This reader asks the question of the day, which is the title of this post. If you are doing a job you want to do but are required to do what you know is wrong, what do you do?
One answer: join with others who agree with you. Find others teachers who feel the same. Join with parents. Alone you are powerless and vulnerable. Learn about any organized opposition to educational malpractice in your community, region, or state.
The reader writes:
I am new to your blog and am finding it very informative and enlighening! I am a middle school math teacher and am in a district that is ALL about test scores. Our students are tested MANY times during the year, and EVERYTHING revolves around the numerous data sets associated with those tests. Online benchmarks for state testing (3), district benchmarks, pilot constructed response assessments (4 of those), writing assessments (3 or 4, not sure), state tests, the list goes on..
My question is this,,, how does one ‘fight’ that when I HAVE to have a job and live in an area where choices are limited. I love my school and love the area where I live. I am a good teacher with 13+ years of experience, but I also see the disturbing harm all this testing, and tunnel-vision focus, is doing to the long-term educational trajectory of my students. I work with very good, experienced teachers who want to bail out because they feel, as I do, that we aren’t really teachers any more. Rather, we are more like computer programmers, programming our students to make the district look good. We end up with students who are ‘programmed’ for testing, not educated and informed.
Frustration mounts….. daily.
PS – Do you ever sleep?? 🙂
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Great post. I have no novel ideas other than mass protest. The only thing I can suggest at this point is to be very, very careful about who you discuss issues like this with. Unfortunately, that probably includes your union rep. in your building unless he or she is your spouse.
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You are so right….don’t trust your union rep…..I had mine in to hear concerns about our extremely unprofessional principal who runs the building through fear and intimidation….He went straight to her office and told her everything we all discussed after I asked him not to speak to her about what we shared with him……The next day she hired 5 subs so that she could hold all day grade team meetings for damage control where she bragged about how she spoke go our rep……you would have to stay together and go higher than your rep.
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Ally yourself with those who share the same beliefs/philosophy. Like Brutus2011 says, be careful who you talk to. Do your homework, maker sure you can validate or dispute any issue with facts. Positive change is frustratingly slow, so have patience Paduwan. Keep fighting the good fight!
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“Positive change is frustratingly slow…”.
Good insight and true. We need patience and understanding, and we need parents on our side.
This should be easy – after all these kids hate all these tests. They know it is ridiculous. They know they are being taught to the test.
What we really need is parents to fight, and I’m afraid we will need time for this.
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Until you find a way to change the tide, view the situation differently. How can you use this to your advantage? How can you make frequent assessments opportunities to change the way you teach and involve students in the data sets? Do not abandon the cause, but make it work for you and your students….
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Letters like this only inspire us to fight harder to abolish high-stakes/standardized testing. Parents can’t be fired, but we are frequently bullied by campus administrators, just like the teachers. I hope this middle school math teacher is somehow able to group up with other like-minded individuals.
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I believe reading this blog is a good start. You know that you are not alone in this fight! It is sad to say that many Educators never saw this coming, that “reformers” have been plotting for a decade now and it is finally coming to light.
It is time for all Educators to speak out! Educate yourself about the facts and teach others about these facts. It is time to come out from cowering in the shadows to speak the truth!
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Yep.
What Tim said!
Especially sad to “me many Educators never saw this coming, that “reformers” have been plotting for a decade now and it is finally coming to light.”
Unbelievably some still do not quite get it. They keep talking about Yes, it is a disaster, but “they” will see and change it. (whoever they is?).
Keep speaking the truth.
Especially to those outside of education who know that you (a teacher) are a hard working, educated person (not a burden on society).
Tell your story.
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Teachers need a code of ethics like the bar for lawyers. Public defenders may not violate the ethical code even when their employers pressure them to take too many cases or not to properly defend them.
