So, whatcha gonna do?

Yesterday I attended an Administrator's Academy focused on poor teacher performance. Now, in all sincerity, there isn't an administrator worth his or her salt who hasn't played the "I can't wait until this one retires" game. I personally, went home and had a huge glass of wine when one in particular moved on. However, I think the time for waiting is over.

As Dr. Voltz informed all of us yesterday, "the times they are a changin". If we don't change first we likely will be swept away by the tide of educational reform focused on the blame game. Just like Jim Broadway told us this morning in his State School News Service, the have gots are focused on doing it their way, and that includes charter schools and vouchers. That should leave the public schools with students unable, for one reason or another, to either be admitted or be successful in the particular charter school environment.

Those of us here in Cornfed County likely will not face the charter/voucher choice anytime too soon, but you know what they say about that stuff that rolls down hill. These edicts and changes caused by the public school panic will most definitely affect us eventually (and that eventuality will come sooner rather than later). The concept of tenure is like the old rooster; it has served its purpose and now it will be served up to feed the already fat cats. It's one more distraction to keep the rest of the barnyard on their toes and in their respective coops.

The issue of poor job performance is, of course, monumentally important and poor teaching should not be tolerated, but let's really see the issue for what it is. We see it day in and day out here in Cornfed, parents who desperately want their children to be successful and achieve, living in communities that have been societally marginalized by the loss of jobs and human services. Families unable to afford their own homes living with relatives in order to make ends meet. Our educational failings are most assuredly the responsibility of a flawed system, but it is not the schools alone who must bear the blame. Blame won't fix anything anyway, working together just might. Tell you what, make my school a charter; give my little country kids the breaks and services kids in charter schools get. The union wont' complain, I promise.