Help Teacher can t teach.docx

Help Teacher can t teach.docx

《Help Teacher can t teach.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Help Teacher can t teach.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

HelpTeachercantteach

窗体顶端

OnFreetoChoose,hispopularpublictelevisionseries,EconomistMiltonFriedmanstandsbeforeBoston'sHydeParkHighSchoolasuniformedguardssearchenteringstudentsforweapons.Inavoice-overFriedmansays:

"Parentsknowtheirkidsaregettingabadeducationbut...manyofthemcanseenoalternative."

Speakingofeducationalreform.RichardH.Hersh,associatedeanforteachereducationattheUniversityofOregon,tellsameeting:

"We'vebeenrearrangingdeckchairsontheTitanic."

SaysProfessorJ.MyronAtkin,deanofStanfordUniversity'sSchoolofEducation:

"Forthefirsttime,itisconceivabletoenvisionthedismantlingofuniversal,public,compulsoryeducationasithasbeenpioneeredinAmerica."

Likesomevastjurygraduallyandreluctantlyarrivingataverdict,politicians,educatorsandespeciallymillionsofparentshavecometobelievethattheU.S.publicschoolsareinparloustrouble.Violencekeepsmakingheadlines.Testscoreskeepdropping.Debateragesoverwhetherornotone-fifthormoreadultAmericansarefunctionallyilliterate.Highschoolgraduatesgosofarastosuetheirschoolsystemsbecausetheygotrespectablegradesandadiplomabutcannotfillinjobapplicationformscorrectly.Expertsconfirmthatstudentstodaygetatleast25%moreAsandBsthantheydid15yearsago,butknowless.AGovernment-fundednationwidesurveygroup,theNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress,reportsthatinscience,writing,socialstudiesandmathematicstheachievementofU.S.17-year-oldshasdroppedregularlyoverthepastdecade.

Roundinguptheusualsuspectsinthelearningcrisisiseasyenough.Thedeclineofthefamilythatonceinstilledrespectforauthorityandlearning.Theinfluenceoftelevisiononstudentattentionspan.Thedisruptionofschoolscreatedbybusing,andthenationalpolicyofkeepingmorestudentsinschoollonger,regardlessofattitudeoraptitude.Theconflictingdemandsuponthepublicschoolsystem,whichisnowexpectednotonlytoteachbuttomakeupforpastandpresentracialandeconomicinjustice.

Butincreasinglytoo,parentshavebeguntoblametheshortcomingsoftheschoolsontheloneandveryvisiblefigureatthefrontoftheclassroom.Teachersfordecadeshavebeenadmiredforselflessdevotion.Morerecently,asthingswentwrong,theywerepitiedasoverworkedmartyrstoanoverburdenedschoolsystem.Nowbewilderedandbeleaguered,teachersarebeingblamed--rightlyorwrongly--formuchofthetroubleintheclassroom.

OnereasonissimplythatitiseasierforsocietytofindsomeonetoblamethantoholdupamirrorandseethatU.S.cultureitselfislargelyresponsible.Butthenewcomplaintsaboutteacheringalsoarisefromadismayingdiscovery:

quiteafewteachers（estimatesrangeupto20%）simplyhavenotmasteredthebasicskillsinreading,writingandarithmeticthattheyaresupposedtoteach.

Ofcourse,amongthe2.2millionteachersinthenation'spublicschoolsarehundredsofthousandsofskilledanddedicatedpeoplewho,despiteimmenseproblems,managetoproducethemiraculousblendofcareanddiscipline,energy,learningandimaginationthatgoodteachingrequires.Manynewcomerstothefieldarestillattractedbythedreamofhelpingchildrenratherthanforreasonsofsecurityorsalary.Theestimatedaveragesalaryofelementaryschoolteachersis$15,661,andofhighschoolteachers$16,387,forninemonths'work.Theaverageyearlypayofaplumberisabout$19,700;foragovernmentclerkit'sapproximately$15,500.Thebest-educatedandmostselflessteachersarehighlycriticalanddeeplyconcernedaboutthedeclineinteachingstandardsandeducationalprocedures.Theirfrustrationisperhapsthestrongestwarningsignalofall.

Horrorstoriesaboutteachingabound.InOregonakindergartenteacherwhohadbeengivenAsandBsatPortlandStateUniversitywasrecentlyfoundtobefunctionallyilliterate.Howcouldthisbe?

SaysActingDeanoftheSchoolofEducationHaroldJorgensen:

"Itwasawholeseriesofpeoplenotlookingcloselyather."

InChicagoathird-gradeteacherwroteontheblackboard:

"Putthefollowingwordsinalfabeticalorder."Duringtheweeklongteacherstrikelastwinter,manyChicagoparentswereappalledbywhattheysawontelevisionnewsofschoolsandteachers.Recallsonemother:

"IfrozewhenIheardateachertellaTVreporter,'IteachesEnglish.'"

IntheMilwaukeesuburbofWales,Wis.,schoolboardmemberswereoutragedwhenteacherssentthemwrittencurriculumproposalsriddledwithbadgrammarandspelling.Teachershadwrittendabatefordebate,documantfordocument.Wouldwaswoud,andseparatewasseperate.Angryparentswavedsamplesoftheirchildren'sworkthatcontaineduncorrectedwhoppers,markedwithsuchteachercommentsas"outstanding"and"excellent."

