Teachers a Key to the Nation's Security and Success

Tom Brokaw and Melinda Gates joined Natalie Morales for a discussion about the importance of teacher excellence and creating meaningul standards to measure a teacher's performance on an Education Nation segment today.  The Today Show is focusing on this topic for the entire week in hopes that it will raise awareness of the types of improvements necessary for the United States to remain competitive in a world where other nations place more focus on high educational standards.

When Morales queried Gates about how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation determined teacher effectiveness, Gates responded that they studied 3000 teachers in 6 districts.  They learned that a "good" teacher one year will probably remain a "good" teacher; students know when they are being taught by an effective teacher; and, multiple measures should be used to evaluate a teacher's performance.  She said that student testing should be only one component of the evaluation process.  Finally, someone is making sense in the recognition of testing as only part of the means to measure the effectiveness of a teacher!

Brokaw emphasized the importance of a sound educational system to the security of our nation and said he and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman had been discussing this topic for years.  He revealed that China requires its eighth grade students to study physics, while only 18% of American students take physics.  Brokaw said that as technology advances, so does the importance of studying math and science.  Both Brokaw and Gates feel that people here are finally waking up to the crucial nature of investing in education for all.

Hallelujah!  My mother taught first grade for many years and retired after 32 years in the classroom.  I taught high school and junior high for several years before changing careers, after seeing a deterioration in public educations and a lack of commitment on the part of this nation's citizens to maintain a high level of excellence.  With the current emphasis on cuts to education budgets and vilifying teachers, this nation will fall further behind other nations who maintain high levels of funding.  We can't afford to allow children to fail,  All children want to learn, but many don't have the opportunity to read books or own a computer because they live in poverty.  We watch the performance of the stock market and check our savings and checking accounts, but we have paid little attention to the obvious warning signs of the failure of our educational system to graduate well-informed students instilled with intellectual curiosity. 

My high school class held a reunion last Saturday, and one of my classmates called me over to tell me about his experience in Mom's class.  He said that she was the best teacher he ever had.  He had forgotten the names of most of his teachers, but he will never forget her.  Teachers touch infinity with their influence and responsibilities to their students.  An adage states, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach."  I have a coffee mug my former husband gave me several years ago that countered, "Those who can, teach; those who can't, go into something less meaningful."  That sums up the credo this nation must live by.  Teachers are not the enemy.  People who belittle the educational profession are.