Teachers: They Aren't Lady Liberty

I am against SB 893/HB 2543 because it “allows for the use of STAAR test scores of the students of an individual teacher to be used to evaluate that teacher and to be used to determine employment and compensation of that teacher.”

I started building classes for next school year today. I really enjoy the process, talking about growth and who will be good with whom. The team talks about strengths and weaknesses, who would make great friendships, who should absolutely no matter what never EVER be in the same class, what streets they live on, what parents expect from their teacher, different communication preferences, how many boys and girls, if we have more than one Aiden, Ethan or Emma, reading levels, opportunities for remediation and enrichment, proximity to the restroom, and even, will that class have a copy mom and parent reader… along with many other things; I promise.

As we were making classes today, we did NOT talk about the teachers’ previous state mandated testing scores. We did NOT talk about her passing rate from the previous year; we did NOT talk about the number of benchmarks she gave or how much data she disaggregated with her previous class. We did NOT talk about putting all of the special needs students in one certain teacher’s class because we don’t like her. We did NOT talk about a teacher’s marital status and if she could afford a pay cut if her students did not perform well.

SB 893/HB 2543 erodes the basic foundations of the public school system. Sure, to business people who base their success on profits and dollars, I can actually see that it might sound reasonable. Guess what though: THIS ISN’T A BUSINESS! It’s a relationship. Public schools are about growing and supporting every child; they are about celebrating when my little friend finally learns to read in 4^th grade. My job as a principal is to create a culture that incites a deep desire to create and explore. Bubbling a Scantron is not a hot topic of discussion – well, except for those few weeks before state testing when we quit teaching and, with great sorrow and anguish, line up the desks, break out the worksheets and put that copy mom to work.

I am against SB 893/HB 2543 because every child is different. Every group of children is different. How a teacher prepares one class is totally different than how she works with another. They’re children - individual, special, and unique.

If SB 893/HB 2543 passes, who will want the children who struggle? Who will get them? Great teachers often get the greatest challenges. Is that fair? Wouldn’t it be prudent to give the one teacher that you want to get rid of the lowest kids!? “Bam!  Your kids did poorly; you’re fired!” Or, “Hey! You won teacher of the year! Congratulations! You get 4 who speak no English, 3 who are hungry, 4 who are diagnosed ADHD and have no chance at sitting still ever – especially for a 4 hour test, 1 gymnast who spends 20+ hours in the gym every night, and 3 who have specific, identified learning disabilities that provide them with services more than 2 years behind their peers! You rock!”

Your teacher is not the Statue of Liberty; she is not saying, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” (Emma Lazarus' sonnet, New Colossus). With SB 893/HB 2543, your teachers, instead, would be begging for no discipline, English speaking, upper middle class high achievers who thrive on their round peg fitting into that round hole. The great teachers will go to work in the best schools with the best parents who have the highest standards; this will give those teachers the best chance at taking home a decent paycheck (hopefully more than the $27,000+ that our Legislatures who support SB 893/HB 2543 think teachers are worth.)

To our Legislatures, do not support SB 893/HB 2543. It is bad for children, bad for teachers and bad for Texas. Call your Legislature. Tell him/her not to support SB 893/HB 2543.

 And, please let me do my job. Let me build classes that are based on relationships – where kids are challenged and encouraged in meaningful, collaborative settings, facilitated by teachers who were paired with that child and the others in that class based on lengthy discussions of compatibility and opportunities for success.