No teacher left standing by President Dick Iannuzzi in the March 18, 2010 issue of New York Teacher really put in the spotlight the dirty little secrets behind the firing of an entire high school’s teachers in Rhode Island. Essentially the move was blamed on poor performance by the Central Falls school board, but as Iannuzzi points out there were many other factors at play.
In a time when many school scrabble for federal dollars is it any surprise that Central Falls made such a drastic publicity seeking move? This is a move that even received commentary from President Obama as well as Secretary of Education Duncan. Iannuzzi also points out that Central Falls superintendent could have seen that federal carrot dangling the promise of additional funding in front of them.
It does leave one wondering how much blame should teachers really be accountable for. Of course teachers are responsible for day to day educating of children but as Iannuzzi points out we often overlook the extenuating circumstances of a student’s life, like the child’s family situation, the cultural influences, finances, poor school support systems, and testing environments. As a parent I see how often parents just drop their children at the door and leave the teacher in charge like a free babysitter. Until parents take responsibility for their part in their child’s education many teachers are fighting an uphill battle. How can a child learn when their home situation does not allow for it? How can a teacher reach a child who has no encouragement in their home life? Using teachers as a scapegoat is a lazy man’s way out, as a quote from Mrs. Mimi, a blogger, stated “Since we can’t fire poverty, we can’t fire students and we can’t fire families, all that is left is to fire teachers.” I find this to be sadly true and utterly unacceptable.
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