So this is going to be one of those blogs I don’t “advertise” on Facebook. It’ll be obvious why. Writing this is more therapy for me so that I can “let go” of what happened today.
I was told this morning that I was put on a Professional Development Plan for work because of how poor my student evaluations were. To be honest, when I looked at the student evaluations, I didn’t think twice about them. It looked like I scored average or above average in comparison with my colleagues. (Keep in mind, I’ve never had a Scantron student evaluation before. I think they’re quite odd and don’t provide usable feedback, and I disregarded any student comments about the content, as I was told what to teach and given the essay assignments.)
I have learned to not take student evaluations too much to heart. If a student does poorly in the class, often it will be reflected in the evaluation. I learn a lot about which teaching techniques students like (if the evaluation is structured correctly), but I don’t really see much value in them. Most students don’t care when they fill them out. Involved administrators get a better assessment of what the teachers do in the classroom; these are the administrators who visit classrooms announced and unannounced and who talk to students who do well and bad about the class and teacher. “Being hard” doesn’t mean a teacher isn’t good.
So today I was floored to hear that because of my student evaluations and because I gave “too many” Fs that I need Professional Development. I am left once again truly questioning the role of higher education. Are we supposed to educate or students or just pass them so the school can continue making money? I am feeling like it is the latter. It’s all about retention. Keeping students at the school. It’s not about holding them accountable for their attendance, holding high standards for quality work, or expecting them to learn. (I have even been told by a different university to pass a student who missed 5 of 8 classes and didn’t turn in work because the student needed to pass my class to stay at the school.)
For my Integrating Technology class that I am taking through, I had to do some reading on how different generations act and what they expect. The research was right on the money with most of my experiences in teaching lately. Students feel entitled to good grades, and they don’t want to work for it. At some schools, there is even the mentality that if the student pays for this education, the student is entitled to an A, essentially buying the grade.
If my dad was alive today, he would be mortified. It’s the complete opposite of what he believed and the values he instilled in me. Education was and is a gift. My parents gave up SO SO SO much so that my sister and I could get a good education (in grade school, high school, and college). We didn’t take that for granted. We strove for As and were heartbroken by anything lower. If we got a lower grade, we blamed ourselves, not our teacher. Our parents would NEVER EVER blame the teacher for our low grade. I’d have to give up going to play rehearsals or participating in theatre or the newspaper until my grades came up. Those weren’t school rules. Those were mom and dad rules.
That’s not how it is in the world of education today. Students are not held accountable. Teachers are solely accountable for whether or not their students learn. We are expected to hold their hands every step of the way, allowing excuses. Administrators are driven by money and school standards and have forgot that they run palaces of learning. No that’s not a typo. Education should be seen as getting to go to a palace of learning. It’s a privilege.
What irks me about my situation is that the deans didn’t come to me to ask about the grades I gave or my students’ work. All decisions were based on student evaluations and the grades I gave. I was never observed. I was never e-mailed. I was discussed at a department meeting that I don’t attend. A colleague referred to me as a “bad apple”.
I was thinking about teaching in the fall. I was scheduled to teach two sections of freshman English. Today, I told the department chair I wasn’t teaching in the fall. I’ve started fertility treatments for a second child, and I don’t need stress like this. I get paid $2,100 a class. I teach two classes. I pay $105 a week for Emma’s day care. You do the math.
At past schools, I have been asked to lead professional development sessions for teachers BECAUSE of what administrators have SEEN in my classroom. I teach future educators BECAUSE I am a good teacher. I hold high standards BECAUSE I am good teacher.
Good teachers give Fs. Good teachers let students learn lessons in school so they don’t make the same mistakes in the real world. Good teachers show up to class, prepared. Good teachers push students to do better. Good teachers give students feedback. Good teachers set standards for their students and expect the students to meet them. When good teachers do all of these things, they cease being a good teacher. They become a great teacher. And I know…I am a GREAT teacher.
