In a perfect world (or at least my perfect world), teacher
effectiveness would be measured with a simple rubric. The rubric would have a four letter title,
and three simple check boxes. It would
look a little something like this:
LOVE
Pillars of Effectiveness
|
Whole Lotta Love!
|
Where’s the Love?
|
Working with Others
|
||
Belief in Oneself
|
||
Ideals of Education
|
The rubric would be completed by all educators (whether teacher, teacher-leader, building leader, or
other educational staff). An educator
who could not honestly check “Whole Lotta Love” for each category would leave
the profession and use their strengths somewhere else.
Simple? Sure.
Accurate?
Likely.
Realistic?
Unfortunately, not in today’s world.
With the emphasis on in-depth evaluations and constant
collection of data, we rarely take the time to truly ask, “What, in its
simplest form, does an effective educator do?
What values must an effective educator have?” After reading this week’s Forum topic (and a
recent article in the New York Times),
I can’t help but think these three “loves” are at the epitome of effective
education. After all, if you ask an
effective educator if they feel deeply passionate about these three areas, all
will say, “Yes.” At the same time, if an
educator doesn’t exhibit a true love for these strands, then chances are, that
educator is not effective.
So, what makes these three areas so imperative when talking
about effective education? Here are my
thoughts; feel free to add yours in the comments section
·
Education
is, at its heart, a profession about people.
If you don’t want to work with people, you shouldn’t be an
educator. Effectively educating today’s
youth requires an ability to relate to students of all ages and stakeholder
positions. Whether it is interacting
with a class of twenty eighth graders in a science classroom, engaging in a
critical friends meeting with other building educators, cheering on the field
hockey team with parents on the sports field, or reaching out to area
businesses to build school partnerships, an effective educator not only “plays
well with others,” but truly gains pleasure from being in the presence of, and
interacting with, all people.
·
Educators
must believe in themselves to continue to learn and improve. Education is not a profession for the faint
of heart. We have all experienced “horror
stories” throughout our careers. But,
effective educators realize that those negative situations are truly learning
opportunities that are bumps in the road placed there to allow time to slow
down and reflect. In addition, these “down
times” lend even more worth to our successes.
After all, if one was successful in every endeavor, then where is the
path that leads to future greatness?
Truly effective educators welcome hardship as an opportunity to dig
deep, prove their mettle, and exhibit an important mantra of education:
Everyone can be successful.
·
Educators
may dislike policy, but they have to have passion for the profession. Even if you enjoy working with others and
truly believe in your own abilities, you still need to believe in the mission
of education. While it is okay to naysay
policy that you believe is detrimental to your district, students, and/or
livelihood, effective educators only do this when they have other options to
try, and/or other ideas to discuss. The most
effective practitioners of education don’t just call attention to a problem,
they attempt to solve it, believing that the benefit of a strong educational
system far outweighs any risks that would come from being the first to step
into uncharted waters.
Imagine if. . .
. . .rating teacher effectiveness was this simple.
. . .a process like this was used across the country.
. . .rating systems were built on “love” and not “punishment.”
. . .our educational system truly wore its heart on its
sleeve.
If you’re proud to be an educator now, imagine how filled
with pride you would be then.
References:
Anderson, Jenny.
(2013, March 30). Curious Grade
for Teachers: Nearly All Pass. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/education/curious-grade-for-teachers-nearly-all-pass.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&
