THE TEACHERS WE NEED vs THE TEACHERS WE HAVE--a Review

“If police officers were trained like teachers, cadets would take a test one day and be out walking the streets with a loaded weapon the next.”

If you haven’t heard, there’s a teacher shortage right now…caused by a perfect storm of disrespect, poor salaries, lousy support for public schools, legislative mandates, and a drop in enrollment at teacher preparation colleges and universities.

Instead of addressing any of these needs and issues, reformers and policy makers have doubled down on the attacks, marginalizing our concerns and opening up the floodgates to alternatively-certified teachers. NO other country in the industrialized world has gone in this direction. In fact, high-test-scoring countries have no alternate routes to teaching. So…all those countries who kick our butts on those tests than mean so much to policy makers have chosen to go a totally different direction in teacher preparation and certification. Maybe they don’t want the improvement they say they want.

In Oklahoma this school year, there are 1,000 teachers teaching with emergency certificates. A large number of them are probably alternatively-certified: people who decided to take the tests and pay the fee, and  become a teacher. Some will be very successful. Most will not. These teachers will teach students whose educational lives will be ruled by high-stakes tests. We give kids teachers with little to no preparation for their jobs, and then we fail the student or refuse to give her a diploma. Takes the breath away if you think about it for too long.

Here is where Lawrence Baines’ book, The Teachers We Need vs. The Teachers We Have comes into the conversation. I used to think Teach for America, with its five weeks of ‘boot camp’ was about as dismal a way to get into the classroom there was. Baines shows us the folly of that thinking. Compared to other fly-by-night programs, TFA is downright rigorous. Because “Increasingly in the United States today, the sole requirement for entering the teaching profession has become a passing score on a content-area exam.”

He begins with a discussion of testing for teachers…tests designed to predict a candidate’s effectiveness in the classroom, as measured by tests kids take. He states, “In fact, what a teacher scores on a test has little correlation to their effectiveness in the classroom.” Two testing giants have a lot riding on states continuing these tests, whether they’re useful or not. ETS and Pearson are sitting pretty. Again. Still.

Baines investigates programs from around the country and categorizes them according to the levels of quality of preparation. He looks at course work (if any), duration and rigor, and uses four descriptions: Zilch, Cram, Minimal, and Adequate.

A Zilch program is “… little to no preparation (may include a test required by the state).”  Just that test. “…more and more states are replacing high expectations for teacher preparation with nothing more than a passing score on content-area tests – tests that have shown no correlation to student performance.”

The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence provides an example of a zilch program. What a high-sounding name, huh? They’re a business, not a Board. They sell candidates CD-ROMs to prepare for the certification test, that they prepared, and they grade. Sweet deal for candidates. Not so sweet for their students. In Idaho, ABCTE candidates are exempt from other teacher testing. In New Hampshire, ABCTE candidates are placed in the same category as teachers who are National Board Certified Teachers. Because, you know, “Board.”

Cram Level programs provide course work for candidates. Most course work is in content areas, not in pedagogy. Usually no field experience or intern teaching is required. In fact, one program, iteachTEXAS, counts a teacher’s first year of experience, with pay, as his or her internship.

Minimal Level is just that…minimal coursework and minimal (but at least some) field experiences. Baines points out in New Jersey, their alternative program undercuts the ‘rigor’ of TFA, making TFA look unattractive. What the heck? TFA is too hard??

In my mind, there is a disquieting trend in all these programs…the eager support of state departments of education and state lawmakers. Everyone, it seems, is happy to fast-track unprepared candidates into the classroom with no preparation, no support, and no experience. I wonder is it because these teachers cost less, since they have no experience, and will probably never invest enough in teacher retirement to draw a pension? s it because they’re easier to intimidate, evaluate with test scores, demand long hours, keep their mouths shut about harmful reforms? Do what they’re told and shut up?

Why the eagerness to marginalize traditionally-prepared teachers? Why take a completely different direction than those countries whose scores we are chasing? I am perplexed. And reading of all the programs and businesses trying to cash in, I get frustrated for my profession.

Back to Baines’ descriptions of programs. The last level is Adequate – course, different field experiences, and student teaching. They are out there. And they are…adequate.

In self defense, many universities and colleges are offering a hybrid alternative certification program, and my home state of Indiana, actually has a law on the books that requires all higher education institutions to provide alternative certification programs, because, “..with the surge of alternative certification, many universities now educate fewer teachers than do businesses, school districts, and governmental agencies.”

Baines makes the connection to alternative programs and new laws about mentoring, putting the burden of supporting poorly-prepared novice teachers on the shoulders of already-burdened veterans for little or no compensation.

Exactly the opposite of high-scoring countries. Baines describes teacher preparation in Singapore and in Finland, and the US suffers in comparison. High standards, tests to be admitted into school, and interviews are all part of the admissions programs. In Singapore, only 20% of applicants are admitted, and in Finland, only about 13% are. Teacher preparation is centralized in both countries, as is certification. In Singapore, there is only one teacher preparation university…granted, it’s tiny a tiny country, but still. Only one. Both countries have rigorous expectations for their candidates, but with support. Singapore actually pays tuition for students, with the understanding that if they drop the program, or quit teaching within 5 years, they will be required to pay back the country’s investment. In Finland, teacher preparation programs result in a master’s degree with extensive course work and field experiences. Quality is controlled because quality is planned from the beginning, and conditions are created for success.