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Willy Clinton and Goals 200 seems to be the begining http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/marc_tucker/
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This letter could have been written by someone from the district I teach in! I have 20+ years of teaching and I teach because I love it. However, I am so burned out right now that I would quit today if there was anything else I could do. We do “benchmark” testing every two weeks in core subjects!! We also have at least three “mock” STAAR tests a year. (at least we count our six weeks test and mock tests as benchmarks so we don’t have to do both the same week)
I have been “guilty” of telling parents who are concerned about the amount of testing we do that reform will not happen until the parents get involved. I am very excited to see that finally happening.
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Check out the many Facebook groups that support your postion (Dump Duncan, Opt Out, SOS, Parents Across America, Teacher Letters to Obama, etc.) Most also have web sites with resources of resistance (See, for example, http://dumpduncan.org/forum/). You may feel alone, but there are thousands like you who have already started the movement to end this effort to steal our public schools from the communities that support them.
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A wise question; experience is only helpful in hindsight as to how to survive in education today with ALL the hoops one has to jump through. Sad to say, being an excellent teacher with great test scores, happy parents and students does NOT make one bullet proof; as I once thought. AGE DISCRIMINATION is rap-amt and impossible to deal with!
I’ve lived this AD disaster, that is being exacerbated by wide-spread use of TFA’s and culling of staff by replacing older with “baby” teachers. THERE ARE EEOC, FEDERAL LAWS THAT PROHIBIT SUCH PRACTICES! I am pursuing the EEOC path,as are 100’s of teachers in my district. With the added sharks of corporate, charter schools, the “money rules all”, attitude is an increasing tsunami that will make the job security issue
more pandemic and vicious. That being said, here are some things ALL teachers should follow, regardless of how “secure” you presently feel. A change of principals can take you instantly from a delightful situation to abject misery: truly, been there, done that!
1. Keep impeccable, yearly records: test scores from day 1. I would recommend that you keep a notebook with dividers for EVERY year. Should you need it, your lawyers
will be grateful and your case can be as a lawyer told me, “Air tight.”
2. Keep ALL communications with your principal, and superiors unless it is minor, very minor items such as attendance reports, AS THEY OCCUR—DON’T WAIT UNTIL TROUBLE IS ON YOUR DOORSTEP!!! What might seem trivial today, in this regard, could be the start of a dangerous situation ahead.
3. Keep all records that show your adjustments for student needs, and objectives for the year. This can usually be done by just tucking your lesson plan book in with that year’s notebook. It will reflect your compliance with school objectives, etc.
4. Keep all parental letters that attest to your professionalism.
5. Should a problem arise with a parent, be even more studious in your record keeping.
6. If you suspect you are being “set up” or singled out for unfair treatment by your
principal, make every effort to work any difficulties out; but, don’t drift on a feeling of
your excellent work; should you believe you are in a hazardous spot, take action, contact your union (I would suggest a person above your building rep.) and ask for guidance.
TO BE FOREWARNED IS TO BE FOREARMED!
7. If your situation deteriorates, contact an employment lawyer, the EEOC and pursue
defensive strategies recommended by your union (grievance procedures, etc.).
8. If you find yourself in a bad, and worsening situation, take photos of your entire
room that show, centers, etc. MAKE A DUPLICATE COPY OF YOUR NOTEBOOK,
AND KEEP THEM AT HOME, EVERY DAY SO THEY CAN’T BE TAKEN FROM YOU!
In this day and age, I feel everyone should do at least steps 1-4, even if you feel everything is safe and sound. It can change in a heartbeat!
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Fantastic post. You are, as my kids say, the bomb-ba-zay!
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I would add to Mary’s excellent post to make sure that these records are kept AT HOME, and not at school, since it’s not unheard of for administrators to go through teachers’ things. I started keeping a daily log on my home computer when I began struggling with an administrator.
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I would also like to add a couple more ideas to Mary’s. I will probably start this process next year.
Here’s the process: If the state wants “growth”, then I’ll give em’ growth. To have a fair measure of growth, I plan to implement a pre-assessment that places students at a certain level in terms of the content I teach. This will be done on day one.
At the end of the course, I plan to administer a post-assessment. I believe this is the fairest way to show there is “growth”. It will add two more major tests, but they will be teacher made.
