Effective Teaching... by Harry and Rosemary Wong

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January 2001

The Miracle of Teachers

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"If the heavens were all parchment, and the trees of the forest all pens, and every human being were a scribe, it would be impossible to record all that I have learned from my teachers."

                    Jock Zakkai

What teachers do is nothing short of a miracle that humbles and inspires us all.

For what you do, know that you are

respected,
indispensable, and
loved.

We don't know the last time someone thanked you for choosing teaching as a profession. So just in case no has told you lately, "Thank you." We know that there are many shortcomings and challenges facing educators, but as you begin a new year let's look at some data as to why teachers are to be respected, valued, and thanked.

You Are to Be Respected

• Standardized achievement test scores are at record highs. The results of three major tests of educational achievement - SAT, ACT, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - have shown steady gains over the past two decades. More students are taking the SAT, 34% in 1987 growing to 42% in 1994, with record levels scoring above 650 or the 92nd percentile. Students taking Advanced Placement Tests have jumped from 78,000 in 1978 to 1,000,000 today.

• Fourth graders have made impressive scores in math and science, outperforming their counterparts in most other countries.

• More high school students are taking advanced courses in mathematics and science than at any other time and their mathematics and science performance have improved.

• Black children are doing better than ever in public schools. The rate for black children completing high school is at an historic high - 87%. The white public school completion rate and Hispanic completion rate continue to climb with 92% and 75%, respectively.

• A record-high 84.1% of people age 25 and older have at least a high school diploma, up from 83.4% in 1999, and 24.5% in 1940. You are educating the masses!

• Similarly, 25.6 % of people age 25 and older have four years or more of college compared to 4.6% in 1940.

• The dropout rate is at an all-time low of 11%, while the rates for graduation and college attendance are at an all-time high. Between 1984 and 1998, the percentage of students completing high school and enrolling in college rose from 55% to 67%. Enrollment of women in college has increased to 57% of the student population.

• America's graduate schools are the envy of the world.

  You Are to Be Valued

• Today's teachers average more than $400 in expenditures from their own pockets for school supplies and materials. While the business community bashes American education, 3 million teachers contribute $1.2 billion to our economy.

• Public school teachers are better educated and have more classroom experience than their predecessors. Virtually all hold a bachelor's degree and almost half (45%) have a master's degree. Half have been educators for at least 15 years, and more than one-third (38%) have taught for two decades. You are the best-educated group of teachers ever in the history of American education.

• Teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards increased from 282 in 1995 to 4,720 in 2000 or 9524 certified since the beginning of the program.

• Teachers work an average of 49.3 hours a week, some 13 hours more than the average school contract requires. And yet, you are paid the lowest wages for teachers in the industrial world.

• There are 87,125 public schools operating in this country and while the quality varies, all but a handful are enormously successful.

• Despite the media hype surrounding a handful of tragic shootings, the incidence of public school violence has decreased for nine consecutive years. The most common school crime is theft, not violence. The average child is safer at school than at home. You provide a dependable haven for children.

  You Are to Be Thanked

• Sputnik. In 1958 we were told that Sputnik and the Russians were going to dominate the universe. Today our shuttle launches are routine. We have developed as the most advanced technological and scientific nation on earth.

• A Nation not at Risk. In 1983 everyone was declaring "Our Nation at Risk" because of the success of the Japanese economy. Today, we have the healthiest economy in the world with record stock market prices, rising wages, lowest unemployment rate, 25 percent decrease in the welfare rolls, sustained peace, and record life expectancy numbers. By a wide margin the U.S. is still the No. 1 industrial superpower. The United States leads the world by all measures in the global economy, in technology, and in the productivity of its workers. An important factor in this phenomenal accomplishment is the high quality of American students and the schools from which they graduate.

• Our Society. Today's school environment is the most complex and difficult in history.
  100,000 children are homeless on any given night
  1 million teenagers are pregnant each year
  135,000 children bring guns to school every day
  Homicide is the leading cause of death among minority youth aged 15 to 19
  Reported child abuse increased 48 percent from 1986 to 1991
  160,000 children will not go to school every day because they are afraid of bullies
  Every day 4.6 million babies spend part of their days in pre-school or licensed day care
  4 million children between the ages of 6 and 12 routinely care for themselves before and after school without adult supervision (www.urban.org)
  

  Yet our teachers and administrators are doing an admirable job of educating our children with the highest test scores ever with today's diverse population.

  With grateful appreciation, much of the preceding information is gleaned from the work and report of

  Frosty Troy, Editor, Oklahoma Observer. http://www.populist.com/00.20.troy.html
  Dean Fred Hattabaugh at the University of North Alabama
  The Condition of Education: An Annual Report - 2000
  Brief on Educational Progress 1992-2000. http://www.whitehouse.gov/edprogress
  National Center for Education Statistics - 1999. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs
  

  If you have similar data that is more current or additional data that speaks to the value of educators, please send it to us at the address at the end of this column. We are in this together and it's only through sharing our accomplishments that we can have pride in our successes.

  We are well aware that we have many challenges ahead of us -- even the best football teams and spouses are not perfect -- yet this column will probably give pleasure to the naysayers and complainers and provide an excuse to write to us and remind us of our failures and shortcomings. These people are forever present, but for once, as the New Year begins, we thought you'd like to hear about some things you have done right and which are truly deserving of some appreciation and respect.

  A New Year and a New Start

  Recently, we watched the American Teacher Awards while preparing for our holiday celebrations. Having never seen the program before or knowing the criteria for selection, we were in awe of our colleagues who unabashedly gave their hearts to children. There wasn't a dry eye in the audience or in our kitchen!

  As the awardees so graciously accepted their statuettes, they made every educator proud to be in the same profession. Their effectiveness in the classroom didn't come by way of a fancy program or a gimmick. It came with effectively managing children to unleash their potential.

  Our columns, since June, have given you specific techniques on how to manage a classroom successfully so that you can unleash the potential in your students. These techniques have been furnished from actual teachers and administrators in the field. The efficacy of these techniques is so simple and dramatic that there is no reason why you cannot be an effective teacher, too.

  There is something inherently special about our profession
  that allows us to close out a previous academic year and
  plan for a new beginning --
  a sort of annual renewal, if you will.

  We used this quote by Lee Gray in our August column and it bears repeating as you, perhaps, prepare for a new semester, begin a new calendar year, and anticipate the new millennium. Use the information from our past columns to tweak, refine, or start all over again.

  As you begin 2001, let us remind you of your achievements and validate your importance to the children you teach. And say with great pride and gratitude, "Thank You!"

  Happy New Year.

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Harry & Rosemary Wong products: http://EffectiveTeaching.com

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This printable version is provided for the convenience of individuals.

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