My Turn By David Finley
Educators know the truth but are afraid to say it: All children cannot
learn. I am an educator, and in my profession it is a mortal sin to say that
all children cannot learn. Now that I have said it publicly, I will probably
lose my job and be excommunicated from my profession. At the very least I am
certain it will give Arizona's state superintendent of public instruction a
bad case of heartburn.
Perhaps I can redeem myself by rephrasing the statement: All children can
learn but all children cannot learn as much as all other children. And all
children cannot learn to some preset state or Federal standard, as is
currently mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act and Arizona Learns
legislation.
I am principal of a school the state has labeled "underperforming." Does
this embarrass me? Not in the least. The label is a misnomer. Schools are
simply brick and mortar. They do not perform, over or under. The label really
means that the school's instructional staff is underperforming. Since I know
that the teachers at my school are effective, dedicated professionals who are
actually "overperforming," I am not the least bit embarrassed by being
mislabeled as a result of this ridiculous legislation. Color me defensive if
you must, but I believe labeling schools is nothing more than name-calling,
something most of us learned not to do in kindergarten. Labeling schools will
not improve them and actually runs counter to the intended purpose. The goal
of the law is admirable and sounds great to voters. Schools will be held
accountable to ensure that all children learn and succeed; the achievement
gap between poor and rich kids will magically disappear; and no child will be
left behind. The only phrase missing is that everyone will live happily ever
after.
Like the emperor in the classic fairy tale, the No Child Left Behind Act
has no clothes, but no one is saying so. The punitive nature of the
legislation is forcing teachers to teach to a test instead of teaching
children; consequently, there may be a superficial test scores. However, for
solving the problem of low achievement by at-risk children, it is tantamount
to putting a Band-Aid on a headache. Saying that "all" children must achieve
to a predetermined standard on a test is like saying that all children in
physical education classes must run a six-minute mile on a physical fitness
exam. And saying that all children must show one year's academic growth for
one year in school is like saying that all children in the school lunch
program must gain 10 pounds and grow 2 inches in one year.
Children are not created equal in athletic ability or physical
characteristics. Neither are they created equal in their ability to learn.
Any first-year teacher knows this; apparently politicians do not. They have
created a law that is focused on fixing the schools and just possibly the
schools aren't broken. I am not saying the schools are perfect or that we
cannot improve. And I firmly believe that the education profession must be
held accountable for what it does. But this is true of every profession,
including law and medicine.
The professional educator, however, seems to be at the bottom of the food
chain. Unlike any other profession, we are constantly asked to do more with
less. And politicians, who say things that are politically expedient but not
educationally realistic, relentlessly criticize us. Doctors and lawyers are
never subject to such political philandering and shortsighted legislation.
Doctors are not required by law to cure all their patients. It is
acknowledged that there are circumstances with each patient that are unique.
Some patients will not follow their doctor's instructions; some simply have
illnesses that cannot be cured. Lawyers are not required by law to win all
their cases. It is recognized that every client has a unique set of
circumstances that will directly affect their attorney's ability to bring
them success in court. Teachers, on the other hand, do not fare so well with
lawmakers. The law ignores the fact that schools in the low-income areas
serving predominantly at-risk children have much higher percentages of
children with special "medical problems and legal circumstances." Under the
threat of a "failing label" teachers must cure every child irrespective of
his or her illness; win every case in the courthouse of the classroom no
matter the legal circumstance of the child.
In "The Emperor's New Clothes," it takes a small child to tell the truth
and bring the adults to their senses. Maybe our legislators need to come into
the "underperforming" schools. They might learn some things they did not know
before. Perhaps this would bring about some responsible legislation aimed at
solving some of our problems instead of creating new ones, such as an exodus
of quality teachers from the at-risk schools, where they are needed most.
Fairy tales usually have a happy ending, but I fear not this one.
David Finley is the principal of Webster Elementary School in Mesa, AZ. He
has been an educator for 32 years.
John A. Lynch, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry, #2252
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598
Office: 437 Grote Hall
Phone: (423) 425-4491
Fax: (423) 425-5234
Email: [log in to unmask]
|
