Educators have the wonderful opportunity to "begin again" each year. As we prepare for a new group of students—from kindergartners to senior citizens—where are your thoughts? More than likely, if you are the dedicated individual who has chosen the teaching profession as your way of life, you greet the opening of the year positively and with excitement.
During the last few years, however, teaching appears to be losing its glow. It's no longer just low pay that is the culprit: our profession is also losing respect from the general public—as well as potential new members. A recent British newspaper with the headline "France Struggles to Stop Teacher Exodus" caught my eye because I thought only the United States had that problem. French education minister Jack Lang said France "is taking action now to avoid the current situation in Germany, where students now virtually ignore the profession, or in Britain, which is being forced to consider bringing back retirees or hiring foreigners."
Sound familiar? It seems the teacher exodus is becoming a worldwide problem. For years, educators have put up with low pay and less than stellar working conditions, but we had respect. Now, even that respect is fading—partly because low pay seems to indicate to some that "anyone can teach," but also because many do not know what is truly occurring in our classrooms today.
Public esteem for the teaching profession rarely comes up when experts seek solutions to what ails American schools. In a March 19 Business Week article, "How to Fix America's Schools," reporter William C. Symonds asked a broad range of experts and educators this question: "What would it take to achieve the President's goal of 'no child left behind'?" Here's what they said:
- Pay teachers for performance.
- Make schools smaller.
- Hold educators accountable.
- Offer more variety.
- Provide adequate funding.
- Increase time in school.
- Use technology effectively.
These ideas are intriguing and certainly worth examining, but I would like to add an eighth: Bring respect back to the teaching profession.
After some soul searching and listening to and observing educators, I found myself wondering if we, the educators, have been partly responsible for losing that respect. Have we built walls around our schools that have kept the community in the dark regarding what goes on inside? Have we advised our own children to enter any profession other than education even when it's obvious to us that they have the natural gifts to be teachers? Have our actions demonstrated to those around us that we truly do believe that the advantages of "education for all" far outweigh all of the disadvantages?
Educators shouldn't take for granted that "everyone" knows about teaching. Classrooms and schools are different today than they were years ago—at least they certainly should be. What have you planned for the new year that will bring the community into your school?
Every year, the school where I was once principal has a presentation of their art, music, and physical education programs during parents' night. Students not only perform but also involve their parents in the activities. Whether they participate in the physical education classes' rock climbing station, listen to the entire 4th grade playing recorders and drums to accompany a jazz singer, or view the beautiful artwork students create after studying a particular artist, parents always leave the school amazed at what their children are doing. The teachers there have incredible parental support for these programs. Parents in this community do not view art, music, and physical education as "frills."
Parents and other community members, including the local chamber of commerce, retail shop owners, and political leaders, need to see—and believe—that their children are receiving the best education possible. Parents won't come into our classrooms just because we tell them they can. We may need to structure opportunities throughout the year for parents to visit—for example, an "Authors Day," during which students share the books they have written themselves. When parents and community members actually know what's happening in classrooms, the solutions highlighted by Business Week are more likely to get implemented.
President Bush has declared that in the Information Age, a solid education is a fundamental civil right. I agree. Education is the only hope for many of our children throughout the world. However, without competent teachers in the classroom, that fundamental right will go unrealized. As Bertice Berry told us in her keynote speech at the ASCD Annual Conference in Boston: "Education saved my life. . . . Fortunately, I had a brilliant teacher who understood that the bigger the attitude, the bigger the insecurity." That teacher turned around an angry adolescent, as Berry described her younger self, so that she went on to earn a Ph.D. by the age of 26.
If we want to change the low esteem for our profession and stop the teacher exodus in the United States, we must educate our community about all the wonderful things—the learning and the development of young minds—happening in our schools. As you start your new school year, plan ways to get your community into your teaching environment. Support is there—we just have to cultivate it!