The recent Seattle teacher negotiations are a great teaching example of the problems education is facing right now, both in Seattle and in the United States.
This time of year, teachers are typically consumed with readying their classrooms and their lesson plans for a new year of students. Instead, teachers spent the last week in grueling debate with the district — with the threat of a strike always looming overhead.
The teachers are right to fight the district’s contract proposal. One of the new stipulations — which was thankfully dropped during negotiations — was a push to increase classroom size. Teachers are underfunded and under-supported; the last thing they need is even more students at one time.
Another ongoing point of contention is the use of standardized test results in teacher evaluations. It is vital that our teachers be evaluated and their progress and success monitored. But a one-size-fits-all test — that likely doesn’t accurately represent a student’s success anyways — should not be the cornerstone of teacher evaluations. This is especially true because Seattle Public Schools will test students under the new Common Core standards, but the teachers don’t have curriculum for these new standards.
But the real loser in all of this? The students. This undoubtedly frustrating process can’t be inspiring passion in teachers.
The back-and-forth discussions about strikes also puts parents on edge. A strike will have negative time and financial impacts on working parents who planned for their children to be in school at the start of September.
According to the National Education Association, one-third of new teachers leave the profession within three years; almost half quit by year five. We need to do more to retain good teachers. The success of our students depends on passionate, educated, well-trained teachers in the classrooms. Equally as important, we should work to get diverse teachers from all different backgrounds teaching Seattle’s children.
Teachers and districts should fight for what is best for the children and for the education system. One unfortunate reality is that schools will have to do more with much less. But that doesn’t mean that education and quality teaching should be forsaken.
It seems to be a lose-lose situation for now. Will any lessons be learned from this? Only time will tell.
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