Contrast that commitment to teacher preparation with the US – where “more than 1,200 institutions prepare teachers….Add to this number the burgeoning industries in alternative certification represented by businesses, state agencies, and K-12 schools, and the number of places where a teacher might be prepared approaches 2,000.”

Where other countries -- high-scoring countries -- approached education reform by revolutionizing teacher preparation, centralizing the process to control the quality, the US ignored teacher quality, and in fact undermined teacher quality by encouraging the alternative certification industry to thrive. The US chose to make everything rise or fall on student test scores, “certifying teachers willing to play by these rules.” A revolving door of ill-prepared teachers teaching our children.

Baines concludes his book by comparing teaching with other professions – he gives a fascinating history of the American Medical Association and its work to promote the profession. He describes the preparation, both academic and practical, for lawyers, plumbers, and funeral directors. There are no short cuts, no fast tracks for these professions, nor should there be. But for teaching? He’s written this book showing us how little regard (my words) our policy makers feel for educators and education.

I must ask ‘why?’ Why do our kids mean so little to our policy makers that they send unprepared teachers into the classroom? Why are our children being compared with students in these high-scoring countries whose teachers have been nurtured and supported and respected…and paid a living wage? What are our policy makers telling us about their values?

Yes, we have a teacher shortage…so that probably means  more, not fewer, alternatively-certified teachers. But if we want to be great, we must wean ourselves off the quick fix and elevate my profession – my family’s business.

This book begins the conversation. We NEED better-prepared teacher. We deserve better-prepared teachers.

If you care about teaching and education, this short book is one you need to read. I think I’ll buy copies for my own Legislators. Maybe the words of a respected professor will mean more than mine do.

I hope so.

Rhonda Harlow Drops the Mic

I attended a Senate Interim Study on the teacher shortage in OK...Superintendent Hofmeister and Shawn Hime spoke and added to the conversation.

Senator Patrick Anderson introduced one of his constituents, Rhonda Harlow, to address the group, and Rhonda, a teacher and instructional coach in Enid, was magnificent. Here is what she said.

My name is Rhonda Harlow and I am a district-wide instructional coach at Enid Public Schools.  I have previously worked as a Title I Reading Specialist at the elementary and middle school levels and as a Literacy Coach.  I’d like to thank my legislator, Senator Patrick Anderson, for inviting me to speak at this interim study.  Decisions made here at our Capitol impact every classroom and every student across the state, and no discussion of our public schools is complete without the inclusion of an educator’s voice.  So thank you for providing me the opportunity to give a teacher’s perspective on the Oklahoma High5 plan.  

I am honored to share my time today with Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.  As an Oklahoma teacher, I know that Superintendent Hofmeister values my voice, my perspective, and my experience.  The collaborative spirit of her administration is greatly appreciated by Oklahoma’s public school employees, and I believe it will translate into positive outcomes for our students, teachers, and schools.  I would also like to applaud former-Enid Superintendent Shawn Hime for his outstanding work as the Executive Director of the OSSBA.  Their For the People campaign is highlighting the positive things taking place in Oklahoma public education – and there are so many good things to highlight.  Oklahoma educators and administrators make incredible things happen on a daily basis despite our limited resources, dismal pay, and the crushing pressure of state and federal mandates.  While we are always thinking of ways we can improve education for our students, it’s important we take the time to recognize those things that are going on in our schools, too. 

As an instructional coach for Enid Public Schools, I work with teachers and administrators on implementing effective teaching practices in the classroom.  Along with the other coaches in our district, I also research, design, and deliver professional development to teachers and administrators covering a variety of topics such as effective instructional strategies, classroom management, lesson planning, curriculum design, differentiated instruction … well, the list goes on and on as does my job description!   This position affords me the opportunity to get to know, work with, and interact with nearly every teacher in our district each year, and I’ve heard from many of them regarding the various pay raise plans that have been promoted since the end of the legislative session. 

One of the first things Oklahoma educators would like you to consider and to appreciate in discussions about a pay increase is this –  additional pay for additional days worked does not equate to a pay increase.  That’s just pay.  To be considered an increase, educators need to see their daily pay rate actually go up.   If increasing instructional time is your priority, I urge you to consider the significant instructional time lost each year preparing and administering state and federally mandated testing.  If state mandated testing was eliminated or reduced, those days could be spent teaching rather than testing, and the state would save millions of dollars in the process.  Testing does not equate to teaching or learning.  Exchanging End of Instruction exams that provide no real-world value to our students, for the ACT- a test score that employers and colleges actually do look at- would be a tremendous step toward getting the most for our students out of those 180 days we currently have in the classroom. 

While the OKhigh5 plan would add instructional days to the calendar, I commend the plan for compensating teachers for those additional days worked as well as providing a desperately needed pay increase in the five years AFTER its passage.  But unfortunately for Oklahoma, surrounding states are offering better salaries and more classroom resources NOW – not over the next 5 years.  While Oklahoma has spent the years since 2008 making the largest cuts to per pupil expenditures in the country – over 22 percent- surrounding states have continued to invest in their classrooms and in their teachers. 

Some say the cost of living in Oklahoma is low, therefore Oklahoma teachers shouldn’t complain about receiving the worst pay in the country.   But Oklahoma’s pay lags behind – even when you account for a lower cost of living.  Whereas it costs about 90 cents on the dollar to live here compared with the national average cost of living, Oklahoma teachers are paid less than 80 cents on the dollar compared to the national average teacher pay.  The Oklahoma Policy Institute reports that to bring Oklahoma’s teacher pay and cost of living into balance, our average teacher would need a raise of $6,500 today.  The reality is … phasing in a pay increase of less than $5,000 over five years will not balance this cost of living discrepancy to begin with, and in the five years it takes to implement this plan that gap will continue to increase. 

