For The Times They Are A-Changin

They say change is a good thing. They say that everything must change and evolve. They say that the only thing constant is change. They say that time changes things.  They say that change is inevitable. They say, they say, they say.

I know it is an age old question, but who the hell is "they" and what do they actually know?!?!

This week the school year ends. In less than 42 hours my fourth year teaching fourth grade will be over. This year was the first year of Educator Effectiveness. It was the first year we had to prove our worth to the state, to prove that we were effective. It was the first year that our state made the move to not require educators to hold a bachelor's degree in an education related field.
Change.

Typically, I spend the last week of school packing up my classroom for summer and packing up my life as I prepared to move to Colorado for 2 1/2 months. This year, I am not going to Colorado. I am only packing up my classroom with an uneasy feeling deep in my soul, like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop with a massively loud clang as it bounces down a flight of stairs.
Change.

Just over two months ago, I was in a committed relationship that I thought was going all the way. I thought that I would have an incredibly busy summer spent hanging out with said man. We are no longer together and I head into summer without a lot of day to day plans and without the mountains to soothe my soul.
Change.

This year I will watch my twin brother getting married. I watch as he plans his wedding with his wonderful fiance. I look at how much he has grown up and swell with pride that my "baby" brother's life is falling into place exactly where it should be. I move towards the feeling that I will be the only single adult in our immediate family. No more buddy system for us single folks!
Change.

So, maybe what "they say" is true. Chang is inevitable. But the real question is what do YOU say?

To quote Avenue Q, "except for death and paying taxes everything in life is only for now." Change may be the only constant thing in life, this is true. The changes in life aren't going anywhere and there isn't anything we can do about it no matter how much we fight, scream, kick, and claw away from it. So, we should have something to say about the change. How we react. How we feel. What we say in the heat of the change - be it good or be it bad. Maybe that should be our goal ... to react to change with poise, elegance and hope and see how it goes down the road.

If that doesn't work ... then bite, kick, scream, and claw your way through life until you find peace because the truth of the matter is that we don't have any control and life will be better once we accept that. :)

(Now if you figure out that acceptance ... please guest author!)

The State of Teaching

Fair warning ... this post will focus on the downward spiral that is the teaching profession. So if you are a republican supporting, Scott Walker loving, hating public education kinda person ... you can stop reading now. Or better yet, please do read on. Read on and open your eyes to the travesty that is happening in what used to be a great, great state.

A statement released today by the Department of Public Instruction said that, "The legislation being rolled into the biennial budget would require the Department of Public Instruction to license anyone with a bachelor’s degree in any subject to teach English, social studies, mathematics, and science. The only requirement is that a public school or school district or a private choice school determines that the individual is proficient and has relevant experience in each subject they teach."

So. Wait. Let me get this straight. In the state of Wisconsin anybody with a bachelor's degree would receive a teaching license? Anybody? It doesn't even matter what their bachelor's degree is in, they would be licensed to teach English, social studies, math and science?

Someone please tell me, how does having a Bachelor's degree in Business Management gives you the appropriate credentials to teach common core mathematics to a bunch of fourth graders? Please, tell me how a Bachelor's in Business Management is going to help you teach the multiplication place value sections area model to a student who comes from a low income family and can't afford to eat breakfast?

By this logic, I am qualified to do all sorts of things with my life. I have a Bachelor's degree in Education so clearly I am qualified to work in other fields as long as I have relevant experience.
I have flown in a plane and therefore I am qualified to fly a plane.
I have cooked food and therefore I am qualified to be a top chef in a fancy restaurant.
I have sung along to the radio and therefore know that millions of people who like to hear me sing.
I have driven a car and therefore can be the Chief Executive of Automobile Safety.

Right?

Now what do they consider 'relevant experience' in the field? If they aren't required to have a degree in teaching and take courses in each of those subject areas ... where do they receive the relevant experience? Is it enough to have sat through math classes during elementary school - does that count as experience? Where is the line drawn?

On the flip side of this ... we are treating our teachers who have a valid, hard earned teaching license as if they are the scum of the earth. Teachers are required to undergo the Educator Effectiveness evaluation system. The system where we look teachers square in the face and say, "You Suck. Now prove you don't."

Even in the justice system we say that people are innocent until proven guilty. We give them the benefit of the doubt and allow them to state their claim. Yet, we don't give educators the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying that we don't need an evaluation system. We just need a refined one where we differentiate what teachers are asked to prove. We shouldn't tell all educators that they suck and then ask them to spend 20+ hours to prove their worth to 'the man'. 20+ hours where they could be working on activities that they could use with their students.

I don't know if I know the answers to solve these problems. But I do know that we are not doing right by our students. We are not supporting the teachers who work hard and sometimes even give their lives to support their students. We need to keep qualified educators in the classroom.

Something has got to change or the state of our state will continue to burrow deeper into the mud.