EDU Trending: Back to School: An Education Reckoning
Back To School! The words evoke images of slightly frazzled parents and their eager offspring, racing up aisles, propelling shopping carts that overflow with binders, paper, pens, pencils, markers, combination locks, clothes, shoes, sneakers, and don’t forget the ubiquitous backpack. The backpack. It is really the ultimate magic trick: Whatever goes into it (books, homework, report cards, notes) disappears forever. Oh, well. Everyone knows the backpack is less about what it contains than what it says about the identity and personal style of its owner.
It is all good fun, the quickening pulse that signals a return to class, the excitement of learning, exploring after-school clubs and sports, greeting old friends, and making new ones. It is the happy anticipation of what the next ten months can bring.
But this year, an uneasiness looms, casting a chilly shadow over the promise that should be inherent in a new school year. In 2022-2023, the direction, purpose, relevance, value, and very survival of the U.S. educational system are in question. Imminent failure is the direct result of teacher flight. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 300,000 teachers resigned between February, 2020, and May, 2022: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/culture-wars-teacher-shortage_n_6307cd35e4b0d0220361625d Today as schools begin to open, the Washington Post warns of a pending “catastrophic teacher shortage,” impacting school districts in every state from coast to coast: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/08/03/school-teacher-shortage/
COVID brought the problem into sharp focus, but the teacher exodus has been going on for a long time, in parallel with a rapidly diminishing number of college students who choose teaching as their major: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/fewer-people-are-getting-teacher-degrees-prep-programs-sound-the-alarm/2022/03#:~:text=The%20downward For decades, local leaders and politicians have patronized teachers, promising them respect, autonomy, and competitive pay. For a majority of teachers in a majority of our nation’s schools - especially in the poorest districts in the poorest towns – these promises have been empty, cynical, and fake. Teachers have finally had enough.
Once teachers leave the building, what will be left are empty classrooms, crumbling from neglect and disrepair. What will we do then? What will become of so many children when the richest country in the world can offer no more than bits and pieces of a standardized, politicized education, presented by a continually changing and untrained work force?
It does not have to be this way. If we want a vital and thriving profession of expert and experienced teachers; if we want an educational paradigm that will offer our students opportunities to develop and grow to their best potential academically and socially, so-called education reform is a Band-Aid that will not do. Its chronic, warmed over initiatives are merely delaying tactics for the reckoning that is at hand. As a nation, we need education transformation. Watch for announcements of the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of transformative schooling in this space and on Merle Schell |Facebook.
News and Views: Short-Term Fixes, or Are They?
Before we can address the overarching problem of teacher flight and an educational system in extremis, we should review the underlying concerns and conditions.
Here are some key facts:
#1. As noted above: 300,000 teachers have quit since early 2022, and the race to the door continues.
#2. Student test scores have sharply declined during the pandemic: https://localnews8.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/09/01/student-test-scores-plummeted-in-math-and-reading-after-the-pandemic-new-asses
#3. The mental health crisis deepens among students https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/09/02/1120077364/with-kids-back-in-school-educators-brace-to-help-with-ongoing-mental-health-trou and teachers https://phys.org/news/2022-06-teachers-mental-health.html
Proposed short term fixes include four-day school weeks; substitute ‘teachers’ who are U.S. veterans or college students who have not yet graduated or demonstrated subject expertise; quicky teacher certification programs; and finally grade inflation to paper over the actual depth and breadth of student learning and any gaps that should be addressed. These are outrageous recommendations completely antithetical to solving the educational issues our children face. They are also proof of the disregard and disrespect for teachers.
A 2022 Teacher Survey https://www.adoptaclassroom.org/2022/08/01/2022-teacher-survey-current-challenges-in-teaching/#:~:text=The%20Biggest%20Challenges%20Students%20Will% confirms that doubling down on the tried and failed and failed again is not a winning strategy. Teachers reported several contributing factors that have not abated over time and now accelerate their departure: Burnout due to lack of respect and trust for their expertise; increased responsibilities and paperwork; no authority or autonomy to develop curriculum; insufficient support staff; inadequate classroom supplies and resources; emotional stress. To this list, add low pay.
In addition to the gross negligence of our educators, the overall state of our education system is a national crisis. Like climate change, if we do nothing, it will get worse, and so will the learning. Our children’s opportunities will diminish. We should pivot to success (See part of A Teacher’s Lament below, and the segment From Me to You at the end of this newsletter).
A Teacher’s Lament by Dr. Merle R. Schell © September 1, 2022
Patronizing platitudes
Insincere solicitude
Empty words:
Blah! Blah! Blah!
Teachers have had it:
Ha! Ha! Ha!
But it’s no laughing matter.
Our children’s lives can shatter – instantly…
To read the rest of this commentary in rhyme, please go to https://www.merleschell.com/relfections/ and read “Freedom to Teach.” We invite you to share your views and experiences on the Comments page of my website or at Merle Schell | Facebook). You are also welcome to submit an article to https://www.merleschell.com/in-your-own-words/. We value your input.
Question of the Day: In These Times
We are living in a time of heightened anxiety, animosity, anger, and despair. It is just at times like these that it helps to remember and embrace what is important. “What the World Needs Now Is Love” is an iconic song whose sentiment is as meaningful now as it was when it was written. Our thanks go to:
Dolly Parton
Stevie Wonder
George Harrison and Paul McCartney
Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie
Burt Bacharach and Hal David
For the answer, please go to “Freedom to Teach” at https://www.merleschell.com/reflections/ Then have fun watching a joyous virtual performance of the song by students and alums of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
From Me to You: What Is Possible.
It is important to shine a light on things that are problematic in education and to discuss what others have found to be reasonable and successful approaches to setting them right. My platform exists so that together we can have a conversation and be part of the solution. There is so much good to draw from:
For starters, please go to the Unpacking Education archives and reread the August Newsletter #10 https://www.merleschell.com/unpacking-education-archives/ Remind yourself that all over the country are amazing educators like you and the two women pictured below. Their students are succeeding in schools and programs that put them first.
See what makes it all work, and take heart. So much is possible if we are willing to confront the problems, put in the thought and work to fix them, and do so collaboratively and honestly. Our children deserve no less.
Preview: Coming Next Month: The Inspiration Pencil®
The Inspiration Pencil® (three at the moment) are each inscribed with a thought that hopefully gives its owner a feeling of purpose, peace, and well-being, a reminder of how important (s)he is.
More details and how to order will be in the October issue of Unpacking Education.