Teachers: Protective Saviors or Overpaid Babysitters--You Can't Have It Both Ways

I want to quote a friend of mine, Kharon Grommet, who, in response to the amazing stories of teachers protecting children from the tornado in Oklahoma, posted this as her Facebook status : 

 "Teachers ARE Heroes EVERYDAY!! Why is it that we only recognize this after a tragedy? Believe it or not, teachers PROTECT and IMPACT the lives of children and their families on a DAILY BASIS!  It's a little annoying to be celebrated after a tragedy and then disrespected and suppressed in the classroom!"

Exactly. 

In the past few days, I've been gratified to read that there were some articles in the mainstream press that pointed out the irony in our talk of teachers as saviors and heroes.   From MSNBC there was a great piece entitled " Teachers: Heroes in a crisis-- but otherwise under fire".  CNN Opinion's LZ Granderson also wrote in defense of teachers: "So yes, it is fiscally responsible for a community to talk about loss of tax revenue and budget deficits. But we ought to be careful not to vilify this profession while doing so.Teachers are not glorified babysitters with summers off. Their profession fuels all others, and on a normal day that is amazing enough in and of itself."

As parents, we watch the news coverage of these events in horror.  It is a shocking reminder that we entrust the care of our children to these professionals every single day.  There are so many expectations of teachers.  We expect teachers to not only keep our kids physically and emotionally safe from harm, but we expect them to instill a love of learning, curiosity, good citizenship, social skills, creativity and, yes, good test scores… all of which we hope will enable our kids to grow up to be valuable and productive members of society.   I would argue that this is likely what all citizens of this country expect, regardless of whether or not they have children of their own.  Kids are, after all, our hope for the future.

Yet how do we repay these teachers? How do we show this great care and respect for them?

Teachers have the lowest morale in decades.  Throngs of teachers are fleeing their jobs, either to early retirement or to another, more respected, less stressful, (and likely better-paying) career. 

Despite the laudatory remarks by politicians and business people who create and fund educational “reforms”, the clear message from policymakers and the media is that teachers are not to be trusted.  We must breathe down the necks of every single professional working with our children to ensure that they are all teaching the same thing at the same time in the same way.  We even have a billionaire willing to fund surveillance cameras in each classroom to be sure that teachers are on task and, in the vernacular of today’s educationspeak: "accountable" and "efficient". 

In our state of Indiana, we Hoosiers respect teachers so much (read sarcasm.  It’s my first language) that we now allow anyone to become a teacher who has a degree in any subject, no experience in the classroom with a mentor teacher necessary.  We respect educators so much that we now allow anyone with a Master’s degree in any subject to become a superintendent of a school district, no education background necessary in order to evaluate principals and run a school system.  We value teachers so much that we have silenced their collective voices through the unions so that the only thing that they can bargain for is pay; not, for example, their working conditions that are simultaneously the learning conditions for children.  We Hoosiers respect teachers so much that we have tied their pay to test scores, despite the evidence that this is no way to evaluate good teaching.  We have tied their job security to these scores and even the security of their place of work: the school, to these scores. We treat everything they do to carrots and sticks, and call this reform “data driven.”

“Data driven” policy is driving teachers right out of the profession.  The message from the politicians/policymakers and the public who elect them is: PROVE your worth and dignity as a teacher.  Prove that you are making a difference in kids’ lives.  And so teachers have been forced to be data-collectors.  This creates the choice for teachers between doing what is right for children (focusing on that which is NOT on the test, that which is playful and fun and creative) and keeping their jobs (test scores).  This is very, very wrong.

You cannot quantify all that a teacher does.  Yes, we should have evaluation.  Yes, we should have accountability.  But we must first recognize that these people who care for our children for the pittance we pay them and the disrespect we show them are doing so because they want to make a difference in our kids’ lives.  Can Bill Gates come up with a bracelet that will monitor how loved a child feels? Will Pearson ever create a test that will reflect the "ah-ha" moment when a kid has finally understood a concept she’s been trying to grasp for months? (And which a teacher has been trying to get across in a myriad of methods and efforts for the same amount of time?)

