Reflecting on the Relevance of Ed Schools II: Four Years Later

I may have gotten a little carried away, but I figured I'd post it anyway. Not sure if this addresses the relevance of ed schools but there is some truth in there somewhere.

After teaching four years all of that training and preparation has meant…well it meant a lot to keeping me on my feet through my first couple of years. Kentucky has a teacher internship program (Kentucky Teacher Internship Program, KTIP) that turns your first year into a gauntlet of terror.

What it did not prepare me for was the relentless preparation for state tests, the pushing of students who were not going to do well on the test aside to increase the scores those who were going to do well anyway, the statements from district officials like “Teachers need to let go of requiring complete sentences and correct grammar, just make sure they have answered the question on your written response questions.” It did not prepare me for students coming to me with “My mom just found out she has cancer” or sixteen year olds telling me how excited they were to finally drop out of school so that they can move on with their lives and have another child. I was not ready for the absolute physical, mental and emotional exhaustion at the end of a bad day or week, or how hard it would be to give up time with my own daughter so that other people’s children get well planned and graded lessons. I was not prepared for the way people who are not public school classroom teachers berate me and my profession because of an unrealistic view of what teaching should be.

Finally, (deep breath) I was not prepared for the pure exhilaration of that moment when a kid “gets it” that makes (at least for a minute) all of that other crap worth it.

I teach not for the dolts who slam public education because it does not fit an unreachable ideal or test score. I don't teach for those who hate public education because their ideals are challenged by the curriculum. I do not teach for a test, or to prove to academics or conservative politicians that public schools should exist. I teach for those kids who get pushed aside. I teach for the students who have coasted through without an intellectual challenge. I teach for the students and for myself... I teach.