipping our focus upside down, putting our staff and students at the top of the priority list will improve the culture and gain back some trust.
Allowing teachers to bring their strengths to the table and developing greatness in them is a key component that is missing from the current model. We were not made the same, or trained the same, or even have the same strengths. It is exhausting for all of us to try and teach the same. This is an important fact that those not in the classroom seem to forget. I understand we need to be unified. However, we also need room for individualization. I am not speaking to common classroom language or discipline plans. I am talking about personality, about the ability to differentiate our instruction, and the need to match students with unique teachers to meet their needs. We have to show our teachers they are more than their test scores or a snapshot observation. We have to understand they feel powerless. They feel defined by numbers, primarily based on student assessments. Our educators are far more than a proficiency rating. They are EVERYTHIING to our children during the day. They are one of the biggest influencing factors in their lives.
Nurturing good teachers, reinforcing positive changes, and praising all the good that is happening at the foundation of our schools would be a drastic improvement from the current climate. When a leader builds up their staff by training them well, valuing their opinions, and giving them responsibilities that are fairly compensated, those employees will follow that leader. Are we giving teachers an environment where they can shine professionally? Are we training teachers with a full support system in place? Are we letting them become leaders within a building? Our district could create designated mentors and give all teachers the opportunities to observe and learn from each other. Allow them to present their ideas to their peers and value the need to learn and grow from innovation. This includes paid professional development and giving them the encouragement to learn from educators across this nation and around the world. Celebrate differences!
Unfortunately, teachers are reminded by society, our government, and our own district that who they are every day simply isn’t good enough. Our teachers are often told to do better, regardless of any positive ground they may have gained with a student. Nothing crushes a spirit more when you are told “Great job! Now change this, this, and this about yourself and see if you can gain a percentage point. And while you work on that we are going to put more students with emotional issues and learning disabilities in your class, and we are cutting support. By the way, the curriculum is changing again and we have new tests from the State and Feds to help secure funding. We will also use those scores to make sure you are doing your job right, even though we haven’t trained you properly or given you opportunities to learn from master educators. Everything we previously embraced was wrong, this way is much better. We can always do better! But remember to keep up the good work!” Yeah, right. Thanks. You know what? Why don’t you do better?
Why don’t you as a leader say, “Our staff and students deserve better.” Why aren’t those of you at the highest level really ready to serve those who are in the trenches? Fight for our right to modern professional development. Fight to provide the best help for our most challenging students. Fight to reduce classroom size. Fight to keep creativity and innovation alive and well in our schools. Fight to give teachers what they really need. Fight the status quo and fight being mediocre.
Our teachers understand this fight. They fight every day to reach those kids from troubled homes. They fight every day to combat the consequences of students from a low socioeconomic background. They fight to get help for kids that desperately need it. They fight to help some kids gain whole grade levels of learning in a short amount of time. They fight to keep students from dropping out and giving up. They fight their instincts to stand up and shout “Stop it! Stop legislating us! Stop making us jump through hoops for funding! Stop sending us more tests! Stop thinking you know what is best for the kids in my class that you don’t even know.” They fight to stay positive and support those in charge even though, there are few examples of anyone fighting for them. All of this inner turmoil is buried and pushed aside for this ever present fear.
Our teachers have served this community in the worst of conditions and still manage to do well. At the core, they are serving our children in the most honorable way. They stay and carry on, focusing on the kids. If our leaders would fight like our teachers do, with all of their hearts for the best interest of other educators and students, all of this fear will disintegrate. In my world, changing the culture of this school is not impossible; it’s the single most important thing we can accomplish. We have to overcome these fears and speak truth.