A Fresh Look at Education

Written on September 20, 2020

Over these last few months, education has taken on a new face with hybrid/remote learning. Over this time period, I have had time to reflect on this new look and evaluate its role and importance in the lives of teachers and our students. I believe that the new hybrid models that many schools are incorporating into student learning is changing education in a very positive way. I am hoping that when the pandemic passes, that educators will NOT resort back to their old ways, but continue to explore the wide open possibilities that remote learning has brought into the classroom. At the present time, I have found that students are learning skills that they might not have learned in the past. Students are learning extremely important computer skills that they will need for their future careers. I believe they would have not received these types of skills if educators were not forced to implement them because of the pandemic. I am finding that students are learning how to read and follow directions more carefully; they are following step by step procedures better; and they are now relying on their own ability to discern and interpret information rather than relying on others to interpret it for them. I think all of these skills are essential skills that are preparing them for the work place. Educators, though forced through the pandemic, are also exploring new ways to teach curriculum online. Teachers are learning and growing with their students due to this pandemic, which is amazing. Let's face it, education is a conservative world that sticks to what it knows and does best without taking many risks, which often leaves it out of touch and out of date.

Reflecting on the current events, many in the media and in education have talked about the damage the pandemic has had on student learning. We know that many students and teachers across our nation were not ready to teach or learn online, whether it be from the lack of tools necessary to access remote learning or from schools not being prepared for such an event. Either way, the media has predicted that our students have fallen behind in their learning and that due to the pandemic, it will take years for our students to close the gap in the educational experience lost during this time period. The media has been quick to criticize the educational world and President Trump for the problem. I think in this case, the media has raised an important issue about the educational world and its lack of vision: educators were not ready for a situation such as a pandemic, thus, students were not prepared either and were hurt by the lack of vision in education.

Teachers and students not being prepared for online learning is the fundamental issue here. In a global world where so much work is already done online and people are working from home, it is hard to believe that schools were not ready for this type of learning. Where was the vision for education? In the Midwest, schools were preparing for online learning in case of bad weather and schools had to be closed for the day. But as we can see from the pandemic, teachers were not ready to teach online. If school districts were willing to move to online learning in case of bad weather and schools were closed, why were they not ready for remote learning in case of a pandemic? It is obvious to me that schools did not take seriously that need for online learning. They were only using the online learning as a remedy so that schools did not have to make up the days lost at the end of the school year. Though this idea is a welcome relief to teachers and students, the lack of focus and vision on what these online learning days could be is disheartening. The plans for online learning for days lost due to weather did not take seriously a real vision to teach and learn online. Thus, one can only assume that these online learning days were simply wasted teaching days. Where was the vision, or was this just a token gesture for learning? And what about students who had no access to technology tools? What were they suppose to do on these days? Was there any intent on making these days meaningful and challenging for all students? The real issue behind the pandemic and education is the lack of true vision by our state and local governments and the educational system.

As quick as the media is to blame educators, they fall silent when it comes to the other culprits in the educational game: the state and federal governments, (except of course, to blame President Trump). After all, as educators know well, the federal and state governments have had their hands in the cookie jar as far as educational learning for quite some time, especially underneath the Presidency of Obama. These institutions have not had a vision for the future for student education; rather, their focus has been on micro-managing the educational system. They have tried to micro-manage curriculum and discipline, and they have failed miserably because their focus is wrong. Realigning curriculum so that all schools are doing the same thing every day, and students are learning the same material does not improve learning because this is not the problem. Hiding discipline problems because of fear of losing funding does nothing to keep our schools safe, and enforcing rules about what students can and cannot eat at school also does not improve student health. I suggest that the government's focus should be on macro-management, and macro-management encompasses an umbrella of various issues that need to be addressed. The umbrella itself represents vision. What is the long-term vision for education? Items that fall underneath this umbrella are all encompassing. Macro-management means that the federal and state governments need to envision what schools in this country will need in collaboration with educators and businesses in order to prepare our students for success in our global economy. It is all of their responsibility to create a long-term vision for our schools that is flexible and adaptable to change; this vision should ensure that all schools have access to the tools they need to be successful. It is not specific to curriculum or discipline. After all, unlike businesses, schools do not have a constant flux of income that they can depend upon to ensure every student has access to quality equipment. The federal and state governments need to allow school districts to micro-manage curriculum and discipline, while they focus on macro-managing education by providing opportunities that allow schools to create environments that allow for successful teaching and preparation for future jobs.

Our governments, in the attempt to focus on making sure that "no child is left behind", have  misdirected education away from the real issues that were brought out by the pandemic. The pandemic has proven that all students have fallen behind due to the shortsighted vision of our governments and educators. By simply focusing on curriculum and discipline, they have shown a lack of vision and direction. Both have lacked the needed vision to move our students into the future with the tools they need to be prepared and successful. Though there are many examples that can be used here, there are two issues that the pandemic has accentuated: technology tools and overcrowding.  