Allowing children to play and explore is developmentally appropriate practice, not babysitting.  If politicians want to see “proof” of its efficacy, there are reams of educational research that validate what good teachers know and do.  Teachers do not go into teaching for the money.  They also don’t go into teaching to collect data on children.  They go into teaching to make a difference in kids’ lives.  They love learning and they love children.

It is not enough that we commend teachers for their heroism in the face of tragedy when they throw their bodies in front of bullets or flying debris from tornadoes.  Those events are symbolic of what teachers do for our kids and our society every single day.  The smaller acts of heroism: connecting to a hard-to-reach child and giving him a feeling of self-worth, helping a kid to find her passion, discovering what the special key is to how these children learn, these are just some of the ways that teachers change lives. 

The truth is that there are good teachers and there are bad teachers, but it is those educators who know best how to effectively teach.  They know best how to determine “success” in the classroom.  They are trained and educated to understand the process of learning and teaching.  And it is exactly these professionals who are NOT determining the direction of education in our current climate of “school reform.” If we truly respected our teachers, we would vote for legislators who defer to their expertise and authority and stop meddling in the classroom.  It is not enough to praise our teachers only in the face of tragedy and share a Facebook meme in their honor.  We must trust teachers to do their jobs every day and encourage their voices to be at the center of any reforms.  

A Guide to Writing Your Letters : Please Share!

For the most part, the overarching concern of those senators (all Republican) who are possibly waffling on this HB1003, is financial.  Be sure to use Vic's Statehouse Notes'  financial information in your emails and phone calls to persuade them to vote "no".  One argument that some senators (like Kenley) have pushed for is that we study the effects of the voucher bill already in place for a few years before we extend it.  It's a reasonable argument for some.

There are a few senators that we really should focus on in our writings.  If you know anyone in these areas, please call them and tell them about this bill and encourage them to contact their senator.  There are two concerns that these folks have: re-election and financial.  Be sure to individualize these emails!

Here are some to focus on:

Senator Mishler (R) of District 9 (Marshall County and Kosciusko County .. see this map...) said that , although he agrees with "choice" he has some major reservations.  He is in the area near Warsaw and in his area there are almost no schools that one can use vouchers for!   If you know anyone in that area, please let them know that they need to contact him and let him know that they, too, have deep concerns.  For most of these waffling Republicans, my understanding is that they are worried about the cost.   During the Tax and Fiscal Policy committee, Mishler said he "reserves the right to vote against it on the floor. " Let's all encourage him to vote NO and let him know that this bleeding of funds will hurt the public schools in his district.  His email is: s9@iga.in.gov.

Senator Zakas is in the South Bend and Goshen (?) area (District 11) and he may be a key vote.  He is a Catholic and is  probably getting a lot of pressure from Catholic school parents and schools.  If you are Catholic or you know some Catholic school parents who don't believe in de-funding public schools, please try to contact him.  Or if you know anyone in that area, of course.  His email is : s11@iga.in.gov.

Senator Landske is in District 6 in the Lake County, Newton County, and Benton County area.  Do you know anyone who lives near Crown Point? Let them know that they need to call her and write her!  She has fiscal concerns about this new bill.  Please take that tack with her. Her email is s6@iga.in.gov

Senator Charbonneau ( District 5)  (Valpo and Rensselear area) has shown that he has serious reservations about the A-F grading system of our schools.  Now the HB1003 includes an amendment that would allow anyone in an "F" school district to take a voucher.  A Kindergartener within an "A" elementary school district but that also has an "F" high school, could go straight to a private one.  Let's encourage him to see the misuse of this grading system in this bill and, of course, the financial ramifications of these millions of dollars leaving our public school budget. His email is :
s5@iga.in.gov

Senator Kenley  (District 20, Hamilton County) had been wonderful at arguing against expanding these vouchers.  His concerns are financial, but he also pointed out that they are doing a bait and switch type of thing by allowing wealthier families to receive these vouchers as well as not requiring so many kids to try the public schools first.  He needs to be thanked for this and encouraged to vote against the bill.  He has suggested that we have a study first to see how the vouchers are working for kids.  Please encourage him to push for that before we expand the program.  He also seems to be very concerned with the way special education will be hurt by this bill (see Vic's notes).  His email is s20@iga.in.gov

