We must reject the ideology of the "achievement gap" that absolves adults of their responsibility and implies student culpability in continued under-performance. The student achievement gap is merely the effect of a much larger and more debilitating chasm: The Educator Achievement Gap. We must erase the distance between the type of teachers we are, and the type of teachers they need us to be.
posted by Kilian Betlach at 11:29 AM
For six years, I taught reading and writing to ELL and SpEd students. I stumbled through the job of Athletic Director and continuously hired myself as a basketball coach. I served as union rep and was classified as a TFA Almuni. I earned a Masters in Educational Leadership & Administration, producing a collaborative thesis through a haze of distraction. The writings on this site garnered a certain amount of praise, as well as the ire of District leadership. I am no longer a teacher.
3 Comments:
When I worked with kids I once had to lock myself in the bathroom and jump up and down with hysterical joy because one of my totally erratic, major-trouble-at-home, out of control angry kids got off the school bus fuming from a bad day and said, "I had a bad day! I'm so angry! I need a cup of chamomile tea!"
Sometimes small things are so amazing.
J.
I've been teaching for 3.5 years, but every once in a while, I look around and kind of marvel at how different my priorities have become. A good Wednesday four years ago used to be picking fights in my psych seminar, no vomiting, and a grilled cheese with tomatoes from the dining hall. Now, it's like interactive grammar activities, crossing things out on to-do lists, and R. passing his A.R. reading quiz.
but at least you still get to pick fights with charter school advocates!
also, and this is a serious point, email me about the new, improved, god dammit lawyers make too much money pseudostoops microlending program. i think your classroom is currently my top donating priority.
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