Technology Tools: It doesn't take much to realize that schools, students and teachers who do not have access to today's technology tools are at a disadvantaged, and this includes rural, intercity and suburban schools--it does not exclude anyone. This is where our governments should be macro-managing. They should be solving the problem of technology access for everyone. If our governments would focus on resolving this problem, the educational level for all students will be positively impacted. If anything the pandemic has shown is that students who lack the technology tools are the ones whose learning is disrupted. If the governments would focus on solving this issue, learning across America would improve. Students need access to high-speed Internet. They need access to technology tools and software that will prepare them for their future careers and allow them to learn at a high level. Students should not be frustrated because they cannot get online or they don't have the tools to participate in learning. School districts cannot change how technology is provided and implemented in this country, but our government can. They can find businesses that will invest in our schools without conditions and help our schools provide the tools and software needed to prepare them for the work world. They can challenge tech companies to find ways to improve access for all areas. Our governments also need to look at the speed of the Internet. When you have all schools and business across America accessing the Internet at the same time, the Internet becomes unreliable for many. This issue needs to be resolved as well. If the governments would focus on macro-managing the availability of technology tools for every school in America, education would change and learning in the classroom will take on a whole new look. 

Another key issue during this pandemic has been the lack of computer skills that teachers needed in order to successfully teach online. Why were our teachers not prepared? Why were their computer skills not up to par? This is a micro-manage question where educators must be held accountable. Why were our teachers not using and training students in the classroom to be prepared? After all, what career today does not required computer skills? If our students were not ready for such a situation, then maybe they are not ready to enter into the high tech computer world. This is where our school system failed students and teachers. Too many schools allowed teachers to do the very minimum in their classrooms in relation to technology. Though we can point the figure at our administrators for some of these issues such as not having the technology tools needed (a macro-issue), the other finger needs to be pointed at the teachers themselves. Too many teachers did not want to change their teaching methods so that they would be prepared for online learning if it became necessary. That is why the educational world was caught off guard and not prepared for online teaching. Teachers and administrators were complacent and comfortable with how classrooms were being taught and they made little attempt to expand their vision of education. Most teachers did the bare minimum to get by in the evaluation process. So, we recognize now that too many teachers did not have the understanding of technology that they needed to successfully teach our students online.  Why was the educational industry not exploring or examining alternatives and demanding that teachers become efficient in technology? After all, many business people are now working from home instead of commuting everyday to an office. The business world envisioned something different and found it to be effective. They are finding that when people are prepared with the education and tools they need, their jobs can be rewarding and very successful from home. So, why not education? I think the answer lies in fact the that educators generally do not like change. We are comfortable with how education works in this country, even though many of our top educators have been calling for a change in education. These changes have largely been ignored by the status quo. Visioning a better school is tough, but it can be done. I look at all of the hours that our administrators put in to come up with a hybrid model that would work during this pandemic. Why not continue this process until we find a new way of educating students that meet today's learning environments?

But it is not only educators that have a limited vision for how we educate our children; parents are also part of the problem. Parents have relied on teachers to babysit their children all day long. It's a very cheap form of babysitting that has allowed all providers in the home the opportunity to work and provide for their families. When the pandemic interrupted the babysitting role of education, parents were upset. All you had to due is to watch the news to see how parents were responding to their children being at home. I can't tell you how many times I heard on the news how parents were sick of their children being at home. They wanted them back in school so they would not have to deal with them all day long. Wow! As an educator listening to parents complain about their children being at home and having to take care of them all day, I was shocked. Parents were complaining about the struggle they had with getting their children to do the work assigned to them by their teachers. Wow! My thought was that parents were now being exposed to what teachers deal with everyday, and trying to resolve the problem is a struggle. Maybe the students are telling us that what we are offering them may not be as relevant as we think? Maybe times have changed and we as teachers, need to find more exhilarating ways to teach children that is engaging and interesting to them?

Overcrowding: According to the New Your Times, the average size of students in a classroom in the U.S. is 24. 3 students (not sure where they get the .3 student). This is the AVERAGE. Teachers have had to deal with class sizes that can range up to 35 or 40 in a room. Have you tried to teach a room of 20 or more people? Better yet, have you tried to babysit 20 or more children? How effective were you? If you think that is difficult, try teaching that many students in a classroom with the expectation that all students must learn regardless. As parents found out during the pandemic, it is not easy to get "all" children to be enthusiastic about school. Yet, teachers are expected to teach huge classes and at the same time, show that all students are learning and engaging in the classroom. Our pay and our jobs are based on assessments that show student growth. I find this unacceptable. I believe that students have the potential for tremendous growth if they are put in a positive environment that provides opportunities to learn. As a teacher, it is not enough for my students to just show growth; I want them to discover possibilities and opportunities that will impact their future. I want my students looking at problems in the world and reflecting and responding how they would solve these issues. I want them to think futuristic and wonder about issues that their generation might be facing and what they will do to remedy these issues. I want our students to feel that they are important enough to send a question to our President or to any of our senators or representatives and expect a reply. I want my students to talk with business people and demand answers for problems they see are being ignored or bypassed. I want my students to be exceptional. I want more than just growth and I think most of the teachers I teach with feel the same way. I think my school District is exceptional; however, without the macro-management from our federal and state governments, providing this type of education is difficult. We need help, and that help is beyond what our school administrators can do for us.

