Vision Statement for a New School Year
So yesterday I talked about why I dislike most current merit pay proposals for teachers. In short, I don’t think that these systems, which advocates say are meant to reward and retain good teachers, properly identify good teachers. I don’t think I gave a full picture of what we would see when we look at a good teacher. So what I want to do now is set out my own goals for the upcoming year. This is what I will expect to see from myself and my students in order for me to say that I was a good teacher this year. I figure it will help with the conversation I started yesterday, and keep me focused on my self-improvement while I’m at it.
Power to Students: This is the make or break issue. Education has to give power to the learner. I don’t mean that the students control the classroom. I mean that by improving their ability to identify a problem, gather information, and conceive a solution, what we do in the classroom should make students into more powerful citizens. The ability to identify what they think, articulate those beliefs, and listen to other people do the same gives students the power to build networks and communities. Someone who walks into my classroom or talks to my students should see them building this power.
How am I going to do that? Well, that’s where I have to be on top of my game as a teacher.
Strong Lines of Communication: If I expect students to demonstrate progress throughout the year, I need to make sure that they are able to build on their previous work in order to make their next effort better. That means giving concise but specific verbal feedback during classwork and class discussions. It also means returning work promptly and keeping students updated on how their work is being reflected in their grade. I’m setting a goal of returning any classwork or homework within two school days and any minor or major projects within five school days.
Giving clear instructions is another key part of communication, but I’ll have more to say about that in a minute.
Parents and guardians have to be kept in the loop. That means using phone and email to keep in touch and using resources like wikispaces so that parents have access to the info they need.
Strong Planning: Not only does each day’s lesson need a clear structure, I need to make the whole more than the sum of the parts. Each lesson should be more than a simple content objective; each day should build toward a larger conceptual goal and a way for students to demonstrate that they can use these concepts to think about their world. In addition to my daily lesson plans, I’m going to try to write overall unit plans. I have a tendency to see so many connections that I don’t always make them explicit, and I think it will be useful to articulate exactly how I see everything fit together. If I do, I increase the chances that my students will as well.
High Expectations, with Support: No matter what kind of assignment a teacher devises, there are going to be some students who look to follow the letter, rather than the spirit, of the rules. It’s often possible to answer a question without thinking about the question. My students need to know that that’s not acceptable – the process is just as important as the destination. And that process needs to start on day one. But if I’m requiring deep thought and understanding, I also need to provide support. I need to be able to answer questions. I need to be available after school for extra help. I need to provide access to materials that will help my students fill in gaps in their background knowledge.
Every Voice in the Conversation: It is so easy to rely on volunteers to keep a class conversation moving. But the danger in that is that some students will remain hidden behind the volunteers. Some will choose to hide, and some will just let it happen. I have to structure the class participation model so that everyone gets involved, even if that means ignoring some raised hands. And I can’t forget that talking in class isn’t the only way to participate. If I give meaningful assignments, that’s a way for students to have a different kind of conversation. And if some students look like they’re getting ahead of, or falling behind, the main conversation, I need to find ways to loop them back in or launch a meaningful side conversation. (That last sentence was far easier to type than it is to accomplish, but it’s one of my big goals for this year.)
Go Beyond the Curriculum: There are a lot of facts in the World History curriculum. There are more facts than my students are going to be able to remember at once. Heck, there are more facts than I am able to remember at once. A student isn’t successful in World History just because he can tell me why the Third Estate launched the French Revolution or because she can tell me who Gandhi was. What matters is that they know why they should know. I know why, but I am a history geek. They need to be able to bring those facts to bear in conversations about the world we’re making right now. And that means that I have to let those conversations happen, and find ways to start them when they’re not happening naturally.
So that’s what I hope to see this year. In June we’ll check back and see how I did. If you think I’m missing something, please feel free to chime in through the comment system.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.