Guest Blog: Who Speaks for the Children?
By Kim Irvine
I believe the biggest problem we face in education is this: Our society does not understand the heart and mind of an educator.
Educators are constantly running behind schedule because, for instance, we spend hours helping a frustrated kid understand multiplying fractions, and then to save time, we secretly correct papers during faculty meeting or in church behind the hymnbook.
Educators hardly earn enough to run our own households, yet we engineer small miracles so that a new pair of shoes suddenly materializes in a student’s locker, the product of educators who noticed he was in need and gathered their pennies. And when it is discovered at dress rehearsal for the school play that the costume wigs are infected with lice, educators stay up all night spraying and freezing wigs so the show will go on.
Educators are a peculiar bunch, mostly because we choose to spend our days with those in our society who are often ignored: the children. We understand our students because we choose to make them our priority. Every day. We are experts on what motivates them and what makes them shut down. Educators have pure motivations: We simply want all our students to succeed. We know success looks different for each student, and we honor and celebrate those differences. We know a mere test score does not effectively communicate the talents, triumphs and trials of any student.
The answers to authentic education reform must come from those who understand the large and small issues that the individual children they serve face. The answers must come from the community. The caring professionals, parents and others who live locally are the only ones who truly understand the particular needs of the students in their communities. These tireless champions of education are the PTA members, the parents, the school bus drivers, the local librarians, the custodians, the local school board and the teachers, among many others. These supporters of education have not had a voice in national educational policy…until now.
December 10 marks the first anniversary of ESSA—the Every Student Succeeds Act. This is not another sound byte to be manipulated by politicians or vendors. ESSA marks an auspicious change. It gives voice to the educational Guest Blog: Who Speaks for the Children? - Lily's Blackboard: