I am new in the professional field and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. However, I do have an important question and I find it puzzling that no one can answer it, “why aren’t teachers seen as professionals?” I cannot understand why the pay for this important position is so significantly low, why there is a need for unions to ensure appropriate working conditions, and why this is still not valued as one of the most important professions. We constantly hear “children are the future”, we know that many parents cherish them more than life itself, and I’ve had some friends say they value the work I do and could never do it themselves. Where does this disconnect occur?
Both teachers unions and misconduct legislation are responsible to play a role in accountability in education. And accountability is necessary, but is this system working? The misconduct legislation holds teachers accountable for professional and appropriate lifestyles. Or, at least it is supposed to as we saw in the presentation by Lyndsey. Teacher unions work to ensure that teachers are receiving rights and those around them are treating teachers as valuable professionals. That is if they are carried out accordingly. A number of classmates in our discussion supported unions saying that they make it so the workload isn’t unreasonable and their rights are protected. This I understand, but why don’t other professionals need the unions also? Aside from the possible lawsuits from families, why do teachers need something concrete to support their rights?
The article “What should Schools Do With Bad Teachers” talked about the expense with removing “bad” teachers from the schools. It always seems that the staff knows who “those teachers are” and if this is the case, why are they still employed? In another field they would be “let go” for not following protocol, acting inappropriate, and not doing their job. If unions are good for the profession then they shouldn’t make it so difficult to dismiss those who are ineffective. I can’t believe some of the ways administrators “look the other way” in this sense.
It was brought up in class that for teachers to be treated like professionals, they must act like them. And I think for the most part teachers do. There will always be those who give the group a bad name. But, I know many who arrive to work early, stay late and spend countless additional hours at home working towards the success of their students. They brainstorm with colleagues, dress the part, and utilize professional development opportunities. Pretty hard to do when their friends in other fields work 9-5, leave work at work, and get to drink coffee on the job all while receiving twice the pay. (I worked as an administrative assistant last year and I could not believe I could drink coffee and listen to the radio while get paid, seriously.) With this reputation are we going to be able to recruit the best possible teachers for the future?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Steff, I too often wonder why teachers aren't respected as a whole for being professionals. Some say that "anyone can be a teacher." Probably true for just about any profession, but "anyone" might not be an effective,engaging teacher. The bad press seems to always be the news wheras the positive outcomes that teachers create should be highlighted more often.
ReplyDeleteSteff, Are unions really playing a role in accountability in education? In the Plain Dealer article “Good teachers are key to student achievement, but bad ones are hard to fire”, surveyed teachers said the most common tool for assessing quality -- a formal observation and evaluation -- is inadequate. Only about a quarter said their most recent evaluation was "useful and effective." Also, "many teachers remain unclear about what is expected of them and have little feedback on how they are performing." If the unions were really interested in the professionalism and accountability of teachers, would they not require higher standards and evaluation of teachers in the field?
ReplyDeleteThe union, although setting guidlines for teacher evaluations, are not the ones conducting them. You can set as many guidelines as you want, but if the person who is executing them does so in an in aaccurate manner, you can only blame that individual, not the the paper with the written directions. Perhaps it isn't a lack of expectaions, but rather a lack of effective execution.
ReplyDeleteHow about enacting "peer evaluation" as promoted in the article, "The Power of Progressive Thinking"? Evaluation from peers can aid a new or experienced teacher in improving his/her teaching ability. As we work together, we can collaborate ideas and promote those that will most benefit the students. This can be used in conjunction with administrative evaluations, students evaluations, or even self-evaluations. A good teacher is always open to suggestions for improvement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that teachers are not always seen as professionals. I do think that teachers are underpaid for the job that they do. Teachers should be seen as professionals and there should be an easier way to remove ineffective teachers from the profession.
ReplyDelete