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| "If they have Ds or Fs, there's something you're not doing for them." |
I didn’t always get a chance to fix my mistakes, to go back in time and erase my failures, but instead I learned what not to do the next time. Failing grades stood, lumpy pieces of pottery graced the mantle, broken bones got casts. As a result of my education, I not only learned information, I learned to think through my ideas, to try my best every single time; I learned effort. I’d like to say that in some idealistic moment of nostalgia and pride, I decided to become a teacher, but the truth is that I never thought I would do anything else. I come from a long line of teachers and I loved school from day one.
To pursue this calling, I worked hard to earn the title of “classroom teacher,” but I became quickly disillusioned when my title of teacher did not in any way reflect my actual job. I realized that I am not permitted to really teach students anything."
FOR THE REST OF THE MISERY.
How completely disheartening. I have high school teacher friends who are allowed to assign Ds and Fs to students who are earning those grades. I wonder if this policy of not failing anyone is by district.
ReplyDeleteThat article describes much of what I had to endure while I was teaching.
ReplyDeleteMuch of what I did was about as pointless as trying to empty a river with a sieve. Often, the students in question went over my head and convinced my superiors that I was being a meanie for "giving" them a mark that was beneath them. I also had students fail my courses who, miraculously, managed to pass after I submitted the grades
Eventually, I'd had enough and I quit.
And the dung just keeps on rolling-my brother and sister in law are both teaching at the same community college where the administration has precisely the same attitude: if you're giving out Ds and Fs you're not doing your job properly and furthermore, it is the job of the instructor to facilitate the student to graduate, i.e. whatever it takes to pass them.
ReplyDeleteI teach at a school where the dept chair wants no problems with the administration, which views the student as a customer and the customer is always right. If we ever have an economy with unemployment rates like we saw in the late 90s the education system, from K-12 all the way through to the university system, will be totally screwed with the whooshing sound of faculty leaving for greener pastures.