From Conor Perkins, Bel Air High School senior:
How much involvement is too much involvement? There is no doubt in my mind that administrators truly know what is best for the school and countless times are forced to make the toughest decisions in the name of the school. However, there is also no doubt in my mind that teachers do the impossible and will do whatever it takes to make the best decisions for their students.
Too often teachers will back down at decisions from the administration, but it is becoming more and more common for teachers to stand up and fight for what is best for their students. At this the “higher-ups” should take the time to consider what is being said and the great importance of a particular issue. The largest issue between administration and teachers is a matter of trust. The teachers must trust that the administration will perform their obligations as the administrators should trust their teachers to perform their instructional duties with professionalism and to the best of their abilities. If those in power were to sit back and watch the schools for one day, they would find a well-oiled machine running smoothly like clockwork. Teachers take great pride in their students and are fantastic role models. They serve the school and their students well. Administrators: trust them. They know what they are doing.
An administrator’s most important asset is the support of teachers, students, and parents. There are so many opportunities to gain this support from simply reaching out and making sure teachers are happy to showing up to sports games, concerts, or school plays. The presence of an administrator is noticed by the students, as is an absence. One simple appearance says “I care about the students. This is why I do what I do.” This makes all the difference.
An educator’s first priority is the welfare of the students they serve. Administrators are becoming farther and farther removed as they climb the “corporate ladder” that the education system has become. Without the connection to the actual students, the public school system fails to meet the needs of the students, the next generation of leaders and hope for the world.
Very true indeed. A perfect example would be the current math supervisor and her decision to have Everyday math when an entire team of teachers sat for 2 weeks one summer listening to textbook companies and chose Mc Graw Hill as the best program of choice and I would know becasue I was on that team.
Yeah the Everyday Math sure did wonders for Cecil County Schools…NOT!
Folks are waking up to the short comings of everyday Math. I hope the Board in its upcoming new configuration will have the guts to take another look.
As a parent I for one am happy with everyday math.
As an educator and parent of a child in the 1st grade at BAES, I am thrilled with Everyday Math. The program is giving my child an understanding of numbers and the many ways they can be represented. She’s been taught to enjoy word problems and has been encouraged to make them up, solve them and reword them using things she finds in her little world. The
children are learning to be at ease with numbers and problem solving. It had been refreshing to watch children enjoy learning mathematics!