Polishing the Good Apples

I just finished reading the cover article in the most recent Time Magazine.   The story, titled Rotten Apples, approaches the issue of how difficult it is to fire bad teachers.  Much of the article focused on the State of California where teachers can receive tenure after as little as two years of experience. Once that happens the unions and teacher association make it almost impossible to terminate them.

While we all have heard stories of incompetent educators, I like to focus on the millions of teachers who are dedicated to educating America's youth.  As a retired educator, albeit in the private sector, I will admit a bias, but I also can draw on current experience.  I teach in our local school district as part of the Student Advancement Leadership Initiative (SALI), a program of LINC North Texas. Every other Friday I spend the day at our neighborhood middle school working with 7th and 8th graders.  I also am part of the parent nights that LINC hosts in other middle schools around our district.  As a result I have opportunity not just to work with teachers but partner with them.  From my experience they are not only competent, but extremely dedicated.  They also do their jobs with a smile, showing real concern and compassion for their students.

Yesterday I had a conversation with an individual that reinforced my impression.  He was seated next to me on the parking shuttle from the TCU football game .  Traffic was terrible, so believe me we had time to talk.  He was a school administrator at a high school in another school district in the DFW area.  He was curious about the SALI program and I was interested in hearing about his experience.  His number one concern was keeping competent teachers happy and employed. Low pay was not as much an issue as staff moral.  In his opinion many teachers feel under-appreciated.  They also function in a culture that expresses little esteem for them as educators. Teaching is not viewed as the honorable profession it once was.

We all know teachers.  In some cases they are friends, in other cases they teach our children and grand children.  In all cases, they need our support and encouragement.  I would encourage you to go beyond just kind words.  Do something for them. Give them a Starbucks gift card or box of candy. Write a note of thanks.  I still have a box full of thank you notes from parents that I received during my classroom days.  They still make great reading when I need encouragement.

Don't focus on the bad teacher, rather work to affirm and nurture the good ones.