Here’s what our state’s long-term education underfunding looks like in my hometown.  The shortage of teachers has led to the hiring of people who have never been in a classroom or who have never taken education classes to prepare them for the current realities.  As an instructional coach, I work with those teachers and together with their mentor teacher and their administrators, we strive to “grow our own” but growth takes time – expertise takes experience.  Oklahoma’s children deserve the best and they deserve it sooner rather than later.  One of those education realities is growing class sizes.  Each year they get bigger and bigger.  This makes it impossible to give students the one-on-one or small group instruction needed.  For example, one veteran middle school Science teacher in our district has a class of 35, and 16 of those students are special ed.  She is not able to pace her lessons to meet the needs of all her students.  It’s just not possible for her to offer that many students with their unique needs the individual instruction required for them to succeed in this subject. Also, this year, the district purchased Science curriculum for grades 3 and up.  Yet a classroom set is only 30 textbooks.  That means 5 students in her class of 35 must share textbooks.  And might I add this is a tested subject!  This is not what Oklahoma parents want for their students – and it’s not the education our students deserve. 

Then there is the Kindergarten teacher in a high-poverty school in our district with a high English language learner population.  Of her 24 students, 22 students are on Reading Sufficiency academic progress plans and 19 of those students are English Language Learners that require an additional language instruction educational plan.  All of those must be written and maintained by the teacher.  Because there are not enough teachers, Title I and Title III services – federal programs for high poverty and English Language Learners –  are not offered for Kindergarten in her building.  So interventions and small groups must take place within the classroom.  The district purchases little or no curriculum for Science or Social Studies at this level, so she supplements her class reading with resources and materials she purchases because she realizes a quality education for her students requires it.  This veteran teacher was offered a position outside of the field of education last year and struggled tremendously with her decision to stay.  She wants to teach, but so much of her time is spent inundated with bureaucratic requirements rather than helping her students, and the personal financial strain of providing them what they need on her salary is enormous.  Thankfully this excellent educator did decide to stay this time. Unfortunately, her situation isn’t unique.  Another veteran high school teacher told me, “I love my students, but I hate my job.  There is too much to be done, and not enough time, resources, or staff to do it effectively.” He went on to tell me how he is no longer teaching a love of learning but rather managing numbers and data.  And with the volume of students, his opportunity to design and implement creative, rigorous lessons is next to impossible.  After all, how can he incorporate technology into his classroom of 40 when he only has 25 working laptops, iPads, or Chromebooks?  And classroom space to get up and move around … well, it is next to impossible.  Unfortunately many excellent veteran teachers are leaving our profession for retirement or higher paying jobs. 

Large class sizes are not happening in just Kindergarten or middle school Science.  At the high school level, teachers who see over 180 students a day have difficulty providing meaningful commentary and feedback about student learning.  Grading becomes an after-hours job that takes up to four to five nights a week and too often, weekends become grading marathons to get work back to students in a timely fashion.  All grade levels deal with a variety of reports, meetings, paperwork, lack of resources, and lack of time. Teachers often do not have time during the day for the lesson planning and classroom preparation that are integral parts to a quality education for our students.  Drive by any Enid school parking lot after 5:00 p.m. on any given day and you will see teachers there – working well into the evening and on weekends.  This is unpaid overtime!  It drains our energy and robs us of time with our families.  We do it for our love of our students.  But our students deserve the best from their teachers, and right now Oklahoma is not providing its teachers with what they need to be their best.    

Oklahoma teachers work more than 10 months a year, well beyond 8 hours a day, and many still have to work 2^nd jobs in order to make ends meet.  Those who devote their lives to teaching our children should not have to depend on food stamps or free and reduced lunches in order to feed their own children, but many do.  The education climate has become foggy and difficult to navigate for all involved.  Teacher morale is rapidly diminishing; they are losing their passion and feeling pressured to meet homogenous requirements after being told to differentiate their instruction.  This is exacerbating our teacher shortage and there is no silver bullet to fix the problem.  More than 840 emergency certificates have been granted so far this year.  Too many of Oklahoma’s children are being taught by those who no doubt want to help children, but are NOT quite ready for the classroom. They are doing their best but the stakes are too high – especially in tested subjects.  How does that impact a 3^rd grade student shackled by RSA mandates?  How does this shortage impact a high school freshman facing high-stakes testing with an Algebra I and Biology I EOI?  What about our English Language Learners? 

Our teacher shortage includes every level of teaching.  Once upon a time, schools received stacks of resumes for elementary jobs, but now they are getting so few applicants principals are hiring people they would not have considered just five years ago.  Who would want to be an educator today in Oklahoma?  We are 48^th in teacher pay, have not received a pay raise since 2007, are 49^th in per pupil spending, and have cut education funding 23.6% since 2008 – almost 6 percentage points more than any other state. We MUST make the teaching profession more attractive by paying better salaries and by recognizing the worth and importance of teachers.

