By Bob Harris
Last week I described the panel I recently attended at Queens Borough Hall on the “Preparation, Recruitment, Certification and Development” of teachers. I described some of the problems in some of our schools which drive out competent, dedicated teachers. I also told of positive accomplishments in our schools.
I have learned that a young teacher I met last year will probably quit teaching. My daughter, a teacher also, knows this young teacher and brought her to my house so my wife could give her samples of various projects she could use in the various classes where she substituted. “J” had worked for a recruiter during college and stayed for a few years after college while she obtained her teacher’s certification.
Since she was working, she didn’t have the time to take student teaching, so she took a job in a school with an opening in southern Queens. The school was out of control, which is why she probably got the job — to fill an opening. She couldn’t control some of the 4th grade students in her class. The administration tried but could not help her. She described students who just ran out her class and ran around the hall. Students pushed teachers down the stairs. “J” gathered the kids who wanted to learn near her desk. and tried to help them. The school has now become a SURR — School Under Registration Review.
“J” left after the year and did day-to-day substituting in schools in northern Queens this past fall. Principals liked her and she substituted almost every day.
Then she covered a 6th grade class which was difficult and had driven out the new regular teacher who could not control them. “J” is doing such a good job that the principal wants her to stay, BUT the Board of Education discovered she is there and certified, so it wants her to go to a SURR school. This 6th grade class now loves her, sends her e-mail messages, and is doing fine but the state has ordered that all certified teachers go to SURR schools. “J” says she will go back to the business world rather than go back to what she endured last year.
One of the people at that Jan. 16 panel was Dr. Charlotte Frank, a New York State Regent who was head of curriculum instruction in New York City and was in District 1 in Manhattan. She had told of the need for better preparation of teachers, support and on-going development. She had told of the need for competent, certified teachers. She also said that “65 percent of the superintendents would not recommend teaching to their own children.”
“J” would have loved adequate help. I wonder what extra things the system does to help the new teachers in these difficult schools. Do they provide very small classes, aides, paraprofessionals, psychologists, social workers, mentors, extra assistant principals — in adequate numbers so the new teachers are actually helped? When “J” called parents they did not pick up the phone because they had caller I.D. and did not want to answer a call from the school. When a child’s medication was used up, the parents could not, or just did not, buy more so the child became hyperactive.
The trouble is, all the solutions cost money. Making a school simply a nice-looking place to work in costs money. “J” complained that her 4th grade students would not bring in the money for a weekly magazine or for a trip, but would always have lots of junk food to bring along on a free trip. I have always advocated that the Board provide weekly magazines and cheap little books for all students every week for free. BUT this costs money — the money the state does not give to us.
Some of the current school critics want teachers to plan lessons, prepare tests and mark them at home and make copies of the tests in school, or get them from the people who make copies in school, deal with the problem students in class, teach interesting, exciting lessons which compete with videos and TV, stop the lesson to listen to loudspeaker announcements, escort the class to places, take daily attendance, collect lunch or special money, give out notices, decorate their rooms and decorate assigned bulletin boards plus call back parents, meet sudden special needs of students, care about the family problems their colleagues have, worry about their own families, and then, these critics say, they should do lunch and bus duty. Oh yes, and some teachers are going to school and studying for the test to become certified.
I can’t end this column without reminding you that, in spite of the problems, the New York City schools do accomplish a great deal. Just read about the math, foreign language, essay, science, history, technology and vocational contests our students win. Read about all of the volunteer activities our schools take part in, with the help of the classroom teachers. Read about students who win special awards. Read about graduates of our city schools who have achieved great things. About half of the Intel Science Research winners were products of our schools. Our Queens graduates won $58 million in scholarship money in June 2000.
GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK Education is the national topic this year!
