Freedom to Teach

It is escaping the ever present dark cloud hovering over.

It also means being included on curriculum changes and truly having a say in what is taught.

I can help them start from where they are and build on the interests they have so they want to learn and they do not have to worry about being hungry or fixing the emotional issues at home. There are so many great young people who just want to be more than what they are, they just need the opportunity to learn in a stress free environment.

Having freedom to teach also means that I am not judged based on how students perform on a test, and I'm not evaluated negatively on having to ask an administrator to step in to solve a severe disciplinary issue (fights, assaults, threats) after having been informed that severe issues are to be dealt with by administrators. Freedom to teach means having support to build relationships with my students as well as my colleagues and to be treated as a professional and with the respect I give my students, their parents, my colleagues, and my supervisors.

Our students come to us on varying levels but they are given the same assessments. Many of our administrators are data driven and are sole focused on the assessments and not in the welfare of the children we serve.

It means not having to unpack standards that are so cumbersomely written that I am not sure of all that is requred to be covered. Allow me to teach and bond with my students! Let me do my "job"!

I would not have to worry about testing interruptions and we could learn more about history and really have time to discuss what has happened in our past. My students would not feel stress and school would be a safe place for them to express their ideas.