Schools cannot prepare students for informed productive futures without safe buildings, quality materials, AND well-prepared staff – all of which require the fiscal commitment of publicly elected officials.  The state of Oklahoma continues to practice corporate welfare at the expense of our children and the future of our democratic society.  We cannot continue to cut taxes and expect our state’s vital services to continue.  Do we want to attract more businesses and grow the economy?  Of course!  But let’s invest in vibrant, well-funded public schools that offer an educated work force for businesses. This problem did not happen overnight, so it will not be fixed overnight.  We absolutely must plan today for the future of our children. 

 I am glad that this interim study is taking place and that lawmakers are talking about ways to improve our schools and attract our best and brightest into this profession.  But the fact is, for two years Oklahoma teachers have rallied in record numbers asking our legislators to adopt a long-term funding solution to increase funding to our classrooms and increase our pay to the regional average, and for two years we’ve been answered with resounding silence when it comes to real solutions.  And because outlook for the upcoming fiscal year is even worse, there isn’t much for us in public education to be optimistic about these days.  We must look long-term and ask ourselves – What do we want Oklahoma education to look like?  What do we want for the future of our state – our teachers – our children?  I cannot fathom nor can I accept this is Oklahoma’s dream for its children.

It is obvious educators do their jobs regardless of the pay.  When comparing the state’s average ACT scores to those within our region, it is competitive to those states.  It is true that Oklahoma teachers do more with less each and every day as a result of their “Can Do” spirit.  However, that does not make it right.  I hope you will invite your own teachers to speak with you about this issue.  Please continue to invite your teaching professionals, administrators, education support professionals, and even students to the table so we can all work together to develop a long-term plan to properly fund our public schools.  

One of my favorite music groups is Mumford and Sons.  There is a line from their song, “Awake my Soul”, that states, “where you invest your love, you invest your life.”  Often, I reflect on that line in my own life.  I believe Oklahoma needs to reflect and to realize, it is time to show its love for public education and invest in its future.

Addition...Rob Miller, of  AView from the Edge fame, suggested a bat flip would be a good sports metaphor for Rhonda's performance.

OK Lawmaker, Teacher Salaries Compared. Big Differences.

If you care about education, you are aware of the attacks by our Legislative leaders and their newspaper the Daily Disappointment Oklahoman on the straw man targets of ‘administrative costs’ and teacher salaries. Today’s front page blares out how overpaid our state Superintendents are, even breaking down their salaries to ‘per pupil’ costs.

It’s blatantly clear this will be the new fight when the Legislature begins its Session in February. Administrative costs, teacher salaries.  Those greedy educators who want more and more and more.

That got me to wondering...how do teacher and Legislator salaries compare in Oklahoma? 

Let’s start with requirements. To be a Legislator, one must be at least 21, a voter, and live in the district from which one will run for 6 months. There is a $200 filing fee to be paid by the candidate.

To be a teacher (I used information from the OSDE site for alternative certification), one must have a bachelor’s degree and a major concentration in the subject one is planning to teach. One must pass two standardized tests, the OGET, which tests generally education knowledge, and the OSAT, the Oklahoma test of subject area concentration. These tests will cost from $65-$80 per test. The OPTE, another assessment, costs $140. One must be fingerprinted and pass a background test. That process will cost $59. There is a $50 processing fee to the OSDE to collect all the data. THEN one can apply for a job.

The Oklahoma Legislature meets once a year. After November elections, the Legislature meets to certify results. Then, yearly they meet from the first Monday in February to the last Friday in May. 85 days. Typically Fridays are not 'in session' days, so Legislators can attend to business at home. But for this blog, I will count each Friday as a work day.

Teachers in Oklahoma are contracted to teach or participate in professional development 185 days, or the hourly equivalent of 185 days. 

Both professions are expected to work beyond those hours and those days, taking care of constituents, participating in meetings, attending to problems and emergencies as they arise.

Oklahoma Legislators earn $38,400 per year for their service. This figure is in the top third of US Legislative salaries. Legislators can also earn $160 per diem for travel and expenses. I believe they can also claim mileage under some circumstances. I do not begrudge them a penny of their salaries and benefits…I know their job is difficult and demands sacrifices from their families. I know they often work long past regular office hours.  I am grateful for their service. But I point out with respect their salaries are some of the higher in the country.

Teachers, too, work long hours, during weekends, and during those enforced ‘vacations’ that are inserted into the school calendar for the convenience of families. Remember, none of those vacation days is considered a contract day. So each is unpaid vacation for teachers.

Teacher salaries in Oklahoma do not fare as well in national comparisons, traditionally occupying one of the bottom three positions. Legislators’ pay is near the top. Teachers’ pay is at the bottom. Not hype. Facts. Note that the article I linked here is two years old. And things are worse for teachers in our state.

I used the Norman Public Schools teacher salary schedule for my comparison, since I spent my entire Oklahoma career teaching in Norman. A beginning teacher in Norman, with a bachelor’s degree, a teacher who has taken the two tests, earned a degree, and who has passed the background investigation, will earn $32,343 in base pay. I’m not adding the benefits package, since that’s all ‘funny money’ – given, but never showing up in the paycheck.

An Oklahoma Legislator works for 85 paid days and earns $38,400. A beginning teacher must earn a degree, take the tests, and pay for the background study, and earns $32,343 in Norman, for 185 days.

An Oklahoma Legislator earns $451.76 per day, with the possibility of per diem and mileage.

A Norman beginning teacher earns $174.82  per contract day.

Both are expected to work beyond the work day and beyond the work calendar.