This data should be useful in court if they come after me. My state uses EVAAS which purportedly measures growth from year to year, which is ridiculous. I teach in high school where the classes are not logically aligned to content, which means although I teach science, the major subject used to project scores for my class is nothing like my class. It’s not like math in elementary and middle school where the classes logically build.
My class is nothing like the classes used to project growth, and I feel a court case would hinge on this principle. How can “growth” be calculated from two very unlike classes? It’s a ridiculous proposition. My class is highly dependent upon math, and only some science, whereas the previous course that students take is a science class, but the course has hardly any math in it.
I feel as though having accurate data specifically linked to ‘growth’ in my course would be invaluable if I ever I came into question in respect to EVAAS data, which I’m sure will be unstable.
This is a good post. We need to communicate ways to protect ourselves, while also showing that our students are achieving. I believe in-subject growth measures, such as a pre- and post-assessment are the fairest assessment.
I also think that administering a student and parent survey at the end of the course may also yield data that could be used against the state and EVAAS data, that is if our state doesn’t beat me to it and force us to use their survey first. I think that plan is in the works.
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Teachers are now slaves to data. Figure out what that means and how it relates to your ability to “fight back,” especially as an individual. Sorry – really, I am.
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Read, “Yes, We Are STUPID in America!”. You are not alone. I know exactly what you are talking about. I just retired from having been a teacher , counselor, and principal and am finally able to speak out with out fear of repercussion.
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I have no easy answer here. I cannot guarantee your job. I cannot guarantee it even if you follow all of the corporate reform convoluted rules. Corporate reform wants your job by design. Remember that.
The bottom line for me involves living with my own conscience. If I am to be fired (not that I want to be), I prefer to exit with a clear conscience, knowing I did right by my students and colleagues.
Nothing that truly matters to me in life has come without cost. I expect to have to pay, one way or another. I don’t ever plan to sacrifice my integrity. Of course, that is not easy, but it is my plan.
My best to you.
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I’m not a teacher, I’m a parent. I take heart when I hear teachers and administrators speaking out against over reliance on testing. As a parent, I too feel daunted by what appears to be entrenched bureaucratic adherence to the high stakes testing demigod. It’s cult-like scary. Sometimes I don’t know who to reach out to. That’s why I started this petition. I also take comfort in following this post as well as numerous like minded organizations on fb.
Keep connecting with students. Validate their humanity and worth outside of their test scores. Thank you for seeing the forest for the trees.
http://signon.org/sign/repeal-no-child-left-1
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Ultimately people like you are going to be the people who fix this mess.
We must have you on our side.
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Maybe your PTA could be a source of support and action. Go to the meetings, build relationships, get community involved in every aspect of the school. Let them know how stressful it is for you as a teacher to be pressured to do unethical things. Sometimes administrators and school boards listen to parents over teachers.
I do know you can’t fight it on your own no matter how right you are. In retrospect I cannot believe the stress I was willing to endure because I could not cooperate with so many things going on I believed were wrong. I am so relieved to be free of it now, and I am sure it was not good for my health.
And that makes me think you might get a “less stress request” from your doctor and show THAT to your principal, or get some kind of ethical expert to come and speak or write on your behalf–a philosopher, psychologist, free legal services representative. I wish I had gotten a few experts from the nearby university to talk to the school board…principals…faculty meeting…whoever.
Joining with others sounds good, but even when others agree, they are not willing to be part of a group against the flow, and many won’t take action. Most want to keep their job and have a good record. So it is a difficult situation.
In any case know that you are not being insubordinate though people will try to make you feel you are. To refuse to do something unethical, such as lie to parents about how students are doing, is NOT insubordinate. Your boss is not supposed to be able to ask you to do something unethical and get away with it. Unfortunately, they are, and it will take a movement of some kind to fight them.
