Kim Frencken: It's time to treat teachers with the respect they deserve

(Author Kim Frencken taught for 20 years in the Joplin R-8 School District and currently teaches at Vatterott College in Joplin.)

Education has become too divisive. There are now distinct groups within the educational system, each touting that they have the best interest of the kids in mind, but rarely showing it.   You have administrators that taught for a maximum of three years, teaching coaches that maybe taught for one –two years, and people in HR that have never taught.  Schools have become political arenas for agendas to be pushed.

Back in the day things were different. I know that memory has a way of making the past seem better than it was, but there were some things that were better.  For instance, teachers taught.  We knew what was expected, we knew what our kids were expected to know by the end of the year, we had a pacing guide (a guide to be used as a guide, not a “set in stone” follow it to the letter or else guide), and we knew how to teach. We had gone through our college programs and, more importantly, student teaching. We worked with our teams and our administrators when it was, not only fashionable, but also true that everything we did was “for the kids”.  Our principals had our backs. They were in our classrooms, in the hallways, on the playground, and in the lunchroom. They planned PD that had nothing to do with professional development, but everything to do with team development.  Meetings were at a minimum. You had one if you needed one.  Teachers were kept in the classroom, not pulled out to attend the latest conference on the newest educational trend.  Parents were held accountable for their role as parent. They were expected to be part of the education of their child.  Parents were invited to take part in class activities.  The students were responsible for their part, after all it was their education.  Students were expected to be in class on time, with all assignments complete. They were expected to show respect to adults and peers.  They were held to a higher standard.  Everyone was.

Now, accountability is becoming a thing of the past. New grading methods do not require students to be responsible OR accountable.  Unprofessional fraternization between administrators and their ‘pet’ teacher leaves conduct open to speculation.  Teachers have increased expectations, with less time to meet them.  Meetings have become all the rage. There is a meeting for every purpose you can imagine. Most of the meeting content could be handled through email, rather than a drawn out affair that cuts into class time with students.   

Teachers are treated less like professionals and more like puppets. Why do all educational trends start with someone that isn’t in education?  It never ceases to amaze me that the most valuable resource available is the one ignored. Why aren’t we asking teachers what works and what doesn’t work? Why aren’t we asking teachers about curriculum, discipline, and best practices? Why aren’t we asking teachers for their opinions and ideas?  And, why aren’t we listening?

Teachers are expected to be respectful and professional in any situation to any person.  They are expected to follow the directives of a superior, even if they know that what they are doing is damaging to students. They are expected to be on the cutting edge of technology and know all the latest in education. They are expected to be on call 24/7 and take work home with them every day. They have policies to memorize that change on a monthly basis.  They are expected to provide for someone else’s children out of their own pocket.  They are expected to forfeit their plan time at the drop of a hat. They are expected to overlook discipline issues so that kids can be kids and administrators will have better numbers to turn in to the higher ups.  They are expected to produce exceptional test scores at the end of the year from students that weren’t expected to turn in assignments (due to administrative decisions).  Teachers are expected to attend conferences and extended learning opportunities during school breaks. In short, teachers are expected to work miracles. No other profession has this expectation for their employees. Teachers were once a group of respected professionals performing an honored public service.

So, maybe things weren’t all that great back “in the good old days”, but things were better than they are today.  I think we could (and should) learn from our past and turn things around to make a better educational system for our kids.  I think it is time that we treat teachers as the hard-working professionals that they are. 

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