It’s All On You
When I began my teaching career in the mid ‘70’s, the philosophy was schools provided an educational opportunity. Whether a child decided to partake of this opportunity or not was his/her choice. As a result a higher percentage of students from lower-socioeconomic groups or those with learning disabilities did not complete high school. Some families encouraged their children to drop-out to seek employment and enhance the family’s economic situation and those with learning disabilities or language acquisition left public schools frustrated that their needs weren’t being met.
Pass if Possible
In the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s, the philosophy changed. The student became less responsible for his/her education and the teacher became responsible for students’ academic success. Students were expected to succeed at his/her personal best. To guarantee this, administrators looked at the teachers’ failure rates, not the students’ mastery of learning. The administration monitored grades and confronted teachers whose failure rates were too high. Instead of evaluating a teacher’s instruction methods and student learning, teachers were encouraged to pass if possible. Teachers called parents to increase a student’s attendance and completion of assigned work As a result grade inflation occurred. This continued into the ‘90’s when grades, not learning, became more visible for parents who could access teacher’s grades on on-line roll books. During this time, parents would wait outside my classroom to inquire why their son’s assignment handed-in five minutes before didn’t appear in the on-line grade book. Worse yet, was the parent who e-mailed me about her son’s research paper that I hadn’t yet graded while I sat in intensive care beside my husband who was in a coma recovering from a near death heart attack. The responsibility had shifted completely away from the child to the teacher.
Mastery For All
When end of the year assessment began in the 2000’s, the philosophy changed again: the teacher was now not only responsible for every students academic grade, and learned the material to his or her potential, but that every student successfully mastered the learning objectives developed by the state and federal office of education for his/her grade level. Data on students’ test scored were aggregated by subgroup and displayed on state websites so the pressure was not only on the teacher, but the entire education system to improve education for all students. This meant the teacher had to make certain every child completed every assignment and test successfully, but provide scaffolding activities for students’ with learning disabilities, language acquisition issues and behavior problems. Teaching had become more complicated with fully integrated classrooms after mainstreaming became more prevalent. English language learners, students with autism, learning disabilities and behavioral disabilities were housed in the same class with 40+ other students on every learning level. While teachers were held to an even higher level of responsibility, students were encouraged to resubmit assignments that they performed poorly on and retake tests. Even students who plagiarized papers were encouraged to rewrite them without penalty, Achieving learning goals became the goal rather than accepting responsibility. Still, new instructional techniques and the integration of technology improved instruction.
Working Together At Home
Then came the Corona Virus and the student were sent home to learn on-line. Surprisingly, despite a plethora of high level interactive websites, conferencing with teachers on Zoom,and virtual tours of museums, zoos,and aquariums, some students have never even logged on. After 40’s years of giving the entire responsibility for education to teachers, parents and children must assume some portion of responsibility for their child’s education. Returning to the days when students were responsible for either accepting or rejecting their education seems untenable because 50% chose to fail. We should not be surprised that some parents and children are having difficulties? Teachers need to call these families. If the child has no internet connection Comcast offers low or no cost internet to low income families or parents can call 844.488-8398 and Spectum also offers free internet. If the child or the parent needs encouragement to sit together and work on the assignments, the teacher should offer it. Analyzing and improving techniques to reach the reluctant learners will improve outcomes. The education of the child is not just the child’s responsibility, not just the teacher’s responsibility, but a collaboration of the child, the parent and the teacher. Responsibility for a child’s education truly belongs to the entire community.
