I love those happy education stories but…


I love those happy education stories but…

student raises hand

http://www.anissat.com/photos.php Photo © 2005 Anissa Thompson

Happy education stories are far and in-between.  You know the kind.  They pull at your heart strings.  They make you feel good inside.  You may have even held your head a little higher.  For whatever reason the education story you read made your day.  Maybe it was about your school, or about a teacher.  It could have even been about the students.  It doesn’t matter who the story was about in the education field, it still showed someone in a good spotlight, and the news media may have even ate it up.  You are just all giddy inside because of it. 

I am guilty!

But for some time now education has not been getting those feel good stories often enough.   Yes I am just as guilty of posting the pitiful crap about teachers being bad, no good, doesn’t know how to teach, etc. stuff that spews from the fingertips of a keyboard at a regular pace that tends to make teachers furious.

Sometimes it’s not the teacher but the Union, school board, or even the school itself that end up in the headlines.  I even bet you have seen a few of them too.

Good or bad you know

Teachers know if they are good teachers.  So do those that work around them.  Students know also.  So the right thing would be for all teachers to get together and find a way to help the teachers that need help.  Those teachers refusing to change are the ones you show the door.  When the whole faculty comes together to fix things your very essence is showing all around the school.  The students see it.  Their parents see it.  The school shows in a good light.

Dirty laundry

Don’t take my harsh words about teachers in a bad light.  I am just reporting the news I see.   If you are a good teacher then the bad news I report doesn’t pertain to you.  I love good stories just as much as the next person.  But sometimes you can’t help but to post the nasty stuff.  If it makes the front page of a news media station, or newspaper, you can bet people will talk.  It’s just how humans are they love the juicy stuff.  Sometimes that juicy stuff is good, and sometimes it is bad.

Beta

Remember I will post both sides on my blog as long as I see it online.  If I hear the education news on my local, or cable TV provider I will also post this.  Teachers I know you are getting a bad rap.  Just think of your job as in beta mode.  Betas catch lots of crap too.  Until it is tweaked to perfection people will also post continuously what’s wrong with it.  When you are in beta, everyone is trying to fix what is wrong with education.  Those feel good articles become few and far in-between.

Life lesson

Posting the bad stuff in education will be with us for a while.  It’s just a fact of life.  If it bothers you that much then see if you can turn the bad information or news into a life lesson.  You can’t learn a lesson, or solve a problem without bringing up the crap.  So the best thing to do is turn it into a lesson to live by.  In this way the lesson can be a tool for educators, parents, and for students.  You can nick pic at it, dissect it, and make sure your school never has to deal with it by nipping it in the bud before it ever happens.

Unbiased

I try to do my best to be unbiased about the education field.  But it does not always turn out that way.   For what it is worth most news today is on “how to fix education”.   If it is not that then the news is on getting rid of bad teachers.  It makes no clear line on the amount of bad teachers verses good.  I do know there are far more teachers that are good than bad.

Don’t take it personal

Just so you know… there are plenty of bad parents out there as well.  So please don’t take my harshness I show at times as personal.  I respect all teachers.  Gosh knows I could not be in a class all day long teaching students.  I don’t have the patience for it.  I commend you for being able to do this.  You have far more guts for it than I do.   I am just as tired of the bashing as you are.  So…  Thank you teachers!

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