No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is so extreme that at one point during its implementation somebody figured out that super teachers are the one and only key to solving the education reform conundrum. According to this mad scientist decimating teachers’ unions and tenure are ways to motivate teachers; without job security teachers will work harder if they were to FEAR being fired. Super teachers will not only raise test scores, they will also overcome poverty and other disadvantages.
The mad scientist says that super teachers are not made through experience; they are born. But the mad scientist fails to recognize that "being an effective teacher is not necessarily a permanent, unchanging quality" ( Ravitch 186 ). Teachers, super or not, will have bad days. Is their human infallibility a strength-giving amulet or their kryptonite?
Being in school forever, I've had my share of teachers both super and not ( in fact, I'm planning to go back and pursue a career in professorship ). When I was in school in the Philippines, I didn't remember 99.9% of my teachers. I remembered practicing phonics, and a couple of months ( maybe years ) later I learned how to read. My dad gave me a newspaper, and I was able to put sounds and words together even if I didn't understand most of its vocabulary. In another classroom, I understood better freedom of speech and censorship when a teacher scotch-taped my mouth shut because I was chit-chatting non-stop.
Then I immigrated to the U.S. Mrs. S, maybe condescending, praised my efforts and gave me validation. Mrs. G had the most creative-looking classroom. Mrs. T reminded me that plans could change. Mrs. M cried in front of students, and she gave us a French Club. Mr. F was our gym teacher-turned-homeroom- teacher; he threw a tantrum sweeping objects off his desk, and he also introduced me to Tuesdays with Morrie. Principal Sister was strict; in her class, I understood fractions better while mastering the art of cloud watching.
The stories from these teachers paint a snapshot of my grade school experience. Stories about teachers from high school, college, and beyond have their own tomes too large for this blog entry ( I wonder what teacher stories, super or not, will my students tell ). Human infallibility in the long run will be every teacher's strength. Flawed but approachable teachers may not raise test scores and instantly wipe out poverty et al, nonetheless their imperfections remind us that school and education are not just an apathetic business; they are personal endeavors involving sincere human interactions necessary for growth and awesomeness.
Being in school forever, I've had my share of teachers both super and not ( in fact, I'm planning to go back and pursue a career in professorship ). When I was in school in the Philippines, I didn't remember 99.9% of my teachers. I remembered practicing phonics, and a couple of months ( maybe years ) later I learned how to read. My dad gave me a newspaper, and I was able to put sounds and words together even if I didn't understand most of its vocabulary. In another classroom, I understood better freedom of speech and censorship when a teacher scotch-taped my mouth shut because I was chit-chatting non-stop.
Then I immigrated to the U.S. Mrs. S, maybe condescending, praised my efforts and gave me validation. Mrs. G had the most creative-looking classroom. Mrs. T reminded me that plans could change. Mrs. M cried in front of students, and she gave us a French Club. Mr. F was our gym teacher-turned-homeroom- teacher; he threw a tantrum sweeping objects off his desk, and he also introduced me to Tuesdays with Morrie. Principal Sister was strict; in her class, I understood fractions better while mastering the art of cloud watching.
The stories from these teachers paint a snapshot of my grade school experience. Stories about teachers from high school, college, and beyond have their own tomes too large for this blog entry ( I wonder what teacher stories, super or not, will my students tell ). Human infallibility in the long run will be every teacher's strength. Flawed but approachable teachers may not raise test scores and instantly wipe out poverty et al, nonetheless their imperfections remind us that school and education are not just an apathetic business; they are personal endeavors involving sincere human interactions necessary for growth and awesomeness.
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