2011 EGC - Education Gut Check

Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

While I am on travel this week I am posting this list of ten gut check statements about education.

 Agree? Disagree? It’s a gut check for both you and me!

The individual teacher makes the difference for a child.

It can be a breakthrough in learning…a connection that creates a sense of belonging…a modeling of attitudes and processes…there are so many ways teachers reach students and leave a lasting impression. Every other layer of support for the student is secondary to this.

The building principal determines a teacher’s level of success.

No matter how much talent or experience or training teachers have, a visionary building principal who serves as mentor, motivator and instructional leader takes their performance to the next level. Successful teachers thrive in a climate of high expectations, support and sharing.

Not all teachers are the same.

And it’s okay. Some teachers have expertise in content… others showcase specific methods; some lead quietly while others model by example. It works…not all children are the same either…learning to work with different teachers helps children prepare for work as adults.

Most citizens form their opinion of educators based on their own personal experience.

For all the discussion going on publicly about education today, most people’s opinion of educators is informed by their own direct personal experience with schools. A single powerful education experience for a child…positive or negative…can have lasting impact for a lifetime.

Every faculty knows their weakest link.

On any given faculty, teachers know who serves with a high level of professional commitment and who simply puts in time on the job. Our code of professional conduct prevents us from discussing this publicly, even though parents and students are aware of this, as well.

A successful school district leader is more than an administrator of public programs.

Sure you need to manage budgets, crunch numbers and file reports, but truly exemplary superintendents are first and foremost instructional leaders. They foster a culture of collaboration and innovation promoting high levels of success for both students and staff.

Education today is a changed profession, and there’s no going back.

The profession we entered at any time in the past has changed, and we need to change with it. Rather than trying to hold onto the past, why not turn this societal sea change into an opportunity to define education as it will exist in this new age? For us and our students?

Educators are their own biggest public relations problem.

Educators are experts in teaching and learning, not in politics and public relations.  We need to be smarter about how we act and speak to our public. We need to espouse a single vision for public education and be very careful in selecting who speaks for us on our behalf.  

Education has become the most politicized helping profession.

Politically-motivated non-educators are promoting their own agendas for public education that polarize public opinion for their political gain. We have been reacting to their agendas instead of proactively defining the national education debate in terms of the public good.

We are in jeopardy of losing the “public” in public education.

Private interests are inserting themselves into the national dialogue, making it more about money and influence than it is about teaching and learning. If we do not reclaim our profession, education will become privatized and the ideal of a free public education for everyone will cease to exist.

Well...what do you think? Feel free to respond, share, and push the discussion with colleagues! I will pop in and read and reply as I have time from the road.