Today's students don't value education

[Jenn! 918]

What's missing in the equation of 'failing' schools?

By Sharon May

Published Oct 30, 2010 12:00AM

In the brouhaha over America's public "dropout factories" ("No Superman," Our View, Oct. 20), we seldom hear from classroom teachers. They're probably too busy preparing lessons for their students. I thought it was time someone heard us.

I can apply all the bells and whistles in my high school language arts classroom: integration of technology, multiple modalities, intervention and remediation, accommodations, cooperative learning strategies, leveled learning, as well as my passion and excitement for my subject. Ultimately, however, a teacher cannot make a student learn.

Those who rail against America's "failing" schools don't seem to grasp this essential notion. Yes, we teachers bear the responsibility of excellent teaching, of continually learning and incorporating new knowledge and methods into our curriculum and instruction, of being aware of every student and doing our best not to leave any child behind.

But we tend to resist "performance-based" pay as a way of boosting student achievement because there are too many factors outside our control that affect student performance.

In our resistance, we are not passing the buck or making excuses.

In fact, most teachers devote untold uncompensated hours beyond the classroom to tutor students, plan lessons, assess student learning and advise extracurricular activities, clubs and sports.

In my 14 years of classroom experience, I have rarely encountered a teacher not wholly committed to improving student learning. It is why we teach.

Almost without exception, we teach for the thrill of those moments when a student's eyes light up and we know we have made a difference.

This is what keeps us going, despite cuts in pay and benefits, despite public disregard, and despite long hours. (And, to clear up another common misconception, holiday and summer breaks are unpaid, non-contract days.)

To further disabuse the public's idea of teachers merely protecting their own, we ourselves would applaud the removal of an uncaring or unprofessional teacher in our ranks, and we encourage a fair method of determining job performance and retention.

But what seems to be missing in the equation of students and schools is the ultimate responsibility of students for their learning. Students who want to learn can learn. There are too many issues involving families, the diverse needs of students, social trends and changing values to place the blame for "dropout factories" solely on teachers and attack their pay.

Indeed, a wholesale indictment of teachers and our schools is highly unfair and inaccurate.

Too often, today's students do not value education, are habituated to being entertained, and have little stomach for working diligently at academic success.

I would venture that the highly motivated parents and students vying by lottery for limited spots in a charter school, as shown in the movie "Waiting for Superman," would do equally well in a public school.

In contrast to these choice charter schools, traditional public schools fill their classrooms a different way, by compulsion, and many high school students arrive indifferent, resentful of being "forced" to attend and unwilling to devote themselves to the study necessary to succeed.

Against these odds, we teachers try our best and give our professional all.

It seems to me, the question "What's wrong with America's schools?" might be better rephrased, "What's wrong with America's values?"

Sharon May lives in Hurricane and teaches language arts at the Desert Hills High School in St. George.

http://www.sltrib.co...html.csp?page=1

ETA: requested topic title edit

Edited November 3, 2010 by Jenn!

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

But what seems to be missing in the equation of students and schools is the ultimate responsibility of students for their learning. Students who want to learn can learn. There are too many issues involving families, the diverse needs of students, social trends and changing values to place the blame for "dropout factories" solely on teachers and attack their pay.

the ones missing that, and lack of parental involvement, is imo what is causing the problems.