Everyone Wants to Reinvent Schooling By: Anthony Pellegrino Part Three

The outsiders who sought to reinvent schools through business methods, instructional systems, and technology failed to see the world through the teachers’ eyes. In fact some of them wanted to by-pass teachers and to produce teacherproof instruction Others did regard teachers as the key to transformed schooling, but they wanted to change the structure of teaching as an occupation and thought that incentives alone would do so. They rarely understood the teachers’ perspectives on their work.

Teachers have resisted reforms for merit pay because they have spent decades to achieve the principle of the equality of all professionals as represented in a single salary schedule for elementary and high school teachers and equal pay for female and male teachers. As a result they regard merit pay not as an incentive but as a bother and a threat to professional courtesy.

Teachers have been trying endlessly to improve teaching and themselves for decades. They fully realize the necessity for such changes and are not afraid of innovations. In fact, they welcome them but resent being forced to accept concepts without becoming a part of them.

When polled about what bothered teachers the most, the general public listed poor discipline first and salaries second. However teachers listed unfavorable public attitudes toward education first and salaries fourth! Over the years many studies have shown that teachers most highly value the intrinsic rewards of the occupation that come from seeing their pupils develop and they treasure praise from students, parents, and colleagues.

We tend to forget we are dealing with human beings, not machines. One only has to read Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World to be reminded how humans can be programmed. There are several clever chapters in the book where the leaders order special professional people From the test tube stage up to adults, they are programmed to become whatever society needs. If plumbers, doctors, laborers are needed, they are simply ordered and manufactured. This is the “new brave world.”

Schools need reform today as always. After studying why certain reforms have failed in the past, let’s consider several suggestions on how to best achieve progressive and lasting change:

First, don’t over compromise, even if it seems advantageous in the short run. Setting goals is an essential stage in reform, but raising expectations to a level to be achieved except by only a few can only lead to quick discouragement and disillusion. Be wary of quick fixes.

Second, don’t try to change everything at once but instead graft change onto what is healthy in the present system. Know what a good school is and than adopt that knowledge to the less performing schools most in need.

Third, take the technology and decide how it can best be utilized in the schools. Technology is an invaluable teachers’ aide, but it must be utilized as part of the whole educational process. It can not supplant the system. Instead encourage teachers to incorporate these valuable tools into their teaching methodology.

Fourth, enlist and honor teachers as the key people in reforming schooling. The history of educational reform shows that it is impossible to improve without their active participation in the planning and implementation of change.

I believe the most lasting and beneficial changes will come when reformers regard teachers as major trustees of education and honor their best practices and most humane values in reforming the schools.

We have the most advanced knowledge how the brain functions; we have the technology to facilitate learning; and we have dedicated teachers. We must put selfish agendas behind us and successfully combine all of these miracles into improving learning for our children. Only then will true educational reform become a utopia.