ginlindzey (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ginlindzey) wrote2012-05-10 12:30 pm
ginlindzey) wrote2012-05-10 12:30 pm
Entry tags:
with regards to teaching & teacher of the year....
I just sent the following to our new superintendent. Not sure what inspired me really to take the time, but I guess watching "The Emperor's Club" has put me in a more thoughtful mood with regard to my profession.
***
I was just reading the district newsletter and your article. I do agree that we should aim high and defy those who think we should limit ourselves. I think we should celebrate and showcase our triumphs, both among our students and our teachers. I think this is especially important at a time when education is facing cutbacks and challenges--we must recognize those that go above and beyond. But could I make a suggestion?
First let me say that this is not a case of sour grapes but just an objective observation. As a teacher of an elective, and a dead language at that, I know that there are more teachers that impact a larger proportion of the student body than I do. I never expect to get teacher of the year (and have, in fact, already had some of the highest awards in the classics profession and have more important aims now, if you know what I mean). But our teacher of the year selection seemed, as so often they are, like a popularity contest. There was a final list of names and voting. I admittedly didn't vote. What was I to vote on? I don't know what goes on in those teachers' classrooms. There were no portfolios to look at, letters of support from students and colleagues who work closely with them, or even descriptions of creative projects. A colleague down the hall who teaches biology has wonderful projects (I am very fond of the biospheres that they make), works with students to repeat college level experiments to validate experiments, to work with UT faculty, etc. He wasn't on the list. He is also one of the only teachers I know who has been to other teachers' classrooms to actually see their teaching style and interaction with students. He, for instance, can tell me what my student engagement looks like compared to another teacher.
I have no issue with the teacher who won. I know she inspires her students (esp those in track). And we *each* have a role to play in the school and in our students' lives. No one of us could round out a whole student. It is together that we (hopefully) shape and mold our students to strive for the best and to want more out of life and of themselves. But if we are going to spotlight teachers, let's be serious about it. Let's see what their pedagogical philosophy is, what their classes are like, how their students respond to them, what they do with their summers to prepare for the next year. Let's really spotlight what makes a teacher great.
Otherwise, it's just a popularity contest. And the reaction to the popularity contest is "big deal, what's next?"
Why do we offer a dead language in Dripping? Why not? --especially if it means higher scores on verbal portions of all of these mandatory tests, especially if it means that students are exposed to some of the greatest works of western literature in the actual words of those who spoke and wrote them, especially it it means that students who thought they were too stupid to learn a language can find a little success with a teacher willing to try to discover a better way to get the material across in a meaningful way.
My morning classes have had very few students this week while the freshmen were testing. I have been showing the movie "The Emperor's Club" with Kevin Kline. It came out in 2002 or 2003. It's about a boys school and their teacher, and is filled with a lot of ancient philosophy, actually. At the end the teacher is presented with a plaque which reads:
"A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives."
This is what keeps me here. This is why I will teach 4 preps and split level classes and independent study. This is why instead of just using a worksheet from last year I will spend time creating something new that perhaps gets the concept across in a clearer, more accessible way. This is why I will listen to 2 hours worth of oral recitations, grade endless quizzes, and enthusiastically dance around my room reading Latin with my students. This is why at least four weeks of my summer are already devoted almost entirely to Latin in one form or fashion. In my mind's eye it's not enough to be considered good now. I must continue to strive for better ways to teach not only for the benefit of the students but for my own education as well. A professor friend of mine at UT is kindly allowing me to audit his Caesar class this summer as I prepare for a change in the AP syllabus for Latin next year. He knows that after a divorce that I cannot begin to afford tuition. And in turn I will share that knowledge with those in my charge.
For me, it's a great game of Pay It Forward. Why not?
***
I was just reading the district newsletter and your article. I do agree that we should aim high and defy those who think we should limit ourselves. I think we should celebrate and showcase our triumphs, both among our students and our teachers. I think this is especially important at a time when education is facing cutbacks and challenges--we must recognize those that go above and beyond. But could I make a suggestion?
First let me say that this is not a case of sour grapes but just an objective observation. As a teacher of an elective, and a dead language at that, I know that there are more teachers that impact a larger proportion of the student body than I do. I never expect to get teacher of the year (and have, in fact, already had some of the highest awards in the classics profession and have more important aims now, if you know what I mean). But our teacher of the year selection seemed, as so often they are, like a popularity contest. There was a final list of names and voting. I admittedly didn't vote. What was I to vote on? I don't know what goes on in those teachers' classrooms. There were no portfolios to look at, letters of support from students and colleagues who work closely with them, or even descriptions of creative projects. A colleague down the hall who teaches biology has wonderful projects (I am very fond of the biospheres that they make), works with students to repeat college level experiments to validate experiments, to work with UT faculty, etc. He wasn't on the list. He is also one of the only teachers I know who has been to other teachers' classrooms to actually see their teaching style and interaction with students. He, for instance, can tell me what my student engagement looks like compared to another teacher.
I have no issue with the teacher who won. I know she inspires her students (esp those in track). And we *each* have a role to play in the school and in our students' lives. No one of us could round out a whole student. It is together that we (hopefully) shape and mold our students to strive for the best and to want more out of life and of themselves. But if we are going to spotlight teachers, let's be serious about it. Let's see what their pedagogical philosophy is, what their classes are like, how their students respond to them, what they do with their summers to prepare for the next year. Let's really spotlight what makes a teacher great.
Otherwise, it's just a popularity contest. And the reaction to the popularity contest is "big deal, what's next?"
Why do we offer a dead language in Dripping? Why not? --especially if it means higher scores on verbal portions of all of these mandatory tests, especially if it means that students are exposed to some of the greatest works of western literature in the actual words of those who spoke and wrote them, especially it it means that students who thought they were too stupid to learn a language can find a little success with a teacher willing to try to discover a better way to get the material across in a meaningful way.
My morning classes have had very few students this week while the freshmen were testing. I have been showing the movie "The Emperor's Club" with Kevin Kline. It came out in 2002 or 2003. It's about a boys school and their teacher, and is filled with a lot of ancient philosophy, actually. At the end the teacher is presented with a plaque which reads:
"A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives."
This is what keeps me here. This is why I will teach 4 preps and split level classes and independent study. This is why instead of just using a worksheet from last year I will spend time creating something new that perhaps gets the concept across in a clearer, more accessible way. This is why I will listen to 2 hours worth of oral recitations, grade endless quizzes, and enthusiastically dance around my room reading Latin with my students. This is why at least four weeks of my summer are already devoted almost entirely to Latin in one form or fashion. In my mind's eye it's not enough to be considered good now. I must continue to strive for better ways to teach not only for the benefit of the students but for my own education as well. A professor friend of mine at UT is kindly allowing me to audit his Caesar class this summer as I prepare for a change in the AP syllabus for Latin next year. He knows that after a divorce that I cannot begin to afford tuition. And in turn I will share that knowledge with those in my charge.
For me, it's a great game of Pay It Forward. Why not?