Dear Matt,
I just read an article about a school in Rhode Island where all the teachers are being fired at the end of this school year because the students consistently underperform. The article says Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, applauds the plan. He says that we can’t just let schools continue to underperform because kids only have one chance at an education.
While I agree with Mr. Duncan that we can’t accept a substandard education for any of our students; that every child deserves a good, not just adequate, education; I disagree with his methods.
When Mr. Duncan was CEO in Chicago I had the same problem with him. He institutes methods that decrease cost and look good to the public instead of doing things that will really make a difference. In the Rhode Island situation countless number of teachers are being fired. Who will be hired in their place? New, untried, inexperienced teachers. This is better?
What about instituting smaller class sizes? Teacher mentoring programs? More social service support for students and families? More special education supports and early identification and intervention for students with special needs?
What’s wrong with these ideas? They cost money. It sure is a hell of a lot more cheaper to fire a bunch of teachers on the upper end of the pay scale. Tell everyone it was their fault that students are failing and then hire a bunch of entry level teachers to replace them. A few years from now will they just fire them too? If we keep starting over then we can keep up the illusion that we’re doing something to solve the problem. When really we’re doing nothing. And more and more children pass through our education system uneducated. What a crock.
Pray for those teachers losing their jobs. Pray for those students losing their teachers. Pray for those parents whose children will be lost between the cracks of political rhetoric.
Pray.
Margo
Margo,
I am outraged by political decision like this. Blame the teachers. Politicians point fingers. They defer attention off themselves. While I have no wish to demonize them, they are responsible for choosing political and economically expedient tactics for channeling frustration over political education rather than be committed to it. Business models are taking over a humanitarian commitment to educating every child. I am outraged. Here, both Democrats and Republicans fail. They fail every child whose parents and communities failed them already.
I am outraged at Arne Duncan’s leadership, if that is what you want to call it. I am even more outraged that the American public isn’t informed and dumps on teachers. It is more anti-government finger-pointing backed by false hopes of a revolving door of “answers.” I’m angry.
Thank you to those of you who persevere and teach despite the folly of political leadership.
Love,
matt
Amen to both of you, Margo and Matt.