"... the excellence of the student reflected the excellence of the teacher.
The teacher was known for his [or her] students."
In some reading I was doing recently this one line jumped out at me as the author was talking about schooling long before there was free public education. To get into a school you had to apply and be chosen, not unlike what university and graduate students face today when they apply to elite schools or programs in high demand. Selection was an intense, painstaking process - sounds like med school, architecture ... you get the idea. The part I found interesting was the need for the teachers and the schools to be thorough and choose the students who were well prepared and were likely to succeed.
So here we are in a public education system where for the most part we do not pick our students, but rather are given the task of helping the students who walk through our school and classroom door. Except for specialized programs, there is no selection process - we are asked to teach and help whoever we've got, and rightly so in a public education system. Each student deserves to have the chance to succeed.
In schools, we are still known for our students, at least in part. We are actually known more for what happens when they come to our school, take our classes, become part of our programs, and are either engaged or disengaged in the process. Their success or lack of it reflects our success as educators in knowing where they are at and what it is going to take to get them closer to where they need to go. How are we doing?
- When students or others in our community talk about our school or us as individual educators, what are we "known for"?
- Does it still apply to our schools as a whole or us as individual educators that we can say the excellence (or failure) of our students reflects the excellence (or failure) of the school and its staff?
- How much of students being successful in reaching their goals is a reflection of the school and the staff, and how much of it is based on the students' abilities, attitude, skills and work ethic?
- What does an excellent public education system and classroom look like? One that is safe to make mistakes, relevant, engaging, flexible ... these are just some of the initial thoughts that come to mind.
- Excellence or success is not measured only in how many 'A's were given out - what does "excellence" or "success" mean for each student?
