America’s education policy is a numbers obsessed community. We rank our students comparatively so that proper interventions can be given, we dole out pointless letter grades based on obscure percentages, we graph, we draw, we list from highest to lowest all in the quest of how to teach with more meaning, more ability, more effectiveness and more adherence. This number obsession is now targeting teachers through merit pay suggestions, firings based on test scores, rewriting of school wide goals based on the percentage of yearly growth in academics by individual teachers. Nowhere is it mentioned where students started at the beginning of the year, what happened during the year, or any other factors that may have a play in how a child (and teacher) performs. After all, how many of us have ever failed a test simply because we did not get enough sleep or had something else on our mind? To use those test scores as the sole basis of observation of someones teaching skills is an injustice that we cannot afford to let pass.
I am not saying that there aren’t poor teachers out there, of course there are. However, we all know many educators that are passionate about their job and passionate about their children. Because that’s what they are; our kids. We take them all; the hungry, the poor, the talented, the needy, the angry, the hopeless, the mutes, the ghost kids that are there one day and gone the next. We invite them all into our room, into our lives and we do our best in teaching them something, even if it just means teaching them that ours is a room they can feel safe in. And that is why I became a teacher; to invite them into my family, to show them all that someone cares about them, even if they have an overabundance of people who support and cherish them.
So as merit pay is discussed and jobs are cut because of test scores, I wonder; who will teach “those” kids? The ones with the files as thick as a Harry Potter book, the ones everyone knows even if they have not taught them. the ones with the missing files that never seem to materialize, the ones that leave class to go to doctor’s appointments, counseling, therapy, or just never show up. The ones that so brighten my day, even if they are there half of the week. The ones that are forced into an adult role when they are 9, the ones that carry their little sister’s backpacks in the hallway and hold their hand when they get on the bus because it is them against the world. Who will teach those kids when you may lose your job because they did not live up to an inane standard set by a far removed government? I will…will you?
Pernille Ripp 
Excellent post. Having been one of "those" students myself, I absolutely adore working with "those" students. And while we have our standardized tests in this province, and we complain quite often about how they are used to compare teachers… we are lucky enough to not be in a situation where teachers are getting fired for poor test scores.While, I'm a little nervous to be working with some of "those" students next year after working with them last year, I'm also excited to see them make progress. So yes, I will join you in teaching "those" students!
Nice post!I will also take "those" kids. They'll fit nicely with "those special ed. kids" I already teach. And, to be honest, if I lose my job for such things as caring about students, taking in the ones who need more, taking a chance on the underdogs, I feel confident that the world will have something more for me…
Keep up the good fight. "Those kids" know you are fighting for them, even if the State/Feds are not.
Wow. I have tears in my eyes. I teach some of "those kids" too. The kids who cry in June because they won't have their safe place for 2 months, the kids who only bring lunch to school once every 4 days because their family can only afford 1 lunch a day and there are 4 kids in the family, the kids who ask stay in to do their homework at recess because they get beat at home for trying to be better than their parents, the kids who know that it is warmer to sleep next to houses with basements than those without… I teach those kids and love them. I read posts like this and feel very fortunate that in my province, teachers are not judged by how well our students do in standardized tests. Keep up the good fight and know that we are supporting you in your fight.
I honestly don't worry much about my job. If they don't like what I am doing, if they don't like my effort level, if they don't like me – I can go somewhere else and make a difference. I honestly think that you can just do your best. If you do your best, people will notice. I have had incredibly supportive admins since I have been a teacher. Holding teachers accountable is good, but it has to be done in a thoughtful, yet fair process. I'm not sure that is being done, especially in inner city schools. However, teachers need to step up and actually do their job – caring about their students. I have met some teachers who really don't care. I'm ashamed to say that it has been quite a few. Not the majority, but quite a few. You can tell who they are because they can't wait to leave school each day, their teaching interests end when the bell rings, and they spend zero time on PD. In general, they don't care. We need to start caring, or those teachers need to move on.
I had tears in my eyes, too. I teach kids with IEPs. I am so very worried about them and this common standards stuff. They struggle so already – now what will happen?Excellent post.
Thank you for sharing your stories about those kids. While I too am not under the gun over test scores, it is the direction that scares me. When test scores are all that we base teacher evaluations on, society loses. There are indeed people that are not good teachers that should quit, we all know who they are, and there should be some way to weed them out. Maybe as a community we start to come up with solutions that can become part of the debate rather than let the debate overtake us.