Now, let’s look at that ‘average’ Oklahoma teacher salary – the unicorn of $44,000. In Norman, a teacher with a bachelors degree will have to teach 24 years before his or her base pay is $44,081. Twenty-four years. At that point, a teacher’s daily pay would be $238.28…a little more than half a beginning Legislator’s daily salary.

At this point in my research, glass houses and stones flashed before my eyes. Well-paid Legislators who work fewer days than teachers might want to be changing the subject instead of telling teachers we are greedy .

Both Legislators and teachers can take on extra duties for more pay. I sponsored a club at Norman North, but was not compensated. At West Mid High, I sponsored the Cheers and Poms…I don’t remember my duty pay, but I think it averaged out to about $20 a month. The years I was department chair, I may have earned $100 extra.

Legislative leaders earn more for their extra duties also. The President Pro Tem and Speaker earn $17,932 above base pay and top leadership earns $12,364. I am appreciative of their service. I am supportive of their extra compensation. 

I wish Legislators approached educators with respect for the job we do, for the sacrifices our families make, for the extra hours we work. I wish Legislators acknowledged our unpaid contributions to our profession, our students, our classrooms. Instead, they sigh about ‘throwing money’ at education. They bemoan the budget crunch (the crunch they created with tax credits and tax cuts); they tell us to stop complaining.

We will continue to hear from policy makers and from the DOK that teachers are not underpaid, and that administrative costs are too high. They will not tell us that within administrative costs are classroom assistants, special education assistants, nurses, cafeteria workers, bus drivers. They won’t tell us that their own mandates have required schools to respond with more administrative costs. 

They will rattle the swords of consolidation. They will point fingers at those highly-paid Superintendents. But will they solve the real problems? Will they listen to educators? Will they loosen the strangle-hold of unfunded mandates? Will they address the teacher shortage with honesty? Will they work to retain our career teachers who make a difference with students and their families every day?

Speaker Hickman earns every penny of his $38,400 base pay, and his $17,932 as Speaker. I know he works long days and hours past the expectations of his job. I would love for him and his fellow Legislators to acknowledge educators’ contributions.

The DOK’s article today broke Superintendents’ pay down to a per-pupil figure to make their point that Superintendents in small districts are grossly overpaid.

What if we broke our Legislators’ pay down per vote cast on election day? 

Just a thought.

Teacher Shortage is Real. No Claim.

Teacher shortages are real. They are impacting our children. 

Speaker Jeff Hickman recently penned an opinion piece for the Daily Disappointment Oklahoman that reveals future strategies of school reformers. It is the blueprint for their response. We would be wise to study it.

First he calls the reports of teacher shortages, “claims”.  Words matter, and his choice is deliberate. He chooses to negate the concern by calling them claims. “Claim” is defined as a statement that has no evidence to support it, where truth is in doubt. So, in his first sentence he argues that the teacher shortage is disputed, and that schools have not provided evidence of the shortage.

Great way to begin a serious discussion about our kids’ future, huh?

All those statements about teacher shortages are claims. Not fact. Claims, which in the second part of his first sentence, are all about more money for teacher salaries.  His subtle ‘education organizations’ will be easy to trace. So, a not-so-subtle attack on education organizations. Only his first. Not his last.

I would say as truth that there is a national teacher shortage…reformers have, for years, waged war on educators and this is the result. Teachers leaving, teachers (like me) retiring rather than face the mess. Teachers moving to other states. And, worst of all, prospective teachers choosing other careers. Reformers have crowed for years that public education is failing, and teachers are to blame. Was this their end game, to create the climate where there are no teachers? So now their claims of failing schools is now reality, backed by evidence? My cynical heart thinks there is more than a bit of truth here. I’m not the only one who thinks this might all be deliberate. Here’s an article about Kansas, one of Rep. Hickman’s great examples.

Then Rep. Hickman attacks local school boards…saying they choose NOT to pay their teachers more, but they could do that if they really valued their teachers. He then launches onto his next attack: administrative costs. Not a new argument – claim, might I say? If I had a nickel for every time I’ve addressed this claim with evidence. Here. And here. No, we are not draining education funding with administrative costs. No, we don’t need to consolidate administrations or create county school districts. I suggested to my new State Senator that if new funding for school could truly not be found (stop the tax cut. Stop the tax cut. Stop the tax cut), perhaps all unfunded mandates to schools could be immediately ended. That would go a long way to reducing the administrative costs of our districts. What I’m about to say is a claim, since I don’t have the evidence to back it up. It is my hunch that school districts have had to increase non-teaching administrative costs to deal with federal and state mandates. Someone must oversee these demands, cross the t’s. Someone must deal with the sea of papers and requirements. The consequences of mistakes in dealing with mandates could be catastrophic. But, this is only a claim, an opinion.

So, Rep. Hickman, I suggest again. End all unfunded mandates to schools and let’s see if my claim can be proved. Let’s see if that could slow some administrative costs. And please read Okeducationtruth’s latest piece for much more information about administrative mandates and the costs they demand.

Let’s also remember, classroom aides are considered ‘administrative costs.’ One way to respond to the teacher shortage is to add more students to a class, and give the class an aide to assist the over-burdened teacher. Rep. Hickman is attacking these aides who are trying to support our teachers.

