Jigsaw Juts and Slots

Consider these three pieces to the public education puzzle. How can they fit together?

The Parent:
 

_I have three children in our local public schools. My oldest is very successful and her teachers all love her. She is our “low maintenance” kid. My youngest is a handful…he is all about his friends and his gaming. We work hard to support him on homework and studying and he earns As, Bs and the occasional C. My Erik has the hardest time. After a very difficult time in elementary school he was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s in middle school. Since then it has been a long hard road fighting for the accommodations for him in the classroom. Especially as he has gotten into high school, the staff has been more and more resistant to supporting him. They say it’s all about him adapting to the real world. I disagree, and I’ve been in there so often fighting for Erik they now cringe seeing me walk in the front door….it’s all over their faces. It’s awkward because I used to be “Parent of the Year” material with all the work I did in the PTA, on advisory councils and as a room mom. But that’s ancient history. Now I’m one of “those parents” and it’s all gotten so adversarial the staff has circled the wagons and I’m handled at the front office instead of welcomed in the classroom. Getting him through the next three years to graduation may be the death of me, but no one is going to stand between me and the best interests of my kids.

The District Administrator:
 

_After teaching for five years I made the move into administration, first as a principal, then as the head of curriculum and now as superintendent. The team I have assembled is a proud collection of savvy public administrators who value the same things I do: implementing legally sound policy and protocol, acting as good stewards of public monies, and promoting all the good things going on in our classrooms…in short…accountability. When we report to our board and our citizens and our state department of education, we need to be able to substantiate everything we do; if it can’t be measured, it didn’t happen. Of course it’s all about the kids, but we can’t offer a world-class education to our students if we are not a strong, sound, well-managed school system. Our town government touts us as a feather in their cap because we work hard to meet their expectations as a municipal agency; strong schools are important in building a strong community. Minimizing complaints and controversy while increasing our rates of academic success makes the best case for new funding…and funding provides new educational opportunities. In all things we try to be student-centered, but in the final analysis we do what is best for the organization as a whole.

The Classroom Teacher:
 

_I always wanted to teach; to make a difference in the lives of my students. Seeing that light-bulb go on...having that major breakthrough for a student…makes it all worthwhile for me. While these are tough times for everyone, what especially makes it tough for me are the demands that have been piled upon me by my administration: testing, record-keeping, and being held accountable for every indicator of progress. The pressure is so intense, I end up feeling on the defensive. Nothing I do seems to be good enough, and anything that doesn’t measure up rolls downhill and lands on me. I love my students and I work hard for all of them. Doesn’t anyone see that? Expectations keep ratcheting up higher and higher while I’m keeping my eye on what’s important: my students…not dollars…not data. But when we try to refocus the discussion, we are accused of being more about our self-interest than student success. I didn’t get into this to spend my time on politics and public relations. I just want to teach and feel like I’m making a difference…but I’m being undermined. Who would sign up for this…and how long would anyone stay in this no-win situation? I am re-examining my career options and fighting for the best working conditions possible while I am still here.

If this were a jigsaw puzzle, we would scan the outer boundaries of each piece looking for possible juts and slots that (at least at first-glance) look like they could interlock with one another to help create the larger composite picture: educating all children to be successful adults contributing to society…

We have one vision for our public education system…but…

• We have different priorities…

• We have different realities…

• And we have different measures of success.

So…do you see any juts and slots in the three pieces described above that would allow them to snap together...snugly...correctly...compatibly?

And if not…isn’t that the problem...?