How to Raise the Status of Teachers is the title of a decidedly less-than-impressive collection of responses to that question in The New York Times.
However, the piece by Samuel Colbert, Allow More Autonomy, does stand-out. He is the author of a similarly impressive piece that The Times previously published, Why Your Boss Is Wrong About You.
I’m adding it to The Best Articles For Helping To Understand Both Why Teacher Tenure Is Important & The Reasons Behind Seniority-Based Layoffs.
I am addicted to your blog!! Thanks for the many tidbits of information and resources. Hayley
Hayley,
Glad you find it useful!
Larry
We as educators are missing the mark when trying to answer the question: How do you improve the status of teachers? [I was a math teacher in high school, middle school, and one elementary class. Both of my daughters are teachers. We are in southern California.]
To improve my status as an educator I need to accept responsibility to do what I can personally to improve the collective status of the profession. Here are some of things I would do/did do. (1) I would honor a dress code and dress professionally in the classroom, in part to set an example for the students; (2) I would take whatever time it took to engage/interact with parents of my students, no matter where I am teaching. [Saying it is difficult/impossible in the inner city is a cop out.]; (3) Stop blaming everyone/everything else for the general predicament of the system. [Complainers/whiners should leave the profession.]; (4) I would support whatever it takes to eliminate poor teachers. [The faculty knows who teaches and who doesn’t. Why do we continue to put up with mediocrity at best, and poor teachers at worst!]; (5) I would enlist teachers of like mind and build a base from which to expand our influence for improving the profession; and (6) I would regularly challenge the school board to stay focused on everything and anything that will improve the quality of education and student achievement. If I am not doing these things AND MORE, then the important work of the educational program/system will not get done. It’s me, not them!!!