We need education leaders that listen to teachers

From the Times Union, by Fed_up_In_Duval

When I was 20 years old, I graduated from college with my degree in English hoping to attend law school. But after graduating, I decided I was going to get a job teaching school so I could save some up some money for law school.

Well, three years later, I found myself in grad school to earn a Master's degree in English and another Master's degree in Education.

I grew to love education so much that I never left the profession. I am now 50 years old.
Just in case you are no good at math, I have been a DCPS teacher for the past 30 years of my life on every level.

I have taught every grade between K-5, 7th and 8th grade, and I am currently teaching high school where I have taught every grade between 9-12. About three years ago, I stopped teaching English Composition courses at FCCJ because I was getting older and more bogged down with paperwork from DCPS.

I give my professional history because somewhere along the lines people have seem to excluded teachers in the conversation about what is best for students.

John Fryer was a military officer.
John Delaney is an attorney.
Don Shea is a businessman.

I, on the other hand, have been an educator for 30 years (over 30 if you are that technical). I have seen every aspect of this system as I have worked in the "well-to-do" schools and I have taught in the inner city schools.

We must stop engaging all of these external people and get back to the basics with education. The establishment has long controlled the direction of our public schools. None of these people would dare have the audacity to step foot into the classroom and become a teacher. None of their children probably went to public school.

We don't need lawyers and doctors to tell us how to teach students.

Teachers need to be included in the decision-making process. We have been told what to do from the Board, Superintendent, and principals. We have no autonomy.

When we start teaching the students what they need to know (and I know what they need because I have also taught at the collegiate level) we are blasted by school administrators.

Bring teachers back into the process of educating students. Hear what we have to say. Our Superintendent has not done it. No one on the School Board has done it. Nobody has.

I want a School Board who is willing to consider teachers' input again. And so far, I have seen a few promising candidates who I believe are willing to include teachers in the decision-making process but they are not "establishment-backed" candidates, going to prove my point about what the establishment has done to education in Duval County.

We have allowed our system to become ruined all in the name of politics and status quo. This leads me to believe the state of our schools is all by design!

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-08-04/story/experts-say-race-school-board-may-be-most-important-election-duval#ixzz22aO2Lm8j