Stop Trying to "Fix Everything"

Prompt:  What do you think is the most challenging issue in education today?

Everyone thinks that they need to "fix everything" about education.  From education reformers, to politicians, to the parents that walk through our doors, everyone has an opinion about where the education system has failed.  Don't get me wrong, there are things that we as teachers can do to make the learning experience more inclusive or more relevant, but the constant critique can get a bit too much.  If teachers were to constantly criticize their students, I guarantee you that the student would most likely shut down.  There is no longer any motivation to work for something, and the same thing goes for teachers.

I believe the issue stems from the fact that so many people have gone through the public school system, so they assume that their experience is general as opposed to specific.  We've spent thirteen/fourteen years in the system, and somehow believe that a high school diploma has granted us the label of "expert" in public education.  Experiencing the education system as a student is not the same as being responsible for the education of a classroom of students as a teacher.  The saying "those who can, do, and those who can't, teach" has always bugged me.  A more accurate saying would be "those who can, do, and those who can do 30 million things at one time, teach" because teaching is not just a matter of standing in front of a classroom rambling facts off to the students.  In any given day, a teacher will go from being a teacher, to a mentor, then maybe a counselor, and then a shoulder to cry on - and that's only first period!

It's so easy to walk into a situation and start criticizing everything you see that you don't agree with, but really, what's that going to get you?  Telling teachers that everything they are doing is wrong is not going to do justice to the issue at hand - how do we reach out to our students to give them the most diverse, yet inclusive, educational experience?  We teach students that collaboration is key in developing a diversified skill set, so why are we unwilling to do ourselves?  Everyone needs to take a step back and really consider what the education system is truly about - the STUDENTS.