Dear Policymakers and Administrators:
It’s time we face it, things are changing in the world of education. Whether you are on board or not, there is no denying that the boat has been rocked. Since 2010, teacher turnover has been reported at 20%. Perhaps you think it is a good thing, because you are weeding out all the lazy ineffective teachers. But in my world, I have seen highly effective and well trained educators leave the profession. Teachers that care and still maintain high test scores. Teachers that have mentored me when I was a new teacher, and guided me every step of the way. Teachers that will ROCK your socks off. The teachers that are leaving represent much of the value and experience in education. At some point, you have to realize this affects everybody.
Teachers need to be treated with respect and we have to be trusted in order for things to move forward. We are forced to attend Professional Learning Communities (PLC’S) to talk about things on a set agenda that have little to no impact on kids. Of course we have real things that are pushed to the side so we can talk about whatever is already set on an agenda for us. Although data is an important part of our job, let us meet about other things! We need to talk about the safety of our children, discipline, and other logistical things that help run the school.
And let’s talk about those district quarterly standardized assessments. Not only do we waste taxpayer dollars on them, but we have to take away learning to administer those tests. I bet the taxpayers wouldn’t be so thrilled if they knew that. I know of a district that administered 28 tests throughout the year. That is 28 days of instruction taken away from the 180 day school year. That equates to about 16% of the school year spent taking tests.
I have taught everywhere in the K-2 range. In my experience with administering these types of tests, I would watch the kids as they guessed on the answers. I couldn’t help but notice them “check out” right in front of me. (And I am not the type of teacher that lets kids “check out”) They can only take so much. For something that is already developmentally inappropriate, you can not blame them. So, is the loss of their educational days lost worth it?
Teachers are forced to look at this assessment data in so many different ways. They are forced to read the data until their eyes dry up. Kids are labeled according to their test scores, and their names are put on data wall. Sorry to burst your bubble, but teachers do not need a data wall to tell them which kids are not up to grade level. We know.
Teachers are also expected to post four or more objectives for each subject every day. And their lesson plan requirements? Just see the wall! Everything on the wall is expected to be in the lesson plan. And then some! We don’t look at them. Because they aren’t for us, they are for you. And although you have no idea what it is like to be with your students forty hours a week, and then go home and write these ridiculous things, they will be posted and ready for you whenever you decide to “drop by.” This is not the best use of a teacher’s time. You are taking not only time away from our families during our non-contractual time but you are also taking away from our real lesson planning.
Please give us the respect we deserve, and listen to us when we say, “You are going the wrong way!” We are in the classroom, and you are not. Sure you do your drive by’s, but come into my classroom and teach! And I don’t want you to teach for a week, teach for a DAY! That is all it takes to realize that we are masters of our craft and we desperately need you to trust us as professionals. Please don’t lose your most valuable asset in education: Teachers.
Respectfully yours,
Emily
I am not a veteran teacher, but I have been teaching long enough to know the difference between right and wrong. I refuse to be a player in this game. I urge all teachers to think about what is really best for kids. You have a brain, use it! Stick up for yourself when you feel something is not right. Teachers are carefully being silenced, and we must speak up before our voices are no longer heard. Be a leader. Change the game.
Mrs. McHaffie says
September 23, 2014 at 3:25 amNailed it!! We ARE being undermined and belittle as professionals on a daily basis. This does not help parents in trusting us either. Your thoughts are spot on!
Stephanie McConnell says
September 23, 2014 at 4:42 amHey Emily, I’m a principal in Texas and follow you for some time. I’m apologize for what you are having to do. As the leader of my campus, I do not have meetings to just have them. I value the teaching time. I remember what it was like in your shoes. Posting of objectives on the board is not worth the time and energy. Like you said…it wasn’t for the students or you so why do it. However, as administrators we have to do things because it is coming from higher up. But I must admit, when I get the directive to do something, I do question the reasons behind it. In my meetings with the teachers, I share the purpose of it. If the purpose isn’t valid, I don’t do it. I agree…we need less testing and more teaching. Texas is all about testing. Hope you have a better year- if not, come teach in East Texas!
