It seems that every politician and billionaire knows the way to the Emerald City, the home of the great and mighty Oz. When we get to the city, the gatekeeper gives us our emerald glasses to wear the entire time we are there. Without them the majesty and splendor is unable to be seen.
Dorothy wake up!
This dream of an all knowing, all powerful wizard wielding power from a utopian metropolis is just that, a dream. For those that know the story, the Wizard of Oz was nothing more than a snake oil salesman. He was no different than any other person when the glasses were removed and the pageantry died down.
The political experts and billionaires are modern day wizards in cities of emerald. Just like Dorothy was forced to follow the yellow brick road to a destination only appreciated with colored glasses, teachers and students are forced down the road of testing and "rigorous" standards.
The trip down that golden road was never necessary, because Dorothy held the power to return home in her silver slippers (ruby slippers if you are a fan of the movie). Just like Dorothy, the power lies in the teacher.
No standards or evaluations will ever cause students to be successful. The power always will be held by the teacher in the classroom. The relationship between the teacher and students, the skill with which she delivers the content is the real magic.
I don't care what any politician or billionaire says, the teacher in the classroom is the most important resource in every class. I just hope for the sake of our students that we are able to keep that power in the classroom. When we spend more per year on inmates than students we demonstrate that we would rather pave the streets with gold than use the power already present in the classroom. If we truly want our students to succeed we need make sure we pay our teachers enough to keep them in the classroom. The pay for teachers is low enough that if she is a single parent with two children her children would qualify for free/reduced lunches.
As we approach the elections in a few months keep that in mind. When you vote, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain or the emerald glasses you are asked to wear. Instead choose the people that will do what it takes to utilize the power already present in the classroom.
Dorothy wake up!
This dream of an all knowing, all powerful wizard wielding power from a utopian metropolis is just that, a dream. For those that know the story, the Wizard of Oz was nothing more than a snake oil salesman. He was no different than any other person when the glasses were removed and the pageantry died down.
The political experts and billionaires are modern day wizards in cities of emerald. Just like Dorothy was forced to follow the yellow brick road to a destination only appreciated with colored glasses, teachers and students are forced down the road of testing and "rigorous" standards.
The trip down that golden road was never necessary, because Dorothy held the power to return home in her silver slippers (ruby slippers if you are a fan of the movie). Just like Dorothy, the power lies in the teacher.
No standards or evaluations will ever cause students to be successful. The power always will be held by the teacher in the classroom. The relationship between the teacher and students, the skill with which she delivers the content is the real magic.
I don't care what any politician or billionaire says, the teacher in the classroom is the most important resource in every class. I just hope for the sake of our students that we are able to keep that power in the classroom. When we spend more per year on inmates than students we demonstrate that we would rather pave the streets with gold than use the power already present in the classroom. If we truly want our students to succeed we need make sure we pay our teachers enough to keep them in the classroom. The pay for teachers is low enough that if she is a single parent with two children her children would qualify for free/reduced lunches.
As we approach the elections in a few months keep that in mind. When you vote, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain or the emerald glasses you are asked to wear. Instead choose the people that will do what it takes to utilize the power already present in the classroom.
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