Senator Steele (District 44, Bedford, Columbus, Nashville area: Brown Co., Lawrence Co, Jackson Co. and some Monroe Co.) was concerned during the first voucher bill with accountability of the private schools.  He added an amendment that was about something like civics and morals being taught in those voucher schools requiring some accountability.  That provision for accountability was promptly tossed aside by Tony Bennett and crew.  They only have to observe 5% (13 total) schools and have a very vague review of what goes on.  Accountability as well as financial cost might be a good argument for him.  Please let your friends know.  Here's his email:  s44@iga.in.gov

Remember that Senator Skinner of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee has said that they don't know and can't tell us just how much this bill will actually cost the public schools' budgets.  How can they be fiscally responsible and support this?

These senators should also hear from you with the financial concerns:

Senator Alting, District 22. See map   His email is s22@iga.in.gov

Senator Becker, District 50 (Evansville area).  Her email is s50@iga.in.gov

Senator Boots , District 23 ( Crawfordsville and Lebanon area, I think). His email s23@iga.in.gov

Senator Head, District 18 ( Logansport? Peru? )  His email s18@iga.in.gov

Senator Waltz, District 36 (Marion County) His email is s36@iga.in.gov

Senator Bray, District 37 (Morgan County and some Putnam.  Martinsville) email: s37@iga.in.gov

Senator Crider, is new like Bray (so they didn't vote for vouchers in 2011) He is  District 28. That's the Greenfield area. Email s28@iga.in.gov

Senator Paul, District 27 (Richmond area)  His email is s27@iga.in.gov

Senator Leising, District 42  (Rushville, Connersville, maybe Shelbyville?) s42@iga.in.gov

OKAY.  LET'S START NETWORKING!  THIS IS THE "SCOOP" AS I UNDERSTAND IT. ANYONE WITH DIFFERENT INFO, PLEASE COMMENT!

Focus on financial concerns, slowing down and evaluating the program as it is.  Did it help poor children get an educational opportunity as they argued in the beginning or are we simply funding kids who were going to go to private schools anyway? Do we know what is happening to public schools when they lose this money?  Studying the choice program as it is and making decisions later is a more conservative way to go and fiscally sound to boot!

Are You Part of the Solution?

I am tired of writing letters to the Indiana state legislature.  I am tired of the robo-replies: "I am in receipt of your email." I am tired of thinking of what the right words might be to persuade a legislator or encourage a Facebook friend to write his or her own letters.  I'm pretty tired.

Since the legislative session has begun, I feel like it has been one bill after another that we have been fighting--definitely a whack-a-mole game to protect public education.  Public education advocates try to raise awareness around the general public about the effects this bills will have: more testing, larger class sizes, teachers losing power and control over the direction of their own jobs and of their ability to do what's best for our kids, etc.  I am certain that it's not only the state legislators that see my name and think: "Oh no.  Here she goes again!"  I think there may be some serious fatigue among my Facebook friends and real-life friends for my pleas and posts and cries of alarm that the proverbial sky is falling on our public schools.  I don't blame them.  I'm sick of me, too.

But the sky IS falling...

The Indiana senate is about to have the second reading of House Bill 1003 which, depending on the amendments accepted or rejected, stands to drain millions of dollars from our public education budget.  It will take those dollars and hand them directly over to private schools with no "accountability" at all.  We don't know what those children are learning.  Or IF they are learning.  They don't have to accept any child that they don't feel is the right "fit".  They also don't have to keep any child who is difficult to educate.  All but six of the private voucher schools in Indiana are religious.  Many of these schools teach extremist views from the Bob Jones or A Beka curriculum where they will learn that "God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ" and "The majority of slaveholders treated their slaves well."

Perhaps even more troubling to me is that there is no oversight of what goes on in these schools. Only 5% (13) of the 260+ private schools are required to be reviewed/evaluated.  The guidelines for becoming a "voucher school" are very broad and accountability is virtually nonexistent.

