Talking to a teacher

I had the privilege of meeting a woman this past week who was a first grade teacher until 1978.  At that point she stopped working to take care of her family and never went back. 

Until........now. She has a granddaughter who needed someone to come and help in the classroom.  I told her our story and how the "whole language" method of teaching reading is truly faster for some but does not work at all for a child with dyslexia. 

She completely understood what I was saying.  She said she was in disbelief that teachers are no longer required to teach anything that actually resembles phonics anymore.

In a sense both she and I have been in a time-capsule.  Her, because she left teaching in 1978 and me because I was never in that line of work and my frame of reference is from being a kid at the same time she was a teacher (I'm in my 40's).

My mother was a teacher.  First in Florida in the 1960's which in the photos looks like it was an ideal teaching situation, every child sitting in their seat listening attentively (ha). 

Later, during my childhood she worked in the inner-city (it burnt her out to the point where her health was compromised which is probably no surprise to anyone who has ever worked as a teacher for a marginalized population).

Still, she always taught her children to "sound out" the words. 

I doubt it ever occurred to any teacher at that time that "faster" (aka: whole language) would be better.  Those teachers of that time would have most likely told you that "faster" wasn't going to do a complete job for a lot of people.  (Yes, even then they knew that).

Let me digress for one moment with a theory my neighbor has:  when my mom (now in her 70's) was picking her career in college there were very few choices that would lead to gainful employment for a woman.  Generally the choices were: nursing, teaching and secretarial type employment.  For my mom and many of my aunts it was teaching.  My grandmother was a career teacher too, all of them were in elementary education and knew a lot about child development. At that time teaching was something that worked with raising a family (summers off, etc).

 My neighbor who was also a career teacher (and is now in her 90's) said that feminism changed the overall quality of teachers everywhere.  In her theory the minute women could choose doctor, scientist, professional and so on they left the teaching field in droves to earn more money and more prestige. 

She believes that far fewer brilliant women find themselves in the education field anymore and fewer still in elementary education. 

I know, just sort of let this sink in for a moment. 

Her point is not to bash feminism (which I think most of us hopefully realize has opened up a lot of deserved opportunity for women everywhere) but to show how under appreciated the education field really is.  

As a parent who is concerned not only about my own children but the fate of children everywhere, in the U. S. (which frankly could use a real honest-to-God boost at this point educationally speaking and otherwise) I want good teachers sitting there instructing my child and my child's peers.

At this point No Child Left Behind (NCLB) micro manages public school teachers with Master's Degree's in what amounts to practically 5 minute increments.  This is not acceptable. 

Good teachers who still want to teach phonics so that every child in their classroom can read are doing it on the downlow (translation: they are shutting the door and teaching what they know works despite the ridiculous governmental requirements that are placed on them). 

I don't think good teachers have ever really been a common thing.  We can all hopefully remember that special teacher who saw potential and brought us to a better place because of some extra attention.  But I have a suspicion that those sort of teachers are fewer and fewer and that it's gotten harder and harder for them to keep their jobs.

These days teaching doesn't end at a normal child-coming-home-from-school hour.  Those days are over.  Also the whole summers off doesn't do it anymore.  I don't believe teachers of today are more greedy I think the demands on their time are out of control.

And for the students of today I say this: the society we have created is strangling us with a caste system that we vehemently try to deny. 

Private school, parochial school, homeschooling, and (some) charter schools are supposedly better choices than many public schools depending on what suburb one lives in.

How is that just?  It is not. 

I have known enough graduates of the Ivy League to know that it is the same as wearing designer jeans.  It doesn't actually make someone smarter to have an Ivy League degree.   This is our caste system at it's finest.  Those schools are so prohibitively expensive to keep out nearly everyone of modest means (unless you are an obscure brainiac who playes an unusual musical instrument that they currently need - these are businesses first, always remember that).

But back to our public schools. Those lists that the school provide to military recruiters starting in the beginning of high school of the potential recruits (those children they deem unable to go to college or have choices beyond high school) those are class-based lists. 

Those public school "gifted and talented" classes where a great teacher gets a great bunch of students to work with where they are not subjected to the requirements of No Child Left Behind because they are deemed "gifted".  Those are class (caste) based.  Impoverished children of single parent household are not getting into those type of classes.  Those children are from the more privileged public school parents.

Do I sounds like an angry mommy yet?  I'm not just concerned about my own child, who I will personally see to it has as much success as humanly possible under the circumstances. 

I am an angry citizen. 

I hear the cries of those children with learning disabilities who are blaming themselves for what they think of as "not being smart enough".  I see it in their posture.  I know their stories even if they don't know that I do.

But I also know this. 

Those children teachers want to medicate (whether it's actually necessary or not).  Those children who some teacher or guidance counselor decides aren't college-bound (for economic or whatever reason).  Those children - the children of the poor, or the neglected children, or the learning difference child- I know those children.

I know more of those stories than anyone would ever guess should they just look at me on the outside. 

And I have an agenda and perhaps even a vendetta. 

I have a personal mission to let those stories be heard. 

Even if no one is reading now one day they will be. 

So I say this to you, Universe, I'm not going to shut up.  I'm not going away.  I will write and talk whether anyone hears me or not because eventually they will.