Dear pointy headed intellectuals and politicians, you've been doing your best for a number of years now to blame teachers for all of the ills in our schools. Well, today, I've decided to stand with you on this position with one caveat, you also have to support the following initiatives.
First, parents are to be evaluated on their scholars behavior. If their scholar acts responsibly and enjoy good repute in the community, their parents should receive a good rating. If, on the other hand, their scholar causes annoyance and trouble or raise Cain in their town, the parents should receive a poor parent rating.
Second, doctors should be evaluated on the health of their patients. It wouldn't matter that there was no known cure for a particular ailment, or that the problem stemmed from heredity, poverty, or childhood neglect. Nor, would it matter that these doctors might have repeatedly implored their patients to take their meds or warned them of the link between smoking and cancer, overeating and heart trouble, drinking or liver disease. Nor would it matter that they told their patients that if they ignored their advice, they would bring on a stroke, or perhaps even die! No! These doctors simply aren't motivating! They're ineffective! They should lose their licenses!
Third, clergy should be evaluated on the lives of their flock. It would be beside the point that these men and women of the cloth were saints, whose goodness and humanity inspired all of whom they met; that they preached with the tongues of angels, possess a faith to move mountains, and consumed themselves in urging all to lead a good life. No! This wouldn't count! If there were reprobates and malicious gossips in their folds who destroyed reputations, they should be defrocked!
Fourth, that these ratings be made public. Knowledge of parental accountability would insure immediate improvement in their scholar's behavior. Knowledge that doctors were now held publicly responsible for their patients' health would instantly move people to take scrupulous care of themselves. Likewise, the certainty that the clergy would be held publicly accountable for the lives of their congregations would inflame their flocks to reach the highest level of sanctity.
Fifth, let us now proceed to the politicians! Well, on second thought, I'll leave that to you.
As I've said on a number of occasions I am not a pointy headed intellectual so it is time to fess up. These are not my ideas. They came from an article written by Frank Breslin, a retired high school teacher, that I came across while perusing the internet. While I'd like to wholly support these ideas I know, as did Mr. Breslin, that they are absurd and will not be taken seriously. What I did find interesting, though, was Mr. Breslin's summation of his article that I'll share with you.
Mr. Breslin speaking. Absurd proposals? Of course they are! But why are they any less absurd than singling out teachers alone and evaluating them on the performance of their students, who are after all only children, when society has been trying to make adults behave responsibly since Adam and Eve?
What is it about America that makes it take a leave of its senses in imposing on teachers alone such absurd expectations which it wouldn't dare impose on any other profession that deals with adults, let alone immature, rebellious, and defiant children? Is America so desperate for scapegoats that it willfully ignores the nature of children and the many outside influences upon children's learning and behavior beyond teachers' control? Every parent and teacher is aware of these elementary facts about children, so why aren't politicians and educational "reformers," many of whom also are parents? Which leads to the following question: What is this policy of evaluating teachers on their students' performance really about?
Mr. Breslin raises a valid question and despite my advanced years and a lack of a Mensa status I believe I know the answer. It's the complete and total failure of politicians and their posse of pointy headed intellectuals to put forth a clear and concise plan on how to address Indiana's historically low educational rating when compared to other states in our country. I wish I had tracked closely the plethora of directional changes that have taken place in education over my thirty five plus years as a resident of Indiana. Every time the highest political offices in the state changes hands the education policy goes in another direction. If the same politicians happen to maintain they political positions for successive elections rather than tweaking their current education plan to make improvements they blow it up and go in a different direction. Take the Indiana Stupid Testing and Evaluation Process (ISTEP) for example. How many times has it changed directions? Take the test in the spring; take the test in the fall; no, let's go back to the spring; no, let's go back to the fall; and what the hell, let's just make the test longer and harder. That's absolutely ridiculous and for those of you outside the state of Indiana, say in Europe or as far west as Utah, let me tell you about the results of the longer and harder test that these politicians and their posse of pointy headed intellectuals devised. It was a disaster as parental units and teachers united in voice to state their outrage at what they were seeing. This ground swell of outrage became so intense that the politicians and their posse of pointy headed intellectual changed course and shortened the test which is again another change in educational direction. All of this is totally ridiculous and the fault for the failure to educate the scholars in this state rests solely on a total lack of direction at the highest levels of education in our state. And once the politicians and their posse of pointy headed intellectuals sensed that people are looking to blame them for all these failures they needed a scapegoat and who did they choose, the classroom teacher.
That's it, I've stated my case and if you disagree with me and still want to blame the classroom teacher and not politicians and pointy headed intellectuals I'm fine with all of that. However, if you do side with the politician and pointy headed intellectuals I may be tempted to think that you also believe that the moon is made of cheese and those little green things you see lurking in your neighbors bushes are Martians.
The new school year starts in seven days, I'm out. Thanks for continuing to read the musing of an old guy who will have a view from the back of the room for another one hundred and eight school days.
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