School improvement is about maximizing student achievement – that’s the goal. Teachers are in the classroom just for that purpose, principals are on school-sites for that purpose, as are the office staff, school nurse, school counselor, and building maintenance… they’re all there for the same reason.
So, what’s the problem?
In 2000 I entered my second grade classroom, for the first time, three days before the school year began. I had three days to get ready for my students… and I didn’t know who those students would be (yet). I remember that day as if it were yesterday…
The school secretary gave me the key to enter a (my) classroom that did not have any student texts, teachers’ guide, curriculum guides, classroom library (or any library books at all), any type of calendar, math manipulatives, a current school-site phone list, information regarding whom to contact for issue, a list of available classroom supplies, information on where and/or how to obtain what I needed to teach in three days. I did not know what furniture (bookcases) I should/could have… and the list goes on.
I basically was given the keys to my classroom and told to have a nice year.
Everyone was busy getting ready for the first day of school, I didn’t want to be a pain or a burden to them and I didn’t want to look bad.
How did I handle this situation?
Just like every other teacher that leaves the profession within the first five years – I worked my fanny off. I spent hours of my own time and much of my own money to get ready. I called teacher friends at home, I cried and I wore myself out.
This is the norm folks -especially in large urban school districts – where 50% of K-12 students in the U.S. attend school!
How prepared do you think I was that year to maximize my students’ achievement? Could school standards focusing on my working environment have helped me? Absolutely!
School standards focusing on the school-site work environment acknowledge that the interaction of teachers (and admin staff) plays a critical roll in teachers’ success in the classroom.
How do we measure teachers’ success? We measure it by student achievement.
Who’s going to be the more successful teacher, the teacher fried from overwork before they enter the classroom to teach or the teacher supported and provided the information they need (minimizing their frying time) so they can focus on their classroom teaching?
The Link to Teachers' Success...
Dr. Kathleen Salzano, Ed.D.