Meanwhile, our public schools are a pressure-cooker of "accountability."  Show me the DATA!  Prove that you are not "failing" with numbers and tests and tests to number those tests.  Teachers are under a microscope to perform or lose their "effective" status, job, pay, etc.  Kids have to compete with one another, schools against each other in this great race to keep from failing.  As these politicians raise the stakes, push a sink-or-swim mentality for our public schools, they offer "choice" to parents to get out of this rat race.  Shiny new charter schools with great packaging.  Or take your "choice scholarship"to a small religious school with small class sizes and people who are just like you.  Get out of that cold stressful atmosphere of public school and look at our warm fuzzy private ones.  Maybe you will take a tax credit to keep your child at home with you where they will be protected from the grind.  So many choices.  These caring politicians are just helping the child. And their campaign contributors, the testing companies, the charter companies, they make their profits.

Enough of the hypocrisy already.

My friends, we have to write these senators today. We have to tell our neighbors and have them write.  We need to share this information with our relatives and friends all across the state.  They will vote next week.  And depending on all of the proceedings, we will all be feeling the pain.

When our school boards and administration announces that they have to cut band and art, is that when we will speak up? When, like Center Grove, they announce that librarians are going back into the classroom and libraries will no longer be staffed by professionals, is that when we parents will organize? When our children start slipping through the cracks because the class size is too great and their teacher can't possibly keep up with the data collection as well as noticing that our son or daughter isn't getting long-division, will we blame her? Will we be angry at our school corporations for not addressing our kid's needs? Or will we then recognize that we let these legislators dictate all of this from Indianapolis while we ran carpool?

So many people, parents, teachers, and ordinary citizens are afraid to be "political." Political doesn't mean partisan.  Political refers to your relationship to power.  Our children and their teachers are caught in the crossfire of an exceedingly political climate focused on public education.  WE are their power.

Speak up. It will take you only a few minutes to write an email to your friends and to write a note to the senate.

There are details on ICPE's website from Vic's latest statehouse notes.

Here's a link to the senators' emails (#6 is a link to ALL senators).

We only need 26 votes to kill this.

Remember the old adage: If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

ICPE Rally for Public Education at the Indy Statehouse

"Say 'YES' to public schools and 'NO' to vouchers! " WOW!  I can still hear the echo of our chant!

Yesterday I joined with hundreds of public education supporters to advocate for public schools.  It was a great event and the atrium of the statehouse was electric with the energy of so many passionate people!

I was asked by Vic Smith if I would speak from a parent perspective and give a little background about our group here down in Bloomington.  I couldn't say "no" to the founder of ICPE at the state level! How can you say "no" to someone who is devoting so much time and energy in his "retirement" to protect public education from this attack (and who has the warmth, charm and looks of Mr. Rogers to boot!) ?

I've never been so nervous in all of my life.  I wish I could have heard all of the speakers with all of my attention but I was honestly concentrating so hard on breathing and worrying about whether I would pass out or have a stroke in front of all of those people that all I could hear was my heart beat in my own ears!

Anyway, with the deepest humility and per many requests, I am posting my speech here.  But, before I do, I want to thank people for their kind words about what I said.  I met many people who said that my words really affected them and that, to me, means that more of us need to speak up.  Because what I said is nothing new or revolutionary-- it's just that we all feel so very overwhelmed by this situation that it makes us feel powerless.  I think that when you hear that someone else thinks or feels exactly the way you have been thinking or feeling, it makes you feel like you are not alone.  Well, you are not alone.  We are all fed up.  And we need to keep talking and raising our voice and shouting to the legislators until they hear us.  Or, at least, until we can vote them the heck out and get people in office who understand that we choose public schools.  And as choices go, we are going to make different ones come November.

Here is what I said:

Hi! 

My name is Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer and I'm very happy to be here among so many friends showing their support for public education. I am the mother of four children in public schools. I am also the chairperson of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education of Monroe County and South Central Indiana.  We formed our "chapter" of Vic Smith's wonderful ICPE over a year ago in response to the attack on public education.  We are parents, grandparents, retirees, and community members who meet regularly, host forums, pass out flyers at the Farmer's Market, have a letter-writing group, are on Facebook and we are constantly trying to raise awareness among our friends and neighbors about the big picture in education. 

