In Toxic Tongues: Our Battle With The Language Of The Public

By Author: Mike Jones
Total Articles: 256
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A few months before George W. Bush left the presidency, I Googled "No Child Left Behind" and clicked on the first website that appeared: the government-run ED.gov. I learned much more than I bargained for about why my job as a teacher has become so much more difficult over the past several years. The NCLB website boasted of its success, attesting to the "accountability," "higher achievement," and "quality of teaching" the law has spawned. With a grand pat on the back, the website's authors reduced the issue of public education to its lowest terms and announced the panacea to end the problems teachers have faced for centuries. They said, quite simply, "NCLB is doing what works."

The Obama-Biden administration appears, at first, to be taking a step in the right direction. As explained on the White House website, their "vision for a 21st century education" remembers parents' roles in their children's lives, emphasizes "recruiting, retaining, and rewarding" teachers, and even lists "creativity" as an area in which students should excel. They also knock multiple-choice bubble-filling Cartier Pasha Replica Watches ...
... and insist learning should be more valuable. On this, both the public and teachers can agree. Still, their vision maintains the NCLB agenda and only hopes to reform it with more funding. While demanding accountability in schools, they are only asking for parents' support.

So what are we, as teachers, left to do? In a struggling school where government funding is at stake, I can't blame teachers for falling victim to these pressures. After all, many odds are against them. But we must keep our eyes open to loaded language about education reform, and we must spread the truth—on our terms—to as many people as we can. In his speeches and in his White House agenda, Obama has referred to an "army" of teachers. He chose that word well. Now is a perfect time for us to band together on the battlefield, fighting for real education, not just measurable education. Our weapons are the words we use to share what goes on within our classrooms. We need to talk to each other, and to parents, and to those in the corporate world who are far removed from schools. We must take every opportunity to tell them about the passion, creativity, and enthusiasm that thrive among lively students, the same passion, creativity, and enthusiasm that are snuffed out by words such as accountability and standards.

And in the meantime, we must realize that deep down, the teaching profession is still sacred and truly unlike any other. These tests may be calling the shots at the moment, but we know they don't reflect real education. As Emery and Ohanian insist, "People who think data collection is the answer to education's woes should ask themselves if a kid ever snuggled up to data. Or if data ever convinced him to read a book. Or listened to questions and concerns". It's true we may never Tag Heuer Replica again see a school where students stand on their desks and chant "Oh Captain, my Captain," but there is still room to inspire. Anyone can lead when all odds are in his or her favor; only the most experienced and courageous teachers can lead in the face of adversity. The language of the public has paved quite a rocky path for us. But we can talk back, and as a group we can speak volumes.