Focus on the Teachers

Good Teachers Offer Far More than Classroom Instruction

At the end of my senior year in high school, there was a growing tension between the staff and students. 1978 was the first year for ninth graders on campus, our class was not demonstrating the athletic prowess of the previous few years, we felt expected to demonstrate leadership beyond our years, and the weight of declining enrollment due to busing was ever present.

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Many teachers seemed surprised by this and stated they wished the students

had not presented this frustration unsigned.

The frustration among the student body became evident as an edition of the school paper in April was full of anonymous student letters expressing disenchantment with the school staff.

Many teachers seemed surprised by this and stated they wished the students had not presented this frustration unsigned.

I Accepted the Challenge

Being the bold and naive student that I was, I accepted the staff challenge. As I ended my track season the track coach told us he was considering only recognizing state qualifiers at the awards assembly due to his disappointment in our performance. Typically, all participants were recognized with lettermen highlighted. The day of team pictures I had a conflict and was unable to be there. The coach was not pleased and days later he kept to his promise and only recognized the stars.

Naming Names

I was angry and proceeded to write a scathing letter about the coaching staff. No, the class of 1978 was not particularly athletic I argued, but we had many accomplishments in academics and other extracurricular activities where we thrived. I decided to call out specific coaches in the piece and being a writer with the paper I signed my name.

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I must give Dr. Kendrick credit. He left the decision to me.

Word got out about the letter and the principal called me into his office before printing, hoping to talk me out of it. I must give Dr. Kendrick credit. He left the decision to me. The coaching staff exploded. As the controversy grew, my Dad asked to read the letter and said it was very accusatory. Students and staff were angry at one another.

I Was Saved by Two Teachers

Stu Silberman, my physics teacher, and Steve Reynolds, my English teacher, were both successful coaches. They showed frustration over the letter but demonstrated more concern for me. In my English class, Mr. Reynolds mediated a conversation among students that supported my position and demonstrated his empathy for my action. I don’t know that he agreed with me, but he respected me.

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Their experience and student centered perspective helped me learn from my mistake.

Coach Silberman, who felt personally attacked, took me into his office to express his disappointment and allowed me to express my frustration with the year. We talked for a while. He was not pleased with me, but he heard me.

The response of these two teachers did not end the drama, but it did allow me to see that they were bigger than the disagreement. Their experience and student centered perspective helped me learn from my mistake.

What Principals See

Perhaps the most rewarding part of being a principal is working with stellar teachers. About halfway through my tenure in Huntsville I sat down with one of our more popular teachers. He and I had many conversations about students and on this day we talked about what made him effective. I told him that what a high poverty school needed was teachers, like himself, who understood it was not a bad thing to work in a struggling school. Yes, many students were behind but teachers who cared and knew their subject could make progress. He certainly did.

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What I learned was that academic growth could not take place without authentic

relationships between teachers and students.

Years before in Charlotte, I worked with an eighth grade language arts teacher who asked to teach struggling students every year and annually showed significant growth. She worked hard to show students what the data meant and celebrated their success. The most important thing I learned from her was that authentic data, what we experienced in front of us, was perhaps more important than the numeric data we poured over after the end of the year tests. In other words, acting on what we saw in the moment while engaging students revealed opportunities for academic growth.

I have worked with more effective teachers than I can count. What I learned was that academic growth could not take place without authentic relationships between teachers and students.

One Principal’s Recommendation

If I was “King of the Forest” regarding public education, the first thing I would do is reform the way we prepare teachers. I would have prospective teachers complete their undergraduate degree before declaring their desire to teach. This could be a liberal arts or content specific degree, but they need to explore study before learning to teach.

Using a combination of test, GPA, and recommendation to be accepted in a teaching program I would then have them pursue an internship intensive graduate degree in teaching. Once completing the degree, they would then co-teach with a master teacher for two years. This would result in teachers getting their own classrooms after the age of twenty five.

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Those who remain exhibit a fortitude that is uncommon, so we need to. provide resources for all teachers

that make such commitment prevalent for all teacher cohorts.

The teacher examples I cited previously were all young teachers, but not novices. They had learned how to succeed and lead through experiences as classroom leaders. We lose half or more of our teachers within five years of entering the profession. Those who remain exhibit a fortitude that is uncommon, so we need to provide resources for all teachers that make such commitment prevalent for all teacher cohorts. If we want to improve our results, we must present a teaching profession that is rewarding and supportive. This would require significant financial commitment as a society, but the investment would be worth it.

©Paul A Bonner