Hickman’s next argument is to do away with the state teacher salary schedule. His claim is this is the reason our teachers make less than in other states…it’s the salary schedule! And he uses that $44,000 average salary figure…I challenge you to ask a random group of teachers if they make the average salary…I know I didn’t until I had over 20 years of experience. Here’s the dirty secret of teacher salaries…districts get to add all the benefits and insurance amounts to the top…and then whisk them away when real dollars come to play. Our salaries are padded with our insurance benefits. That number is NOT what teachers live on.

Speaking of teacher salaries, why do young teachers with children qualify for food stamps with their padded salaries? Why are we asking our educators to take on student loans to begin their career qualifying for welfare benefits? No claim. I know teachers who had to use these benefits to make ends meet so they could go to work, teaching our children.

Hickman brings up the idea of merit pay, without ever calling it that. He says we must move away from the ‘century-old’ practice of paying teachers for education and experience…and we must ‘move toward a teacher compensations model that rewards excellence, incentivizing outstanding teachers to stay longer.’ Couple of questions. Who defines ‘excellence’ in this model? Is he, as I fear, talking about test scores?  What is an ‘outstanding’ teacher? I can answer that second question for him.

The state DID have a program to reward accomplished teachers who went above and beyond. National Board Certified Teachers were given a stipend after certification. They were expected to stay in the classroom as full time teachers, in public schools. This program allowed me to stay in a profession that underpaid me for 39 years. I was able to contribute something more to my family, and justify my decision to stay in the classroom, making thousands of dollars less than other college-educated professionals. Even though I knew I would never get rich as a teacher,  my decision affected my entire family.  Now this program is another of the unfunded mandates pushed onto districts. Now, instead of an NBCT receiving a $5000 stipend for holding his or her practice up to the most stringent standards in the profession and reflecting on his or her contributions to student learning, new NBCTs will, maybe, possibly, receive a $1000 salary bump…IF the school district doesn’t pay above that pesky state salary schedule. Unfunded mandate. Instead of the state providing those funds directly to teachers (Well, not exactly. Given to districts which took out taxes and FICA), now districts are expected to come up with the funds.

So, pay ‘excellent…outstanding’ more, based on some rationale to-be-announced…later. Just trust us.

Rep. Hickman envisions (claims) a future where there is no state salary schedule, where each district can now use their money (after getting rid of all the administrators) to compete for those teaching superstars who would be like NBA free agents. Competition! That’s what’s needed. Does he not know districts already pay above the state minimum, and teachers can shop around for higher salaries?

I wish I had the expertise to address his ‘free agent’ argument. From the little I know, don’t teams have to shuffle other players, let some go, in order to offer those contracts to super star players? Is this the future Hickman sees? Won’t that exacerbate the teacher shortage? Is he buying into Bill Gates’ claim that a super star teacher could easily handle 50+ in a classroom?

The state has actually given us a test-case for their super star NBA free agent scenario (claim). Will NBCTs now be sought out, now that districts know they will cost more? Will NBCTs see certification as a way to contribute to their families and their professions?

So, back to Rep. Hickman. In his opinion piece, he attacks school boards and administrative costs. He attacks un-named education organizations. They are the problem.

He seems to offer as solutions, merit pay and competition. They are the answer.

We would be wise to be watching for these ‘solutions’ in the next Session.  I’ll be interested in seeing if the very real #oklaed teacher shortage is addressed at all.

In the meantime, the teacher shortage is real. NO CLAIM.

Wise Parents Want the Best for All.

In #oklaed, the #teachershortage is real, and it’s real ugly. It’s ugly because it will affect the lives of our kids in a time of high stakes testing, forced retentions, no drivers licenses, and no diplomas. Policies and neglect and disdain and hostility have converged, and it’s our kids who will suffer.

Disclaimer: In the first five years of my teaching career, in Indiana and Iowa, I taught four years with emergency certificates. I was an English Education major from Indiana University, but had to teach three years outside my major. For that, I needed an emergency certificate. I had all the education classes, methods, and student teaching, but since I taught 6^th grade, self-contained and high school special education, I was required to jump through the hoops to get my emergency permit. Times have  changed, and so has the definition of emergencies. I only taught one year in an English classroom in those early years.

Today’s emergency certificates will be given to people who have not gone to education school, or taken the various tests required of alternatively-certified teachers. They probably won’t even have the five weeks of training that our Teach for America Awhile teachers have. They will probably have a college degree, but no preparation. As usual, Okeducationtruths has helped us understand the issues. Seth Meier reminds us the power of a teacher, and Mindy Dennison offers us an analogy for emergency permits in other professions.

I need us all to look into the eyes of our children or our grandchildren or our nieces and nephews. Look hard. Look at that potential, that grace, that enthusiasm. Look into those faces and think about giving your precious children to a teacher with no training or experience. Then think about the high-stakes tests your children will take. And answer honestly: “Is this what I want for MY children?” If the answer is “No”, then we must say, “NO” for all children, every student in Oklahoma.

Dewey said it: “What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must the community want for all its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon it destroys our democracy.”

My granddaughter started kindergarten, full of wonder and excitement. With substitute teachers for a month. Katie didn’t know she was being short-changed. She had nothing to which to compare her experience. A month with substitutes. Then, the district was able to hire a teacher…four weeks into the school year, Katie’s only year of kindergarten. I don’t know if that teacher was on an emergency certificate. I just know four weeks of no solid instruction had already taken its toll. Then, she had a totally inexperienced teacher for the rest of the year. I also know Katie will take the infamous third grade reading-English language arts test this year as a third grader. Nowhere will the testing company ask her if she had certified teachers each year of school. So will every other child in her kindergarten class...with subs for a month. Nowhere will it ask her if she missed out on quality instruction because she had substitute teachers or emergency-certificated teachers. That won’t matter to the folks who created the teacher shortage with their antagonism toward the teaching profession. That won’t matter to those same policy makers who decided Katie and all her friends had all better show proficiency on a non-reading test one day in April.

