Primal Scream

I heard from a young friend that she is once again looking for a teaching job. That news makes me want to cry because she is a mathematics teacher (and a damn good one). Why is she looking for work instead of work looking for her? After all she is one of the few individuals who have earned National Certification which should make her highly desirable if life worked the way it is supposed to. POLITICS! Let me elaborate.

Publicly school administrators swear that they want the best teachers for students, they want people who set high academic standards, they want students to be challenged to learn. Truthfully, that is far from what the majority of school administrators want. The majority want automatons who toe the political line, who rock no boats and who will kiss the appropriate behind when ordered to do so. Does my statement sound harsh? It is a harsh criticism, believe me and it is sad that after three generations of my family have taught...I feel obligated to tell the next approaching generation...NO, NO, a thousand times NO, stay out of public education, keep your children out of public schools and if you must teach find a private school. Before you sign that instructional contract, investigate the school and its record very carefully. Teach in a charter school...No don't teach there either because it is a rehash of the public school system with all its inherent problems.

Are you angry now? Good! You need to be angry...very angry. Sabotaging the education of the next generation is a very convenient way of controlling the population of our country. If the next generation becomes non-thinking, non-curious, non-concerned, the powerbrokers of our times can call all the shots--politically and socially! Children must be challenged to think, to reason, to be well informed, and to be concerned with the welfare of their fellow man. When they reach the age of reason (which seems to come earlier with each succeeding generation) they must be capable of problem solving. They must not be discouraged from learning..they must find joy in learning. They must be creative and their creativity must be encouraged and supported.

I have a friend, another hillbilly like me. He doesn't have a college education but he is one of the most intelligent men I know. He understands internal combustion engines better than most engineers. I have pulled my car into his garage. All my textbook learning taught me was that something about my automobile was not functioning correctly. From listening to the engine as I pulled in..he would tell me exactly what was wrong and then very patiently, he would show me. To my knowledge he has never given me wrong information. Over the years I have had one student who was as interested in engines and showed signs of being as knowledgeable if he received the right training, exposure, and mentoring. What my friend could teach this young man is invaluable but there is no way within the confines of most public school systems where the two men (one older , one younger) could meet. The young man will never be a mathematical whiz or write a perfect essay, and the only time he paid any attention to Shakespeare was after I discussed the "Do you thumb your nose at me sir?" from Romeo and Juliet but he knows enough about the applications of metric wrenches to survive and succeed in his chosen profession. Under the so-called modifications of No Child Left Behind, I would not have been free to teach Shakespeare in depth or make the connection with the older mechanic (who didn't have a master's degree and wasn't licensed as a teacher).

Then there was the year my school (the building...not the district as a whole) decided to buy five computers (for 1600 students). That was in the days when a desktop machine was still expensive but I called a man I knew who could put those computers together for us. The bill was paid, the computers arrived but the district refused to order ANY software. That's right, that is what I said...no software. I went out at lunch time and raided the demonstration software that someone I knew owned. As lunch ended, I was installing the software on the computers. Between the demonstration software and software purchased from computer flea markets, our inner city students had comparable software to suburban schools.
But, still, there were only five computers for 1600 students. By upgrades and updates, those five computers were still operating in my classroom when I left in 2005 even though they were nearly ten years old. By then there were a lot more computers in the building and a lot fewer students. The reality is that the students in my inner city school had the right to have the best learning tools in this technologically advancing world. They often didn't have the best but senior admnistration had fancy offices in air conditioned buildings. The air conditioning in my building was by Wal Mart and they were called fans.

Then there was the year I ran out of textbooks (10-12 year old out of print textbooks as verified by the teacher's manual I still have in my garage). I was at least 30-35 books short and had to resort to illegally copying pages to teach one class until I ran into an acquaintance who worked for a major book company. I remember him looking at me as if I was crazy and asking me how many books I was short. That conversation was on Thursday and on Monday...a huge box arrived at school addressed to me. I had a classroom set of brand new books (and no bill)! Thanks to that generous salesman and company..I survived another five years before the district found enough money to buy new textbooks. In the meantime, the district school board bought a new administration building!

Then there was a friend who taught an advanced math class...a class for any student who wanted to study the sciences or engineering as a career. My friend was very demanding in the classroom and had extremely high expectations of his students. Then there was the student whose parent was very active in the Parent organization. He felt like he shouldn't have to do the work and boy did he raise HELL until he was allowed to drop the class and administration transferred my friend to the alternative school. Political pressure...no way...even the so-called union wouldn't defend my friend. He hired a lawyer and the next year was back in his classroom. )By the way...at least one of his former students from the next class graduated from MIT with honors and has worked (quite successfully) for Microsoft for several years.

Enough war stories, My young friend, the math teacher is a top notch instructor. She takes no shortcuts, she holds tutoring sessions after school and rarely leaves her classroom before 5 p.m. She expects her students to arrive on time prepared to work and she expects their home work to be done. She demands order in her classroom and she gives 110% every day but...even now in December, she has no regular job. To me it seems that there is something basically wrong with this picture. What do you think?