Long ago, I determined not to depend on admin for anything. I mean, if they want to help, fine. I'm grateful. In fact I've had very good administrators who were extremely helpful, who've gone the extra mile for me. You'd better believe I'd do the same for them in a heartbeat. Some people inspire loyalty. Sadly, others don't. Here's a comment from a recent blog:
I just left teaching after 20 years. Got tired of being demonized and looked upon as unconcerned with students. I taught 12 in LAUSD, 3 in New Orleans (Katrina refuge), and 6 in Sacramento. I thought I would be RIFED so I earned a degree in medical librarianship. I got a hospital job right away and suddenly I am appreciated and valued. I do lit searches for clinicians and provide evidence based studies for quality managers. Same guy who was blamed for low student test scores and had to go through endless redundant staff developments. They are going to chase away all the good teachers.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that were, at least in part, the goal of "reformers." I don't believe the goal, per se, is to chase away all the good teachers. Neither do I believe they care a whit about whether or not teachers are good. Nor that they would know good teachers if they were being beaten over the head by them. Now I don't advocate beating "reformers" over the head, but someone like Michelle Rhee, who amuses herself and her followers with tales of taping children's mouths shuts, is patently unfit to teach, let alone run a school system or tell the rest of us what to do.
But look at that statement, "suddenly I am appreciated and valued." I'm certain there are tens, hundreds of thousands of teachers who have no notion of what that means. I know some of them personally, and others I've met via email. This is not how a wise nation treats those it would entrust with the education of its children. The notion of creating temporary teachers in order to pad the resumes of Ivy teachers is simply idiotic.
I'm bone weary of those who state they put children first, and do so by putting teachers last. Treating teachers like this is not only unproductive to the education of our children, but colors the government a truly miserable role model. Don't think kids don't know what it means when you make them learn in trailers, closets, bathrooms, basements and crumbling buildings. They get the message loud and clear, and will certainly repeat it somehow, somewhere.
It's not the message I'd want to send, but I don't have nearly as much money as the Mayor, so what could I possibly know?
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