Reply to Where are the EXPERIENCED Teachers in DC????

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[quote=Anonymous]Interesting question and observation but, as always, beware of generalizations... In our eight year tenure in DCPS, I've truly seen both: the "experienced" teacher using archaic disciplinary methods, from throwing erasers and keys at students to degrading punishments, to doing whatever suits their fancy when it comes to teaching: Screw the plan that means for long divisions to be introduced in 4th grade, once foundational skills are mastered, let's learn how to do in 2nd by heart so they "know" by 4th, with absolutely no plan, just winging it. But I've also seen many truly skilled experienced teachers who have that spark and charisma, maybe not every year because they've seen it all, but mostly. The best of them have been able to embrace new methods such as quitting the eternal tracing letters and numbers as an early morning exercise, switching from line paper to construction paper for book reports in early elementary, and getting young kids out of their seats and onto the floor for circle time. Even the good ones however, aren't the ones accompanying students to science fairs outside the classroom and pitching in with afterschool activities and clubs. Neither are they the first to try out new methods and approaches and rarely those who know how to help out a novice. They often keep to the bare minimum of what is asked of them, though they do that well. I cherish that but our schools would be a sad place if that's all we had.
I must say the spectrum of young teachers has not been quite that wide, not from what I've seen. Even the clueless came with methods and a willingness to follow a script and a plan, which I think - in and of itself - is worth a lot in a context where students switch schools a lot and depend on building a predictable set of skills every year. Yes, I've seen the novice breaking down in tears because of challenges managing a rowdy classroom (and demanding parents on top of that). Although some of them have learned to differentiate a classroom, they lack a veteran's eyes in the back of their head to follow through. But I've also seen excellent young teachers get the hang of that as if it were second nature to them and bring an unparalleled energy and commitment to the classroom, one they can't possibly keep up over the long haul by the way.

So don't generalize. What I want to know is where the consistently good teachers are, whether they stay, and whether those who have something to learn get the mentorship and support they need. And I can't say I'm sorry that the stuff throwing and nothing but yelling "experienced" teacher has been let go.[/quote]

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