Stephanie from Principal Principles
Stephanie McConnell says
September 23, 2014 at 4:44 amOne more thing, I appreciate you writing the post to keep me reminded of what teachers go through each day. Keep up the good work.
Stephanie from Principal Principles
Emily Liscom says
September 24, 2014 at 6:23 pmThank you so much for your comments, Stephanie! I am so disturbed by some of the things happening across the country. I am in a very safe place currently:) I just get a little fired up about the things I hear. Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad you are in touch and reflective with your teachers and classrooms:) I am your newest follower as well!
Chelsea ONeal says
September 26, 2014 at 4:02 pmStephanie! Your in my neck of the woods.. I would love your advice! HOW do we as teachers get heard without feeling like we are targeted?? My district (elementary) is killing us at the moment.. I don’t know one teacher I talk to that is happy.. I would love to find a constructive way to help us!
🙂
Chelsea
Kickin It Whole Brain In Texas
OhioMom2 says
September 23, 2014 at 4:45 pmAMEN!!! It’s time we stand up together and be seen (and heard) as professionals!!
Paige says
September 23, 2014 at 5:45 pmThis is exactly what I needed to hear today. It is so easy to get discouraged when everyone and their mother thinks they know how you should be doing your job.
A positive for all: the sweetest lady was volunteering in her grandson’s classroom last week and approached me, saying “Next time I hear anyone say teaching is easy, I am going to sock them in the face.” I told her to go for it 😉
Paige
Paiges of Learning
tara tw says
September 23, 2014 at 6:03 pmA million thanks would never be enough for this spot-on post. Let us teach! <3
Emily Liscom says
September 24, 2014 at 10:50 pmYou are welcome!!! Let’s!
Deirdre says
September 23, 2014 at 6:35 pmAmen Sister!! Way to say the hard stuff!!
Deirdre
A Burst of First
April Kreitzer Wolfe says
September 23, 2014 at 6:39 pmWhat a great post!! The post that ALL teachers feel! Thanks for putting it out there so people can see. Please let the teachers teach!!
April
Wolfelicious
Naomi O'Brien says
September 24, 2014 at 8:28 pmSpot on! I thought it was just me that felt this way!!
Rhonda says
September 24, 2014 at 11:29 pmWell said Emily! I am a teacher in Australia and your post rings true for us here on the other side of the world.
For too long ‘the suits’ (as I call them) in their fancy offices and with huge pay packets have been telling us how to do our job. Most of them have never even been in a classroom. As you said, they wouldn’t last a day! We don’t need wordy objectives or outcomes to know what our students need. Teachers KNOW their students! A lot of what we are forced to do is to make them look good. I think their big salaries would be better spent on more teachers and resources in our schools. We need to get rid of the ‘fluff’ that does nothing to improve the learning outcomes of our students and just takes precious time away from us to plan fun engaging lessons.
Get out of our classrooms and… Let the teachers teach!!
Classroom Fun
Chelsea ONeal says
September 26, 2014 at 3:52 pmI do not even know where to start……. I am so tired and beat down and it is only week 4 people!!! But it has been that way since day 9 when we were told to DRA, AIMS web… (I am in 2nd grade) Oh and make sure you post the d**m lesson frames that we sprung on you 3 days before school started and “will make your life easier” because “your already doing it”… Well guess what ….. it has NOT made my life easer… It has EXPONENTIALLY made my life harder…Oh you must have 10-15 grades in, pull small groups (Day 9 People!!!), your students should be actively engaged when we POP in.. But forget the fact that we have (stacked) podded the grade level and your class is NOT the advanced (meaning they are NOT grade level)..Oh yes and your NEW District Required webpage had BETTER be uptodate because we are checking…. and don’t forget those lessons.. we are checking those too!
A place that I once could not wait to go and work in–my classroom–has become a place that I wish I could leave behind for the weekend….
HOW can teachers get this to stop without being targeted??? PLEASE tell me!
Stephanie McConnell.. Your in my neck of the woods.. Help me out!
Sorry..so long… been a rough couple weeks.
Chelsea
Kickin It Whole Brain In Texas
Mrs. Carlson's 2nd Grade Classs says
September 26, 2014 at 5:14 pmI am so sorry that you are having a tough time. I feel that I could have written this because my experience is similar. To top things off, we have to create professional goals based on this “data”.
