“I miss learning.”
Natasha Loomis
By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal
Natasha, a charming young lady, made the above statement after experiencing
her first few days of middle school. She is not a Taylor student, but the
sentiment expresses a longing felt by millions of middle and high school
students across our nation. Schools today seem to be so caught up in the
quagmire of unfunded mandates, constant standardized testing, and endless “red
tape” in the name of accountability, that the primary focus of why we exist has
been relegated to a secondary role. Well Natasha, I miss teaching, too.
Those of us in the field of education became teachers because we wanted
to make a difference. We envisioned rows of eager students sitting before
us hanging on our every word, wanting nothing more but to absorb all our
knowledge and wisdom. We thought that teaching was about learning, and
our responsibilities as teachers began and ended with lesson plans, seating
charts, and curriculum. What we got was much different.
Today, schools are expected to raise the children of our
communities. We feed them breakfast, lunch, and we even have after-school
programs that feed them dinner. We arrange for transportation, sometimes
by bus, cab and sometimes we cart them around in our own vehicles. We
clothe those in need and offer medical, dental, and vision care. We offer counseling
and social work services, and provide structure and discipline that most do not
get at home. We offer recreational opportunities, social gatherings like
Prom and Homecoming, and trips to places that they would otherwise never have
the chance to visit.
We offer vocational training, career counseling, and in some cases
employment; and when we must, we are their protectors and advocates. When we
have the time, we try to squeeze in some learning.
I miss teaching. I miss spending my days focused on methodology, pedagogy
and pacing guides. Instead we spend so much of our time on supplementing vs.
supplanting, sign-in/agendas/evaluations, etc. that we no longer have the time
to worry about learning.
I feel your pain Natasha. I long for the days when a school was
all about teachers teaching and students’ learning. When quality was more
important than quantity, when creativity was more important than
standardization, when teachers were respected and treated as professionals.
I long for the days when calling home sent shocking waves of despair
through a student’s heart. The day when showing a student that you were
disappointed in them meant something, when students took ownership in their learning,
and when parents believed what the teacher had to say trusting that they are trying
very hard to look out for their child’s best interests.
I miss teaching. I miss schools having local control and not being
dictated to by bureaucrats and politicians who have absolutely no expertise in
how to educate today’s youth. I miss education being a “sacred cow” as
opposed to a political tool. I miss the warm fuzzy feeling when a
student’s eyes would light up as they finally got it, as opposed to the anxiety
of waiting for MEAP/MME scores to finally arrive.
I miss being evaluated based on my own merits, as opposed to being
judged by the efforts of others.
Simply Natasha, I understand. But please do not give up!
Rest assured that there are many of us fighting for you, for all
students, and we will not stop until we get this thing right, until no longer
an empowered young lady filled with such promise and potential like yourself
feels the urge to say … “I miss learning.”
Remember, their future is in our hands/ Making Kennedy the school
of choice. Excellence by design.
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