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.

Education Reform, What Are the Real Issues Plaguing Us? A New Movement!

As a veteran teacher, although hard to believe, I felt compelled to start a new blog and maybe even a movement in education. Over the past 22 years, I have been witness to many wonderfully devoted teachers who inspire learning and passion within their students. They are caring and parent-like. They listen to children and treat them as though they matter. They can often be found eating lunch in the cafeteria, playing on the play grounds, sitting on the floors of classrooms sharing stories, staying after school to help a child in need, sharing food with a student who forgot a lunch, buying classroom resources with their own money, laughing and crying with students when they need someone, counseling beyond their call of duty, attending extracurricular events just because they care, inviting parents to participate in learning, creating fun learning experiences, trying something new even when it's fearful, and going the extra mile simply because they are devoted to their students and profession. There is no extra pay or merit in this, these teachers do it out of the truest form of passion and love. If you are one of these teachers, please share your stories here!

We need you to help lead this movement. It is time to start telling the policy makers to stop pointing the finger at us and to begin finding the root cause of our failing system. It is not the fault of teachers!! The fault should be placed on a terribly outdated and ill-funded system that will only continue to fail until our lawmakers figure out that true success can not be measured by Math and Reading scores alone! We need to measure the dedication of teachers and focus on all that is right inside our schools today. Let our voices be heard! We do have the power to change a bureaucratic system that is so broken by the politics of our society.

I am not saying that there aren't bad teachers out there. I have seen and worked with plenty over the years. Some even became horrible administrators. The problem with our system lies in how we are evaluated or measured. A brief visit from a principal once a year is not enough, student test scores are not enough, popularity contests are not effective, so what do we do? It's time for all teachers as professionals to reflect and begin asking ourselves the tough questions. Am I making a difference in these students' lives? How can I do more, or do the best with what I have? Do I inspire them to learn? Do I model passion in my daily routines? Do I listen to them and value their input? Do we have fun in class while learning? Are they happy to be here? Are we a team? Do I contribute to their successes or failures? Are they growing socially and emotionally?

Pay attention friends, ask your students to honestly give you feedback. They will respect you for allowing them an opportunity to help you grow and become a better professional. If you allow them to share their ideas and opinions with constructive feedback, they will be more apt to listening to you when you give them yours.

It's high time to begin acting like the professionals that we are or aspire to one day become. There really aren't any excuses for bad teaching. Tests, standards, common curriculum, administrators etc. don't cause poor teaching the lack of commitment, integrity and hard work does. I have worked with teachers in the poorest of districts and there are some amazing teachers who continue to learn and inspire others to do the same! Those creative, smiling, passionate educators who teach and inspire children to become quality well rounded citizens need to take a stand and say STOP blaming us! We are not the problem. We are not going to take it anymore!

Take the pledge today to begin a new decade of inspired educational leadership and devotion to our children, our future!

If this post moved you, please respond! We need your input to begin a new decade of educational reform. A movement that is lead by the dedicated passionate teachers, not the politicians with agendas other than children!