Does it constitute teacher bashing?

Anyone who has been paying attention to the national debates going on right now, have heard about the new documentary Waiting for Superman. I was sitting in the Music Education annex at Illinois two weeks ago discussing all of the education reform speak and I have to say, I'm always skeptical of a national discussion that involves non-professionals. I'm not arguing that people who can think intellectually about schools and improvement can't add to the conversation (i.e. Malcolm Gladwell), but I do think that politicians and members of the buisness community struggle to add any meaning or crystalize an argument.

Compare the education debate to global warming. You'll hear people state there is no possible way climate change could be true. Rarely do you see an actual scientist with a seat at the table. Stop a natural resources professors on any college campus and ask them about global warming. The media is so far behind on this issue.

So if education is treated in the same way, why would we expect a different outcome? I think that's why teachers feel "touchy" about this entire debate. They don't feel that they have a seat at the table, much like scientists.

The people representing them or usually union leaders. Weigarten does alright when it comes to speaking for teachers but I think this is a much more complicated issue. Yes, teachers who don't perform well need to be fired. Yes, teachers who don't stay current with important trends, lack focus later in their career, or who turn out to be lazy once they're tenured need to be fired. That's pretty obvious.

But, back to my original question. Does a film like Waiting for Superman constitute teacher bashing? I would have to say NO.

Here's why:

1. While teachers are at fault in many scenarios, they can't be blamed for everything problematic in education because...

2. When controlled for poverty, students fair much better and when controlled for parental support.....

3. ....students also fair much better.

What about the way we evaluate schools? We now expect many more students to go to college in the same system that wasn't set up for that kind of intellecutal heavy lifting. Should every child be expected to do well in high school? Some of the world's greatest minds were horrible in school and yet we hold it up on this pedestal. This is a much deeper debate than the short time I've spent on it here.

I'm back

This exercise took a back seat to a school year that required more of me and drew my attention to other places. I've read some excellent books, had some invigorating conversations, and heard excellent music made by high school students.

I'm back online now, ready to rock.

Peace,
MC