Testing the Teachers

I have had a wide range of jobs in my life that have presented all types of challenges. After high school I loaded delivery trucks at 3 a.m. and just recently I managed a multi-faceted state-wide training program. However, I have never experienced the unique demands put on primary school teachers until last year, when I volunteered as a teacher’s assistant at a local elementary school.

The teacher and paraprofessional where fully trained, educated, and dedicated to their job. The dozen kindergartners were well intentioned, curious, and easily exited about everything. When the stars aligned and the connection was made between the curriculum and those eager minds, it was nothing short of a miracle. The balance required between being a professor and a councilor/nutritionist/disciplinary/administrator/etc... put the individuals in charge of preparing the next generation of leaders in a unique position that makes it very hard to quantify their success.

The New Haven Register reported on August 7^th that The Board of Education voted to enact a $200,000 New Teacher Project which will redesign how teachers are evaluated (click here for full article). I hope that those in charge of creating new ways to evaluate a teachers progress take a break from their desk jobs for a week and get a first hand look at all of the hats teachers have to wear to be effective at their jobs.