So Oprah did a show discussing the state of our schools and there was some public school bashing and some charter school pep rally sessions. I'm honestly not familiar with charter schools and what makes them so different than public schools. I am in no way saying anything negative about charter schools. I'm sure they're fabulous. I'm sure there are great ones and not so great ones, just like all schools. I'm sure there are great charter school teachers and maybe some that aren't so great. Just like in all schools.
I'm interested in seeing the movie Waiting for 'Superman' so that I can see what all this debate is about and so that I can form a better opinion. After all, knowledge is power, my dear little friends.
I'm a public school teacher, so naturally I took offense to blanket statements of "public schools are bad" and "teachers are failing students". True. Some schools and some teachers are. Not all. I know a heck of a lot of great public school teachers. There are a ton of great public schools. I teach in a county full of great public schools.
Punishing teachers for student and community failures isn't fair. Hearing comments from political figures that teachers need to be fired, work hours need to be increased, salaries cut, and school years lengthened isn't going to be the solution either. Tell teachers what they're doing right and help us by giving us proper funding and supports instead of bashing our profession and telling us what is so wrong. We do the best we can with what we are given (and a lot we provide with our own personal time and dolla bills).
The tag line of the movie is:
The fate of our country won't be decided on a battlefield, it will be determined in a classroom.
Dang. That's pretty hardcore.
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