Perspectives

Re-posted from the AASL Blog on behalf of the AASL Research and Statistics Committee, written by Heather Moorefield-Lang and Jody Howard

My reaction to last week's Teacher Appreciation Week has been bittersweet. While I was glad for all the recognition and kudos sent out to teachers, I was sad for how little the public understands the jobs educators do and for how rarely they celebrate what  they do understand. I want the appreciation to last 360 days a year and I want educators and their real work understood and supported.  So here's my thinking about how we just might get ourselves there, together.

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day (May 7), here are some thoughts from Anne DiPardo. This blog was originally posted to the Exchange on Oct 10, 2012.

If you wish to go fast, go alone. If you wish to go far, go together! —African proverb

About a year ago I saw this quote and it immediately spoke to me on many different levels of my life.  I happened upon it as a postscript to an email sent to me by a parent at my school. Since that day I have adopted this saying as part of my "lexicon of wisdom."

When people think of the school library and the connection to teaching literacy, they immediately think of the books. They think of the school library first and foremost as a place to put the books and the librarian as the person to check those books out and say “SHH” to noisy students.

In fields as diverse as disaster management, computer engineering, trauma care, and architecture, collaborative decision making is driving innovation and improved outcomes. In education, well, we haven’t really given it a chance yet.

As we "spring forward" and daylight savings time causes my body to scream for one more hour of sleep, my musings follow a strange path this year.

This tangible mark of spring typically brings thoughts of daffodils, of Spring Break, and of warmer weather right around the corner.  Today, however, my mind seems drawn to a different indicator of spring found on many school calendars across the country—the season of standardized testing.

The findings from the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher have arrived.  This year's focus speaks to the responsibilities and challenges facing our schools' leaders.  Again this year, teacher satisfaction ratings are declining, and they have been in this state of decline since 2008.  Not surprisingly, less satisfied teachers were more likely to be found in schools where investments in professional learning and time for teacher collaboration had decreased.