Graduation Time
May is the time for college graduations. Students have turned their final term papers and have taken their last exams. After the celebrations and good wishes are over, it is time to get serious about entering the adult world and find a job- not an easy task in this economic environment. For many students who are liberal arts graduates, they may be no defined career path. For teachers it is different. Educators have spent four (or more) years preparing for a specific occupation. For the most part they are focused on a specific career path.
This past week I had the honor of attending the commencements ceremonies for the Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania. Dozens of newly minted doctorates and over a hundred Masters Degree candidates are about to enter the job market, many look for public school teaching jobs. This is what they are about to face. According an article that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer (May 15th, 2011) as many as 5000 teachers in the Los Angeles School district may lose their jobs at the end of the current academic year. The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union that represents over 190,000 teachers in that state, has indicated that as many as 9000 teachers may lose their jobs. Budget cuts and the economy have wrecked havoc with the teaching profession. However that should not deter those truly committed to educating America’s youth from seeking their place in the profession. There are jobs out there, but you need to think outside the box.
Lest this blog seem too depressing, please allow me to share some of the comments made by Dr. Ramon Cortines, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and lifelong educator. Cortines was the keynote speaker at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School commencement. He remarked that as a teacher you are always a teacher as well as always a learner. Cortines also went on to say that that by becoming a teacher you are making a commitment to improve they quality of life for your students. Teachers are agents of social change. He encourages teacher to be the “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage.”
Dr. Cortines went on to make several recommendations to the teaching profession.
1) Teacher Preparation- Teachers need to be trained as leaders as well as educators. Many of today’s teachers are not prepared to deal with the mutual partnerships required. Teachers need to constantly refining their practices to keep up with current trends.
2) Teacher Recruitment- While Tech for America and the National Teaching Project have helped recruit college graduates into the profession. There need to be a more concerted effort. To find a train excellent teachers. Cortines believes that we need to look at alternate pathways to the classroom.
3) Evaluation and Review- Today’s methods of teacher evaluation are obsolete and very subjective. There needs to be multiple measures of teacher effectiveness. Teachers should not solely be evaluated on student performance on standardized tests but a set of multiple measures need to be developed, including a peer review process.
4) Seniority- Just because a teacher has been on the job a long time does not necessarily mean that they are an excellent teacher. Many of the veteran teachers in the classroom today are lacking in technology skills as well as new innovations in science. Seniority is not the best way to evaluate teacher effectiveness.
Dr. Cortines believes as did Nelson Mandela that “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world. Best wishes for much success to all of you have graduated this year. I hope that if you are a first timer, you will check back to this blog often to help with your chosen profession.
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