One man, one band teacher, united a town.
He taught instrumental music and band for 31 years at McFarland High School in Wisconsin.
He was admired, respected, loved.
How would you evaluate this teacher?
By the test scores of his students?
Not likely.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
as a former high school band teacher, and current music teacher educator, this story shines a light on one of the glaring inadequacies of the current, one-size-fits-all approach to teacher evaluation. music teaching is different than teaching math, or science, or reading–and one rubric or test can’t measure every kind of teacher. or school. or community. music teachers across the country are struggling with how to use these tools to describe the totality of what we do, and with the reality that our jobs–as it is with our colleagues in every other other discipline–are just too complex, complicated and messy to fit in this tiny little box.
it has always seemed to me that the things we care the most about, that are most important to us, are the most resistant to this sort of simplistic measurement. do we measure our marriages with a 4 point scale? do we “grade” the love we have for our children on a rubric? teaching is a daily act of love; love for our students, for their learning, for our colleagues, and for our communities. to think that we can measure our effectiveness as teachers with a 4 point scale is not only absurd, its insulting.
Mr. Garvey made a difference in his community that could never be measured by a test. it was measured by the length of the line at his wake, and by the depth of the grief felt by his former students and his family at his funeral. Mr. Garvey, like many, many teachers across the country who are getting ready to return to their classrooms, taught because he wanted to bring his love of his subject matter to his students, to make them think about the world differently, and to help them become the persons they wanted to become. there aren’t enough “points” on any teacher evaluation rubric to measure the difference these teachers will make this year.
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Each year, I choose a phrase or a word as a mantra to guide my teaching presence. I’m going to choose, “Teaching is a daily act of love” for this year, if you don’t mind, Mitchell!
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please do. i will, too!
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Although he didn’t teach the “STEM” subjects, he taught students about life. How many scientists, engineers, mathematicians, doctors, mechanics, social workers, teachers, athletes, lawyers, artists, public servants, CEOs, researchers, pilots, soldiers, actors, etc. have been inspired by a music teacher?
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What a moving tribute!! What he did for his students and community cannot be measured on any test. And Mr. Garvey, a union activist, would never agree to measuring any student, let alone a teacher, on the basis of one test score. He worked first towards the potential, not the perfect score. And as a musician, he understood that learning is a process.
I hope those who didn’t agree with his politics think about this: He was able to give of himself and volunteer because being in a union made that possible. He didn’t have to worry about insurance coverage. He didn’t have to worry about being laid off, because he was on a higher salary step, and be replaced with a younger, and cheaper, teacher. As a teacher, he was able to be a part of America’s great middle class. It’s horrendous that corporations no longer value experience. But that’s no excuse to be against unions.
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So how common is it that exceptional teachers cannot be connected directly to student test scores?
Very common, actually. Music, family and consumer science, art, vocational studies, librarians, and physical education and journalism teachers all inspire students that might otherwise drop out or plod through school unengaged.
Many of these teachers have very complex skill sets in addition to academic preparation.Filling these positions with highly qualified teachers can be very difficult. How will merit pay reward these teachers when the direct connection to test scores will be hard to establish?
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Students use mathematics and logic in music classrooms. They learn about literature. They analyze words for meaning where they learn about grammar/word usage, vocabulary and phonics as well as grammar. They study the science of acoustics, and they learn about ordered hierarchies and forms with their music teachers. Students train the mind/body through performance practice, and gain skills in collaboration and other social benefits in music class. Students learn about life through making personal connections with others and self all in music class.
So yes, how can one measure the music teacher’s contribution to test scores? One shouldn’t have to–students are a reflection of all the influences in a child’s life. Until there are rewards and penalties for the influences of politicians, clergy members, neighbors, siblings, friends and parents on a child’s test score, there should be no such ratings used as a value measure of the work a child’s teacher performs with that child.
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This is a man who got to live his love of music and used it to enrich the lives of countless others. He was richer than anyone can imagine and left his community a legacy that I hope they will cherish.
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Starting next year in my district, music teachers, art teachers, resource teachers, etc. will be evaluated on the aggregated reading or math scores of all the students in the school. I’ve been an educator for over 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.
Thank you for your blog.
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this will make sense when reading and math teachers are evaluated on music test scores. silly.
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You mean they are NOT? 😛
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In Florida, this teacher will be evaluated on reading or math scores.
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