AGalluppollhasfoundthatteacherlazinessandlackofinterestarethemostfrequentaccusationsofhalfthenation'sparents,whocomplainthatstudentsget"lessschoolwork"nowthan20yearsago.Whethertheparentperceptionsarefairornot,thereisnodoubtthatcircumstanceshavecertainlychangedsometeacherattitudes.AtaMiamiseniorhighschoolthisspring,onesocialstudiesteacheraskedhispupilswhethertheirhomeworkwascompleted.Halfthestudentssaidno.Theteacherrecordedtheiranswersinhisgradebookbutneverbotheredtocollectthepapers.Saystheteacher,whohasbeenintheprofessionfor15yearsandhasnowbecomedispirited:

"I'mnotwillinganymoretotakehome150notebooksandgradethem.Iworkfrom7:

30a.m.to2p.m.,andthat'swhatIgetpaidfor."AlongtimeteacherinalargesuburbanschooloutsideBostontoldTIMEitiscommonknowledgethatsomeofhercolleagues,anxioustopreservetheirjobsasenrollmentsdwindle,failchildrensimplytoensureheftyclasssizethenextyear.

Thenewdoubtsaboutteachershaveledtoastate-by-statedemandfromlegislatorsandcitizengroupsthatteacherstakespecialexaminationstoprovetheyarecompetent,muchlikethestudentcompetencyexamsthathavebecomearequirementin38states.AsksIndianaStateSenatorJoanGubbins:

"Shouldn'twefirstseeiftheteachersarecompetentbeforeweexpectthekidstobecompetent?

"

With41millionpupils,publicschooleducationisoneofthenation'slargestsinglegovernmentactivities.Currentexpenditures（federal,stateandlocal）runto$95billion.Sovastandcostlyaneducationalsystemdoesnotcheerfullyreacttocriticismoradapttochange.

Thepushtowardtestingteachercompetency,however,dependslessonWashingtonthanonstateandlocalgovernments.OneofthemostinstructivebattlesfoughtovertheissueoccurredinMobile,Ala.,andwasledbyconservativeattorneyDanAlexander,presidentoftheboardofeducation.In1978,aftertheboardrequiredcompetencytestingofMobilehighschoolseniors,Alexanderwasbesiegedbyangryparents,atleastpartlybecause53%ofthestudentswhotookthecity'sfirstcompetencyexamflunkedit.RecallsAlexander:

"Parentscameoutofthewoodworksaying,'Ifyou'regoingtocrackdownonmychild,letmetellyouaboutsomeofmychildren'steachers.'"Oneparentbroughthimanotesenthomebyafifth-gradeteacherwithamaster'sdegree,whichreadinpart:

"Scottisdroppinginhisstudiesheactsasifhedon'tCare.Scottwantpassinhisassignmentatall,heahadapoemtolearnandhefelltodoit."SaysAlexander:

"Iwasshocked.Icouldnotbelievewehadteacherswhocouldnotwriteagrammaticallycorrectsentence.Itookthecomplaintsdowntothesuperintendent,andwhatshockedmeworsewasthathewasn'tshocked."

Alexandermadethenotepublicasthekickoffofacampaignforteachertesting.Sayshe:

"Competencytestingisprobablyamisnomer.Youcannottestateacheronwhetherhe'scompetent,butyoucertainlycanprovehe'sincompetent."TheproposedexamsforveteranteacherswereblockedbyAlexander'scolleaguesontheboard.Buttheyagreedthatallnewteachersshouldscoreatleast500ontheEducationalTestingService's31/4-hr.NationalTeacherExamination（N.T.E.）whichmeasuresgeneralknowledge,reading,writingandarithmetic.OnlyabouthalfoftheMobilejobapplicantswhotooktheN.T.E.in1979passed.

TheAmericanFederationofTeachers,whichhas550,000members,isopposedtotestingexperiencedteachers,thoughitapprovescompetencyexamsfornewcandidates.ThemuchlargerNationalEducationAssociationisagainstanykindofcompetencytestingforteachers,claimingteachercompetencycannotbemeasuredbywrittentests.Evenso,someformofteachertestinghasbeenapprovedintwelvestates.[*]ProposalsforteachertestinghavebeenintroducedinColorado,Illinois,Iowa,Kansas,Missouri,NewYork,VermontandWisconsin,andabillinOklahomaisscheduledtobesignedintolawthisweek.Pollssaytheteacher-testingmovementissupportedby85%ofU.S.adults.

Thusfaractualtestscoresofteacherapplicantsseemdepressing.InLouisiana,forinstance,only53%passedin1978,63%lastyear.Whatabouttheoneswhofail?

SaysLouisianaCertificationDirectorJacquelineLewis:

"Obviouslythey'removingoutofstatetoteachinstateswherethetestsarenotrequired."TheresultsofbasicachievementteststakenbyjobapplicantsatFlorida'sPinellasCountyschoolboard（St.Petersburg,Clearwater）arenotencouraging.Since1976,theboardhasrequiredteachercandidatestoreadatanadvancedtenth-gradelevelandsolvemathproblemsataneighth-gradelevel.ThoughallhadtheirB.A.inhand,aboutone-thirdoftheapplicants（25%ofthewhites,79%oftheblacks）flunkedPinellas'testthefirsttimetheytookitin1979.

In1900,whenonly6%ofU.S.childrengraduated