Mrs. Carlson's 2nd Grade Classs says
September 26, 2014 at 5:12 pmEmily, you hit the nail on the head with this post. New tests have been added for 2nd grade and as I look at the results – it shows that most of my kids are below the expected data points BUT the test assesses everything that they are supposed to learn in 2nd grade!! What kind of sense does that make?? Our school district is also going overboard with lesson plans – ugh!
Karen Lawrence says
September 27, 2014 at 6:12 amYou said it all very well. I have had my own classroom for 30 years- 28 of those in primary! We, teachers and students, are under so much pressure that there is little joy left in teaching and, I bet, little to none in learning! 90 minute literacy and now 90 minute math blocks leave little to no time for other necessary things like p,e,. art, music, science, etc… I am made to feel guilty when I carve out space for an art project. I am rebelling. I am not the rebellious type- but this is too important. Thank you for your words of truth.
Karen Lawrence
Veneta Elementary
For the Love of Teaching says
September 27, 2014 at 2:14 pmPerfect Emily!!! Very well said. We are experiencing the same thing here in NC. It’s ridiculous! Teacher turn over rate is only getting higher. I’m so tired of politicians (who have never stepped foot inside a classroom) trying to tell us how to teach! Thank you for saying what we’d all like to say! I’ll have to share. 🙂
Kim Miller
For the Love of Teaching
Hilary says
September 27, 2014 at 6:28 pmThank you, thank you, thank you!! You really took the words out of my brain! I started teaching in the mid-nineties… It was fun. It was creative. The students ENJOYED school. It wasn’t as stressful. Students were learning and authentic assessments proved that. No bubbles to fill in every quarter. No state tests below 4th grade. After 15 years of teaching I left to be a mommy. That wasn’t the plan, but the new system made it easier for me to leave. I was a good teacher. I worked hard to still make learning fun and meaningful even though we were being pushed to be more like robots with a script. Although it broke my heart to leave, I felt that I’d be better off being present for my son’s first years than being the zombie mom that comes home stressed and exhausted. Thank you again for having the courage to share this… I will share your words with as many as I can!
Kimberly Bowsher says
September 27, 2014 at 7:49 pmYour article is right on! Start following @PACTwTACT! Educators and parents trying to make a difference with education and assessment.
Tchr888 says
September 27, 2014 at 10:27 pmWow! Couldn’t have “blogged” it better! Agree 100%! Thank you!
Becky F. says
September 28, 2014 at 4:49 pmAmen!! I thought it was just me, or maybe my school, or just my district. This gives me some courage and hope and good feelings to know teachers all over the country are feeling what I’m feeling and maybe it’s time I actually stood up and said something!
Laney says
September 29, 2014 at 7:30 pmAMEN! Thanks for saying it loud and clear!
kelston says
September 30, 2014 at 7:46 amYou are so right about it all! I feel all those things in my heart. Thank you for putting words to my thoughts and feelings.
Teacher67 says
September 30, 2014 at 5:46 pmI agree! We need to take back the profession we love!
P Bell says
October 27, 2014 at 12:56 pmThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ms. Gram says
November 14, 2014 at 5:30 pmLove this post! I am an elementary art teacher in Georgia and have had to start testing my kids for my teacher evaluation. 50% of our “teacher effectiveness score” comes from these testing results. I have to test all my 2nd and 4th graders – and since I teach at a school with nearly 2,200 students… that’s A LOT (fortunately we have a second art teacher). Technically I only teach 1,100 students in a given year.
The tests only cover art vocabulary. I could literally teach an entire year just drilling my kids with vocabulary lessons, not create art once, and get amazing testing results.
It just isn’t right. I’m in grad school right now in addition to teaching and have decided to make this the focus for my thesis.
I refuse to play the game. I will not drill my kids with vocabulary. I will not take the creativity out of art. And I will not teach to the test.
If that means I’m an “ineffective teacher”.. then so be it.
Melinda says
December 3, 2014 at 1:11 pmWell done, Emily,
Teachers UNITE, child care workers UNITE, Parents UNITE.