They created the teacher shortage; they created the demand on nine-year-olds. My Grand will pay the price. Did I want her to have the teacher-less class? Of course not. I didn’t want ANY kindergartener to be in that position. But she was…as were all her classmates.

So, there will be a price for this teacher shortage, and it will be paid by our children. I do not blame the school districts who are desperately searching for a way to put a grown-up in every classroom in the state, certified or not. I blame the policy makers who cynically created a teacher-bashing culture, who ridicule our efforts to create learning experiences for our students, who call us grasping whiners. I blame non-educators who wouldn’t last a day doing the job of a teacher but are quick to criticize.

I blame policy makers who do not make students and their education a priority. I’m looking at you, Oklahoma Legislature.

I challenge the policy makers of Oklahoma to truly make our kids, our future, our greatest resource, a priority. To make it a priority to support efforts to hire the most qualified teachers, and to pay them a living wage, and to honor their commitment so they can teach our kids.

I want, for all children in Oklahoma, a certified, qualified teacher. I want for all students in Oklahoma a teacher on the first day of school, not a substitute, not a person who may have no real interest in teaching. I want a teacher to greet our kids, to welcome them into their classroom with strong lessons and a positive classroom climate.

Every child. Every student.

#OklaEd Challenge: Why do You Teach?

Mindy Dennison challenged #oklaed bloggers to answer a simple question. Only four words, but four words that encompass my entire adult life: “Why do you teach?”

My friends have risen to the challenge and have posted stories, philosophies, funny and touching. Here  and here and here and here and here and here and here. I read these answers and nodded in recognition, and cried, and laughed. My friends are amazing educators and I loved their posts.

Here, finally, is my answer to, “Why do you teach?”

But, I'm going to have to tell you a story. A story of a student I had over 30 years ago,  in Iowa…a tiny consolidated school system that only graduated about 55 kids a year. A farming community where everyone knew everyone and I breezed in, as a newbie/nobody. I worked (again -- second time in my first five years of teaching) on an emergency certificate, this time Special Education. I was THE special education department. My multi-categorical resource classroom s.erved all special ed students! This was the way tiny schools could serve students.

That’s where I met Mike (name changed, even though the statute of limitations has long expired. Mike came from a dysfunctional home. The horror stories my colleagues told me about his older brother’s epic battles with their father chilled me. I only ever met his mom…a quiet, mousey woman who loved her boys.

Mike had one of the longest permanent files I’ve ever seen. He seemed to be in trouble from day one. The stories followed him to high school. The kindergarten teacher who picked him up and deposited him into a large trash can. The day in elementary school  he ran away from school and had to be coaxed out of a tree. He was labeled with a behavioral disability…and he earned every letter in that label. He could be violent.  He hated to be ‘pushed around’ and told what to do. He was volatile when confronted.  Try to control him with power and authority, and everyone would lose.

And there he was, in my class for study hall and for special ed support.

I teach because I love beginning a relationship with my students, with no pre-concieved notions. Beginning with a new slate as we get to know each other. I love creating a classroom climate of universal positive regard. Universal care.

I tried to block out the stories, but everyone had one. Mike was a handful, even as a freshman. He had a chip on his shoulder, and expected everyone to push back when he pushed. When he walked, he led with his puffed-out chest, and his square chin, both hands in fists, just begging to be confronted.

That’s never been my style, so we had to find a new way to communicate, often with humor.

I teach because I thrive on finding each student’s story, and the way into each student’s mind and heart. I am patient and earn my students’ trust. Learning can only happen after we have a relationship. 

We had battles. One day we were nose-to-nose in my empty classroom after he defied me one too many times. I was chewing on him. Suddenly the lights flickered off in the entire school. We were both momentarily stunned into silence, and I said to him, “See how mad I am at you right now?” He snickered and escaped to defy another day.

I once told him I’d named the frown lines between my eyes, “M. I. K. E.” That got another chuckle.

Mike wasn’t evil; he was suspicious, wary. He’d never been treated kindly by teachers. Why should he trust me? I knew that and kept fighting.

I teach because working with young people is never easy. No two days are alike, because youngsters are not the same from one day to another. Every student deserves my attention and my respect. Every student must know I will not give up on him. I won’t. It’s not in my DNA.

During Mike’s sophomore year, the administration agreed to let me teach an English class to my tenth graders…more in tune to their interests and abilities, and certainly more in tune to my own training, I knew how to teach English. We read and wrote..I loved it.

On the day of my formal observation for my yearly evaluation, Mike came into the room in a full-head gorilla mask. It was not Halloween, and we did not inquire about the mask. We – the other three students and I – sat at our table and began our lesson, treating Mike the same way we had the day before. My principal, Al Rowe, came in and sat with us. No one said a word about the mask. We all noticed and wanted to ask, but we plowed on with the lesson at hand. Mike found it difficult to ask questions or participate with his mask on, so he would occasionally pull it up to his forehead like a hat and talk, then pull it back down to do his work. For his classmates and I it appeared to be business as usual. Mike was being Mike, begging for attention in bizarre ways; we had learned to ignore and stay focused. 