So, what will it take to reform our classrooms for high expectations for learning? I believe the first step is to reduced classroom sizes to 15 or less. If you think that this cannot be done, then ask the question, Why not? The pandemic has shown me that when students are packed into classrooms like a herd of cows, learning levels drop and are not effective, and discipline problems increase causing students to be distracted, disruptive and unfocused. When you have classrooms where you cannot spread students out so that they have their own space, these students have a tendency to lose focus. Imagine if in your business, all of your employees were piled into your office and expected to get work done? How much work would you get done? How distracted would you and all of these employees be when they are on top of each other, with everyone talking, and with no room or separation that allows them to do their jobs? If this is the way the business world had to operate, they would go bankrupt quickly. Yet, this is how our classrooms are expected to operate and this is the environment that is suppose to accelerate learning. The hybrid model of education that we are using at our school has shown that discipline problems are reduced when teachers are able to spread students out and provide them their own work space. Recognition of students who struggle are beginning to show more clearly, and because class sizes are so much smaller, teachers are able to provide more assistance for individual students than in the past.

Figuratively speaking, our classrooms in America have gone bankrupt. If our governments want to be on the cutting edge of learning, mandates on classroom sizes must be reduced drastically so that teachers can provide students an environment for learning that reduces distractions and disruptions by others in their learning process. Here is another area where the state and federal government should be macro-managing! As an educator, I want them working on opportunities that will improve the overall learning environment of our classrooms so that all students can learn. In the business world, employees have their own space to work and tools they need to work efficiently and effectively. I am not sure why packing students into a classroom became the norm, but it most definitely is not conducive to the needs of today's students. In our world today, funding is an issue and is the reason why so many students are packed into a classroom. Budgets have been cut and limited. Unlike businesses who can increase profits through sales, schools have no access to the influx of money and raising taxes is not a solution. We are limited. We are restricted. These restrictions impact the number of teachers that can be hired which in the end, impact the number of students packed into classrooms. If our governments could find a way to provide for all schools the tools they need, the number of students in classroom should be mandated so that these funds are used specifically to support smaller learning environments. Think of what would happen to learning if teachers could focus on providing educational opportunities for students rather than spending a large portion of their time disciplining and trying to keep students focused.

The federal and state governments need to macro-manage education and trust that the schools and teachers are fully capable of micro-managing the classroom when it comes to disciple and curriculum. Smaller class sizes will reduce discipline problems and increase learning for all students. If the federal and state governments would trust teachers to do their jobs, the face of education has the potential for change. In the business world, people are hired and trusted to do their jobs; educators need the same level of trust. What our educational system needs from our federal and state governments is their outreach and ability to attract businesses to participate in assisting our schools in providing the best education possible for all of our students, whether they are rural, intercity or suburban. Our governments need to help our schools prepare our students for the future. Education cannot be an island. Education and businesses must partner up to improve the overall quality of our children's education. It is vital that state and local governments provide incentives for business so that they become willing partners with teachers to provide the type of education that our children need. Our children deserve the best and we should demand nothing less. Businesses and education must walk hand in hand into the future. If the state and federal governments would focus on how they can improve the overall quality of our schools alongside the business world, our students will excel to new heights.  

I believe that in general, all teachers want the best for the students and are willing to go that extra mile. I know that in our school district, our teachers are excellent and we care about our students. We are very fortunate to have school administrators that trust and believe in us. They know from working alongside us, that we care about all of our students in our classrooms. As teachers, we were anxious to get back to school during this pandemic; we wanted to be with out kids. However, like all schools around the country, we face the same problems. Our educational system and our teachers need our state and federal governments to envision a new future for our schools through macro-management. We need governments to truly focus on an overall vision of education and work toward providing the necessary opportunities that our students need. What would our schools look like tomorrow if our students had the resources and the environment they needed to grow and learn? What would educators look like tomorrow if we were given the education that we need to successfully prepare students for a future technological world?

Today, our classrooms need technology tools that can be accessible for all, high speed Internet and manageable class sizes modeled after the business world where students have their own space to learn and grow. But what will the vision for the future be? From experience, we know that we cannot continue to be static in educational opportunities. Like the fast-changing global world we live in, we need our governments, educators and businesses to take seriously the desperate need we have for a vision for the future of education. If education is to be a top priority in this country, we need to take seriously our call to reform and envision a new tomorrow.