Most people don't know the big picture of corporate greed and the desire to privatize our public schools, but they DO know that we have been headed in the wrong direction.  That's why parents like me worked so hard last fall to elect our wonderful state superintendent, Glenda Ritz.  That's why Glenda Ritz received more votes than most of the elected officials last fall, including our governor Mike Pence.  Because the vast majority of us support our public schools.  We wanted an educator to lead us. We believe in our teachers and we believe that they know best how to reach our children and help them grow.

And we are here today to say to our state legislature:  "enough is enough." 

We have had enough of politicians and businesspeople using their money and power to make decisions in education.

We have had enough of the scapegoating of our teachers and disrespecting their authority and expertise.  We want teachers, the professionals who know and care for our children, to direct their educational experience. Not politicians who know nothing about learning and teaching methods.

We certainly have had enough of the incessant high-stakes testing of our kids--they are CHILDREN not data points on graph.  While the testing companies rake it in, our children are learning in an increasingly pressured environment with an increasingly narrowed curriculum.  As a mother, I want so much more for my children than can be found on a test score.  I want them to love learning, to act out stories and explore their interests.  I want hands-on science projects and dioramas of their storybooks--not bubble sheet after bubble sheet of test prep brought to you by Pearson.  

We are here because we are sick to death of the constant draining of our funds to private interests through these vouchers (or, as Orwell would call them "choice scholarships").  The fact is that our schools are not failing.  Miracles on shoestring budgets are performed in schools every day.  Unlike private schools, public schools accept every child who walks through their doors.  It doesn't matter what color, what religion, what socioeconomic background, what needs that particular child has--- the public schools' mission is to meet every child's potential.  

We are here because we think it is wrong that our PTAs and PTOs have to hold bake sales and put pretty baskets up for auction while politicians redirect MILLIONS of our tax dollars to private schools with their talk of school choice.

We in Indiana have already made our choice.   It is called public education and it is in our state constitution.  But in order to support them, we must fully FUND public schools.  I have heard a state legislator say at one of the hearings on vouchers: "the government should not have the monopoly on schools."  Well, this is NOT a business franchise we are talking about.  It is NOT a game of monopoly for chambers of commerce to play.  It is our children's future, their places of learning and growing. Their education, this PUBLIC system of education, is not only their Constitutional RIGHT, but it is the cornerstone of our democracy!

Thank you.

Tell Senators that A-F Grading System Fails

Tony Bennett’s system of punishment for schools (or maybe I should call it: privatization tool) is being called into question tomorrow morning.  The Senate Education Committee is meeting to hear a bill that would void “the administrative rule that establishes the A through F designations”  (SB416) and require instead something that would not pit students against their peers in an Orwellian-termed “growth model.”

In January of 2012, I went to the Department of Education with a friend to testify against this A-F metric system of evaluating schools.  It was a packed room full of educators and even a mayor.  Every single person I heard person testified against this punitive method of evaluating schools. I remember one principal or superintendent had to pause to fight back tears and compose himself as he undoubtedly felt the devastating injustice of this draconian system of evaluation and the effects it would have on the caring teachers and innocent children in his school.

This is what I said to one D.O.E. board member and three other official-looking people (Dr. Bennett and the others apparently couldn’t make it to hear in person this outpouring of emotion):

“Hello.  My name is Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer.  I am here as a parent of four children in public schools.  I represent many of my friends who can't be here at 10 in the morning on a Tuesday because they are busy at work or caring for their children at home.  I'm sure there are hundreds of people across the state in our shoes.

I am deeply concerned about these efforts toward "reform" which directly affect my... OUR kids.  This morning I am speaking specifically of this new grading system for elementary and middle schools, which is setting up a third of them to fail.  When I tell my friends and neighbors that this grading system is based on a curve, they are shocked.  A curve sees 34 % plus not making the bar!! 

