April 19 Celebration of Excellence

This morning was the Golden Apple Celebration of Excellence recognizing the 32 finalists who are being considered as recipients of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education.  It was a marvelous brunch held at the Marriott O'Hare with entertainment by the Joliet West Jazz Ensemble, directed by Golden Apple Fellow Kevin Carroll.  In this very amateurish photo, the finalists and their principals are lining up on the far side of the banquet hall to be introduced.  The photographers in the foreground are snapping shots of the teachers as they receive their plaques.

Dominic Belmonte, the CEO of the Golden Apple Foundation, gave the keynote address.  He talked about how, for many of the critics of education in America, the problem with our educational system is the teachers.  If we could only get better teachers / get rid of bad teachers / get teachers to work harder / get teachers to use newer methods / get teachers to use older methods, the problems of education would disappear.  This approach manages to ignore the effects of poverty, racism, under-funding, corporate profiteering, political meddling, and gross inequity.  It allows many Americans to say to themselves that we, as a society, do not have a problem.  If those teachers would only do their jobs, all would be well.

Dominic pointed out that it feels as if everyone is an expert on how to teach.  We would not give a doctor advice on how to doctor, or a mechanic a talking-to about how to repair a car, or--well you get the idea--but we all went to school and many of us are pretty certain that we know the best way to educate young people.  For many people, that "right way" is to return to some good old days that probably never really existed. I met someone not long ago who explained to me that, when he was in school, "teachers talked and students listened."  If we went back to that format, test scores would certainly increase.  I was thinking about asking him if he walked to school and back, ten miles and up hill both ways, but I held my sarcasm.

There are some myths that form many of these opinions about teachers and teaching.  It might be worth doing some reality checking on these ideas.

Myth #1: Teachers are just not as good today as the old-timers were.  Nonsense. The profession is full of teachers with vast knowledge of their subjects, highly-formed and practiced pedagogy, innovative and exciting methods, and a deep commitment to young people. Add to this technological capabilities unknown even ten years ago and you get some of the best teachers ever to work in classrooms. Ever.  If you are not sure, look up the 32 finalists for this year's Golden Apple.  I have seen these teachers and read about their classrooms.  They are incredible educators.

Myth #2: Anyone with intelligence and good subject material knowledge can teach.  Good teaching takes a special set of gifts and specialized training.  If you are not sure of this, check the classroom of a young teacher who is misplaced in the profession.  I can think of a young man who was known to be brilliant in his content area, both when he was in high school and in college. After he graduated from college, he was uncertain what do do and so he picked up a teaching position in a private school that was able to work around his lack of certification. He had never considered teaching but he needed a job and this seemed like a good fit given his knowledge of the subject.  Everyone knew he was floundering, the students knew, the school knew.  This is a very smart guy and it may well be that, should he get some training and earn some experience, he will find his way and become an excellent teacher.  Knowing content is not enough to teach. 

Myth #3: Tenure makes teachers lazy and ineffective. Tenure is not the enemy.  Tenure is not a guarantee of lifetime employment.  Tenure is a guarantee of due process for teachers who have earned some measure of stability.  It would be wonderful to report that school administrations act fairly and responsibly toward teachers all of the time.  Unfortunately, that has not always been the case.  In most cases, some of the best teachers in a school are mature, developed educators who have committed many years to students and to their practice.  If there are bad teachers in a building, it is because administrations have failed to institute adequate assessment and evaluation practices and to promote beneficial professional development.  No matter what you hear, it is not "impossible" to fire a teacher.  It happens all the time.  If the administration has reason and follows reasonable procedure, bad teachers should be removed.  But even more than that, good teachers should be nurtured and developed.

Thanks Mark Larson for this photo of the Celebration of Excellence.

I could go on and on but the point is, I hope, made.  There are good teachers, lots of them.  There are many great teachers and Golden Apple has been a leader in recognizing their excellence.  We need to develop even better teachers and the Golden Apple Scholars programs is leading the way on how to do this.  We will not improve education by adding more and more mechanistic testing that primarily profits corporations and satisfies the blustering of politicians.  We will improve the future of our young people through education by increasing the opportunities and experiences afforded them and by supporting the development and growth of great teachers.

On a personal note, it seems almost inconceivable that it was a year ago that I was a finalist at the Celebration of Excellence.  I remember how excited and overwhelmed I felt at the event.  I was hopeful of being included among the recipients but, I admit now, I had no idea of what entering Golden Apple really meant.  This has been one of the great experiences of my life, and it continues to give me opportunities to grow and expand.

My congratulations to the finalists and thanks to Gloria Harper and all of the staff at Golden Apple for putting this great event together.  Thanks also to the Board and the Koldykes for all you do for teaching and for students.

Here is a link to the full story about the finalists.