Summer 2009 Retreat

Summer 2009 Retreat

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Journal 16: Researched Solution-- Aimee Liwanag

 There are many problems in American Education that we face everyday.  One problem that has always been on my mind had much to do with the attrition rate of teachers.  Having gone to inner-city schools where fights almost always broke out, bullying took place, and a place where students can care less about getting an education, I have seen teachers break down, lose their cool, and leave their post within the next semester.  I have witnessed teachers get pushed around by not only their students, but their colleagues for being "weak".  The fact that they weren't tough enough to handle their students properly and deal with overwhelming issues that teachers usually deal with, definitely made it easy for others to poke fun at them.  It is this issue of education that needs to be addressed and dealt with properly.  
 In the Article "Problems Facing American Education" by Ashley Boyer, Boyer addresses the fact that one major problem that American Education faces is the high attrition rate of first-time teachers.  In the article, Boyer describes that many first-time teachers see teaching as a fun, laid back job, where in reality, it is a very demanding profession.  Besides coming up with a lesson plan and teaching students material to help them pass standardized tests, first-time teachers do not take into consideration other responsibilities that almost always get dumped on them.  Some of these responsibilities include being involved in Prom, the yearbook, Sports, etc.  The fact that teachers have more responsibilities than expected, it is easy for one to understand why first-time teachers have such a difficult time coping with this demanding profession.  According to Boyer, there is no "cure all" medicine that teachers can take to rid themselves of all of their problems.  Although there is no one simple solution, there are steps that schools, teachers, and districts can take in order to solve this problem-- create a strong and successful support system and offer introductory foundations classes.  
 Because first-time teachers are new, they do not have the support of their colleagues to help them overcome the issues that they continue to face.  Because of this, many first-time teachers leave their post after a couple of years.  Teachers need the support of not only their colleagues, but of their students and parents to help them carry on with their profession.
 Introductory foundations classes may also serve as a step to a solution for it prepares first-time teachers for issues that they may face in and outside of the classroom.  Since the course is based on case-studies, first-time teachers are given situations and are walked through how to solve these problems properly and efficiently.  I personally think that by creating a support system for teachers and by providing these intro foundations course, we can solve these problems that American education faces by solving it one step at a time.
Article: Problems in American Education

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