So I know this teacher, let’s call her Miss Fit, she is professional, sophisticated and never gives up on the task at hand, acting like an executive in a world dominated by low expectations . . .
The District has begun to panic. Not a productive panic, rather, knee jerk reactions that serve no real purpose other than causing anxiety amongst student and employees. The scores of The District’s third round of benchmarks – a fancy name for practice state standardized testing – were just released and projected student passing rates are bleak across the board: math 18%, reading 29% science 24%. Think about that for a moment . . .
Instead of considering data on what specific areas of each subject schools should be focused on, or determining causes of the low numbers – mainly that by the third round of practice testing students stop trying – The District considers its primary concern, its own self-interest. School districts across the country are rated by the State and Federal government on a combination of the following factors: standardized test scores, drop-out rate, failure rate, attendance and graduation. Depending on the state a district inhabits, some factors may be removed and others may be added. The district I work for is rated by the formula mentioned above and has received a rating of “academically unacceptable” for nearly a decade; yet, its leadership remains largely the same. Compare this to a board of company that posted negative profits for ten straight years. Firings would be rampant, stock holders would pull out en mass and heads literally would roll. Why is it that those in charge of education and the future of our great nation, arguably the most important of tasks, are not treated with the same expectations and consequences?
In order to improve its rating, The District does not attempt to find real solutions, instead, it tries to target specific factors it feels can be best controlled. Of the factors listed, The District has recently tried to improve manipulate its ranking in two – dropout rate and attendance – by incentivizing students with such things as iPods, money, televisions and limo rides (all paid for with your taxes or your donations to organizations such as The United Way. Look up where your money goes) for simply showing up to school.
Thus far, both the dropout rate and attendance rates remain dismal. The District’s attempt to influence student data, turns out to be nothing more than an unproductive spending spree that would rival the Kardashians at Christmas; an amazing loss of money that could have been used to feed malnourished students or provide necessities for The District’s homeless children.
Panicked and unable to manipulate test scores without risking an even bigger PR nightmare (more on this to come) The District turns to its failure rate – the only remaining factor it feels it can unethically control. All the while, the student’s are never truly considered.
Summoned to an emergency meeting, teachers across The District are read a decree from one of The District’s humble messengers:
From this point forward, The District has set its acceptable individual teacher failure rate to zero percent. If you fail a student be prepared to be called to a meeting with your principal and then Human Resources and, if necessary, members of The Superintendent’s staff to discuss why student’s are failing your class. At these meetings you must bring documentation of parent phone calls, tutoring logs, interventions for student work, evidence of working with students on work, a completed questionnaire for each failing student and a list of reasons why you think the student failed your course. Mid-semester grades are due in a week so please make necessary changes immediately. We are excited to have a zero percent failing district.
In case there is any confusion or you are someone who reads this website that is not directly involved in education, allow me to translate The District’s decree for you:
Prompted by our own self-interest, we are setting impossible guidelines for failing a student and requiring an insurmountable amount work that cannot be completed in case you unwisely choose to do so. Should you not comply with our request, you will be brought into countless meetings and intimidated until you back down and pass your students, even those who did not earn a passing grade. Unless of course you are tenured and a member of The Union. Then we will just change the grades for you. We wouldn’t want to upset such entrenched powers. We are excited to have a zero percent failing district.
At the conclusion of the decree’s reading, Miss Fit and I immediately raised our hands. This sent groans throughout the room, as many – not all of – the teachers present would happily and unjustly raise their students’ grade to the bare minimum for passing. They wanted no problems and just wanted to go home. I can’t really blame them. It is Wednesday and The Voice is on after all.
The District’s messenger called on me first, “What if a student does not come for tutoring, does not complete any work and truly has not earned a passing grade? What type of lesson would that teach them?”
The humble messenger thumbed through a District provided manual for about minute. “Ah,” she finally said, pointing her figure to a page, “The District feels that it has the best students in the state and that none of them will fail should a teacher put forth what is necessary.” In other words, pass kids even if they did not earn it and there won’t be a problem. Disgusted by this immoral display, this putting make-up on a black eye, I was about to sing another song on how such things only perpetuate the American education crisis. But The District representative cut me off before I even opened my mouth, she must have sensed my unusual desire to confront the status quo, “I only have time for one more question. Yes, you Miss.”
Miss Fit – the professional, well put together teacher who never gave up on the task at hand and acted like an executive in a world dominated by low expectations – cleared her throat, and in the most humbly confident manner possible, inquired, “What if our passing rates do not meet our projected poor passing rates on state testing? Does this not warrant a cause for concern and possible investigation?” Miss Fit. I wish I had her poise and her ability to calmly put forth her opinion in the most professional manner possible. She needn’t loss her cool to make a point. Skillful.
Unable to find an answer in her District provided manual, the representative nervously said, “I must be going. We have much work to do. Please email HR with this question but remember to allow 5 to 10 business days for a response. They are quite busy this time of year.” And with that, the District’s messenger of the unethical left the building.
As the room cleared immediately upon the messenger’s exit, I sat in a daze. In the past month, I had been forced to listen to the leader of the local Union declare to a clapping room that “we can’t save them all”, had been left powerless and removed from an impending special education “meeting” that would banish the boy who likes to stand on his chair and scream to the containment room, listened to a girl I once feared, tell me she was domestically abused, and now I would be forced to pass students who did not earn a passing grade, who put in no effort, thereby, teaching them an unjust lesson that hard work is not necessary in today’s society because somebody else will do it for you.
Confused, angry and ashamed to be a part of a system that puts its own self-image before all of its students, I contemplated quitting. I thought I could no longer wage a losing war on the status quo many around me seemed intent on upholding. “Maybe I’ll go to graduate school, maybe I will go look for another school district, heck, Starbucks might be hiring. I love that place,” I thought in screaming silence.
A soft hand touched my tense shoulder, causing me to jump a little. It was Miss Fit. As always, no words had to be spoken. We were thinking the same thing.
She knelt down to my ear and whispered, “Don’t worry. Do what you have to do. I’m no longer going to go along with this false system and fake social justice. I will fail those students who deserve to fail and face the consequences.” Underneath her calm exterior, I could sense a fire was building.
I just looked at her, letting out a small grin. She pursed her lips, patted my shoulder and began to walk out of the room. Her heels clicked as she walked towards the door and then the noise suddenly stopped. Knowing was still in the room, I turned around to see the woman who gave up the financial trimmings and unabashed glory that came with the corporate world, to be here, in the worst performing school in the city. An unsung hero, who never felt the need to sing her own praises.
With poise, squinted eyes and her head held high above her now turned shoulder, Miss Fit quietly asserted, “Somebody has to take a stand.” And with that she opened the door and the sound of her high heels clicked into the distance. A war was about to be waged and she would be its champion. Still in daze, young and just beginning a career, I thought to myself, “What role am I going to play in this pending battle?”
Photo Credit: Cara Harrington
Have an experience similar to this, a proposed solution or want your voice heard about how to solve America’s education crisis? The Awkward Educator invites you to write a guest post. If you are interested, contact him at TheAwkwardEducator@gmail.com or use the form on our Contact page. We look forward to all views and opinions, especially yours.