- Fri, May 17, 2013 9:50 PM
I was shown that video by a student and it is making its way around the country. I have to be honest I do not like the way it is being used to attack teachers. I am extremely sensitive to how teachers are being blamed for everything that is wrong with education. I know there are days that I am bad, that I say things I would like back and I surely do not want that circulating through the world as more evidence of why teachers are ruining education.
On the reverse side I have recently spoken to a teacher who received tremendous amount of positive feedback from her students but agonized over a couple of student's negative feedback. The fact that this teacher searched her soul, searched out guidance from peers, showed me the side of teachers that we do not publicized. The part of the profession that cares so deeply about kids that they go to great lengths to make sure that kids the very best education they can deliver.
That being said, do we have to as teachers get angry when people are not doing a good job? My thoughts are yes. The anger should only be for one reason and that bad teaching hurts kids. As a profession we should not become like other professions who protect their own even when they are wrong.
Recently, this also happened to me when a teacher's course load was changed and other people seem disturbed by this action. My comment was that we need to do what is best for kids not what is best for the teacher. Now of course I would expect our administrators, department chairs and colleagues to do what ever they could to help this teacher become better so that they can help kids.
I know you were not looking for this type of reply so I am sorry. As you know since I put them all in your mailbox I believe deeply in student feedback. The truth is that 90% of the good things I do in the class room came from students, the other ten percent came from colleagues.
I am interested to hear others reactions to this video.
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