Staff Columns: Keep your coaches, send schools needed supplies
If education were judged by the quantity of plans generated in a system alone, Georgia would rank among the world’s best in education. I have seen such a quantity of plans at work in my time as a student teacher in a rural high school.
There, teachers are feverishly ‘unpacking’ the Georgia Professional Standards, a process that requires them to redesign the entire curriculum. Once a week, teachers gather to work on a school plan for increasing student motivation. When they are finished with these meetings, they gather for a steering committee meeting to eek out implementation. The week is not complete, however, without RESA demanding that the school develop a reading program to enhance literacy.
While juggling several programs to improve education in the school, teachers are reminded that they haven’t made AYP for the past two years and that a state agency is watching over their heads (and sometimes in their classrooms) to see that they are really teaching. And because the Georgia high school graduation test is one of the failing points in the school, teachers must introduce a practice test question in class every day.
As if these changes weren’t enough to swallow all at once, Governor Purdue has supported Senate Bill 34 to develop a Master Teacher Program in Georgia. This program would provide a pay incentive for teachers that demonstrate high performance in their classrooms. After teaching for three years in Georgia, a teacher could submit an application to become a Master Teacher. These teachers would then serve as mentors and coaches in schools, helping other teachers develop strategies for their classrooms.
On the surface, such a program sounds supportive of educators. Look deeper, however, and it’s simply another burden on teachers. This program would end the current pay raise for teachers with National Board Certification unless they were willing to teach in “high needs” schools. National Board Certification is the most prestigious national program for teachers and demands great rigor and reflective practice for teachers. Requiring teachers who meet these high standards to teach in “high needs” areas will dramatically decrease the number of educators who pursue this certification.
According to a press release from Purdue’s office,”Teachers who earn the master teacher certification will also be able to serve as an academic coach to further the development of other public school teachers. Schools requesting the services of an academic coach must submit their need to DOE as part of their school improvement plan.”
Most teachers don’t need coaches to tell them that their students aren’t learning at their highest potential. They can see as clearly as any state-deemed coach that their textbooks are 10 years old, that their classroom needs one more desk to accommodate their 31 students and that they don’t have trade books to accommodate the six different reading levels present in one class. These key indicators are clear as day and cannot be missed by any educator.
If Georgia wants real incentives for teachers, give them smaller class sizes and materials to help students learn. Georgia should also create seamless programs that complement each other. How are teachers in poor areas supposed to meet the demands of five different pieces of legislation, cater to the individual needs of students and pursue their own professional development? If we respond to teachers who are working themselves to death trying to implement change by sending “coaches” to them, we will find ourselves playing a losing game. Make the playing field more equitable, and we’ll see students who have been left behind come up front.
Amy Cronic
Graduate Assistant
The Colonnade
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 8 2005. Filed under Opinion.
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