Our country has been
in a recession since 2007. Workers of all types have been struggling to find
and keep hold of steady jobs for the past five years. I’m concerned that one of
last month’s articles, Teacher Knowledge
Maters in Supporting Young Readers (Fitzharris, et. al), is merely the tip
of the iceberg when it comes to keeping under-qualified teachers in their
classrooms. The revealing of the inconsistencies in skills and knowledge
amongst teachers in the same school
is appalling. Even more so, the fact that teacher training left some teachers
still unable to accurately assess the needs of struggling readers horrifies me.
Children are sent to school to receive services that will aid them in becoming
literate beings. Why, then, are they placed under the care of teachers who
cannot adequately help them? What are schools looking at when they hire these
teachers? If they are not taking into account candidates’ experiences with
practical classroom practices, I am afraid to ask what they are looking at.
In comparison to our
educational system, running records are, arguably, a rather new means of
assessment. That does not, however, excuse the fact that many teachers lack the
knowledge and skill that it takes to successfully complete this oral reading
assessment on beginning readers. Fitzharris documented that “Kathy”, a
third-grade teacher with six years of
teaching experience, “recorded an incorrect accuracy rate and self-correction
rate. That in turn led Kathy to choose the wrong level of
instruction—Instructional level rather than Easy level” (pg. 390). We can all
be thankful that Kathy was merely practicing her newfound knowledge (or lack
thereof) on this poor student and was not going to use her findings to actually
determine the child’s reading level. What if this had not been a case study? What if Kathy had received training in
running records and was sent back to her classroom to put this new skill to
work? What would that one student’s future in literacy learning look like?
I applaud Fitzharris
for her solid conclusions and suggestions on how to improve teachers’ knowledge
within our nation’s schools. Teachers should be hired based not only on their
credentials and certifications, but also on previous teaching and coaching
experiences. Certainly someone who seeks out professional development is going
to be more willing and able to accept the new tasks that a job requires.
Additionally, suggesting that differentiated staff development is implemented
is a simple solution to this big problem. We have been calling out for
differentiated instruction for students for years- aren’t teachers the
students, too? Finally, requiring teachers to regularly self-evaluate themselves can go a long way in
identifying which teachers need more training in particular areas.
If teaching is going
to continue to be one of the most competitive job markets in America, then
those vying for jobs better come prepared with the skills and knowledge needed
to compete. They will need more than a Masters Degree. Time in a classroom will
not be enough. Candidates must be well rounded in terms of schooling and
experience. They must be aware of how they learn best so that, when asked to
harness a new skill, they can do so effectively. If these changes do not occur,
the futures of our students, particularly struggling readers, look very dark.
References:
Fitzharris,
L., Jones, M., & Crawford, A. (208). Teacher knowledge matters in
supporting young readers. The Reading Teacher, 61(5), 384-394.