Now, I am a product of public schools and so I can think critically.  I can only assume this is designed exactly for that purpose.  And I can only THEN assume that the agenda is to take away local control and take over our public schools through private companies or by turning them into privately-run charter schools.  

I believe education should see the child as the center of policy.  And if you have the child as the focus, then you are meeting him or her where he/she is on the developmental continuum.  We should be looking at the WHOLE child, not just a test score.  An evaluation of schools should be based on their improvement wherever they are --- it is NOT an equal or level playing field for all children and they don't learn in a vacuum.  We must be fair to all schools and all children.  

My own children are so much more than a test score.  My school is a wonderful caring environment of learning--not a factory or business.  And my children's education is NOT a commodity. 

I would hope we as citizens of this democracy would be supporting public schools as the cornerstone of that democracy... NOT trying to turn them into a for-profit venture and designing them to fail.

************************************

Unfortunately, the testimony fell on deaf ears.  The A-F system went through and the first set of grades under this new law came out just before the election in November and Glenda Ritz’s amazing and inspiring victory over Dr. Tony Bennett.  As we all suspected (and as anyone who has read about standardized testing knows) the hardest hit schools were those with the highest concentration of poverty.  For an excellent review of this, please read Steve Hinnefeld’s blog post: "Indiana's grading curve runs uphill for high-poverty schools"

Here is a letter I’ve written to the two schools in my city that received an F under this system of setting schools up to fail.  I am posting it in honor of those two caring communities (schools) and in hopes of inspiring others to write on behalf of their own schools labeled as failures or near failures with this weapon of punishment.  Write to your state senator and to the Senate Education Committee.  Tell them to stop punishing schools and extend help instead.

Dear Schools of Caring and Community,

We want to express our most heartfelt support for you and all that you do to make your school great.  As parents, grandparents and members of this city and community at large, we know that this system imposed on us by the state is neither fair, nor accurate, and completely unjust.

Your schools work exceedingly hard for children and their families to create a caring and welcoming environment.  The teachers and staff at your schools recognize that in order for children to find their passions and to achieve to the best of their individual potentials, they must meet each individual where he or she is on the developmental spectrum and address as many of their unique needs as possible.

We have seen the statistics of many families at your schools and know that there is a segment of your population who find it very hard to make ends meet.  Perhaps families have to move away from the school for a while in the middle of the year to live with grandparents in another area.  Perhaps there are single parents struggling with two jobs trying to make ends meet.  Regardless of each individual situation, we know that a child who is hungry or tired, who has moved often and who has not had the luxury of being read to regularly or given the extras (music lessons, sports activities) that money can buy, may not do as well on a standardized test.  The grading system imposed on us by the state is on a curve.  That means that there will always be losers, the bottom third of the curve.  We recognize that it is not a level playing field across our community and that there should be no losers when it comes to our children and their education.

That’s why the work, the arts, the extra things that your schools do is so important and valuable.  A good teacher knows that “not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that is counted counts.”  Sometimes the goal is to help a child be able to sit still and pay attention so that she CAN learn.  Sometimes the goal is to help a child solve conflicts without aggression so that he can grow up to get along with others.  Sometimes the goal is to get a child to really think about a problem and find a creative solution.  Sometimes it is just that spark of curiosity or that joy of finding a subject that interests her which makes a child a lifelong learner. 

None of these things are deemed important to the state that seeks to punish the child and the teacher for not showing quantified progress on a stacked means of measurement.  But we who understand children and learning, know that these things listed above, things which are not tested, are the only way to achieve real progress.

Please know that we reject the idea that all of your hard work, innovation and caring is reflected in the state’s decision to give you an “F”.  We as a community care about you and will continue to support you in as much as we are able, recognizing that a child (and a school) is so much more than a test score.

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I know many of you are discouraged by the constant onslaught of punishments and hurdles and game-rigging aimed at public schools by our state legislature.  You've testified, made phone calls and sent emails.  But we just can't give up.  Please speak up.  If you can get to the statehouse, go tomorrow. If you can call, please let these senators hear your voice.  We need to also let these schools know that we support them and that we know that teaching and learning IS so much more than test scores.