School hallways are waxed, walls are freshly painted, and teachers as well as students are on their way to a new school year. Administrators and educators in Dallas faced a contentious year, to say the least, but that will not prevent thousands of children to show up again in the coming weeks.
Even if they have a hard time admitting it, most children get excited about coming back: there are the new clothes, the fresh school supplies, and that secret relief of reuniting with friends. How does a Dallas teacher get excited about the new school year? It is not easy when unpopular policies continue, the threat of a performance based pay system becomes a reality, and half of the coworkers are now in different districts, or starting completely new careers.
It is not easy to keep the spirits up when the looming test scores are presented during the first day of work, and it is disheartening to know that someone from the same grade level might lose a percentage of their salary because her teaching style does not follow the administration’s guidelines. But, at the end, despite all that, the children will still be there. And the teachers will be the ones hearing about their adventures, getting excited about their accomplishments, and cheering them up for the chance to a better future.
Teachers take pride in their work. Most love what they do, and many have had to go through a difficult path to get where they are today. In fact, these professionals repeat constantly to themselves and to others that is not the pay what keeps them doing what they do. However, so much revolves around standardized scores these days that educators do not have time to educate. Test preparation has replaced read aloud time; unison responses have all but supplanted small group instruction; the search for good scores has left children yearning for attention because the teacher is preparing, not only for the lessons and the test, but for rigorous scrutiny from the administration.
Perhaps, this year more than ever, that overused —and many times misused— phrase ‘we are here for the children’ will become a mantra for many, as it seems the only reasonable argument to keep coming back. Teachers will again give hope to troubled teenagers, pay fieldtrip fees for struggling families, and cheer up scared kindergarteners during the first day of school.
There are two options for the school teachers in Dallas: to perpetuate the district’s terrible image through complaining and resisting, or to look past the administrative roadblocks and continue to do what they know best: giving out their best, so the less favored children in the city get a glimpse of the many good things that await for them.
School hallways are waxed, walls are freshly painted, and teachers as well as students are on their way to a new school year. Administrators and educators in Dallas faced a contentious year, to say the least, but that will not prevent thousands of children to show up again in the coming weeks.
Even if they have a hard time admitting it, most children get excited about coming back: there are the new clothes, the fresh school supplies, and that secret relief of reuniting with friends. How does a Dallas teacher get excited about the new school year? It is not easy when unpopular policies continue, the threat of a performance based pay system becomes a reality, and half of the coworkers are now in different districts, or starting completely new careers.
It is not easy to keep the spirits up when the looming test scores are presented during the first day of work, and it is disheartening to know that someone from the same grade level might lose a percentage of their salary because her teaching style does not follow the administration’s guidelines. But, at the end, despite all that, the children will still be there. And the teachers will be the ones hearing about their adventures, getting excited about their accomplishments, and cheering them up for the chance to a better future.
Teachers take pride in their work. Most love what they do, and many have had to go through a difficult path to get where they are today. In fact, these professionals repeat constantly to themselves and to others that is not the pay what keeps them doing what they do. However, so much revolves around standardized scores these days that educators do not have time to educate. Test preparation has replaced read aloud time; unison responses have all but supplanted small group instruction; the search for good scores has left children yearning for attention because the teacher is preparing, not only for the lessons and the test, but for rigorous scrutiny from the administration.
Perhaps, this year more than ever, that overused —and many times misused— phrase ‘we are here for the children’ will become a mantra for many, as it seems the only reasonable argument to keep coming back. Teachers will again give hope to troubled teenagers, pay fieldtrip fees for struggling families, and cheer up scared kindergarteners during the first day of school.
There are two options for the school teachers in Dallas: to perpetuate the district’s terrible image through complaining and resisting, or to look past the administrative roadblocks and continue to do what they know best: giving out their best, so the less favored children in the city get a glimpse of the many good things that await for them.
