The start of a new school year is normally an exciting time. Teachers are busy decorating their classrooms, preparing their lessons, reconnecting with colleagues, imagining what they are going to say that first day when they meet their students.
But this year, teachers will have many other things on their minds. We live in a society where every important group- politicians, business leaders, media pundits, even Hollywood film personalities- are quick to blame teachers, not only for the alleged failures of our schools, but the failure of our society to reduce poverty and Inequality.
It seems to me that this post represents the situation for teachers in Britain as much as in the U.S.A.
As we start a new academic year here in my country we have the usual debates about over-inflated exam grades and the so-called paucity of teaching in our Primary schools.
I said to my brother (a librarian not a teacher) yesterday, that the problem with the Politicians, the businessmen, the media pundits is that they have no real understanding of what it feels like to be a teacher.
I am now retired after many years of teaching. I am not spending many hours getting my classroom ready for the next year of teaching.I am not having to attend the endless staff meetings where headteachers look at masses of data.
Children are not data and there is so much that is immeasureable as the post says.
What is important is to repeat the message. TEACHERS MATTER...they are significant..... they help to change the world. Have a great year in whatever educational setting you teach in.
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