I came into teaching because of "those kids." Your post actually jogged something in the back of my mind that I'd been thinking about this summer. I'd been watching some news about how "far/not far" education has come in New Orleans since Katrina. Every time I see something about it I think that I can, should, want to go teach down there. It would be a major change for my husband I as New Englanders for many reasons but it always resonantes with me and almost simultaneously, for the first time, this summer it dawned on me- not every teacher thinks that probably. WHOA~! Not every teacher would want to run right down there and jump right in and do that job?! I mean, listen, I'm not down there, I might not ever be, but I teach as similarly to those circumstances, as helpfully as possible up here, as I can. But not every teacher wants to. Huh. Something for me to chew on.
This is something that came up when they were pushing SB6 in Florida. They said they would give incentives to teachers who taught disadvantaged kids, but will they really attract the kind of teachers who really want to work with "those" students by offering more money?The flip side is it will also cause people to reconsider teaching the gifted students. "Those" students are often so low, they can only go up, in terms of test scores. However, the gifted kids are on the opposite spectrum, some of them are at a level where they are bound to either plateau (no improvement shown from year to year is just as bad as a student whose score goes down) or drop a level or two. We've seen it happen.It is heartening to hear so many in the comments say that they will want to teach those students. However, I think your original question stands, after the current crop of teachers, will anyone starting out want to teach these students, during the first few years of their career, when the face the most scrutiny? I truly hope so.
I am glad that I am not in the United States because we are not dealing with the things that you are right now. We do not have merit pay, nor do we pay for any extracurricular activities for teachers. As a principal, I encourage staff to connect with students doing extracurricular activities if they are passionate about the activity. It is never about the extra money, it is just about sharing your love with students.As educators, we need to do everything we can to not only care for these kids, but help them become leaders. I have been challenged on this when people say "those" kids can never be leaders, they can barely ________ . This is where I go right back and say, "Those kids need to be leaders more than anyone. We need to ensure that they can take charge of their own lives since they usually have poor support at home." If we look for them to be leaders, we will find it. That is what a great teacher does; finds the special thing about student and ensures that the child sees it as well.Through this work and challenge we become so much better for everyone in our school. We always tell our students that through challenge they will get better, yet so do we. Not only do we get better, but our schools are always better off when we have a wide variety of students to learn from.My office is filled with "those" students and if it was not for them, my job would never be as rewarding. When "those" students come out and do amazing things, it impacts our lives in a way that we will never forget.
i do.
Great post! “Those” are the students who need teachers the most, not just for academics purposes but also for positive role models. “Those” are the students who should be taught leadership skills because that is how they will change their live for the good and possibly their family’s lives also. Being a teacher is about teaching students who have the most difficulty learning.
I admire your willingness and committment to your students. Your passion for teaching. learning and most importantly relationships. I have taught the students that you teach for 10 years now, and have taught the entire spectrum from grade 1 to grade 12. Many times it is not the curriculum that we teach that connects us with these students, but it is the things that we inadvertently teach by being caring, understanding and honest individuals. Showing these students that they aren't statistics, that they can learn, that they can make a difference and that what they have been told all these years about being have-nots is false. Luckly, I teach in the great white north, where we are not subjected to what our counterparts in the United states are, in relation to unfair evaluation and testing standards, basing a teachers pay in relation to how their students do. In this respect should not government officials pay be related to how their state, county or such do in relation to economy, achivement and other elements not directly under their control. I truly understand and agree what you are saying. In addition I gladly state "I will teach "those kids"", it would be my pleasure.
It's been a busy week. Between family visitors and back to school tasks I've hardly had time to get on Twitter. This morning I sat down to briefly check in. When I saw your post retweeted for the fifth time (in a quick pass through of my lists), I thought I should stop by…..and so glad I did. Thanks for helping to send a message of what is most important in ed——CHILDREN. Cathy (@justwonderinY)
Our students are more than the sum of their test scores. So are our teachers.
Those kids comprise most of my school. Some of the lives that many of those kids live break my heart. I love the post and felt a bit emotional thinking of some of them now. Our system is headed in the wrong direction. The focus isn't on the students, it isn't on learning, it's on politics. I'm not sure how to change the "system" but I do know I can change myself, my classroom, and I can hope to bring lasting change to the lives of my students. We have to start small, with our self, and then lead and teach by example. "Those kids" are why we do this.
I agree with you, and need to say this; until "those" students are really treated with the same kind of dignity, equality, and care as the president's children, we will never achieve what we want for all our children. You can add students who are disabled to those children, too.