Where Are All the Great Teachers?

They are busy teaching, studying, learning, connecting, collaborating, reinventing and reaching every child sitting in their classrooms! Do we know who they are? Would we recognize them if we saw them? Of course we would! The GREAT teachers are those who inspire others to learn something new on a daily basis. They are the ones right down the hall. They are our colleagues, friends, parents, mentors, role models, coaches, and leaders. Great teachers don't need the attention or any status titles saying that they are experts in the field. They don't do expensive research trials, they experiment and develop working models every single day! The GREAT teachers know how to reach children and young adults sitting in front of them. They know how to inspire passion in children. It's time to start recognizing that it's the GREAT teachers who will lead the educational reform or change that is vital in our broken educational system. Let them lead and share their experiences, we really don't need to throw millions of dollars at expensive experts to tell us what works in classrooms all over the world. We don't need Merit Pay, it does not work!!!! If you think it does, you might want to watch the latest update about research on merit pay.

School leaders need to focus on what is right about their teachers while discussing ideas and plans for ongoing growth in the pursuit of excellence for all. Effective leadership is imperative for the vitality of GREAT teachers. One of my absolute favorite education reformers and authors, Michael Fullan, shares his insight on educational growth and change. It's not about test scores and standardized test results. It really comes down to the level of relational trust within an organization. Without it, you will never achieve the goals for success. Read page 42 in his book, The Moral Imperative, it is quite telling!


He discusses the needs for today's schools. We are not lacking GREAT teachers! We lack the supportive environments for their passion or flames for teaching to remain brightly lit. We need to begin at the school environment, climate and culture to identify where the problems or root causes that lie hidden beneath the piles of test data and school reform models that don't work.