You don’t care about me soooo

 

We have known for a very long time that students learn more from teachers they like and who they perceive as liking them.  Kids want to feel cared about by their teachers.

We also know that the students who have been involved in school aggression or violent assaults have all felt alienated from their schools.

We know so much and do so little…

A mere 22% of middle and high school students reported that many or all of their teachers cared about them, and/or made an effort to find out what their lives were like outside of school.

In the days before pacing guides, measuring learning with frequent tests and grading schools by test scores, people became teachers because they cared about kids and wanted to be a part of their successful future.  Schools and teachers were measured by how many kids graduated, went onto college or a job.   Schools seemed to recognize different values.  High school students in Maryland could earn an academic diploma, a commercial diploma (for students who wanted to do office work) and a general vocational diploma for students who were going into the trades.  The union really was a professional association that lobbied for more instructional materials, professional standards and better teacher training not higher salaries, shorter hours and protections for poor teachers.

Teachers are human and they will put their energies where the rewards are.  Right now, the rewards are for test scores and keeping on pace with the pacing guide.   Students have become cogs in the wheels rather than people with feelings and home lives.

Reasons for students feeling that no one cares about them have been offered up as the outcomes from teacher shortages and behavioral disturbances.   Maybe this is a chicken and egg situation.  If teachers cared about kids more, the teachers might enjoy their jobs more and not leave, hence not as much of a teacher shortage.  If kids felt cared about, they wouldn’t be as disruptive and would learn more.