Originally Posted by
dankrutka
I believe that I taught with quite a few inspirational teachers during my time at Westmoore. They definitely inspired students as you've explained, but they often did so in the face of systemic barriers and without the professional respect they deserved.
My entire goal when I taught government was to make it relevant and engaging for students. The biggest detriment to this goal were required scope and sequence standards that did not allow us to follow interests or passions. There was such an incredible amount of curriculum crammed into my AP courses that you barely had time to find meaning in anything before you moved on. The curriculum was a mile long and an inch deep. Every year I redesigned the course curriculum so that I could work in projects and content meaningful to my students. Even though I had a masters and was finishing my doctorate, worked an average of 12-14 hours a day, and spent tons of free time supporting students at school clubs and events, my total compensation was in the lower $30,000s. That's why teachers need summers (which I spent at teacher workshops and graduate school). Teachers need time to reflect and learn. I just spent last Saturday with 150 Oklahoma educators who spent the entire day learning from each other with no institutional benefits. They were there just to improve their craft.
For those who have never taught, try putting your heart and soul into working with 150+ students a day within a system that privileges standardization and short-term memorization over creativity, passion, or authentic learning. People would be amazed by how many great teachers there are in Oklahoma, but, unfortunately, we trust lawmakers with no educational background to make decisions about a field in which they are ignorant. It makes the job tough, but I've dedicated my life to empowering teachers and students. Just something to think about...
Re: #OKedRally
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