http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/51114/
I have to admit that I am nervous about all of the things that have been set up in our schools. This whole tenure thing is a great idea unless the teachers are burnt out. A teacher who is burnt out is, if you ask me, one of the most dangerous kind of teachers out there. In my experience, they don't want to implement any kind of new things into their curriculum such as technology, hands-on experience, or differentiated instruction. They believe that students should just suck it up and learn the way that they are teaching, which usually is lecture.
But along comes a new teacher who loves to learn and implement new stuff into his curriculum such as technology, hands-on experience, tutoring, and differentiated instruction. He helps his students gain two grade levels that year, and all of his students love him and he loves his job. Well, because he is not tenured, and it was the last teacher hired, if the school has a budget cut, he is the first out of the school.
I don't think that this is morally right. Compare these teachers using their teaching style, their relationships with the students, and the way they show the students "I see you." I had too many teachers in my K12 school years that were burned out and I never was able to learn from them because they didn't care about what they were teaching. I also had some teachers who loved what they did, and it was amazing to see how much I succeeded and was proud of myself in those classes.
But should we reinvent the wheel? Should we get rid of this tenure business that some people love and some people hate? I don't know, it would be practically impossible.
So, the question that I pose, and I don't know the answer, is: How can we relight the passion in burnt out teachers? How can we get them to love their job and love their students? How can we make bad teachers become some of the best teachers imaginable? I don't know, but maybe some day I will find out and I will definitely post it on here.
No comments:
Post a Comment