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What do you do if there seem to be no parents or teachers who are similar in opinion. And worse, people are lying about you? 😦
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I truly empathize with you because I have been in your shoes! In a hostile environment, which sure sounds like you are, few, very few
teachers will give you support. They are afraid that if they do, they’ll be next. What they fail to realize that there WILL be other victims, and by not championing a fellow teacher with the union, etc. they are insuring that other victims will also fall and it just might be them! In a similar situation as yours, there were 2 teachers who were very supportive, whom I will never forget! Shows what people’s character truly is. As for people lying about you; in my case most parents were very kind, supportive, went to the board and championed me, even had a former student’s big brother send around his middle school a
petition in support of me! Some other parents accused me of being senile, and were part of the ordeal. Now they are upset because
other teachers have met a similar fate and the school has suffered from the combined loss. I often wonder if they regret their actions or what the total affect has been. I would suggest seeing a good therapist because such traumas can cause severe health issues, such as severe depression, PTSD, extreme anxiety, etc. I hate to say it, but teaching is becoming a joyless, anxiety producing, profession. It seems from what I hear from my friends still holding out that it is worse every year…where will it end, and what will be the resulting damage to any democracy whose populace has had their youth deprived of a well-rounded curriculum? Stay tunes, I fear.
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In my school district about a year ago, there was a “kerfuffle”. Many teachers were afraid to speak out, however, it was those teachers who spoke publicly and boldly at school board who survived unscathed.
Interestingly enough, it seems that if you “go public”, state your case intelligently with proper sourcing, you create a spotlight of protection for yourself. If something “bad” happens then there is a much better chance of others rallying to your defense because so many are aware and the powers that be do not want negative press.
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Discussed this same question with someone this week. I am not in the classroom, I work in school district administration. After getting my Ed.D. this year, I found I could hop on board the corporate/education reform train at any number of companies that have found ways to get their hands on public education funds at the expense of kids who need it most. If I had, I’d be making a heck of a lot more $ than I am now. But, the view from that train isn’t pretty. It’s littered with hardworking, frustrated teachers who still find a way to hop and dart around daily mandates and reform efforts in an effort to t-e-a-c-h the kids in their classrooms. In my county, that train’s view would also be littered with kids from an area with the highest migrant population east of the Mississippi whose daily life challenges don’t enter the realm of reality that exists for most supporters of these corporate/education reform efforts. Instead, I’ve chosen to start blogging, tweeting, reading, and learning about what we can do collaboratively to get more people involved. As an adjunct professor, I try to engage the aspiring teachers in my classroom to get involved and informed about what’s happening in education today. All of this may not pay off my student loans, but I wouldn’t have gotten a graduate degree in education if I didn’t believe passionately that equitable access to a quality public education is the soul of our society.
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Interestingly many school administrators probably feel the way you are, but they probably don’t have the courage to do what you are doing.
I’m going to do a search for your blog, but if I don’t find it will you post it here in case.
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Oops … “school board meetings …”
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Ultimately, parents hold the key to ending tests quickly. They do not have to allow their child to be tested, and mass withdrawal from tests would take the money out of it. Reformers wouldn’t be interested after that.
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I agree. Parents hold the power to stop this testing madness. It is an unspoken rule in my district that we teachers are not to inform parents of their rights to withdraw their student from the tests.
I do not know how this message can be broadcast to parents. Any ideas?
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To me – I’m a grandparent, not a teacher. Visiting with family, I was helping my 8 yr old grandchild with homework. I looked at the math homework and said to my daughter. This isn’t appropriate for this age. This is algebra. Now I’m not a math major, but I don’t even see math being taught in a logical fashion. Why are there alegebra questions when she is still learning multiplication. Not logical to me. My daughter said “Oh that is teaching to the test”. Sorry but this is wrong. Way too much testing !
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I prefer the “pebble in the pond” approach. I have been sharing posts from this blog with other teachers, who have in turn shared them with others. I was originally sending them to the entire staff, until I was shut down by my principal. When we talk about the wonders of charter schools at staff meetings (My principal thinks KIPP is WONDERFUL!), I provide the counterpoint. I should also add that I have been teaching in this building for almost 30 years, and I am sure I would not have been so brazen in my youth. The young teachers in my building seem to be either scared or clueless. Of course, if you have a principal who does not encourage dialogue, this could paint a target on your back.
