Inservice Rant

After 10 years of teaching here, I’ve realized this: there is nothing that shakes my faith in the American education system like a district wide inservice day devoted to curriculum development.

Oh, where to begin.

First, as one assistant principal told me, “You wouldn’t believe how many of our teachers took this day off.” There’s nothing that says ‘professionalism’ like taking a personal day instead of making the most out of getting together with your curriculum committees and working on what you actually teach. Then again, maybe the majority of teachers blowing the day off is more of a testament to how the meetings are run or to how the agendas are organized. I don’t know.

Second, the overall lack of passionate teachers in our district is appalling. I was not the lone one to notice this either. Half a dozen others mentioned this too. If you would have given the majority of teachers there a decision: hit the links or work on curriculum, well, it would have been a quick decision. One of my colleagues noted how when he gets together with some of his friends, who work regular jobs, they always bash teachers and how easy they have it. My colleague said, “And when I look around at some of these people. It’s hard to defend what we do.”

Sad. I know. One of our teachers even said that this was the easiest job he has ever had. I won’t go into why, but what kind of message does that send?

Did I mention that one of the teachers behind me during the general assembly session played chess on her laptop the whole time? Professional, right?

Teaching ain’t construction work or milking 150 cows a day, but easy? Just try taking a whack at the 30 persuasive essays I’m working my way through right now at 4:02 on a Sunday afternoon. If I had another other job, I’d be relaxing. That doesn’t even take into account the other 25 College Comp essays waiting to be graded either. Or my Science Fiction quizzes I need to get around to grading.

I won’t claim – even for an instant – that I’m the hardest working teacher in our building even, not to mention the district. I know that’s not true.

But I love my job. I care about the kids in my class. I care about what they learn. I care about what I teach. I care about becoming better. I care about researching methods and practices that will make me a better teacher.

I’m not the only one to feel that way either. I just wish more across the district did.

I guess that is why Friday’s inservice, more than anything, depressed me and shook my faith.

I have a dozen or so colleagues who work as a great support group for me. Whenever I see them at lunch, during my prep, in the library, or just out in the hall, we focus on making each other better, not catching up on gossip or whether the Sioux won.

Last week, Tom, a colleague of mine, and I spent 45 minutes of our prep time discussing how to motivate kids and how to remedy the cell phone/texting problem.

Really, he was just making something to eat and I was just quickly checking my mail, but we started talking shop --- and there went half our prep hour. Now why can’t that type of discussion happen more?

It is because we have teachers who are more committed to other things that teaching – their future retirements, whatever sports they coach, or whatever they are doing after 3:45 – or wait, more like 3:05.

I actually enjoyed our district wide Language Arts meeting. We had a good discussion – my highlight was our Curriculum Head bringing up the fact that her freshman hated their lit circles. She wanted to know what she was doing wrong, so she emailed other teachers at the middle and elementary schools to see what she was doing wrong with her lit circles. Turns out she wasn’t doing anything wrong with them. The kids just didn’t like them. Furthermore, they said they had never liked them.

Well, you can imagine how shocked the middle and elementary school teachers were who conduct the lit circles and who claim their kids love them.

This was a goldmine. Here teachers have the chance to question their methods and practices. They have a chance to explore outcomes and evidence.

It led to a great discussion. Here’s my take – I think elementary and middle school kids do love their lit circles. I think it improves their reading and comprehension. But something happens when they get into the high school environment that changes all that.

The factors are endless, but here’s a few key ones.

First, I think the kids’ social lives start to take center stage. As a result, their intrinsic motivation to learn (that constant state of shock little kids live in while they’re exploring this great big world and learning all about it) starts to wane.

Second, it’s not cool to enjoy school and learning. Just watch how kids in an elementary or middle school freak out over book order forms. Then look at how they react in high school. Ha. We don’t even HAVE book order forms anymore. The book companies know it’s a waste to try and even sollicite high schools (and don’t tell me for a second that the book companies wouldn’t do it if they could make any money off the kids).

Third, there is so much more going in in their lives. How can the wonder of getting lost in a book or learning something compete with sports, extra curriculuar activities, boyfriends/girlfriends, cell phones, ipods, laptops, drivers licenses . . .

Fourth, the change in structure at the high school level. Kids go from being in a large class system where they have the same teacher all day at the elementary school to the high school where they are sectioned off into smaller groups and sent off to a dizzying variety of classes. Some of the familiarity and sense of closeness is lost in that transition.

Of course, all of these were discussed in various ways at the meeting. It was great.

How many missed out on that because they took the day off?