I am blessed to be working with children however I am not a trained teacher.
Thank you God!
You Guys are AMAZING and have supported EACH& EVERY teacher I have been blessed to have teach my children.
The admin tasks at OSHC (out-of-school-hours-care) blow me away & I refuse to take them on board.
I’d rather just be the Team Assistant so I can enjoy my children.
Blessings on ALL Teachers everywhere – You Guys blows me away!
Parents – Please spare a thought for these wonderful workers & carers of our children before you open your mouths unconstructively – it’ so disheartening to see such disprect for such Professionals.
Love you Guys,
Melinda
Debbie says
December 4, 2014 at 4:24 pmThank you so much for this post. I have been teaching Kindergarten for 27 years, and this year has been the most frustrating year of my career. We spent the first 2 months of school administering the “NEW AND IMPROVED” state assessment to our precious little 5 year olds (some were actually still 4 year olds!!). Of course it had to be administered 1 on 1, and with no other adult in the room, the other 21 students were expected to work INDEPENDENTLY in centers while we assessed in the back of the room!! The best part is that this assessment gave me NO USEFUL INFORMATION to guide the instruction of my students, so I ended up still having to do my usual formative assessments!! This madness has to stop!!
Magzlo says
January 2, 2015 at 6:46 amAmen, how about the new teacher evaluation. At least in my County. That is a whole new topic. I have been teaching for 15 years, this year, I just want to throw in the white towel and say I give up. I give up on the system not on my students.
Beth says
January 3, 2015 at 4:18 pmI wholeheartedly agree with you Emily! We are under the gun all of the time to turn in data spreadsheets, the same data in several different ways and put in different places. We have unrealistic deadlines that stress us out. Those that get it “done” early or on time are acknowledged to everyone as if they are so much better than the rest of us. The administrators act as if the rest of us are “choosing” not to do what we are told to do. It’s really frustrating and sucks the life out of me! We don’t get a “planning” time to complete these demands and then are hounded for it if it is not turned in on time. I know principals get this from the top, but when is someone going to stand up for teachers and say enough is enough! Most school board members have NEVER been in a teaching position and when they make these decisions it’s like a slap in our face. I feel like they do these things to justify their jobs because then they wouldn’t have anything else to do. I say over and over, I just want to teach! I don’t want to test as much as we do and I don’t want to look at data the way the county looks at it. We know how our students are doing because we are teaching and testing them!
Carrie says
January 7, 2015 at 7:22 pmYou hit the nail on the head and I don’t know a single teacher that doesn’t agree with you. We have all been saying this for YEARS! Here’s my question – how do we start to make the changes that need to be made? Thoughts? Suggestions?
My gut instinct is that local change, while it would be a shorter battle and would relieve a few teachers of some horrible burdens, isn’t enough. I think it needs to start at the national level. I’ve often wondered if the place to start is with parents at a national level. If a majority of parents in this country opted their children out of all these tests, that would make a big impact. Many don’t even know they have the right to do that and we jeopardize our jobs if we tell them.
If every unhappy teacher knew what the first step was to getting back to teaching and stopping this madness, the sound of our footsteps would drown out the chorus of politicians telling us that we aren’t good enough.
Jacquie Tosspon Volk says
January 14, 2015 at 10:34 amThank you, Emily, for voicing what we have all been thinking! As I read all these posts that follow your article, I feel sickened even more by what has become of our education system. I will not reiterate any of what’s already been said, but I do have one question – where are our union reps in all of this? Why do we all pay such exorbitant dues if they are not there, lobbying against what will no doubt eventually lead to their collective demise also? Are they all so shortsighted that they do not foresee the unions crumbling under the weight of all this political (waste) legislation? We teachers seem to be the “Indicator Species.” Once we’re gone, so are all that we and our positions support. (Sorry if I began to ramble…I could go on and on!)
A. Louise says
January 17, 2015 at 6:36 amYou nailed it. After 30 years in the classroom, I am retiring, five years before I wanted to, because of all the ridiculous requirements teachers have now. I love teaching. It is my passion and I am going to continue teach, but not in the public school situation I am in. I’m leaving this mess behind.