Suddenly, in the middle of the lesson, Al jumped up and left the classroom. I was surprised, because he said he’d be there for the whole lesson. We continued…and I never saw the mask again after that lesson. We never spoke of it. Al did tell me in my post-observation meeting that he left abruptly because he would have shattered the peace of the classroom. He said he could not contain his laughter any longer, and that would have destroyed the climate of the class. So he fled, stifling his guffaws.

I teach because I never know how I will be called upon to use my training, my experience, my wits, to keep students involved in learning. I teach because I deeply love young people and all their unpredictable behaviors and decisions and words. Working this closely with other human beings requires us to always be aware and ready to be kind. 

And it’s never boring. Never.

Mike’s mom and I had a system for parent conferences. She would visit me first, and I would alert her about what his core teachers would say, preparing her for any attacks by frustrated educators. Then she’s square her shoulders and go out to face the others. She'd been doing it for years. Then, at the end of the evening she’d come back to my classroom, shaken, but ready to help her son however she could.  We’d talk about what she’d heard, and what our next plan of action would be. She left knowing I loved her boy and was working alongside her for his success.

I teach because I value the partnerships with families I forge as we work toward success for their students. We are stronger together. We have different strengths, but together we are formidable.

I moved after Mike’s sophomore year. I was sad that I wouldn’t be there to see him graduate…it would be the first graduation in his family. His mom sent me the original of his first-semester report card…all A’s and B’s, except for a F in gym class. No letter, just the only copy of his report card she received Those were great grades. Some of his highest. I knew immediately that Mike had gotten sideways with his gym teacher and was willing to pay the price for his rebellion. But the other grades! What a success story! What effort it took for him to persevere and work toward graduation. I hoped from afar that he’d found the key to advocate for himself and control that temper.

The last time I heard from Mike’s mom was the summer after he graduated from our tiny high school. She sent me a copy of the graduation bulletin, listing all the graduates. Mike was there! So were the other boys in that class when Mike visited as a gorilla. They made it! His mom told me he had a job at the sale barn (about the only employer in the area), and was looking forward to a bright future.

Even though I never saw Mike again, he rests in my memory, as do other students. They’re a part of me. They have taught me to be better and more prepared for the next group of students, and the next, and the next. He’s nearing middle age and I wonder about him. Hope he’s happy. And I wonder what he ever did with that gorilla mask.

I teach because I value those long-term relationships. I tell students, “Once you’re mine, you’re mine for life. I don’t do 3-am phone calls and I don’t do tuition, but I want to stay in contact. I want to celebrate the successes and be there for the not-successes.” My students are mine…we spent time together testing each other, learning from each other, growing. I still attend funerals and I meet new babies. I am contacted for book recommendations, and I’m tagged on pictures of their babies reading. That bond is the ultimate reason I teach. Every student who spent time with me taught me to be his teacher or her teacher. Every student is part of the legacy I send out to a future I won’t see.  Is there anything more important?

I teach because I can’t not teach.

Bernitha and Me -- a short from when I was short

A short blog post about a time when I was shorter.

I was a child of divorce long before it was part of the lexicon for kids in elementary school. By the time I was in third grade, my mom had married and divorced my father and a stepfather. Each time she returned with kids in tow to HER mother, a scary force I called “Kitty”. Kitty worked her entire life and was afraid having a half-grown female calling her “Grandma” would seal her fate, so she lied about her age until the day she died…but I digress.

Mom returned to Kitty’s house, now with two daughters, and no visible income. She got a job and had to arrange for daycare (another nearly-unheard-of phenomenon in the early 1950’s). She found a woman who would keep my sister and me during the day: Bernitha. 

I think she had kids of her own, but I can’t remember…like all childhood memories, mine are vague and selective. I do remember getting chicken pox and lying on Bernitha’s couch, itching. I remember the rule that we couldn’t go outside on summer mornings until the dew had dried…and once we went out, we were to stay out until lunch. Lunch was not nutritious at all: Sugar Buddies! White bread spread with margarine, then sprinkled with white sugar. To keep the sugar from falling all over the table, we quickly folded the bread into a sandwich and ate. I cannot remember ever eating protein at Bernitha’s house.

But what I remember mostly is the music that filled Bernitha’s home…we called it ‘Hillbilly’ music…twangy voices and twangy guitars in equal measure. Pumping from her plastic table radio. All day. Every day. Bernitha often sang along, and in self-defense, I did too. Mom was not amused.

The first time I heard Patsy Cline in the 1960’s after Mom remarried Daddy (the dream of every child of divorce…and I lived it!), I was taken back to Bernitha’s hot, crowded, dark, living room and that tinny music. This was the sound I remember, even though I couldn’t tell you ONE recording artist I heard at her house. But Cline’s raw emotional voice was similar to the ones that created the soundtrack of my middle childhood years.

Since I’m NOT a country fan, I seldom listen or watch current artists, but a recent YouTube video of  LeeAnn Rimes channeling Cline in a recent tribute stopped me, as those powerful childhood memories can do. I listened and found I had tears in my eyes, thinking about that hard time in our lives, and the gruff woman who didn’t necessarily nurture me, but treated me with decency and didn’t make me feel different…tainted…because of the circumstances of my life.

I would tell my students about my childhood, and the extraordinary good luck to see my parents reunited after their years apart. I could see the shock in kids’ eyes to think this old woman also survived divorce. And hillbilly music and Sugar Buddies and Bernitha.