It’s also important to spend time with your students and think of them as more than data points, which, I admit, is hard to do in this day and age. I threw out the worksheets in September and am trying to provide a more developmentally-appropriate program for my young students. I am less stressed and so far, my class seems to continue to meet the benchmarks.
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MAKE SURE you do your job well–EVERY day. Your students will then, a;ways be, the Force that will be with you! (Also, no one can accuse you of incompetence!) As Mary Pishney said, take painstaking notes about EVERYTHING, and take them home with you. DO NOT write e-mails that are anything but professionally based (and nothing you’d write to this blog, certainly) on your school computer. Do NOT make ANY personal or disparaging comments about kids, parents, colleagues or administrators–school districts OWN their computer content. Do NOT use the Internet, except for pertinent school/professional info. Maintain excellent relationships with non-certified staff–maintenance personnel are your best friends! Last–but absolutely not least–have a GREAT relationship with parents. Parents are your partners in education. Some of my favorite memories of teaching have to do with Parent-Teacher Conference Days/Nights, and those problem-solving telephone conversations and additional conferences that I’d had with parents.
Having said all of the above, since you are “a good teacher with 13+ years,” I would think that you have tenure. If so, go for it! I can’t tell you the number of times I opened my mouth & I was able to NOT get into trouble (although I did, & came close to the edge!). But–I always had parents (&, in some cases, almost the entire school board)to back me up, as well as colleagues, non-certified personnel and, of course, our terrific union. In fact–I forgot to mention–DO become active in your union. In most cases, the inclination was to leave most union reps., etc., alone. as we all had training for every kind of catastrophe, and were well-able to defend ourselves and others. Good luck!
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I have always closed my door and taught! I take care of my students. We work hard; we play hard. I pray I don’t get caught, but I have a standard for everything I do. If I choose to teach contrary to what the district mandates, I am ready to put on my important voice as I state exactly which research indicates that what I am doing is best practice.
We, as teachers, are experts. If we want to be treated as such, we have to act as such. I am simply exercising professional judgement, which is in my contract. Check yours.
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My granddaughter is a first year math teacher in a middle school who was just told she will not have a contract for next year because she hasn’t progressed quickly enough. When she started, her students test scores were the lowest in the district but are now above the benchmark. Each time the scores have gone up–they told her she can resign so it won’t say she is fired. There are two middle school math teachers (both first year) and they both were terminated. They were assigned mentors who never met with them–no one tried to give them any help or any suggestions. She has requested a meeting with the superintendent. Does she have any recourse? Will anyone else hire her? Sad part-this is what she has wanted to do and the ages she wanted to teach. She said the administration has been totally unhelpful since day one. Any suggestions?
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If her termination will read anything other than reduction in force, she should join a teacher advocacy group before the paperwork hits so that she can get a lawyer. I have been nonrenewed. It is not quite the kiss of death, but it may permanently damage her career because she will be asked to disclose it on any future applications. I wouldn’t worry about keeping that job as much as i would worry about the nonrenewal for reasons other than reduction in force. Additionally, if she has not received her overall evaluation, she may want to have the teacher advocacy organization on board before she receives that as well. She will want to try and get that changed.
I am not a lawyer or anything. Just speaking from my own personal experience. For the future, encourage her to keep a paper trail on them because they are keeping one on her.
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Blackballing should be illegal for school districts. This is basically what it is. Supposedly those disclosure questions are designed to “protect the kids” from “bad” teachers, but the reality given how easily principals can get rid of teachers regardless of “tenure” status or for the stupidest of reasons is that the questions are merely screening questions to weed teachers out since so many people apply for these jobs. Realistically, if you don’t disclose a termination that hasn’t caused any sanctions on your license, how would a district get access to the information from a public employer? The answer is they couldn’t because of privacy laws governing personnel issues.
A RIF is not a non-renewal, and therefore if you are laid off–RIF’d–don’t disclose it as a non-renewal, which is a firing.
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