In the Rough

This hasn't been edited - it is purely what came pouring out of my head this morning. Thankfully, I have started carrying that hand-held recorder in the car, so I talked to myself all the way to school and then typed it up. Please forgive grammatical errors. I have added in a few bits - those are in italics as well.

Mahatma Gandhi, in 1925, developed a list of what he called the Seven Social Sins. (It has since had an eighth added.) While they cover a wealth of topics, the one that always strikes me is "Knowledge Without Character". No one ever questions the teacher's responsibility in passing on knowledge, but are we not just as obligated to be teaching our students about character? How can they be expected to use their knowledge if we haven't given them wisdom? How can they manage the power they will one day wield if we haven't taught them self-control?

Across the country, the focus of education has become The Standards, as though adherence to them will somehow prevent failure. In the name of honesty, let me tell you that I despise standardized testing and teaching to the test. It grinds down the students' belief in themselves while giving questionable, easily manipulated results. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the need to make education as efficient and effective as possible.

I love my Standards-On-A-Ring - they give me a reference point, helping me focus my thoughts and better reach my children. The standards help me develop my expectations. With them, I can hold myself accountable to those expectations and that is a good thing. The standards do not, however, take into consideration the individual needs, experiences, or interests of the 32 kids in my room. They don't help me teach respect, responsibility, creativity, thoughtfulness, or cooperation, all of which are vital to the atmosphere of my room as well as the success of my students upon joining the real world.

Although recent test results show that we are producing higher-achieving students, it is at a great cost. (Apparently a cost that others are willing to pay.) We are creating a generation of people who fit perfectly inside the box of standardized education, but few of them could be called well-rounded individuals. They can recite facts and regurgitate the information that has been deemed "essential", but they can't problem-solve, compromise, or other-wise think outside the set parameters of their lives.

This last paragraph doesn't connect very nicely, but is also important none-the-less.


When board members and district officials tell us that there is no morale problem among our teachers beyond our desire for more money, I ask you to look for yourself. Teacher morale is suffering, possibly more than it has in decades, and although I would be lying if I told you that paying my bills was not a concern, that is not the only, nor even the most important, reason for our unhappiness. (Sorry - that is a looooong sentence.) Our sinking morale is related to what we are being asked to do in the classroom and what we are being asked to ignore. It come from the poorly stated and supported teacher expectations, a threatening and disheartening district atmosphere, and the frustration of speaking without being heard. At my school, I am surrounded by people who have a passion and a dedication that is extraordinary, but it is difficult for any of us to maintain that fire when we feel as though our needs, beliefs, and expertise are being totally disregarded.