Great Teachers Work!

Teaching is not for the weak.  Great teachers put extraordinary effort into their work. More importantly, research clearly indicates that one thing that “works” in improving student learning is a “great teacher.”  Great teachers work. The question then becomes, what should occur when a teacher cannot demonstrate that students are learning at an expected pace? Do we assume that the problem is in measurement, the out-of-school environment, a weak curriculum, the lack of consistent standards, a poor school climate, ineffective school leadership, or some other factor unrelated to the teacher? Or, do we simply assume that the teacher may not be that great?

Dean Andrews

We have a tendency to dichotomize teachers. Some are great, some are awful.  Such categorization in any domain is usually an oversimplification.  There are well prepared, dedicated teachers in a school somewhere today working their tails off to meet the needs of every child in their classrooms, but who will still feel extremely guilty when they come up just a little short. There’s a student, or two, in each of these classes who, despite the teacher’s herculean effort and creativity, just can’t seem to be reached. Conversely, in these same schools there are awful, lazy teachers who have a handful of bright well-prepared resilient students who, with relatively little guidance, will endure the year and learn on their own.  They don’t need much, they don’t get much, but they continue to learn.  Ironically, these teachers are likely to credit themselves for their students’ success.

A simple solution is to sort the great from the awful, reward the great, and toss out the awful – and we absolutely should. This would be a great start, but only a start.  Most teachers fall on a continuum somewhere between great and awful with a large segment clustered in the middle.  We must strengthen the tools necessary to maximize the success of teachers who are dedicated and clearly willing to do the heavy lifting, but who may be unequipped for the task.  The necessary tools include solid evidence-based curricula that help translate high, uniform standards into positive outcomes; training programs (pre-service and in-service) that provide opportunities for skill building and continuous learning through intensive residency and experiential approaches; and performance-based incentive programs that recognize growth in both student learning and teachers’ skill development.  These tools, implemented through hard work, will transform good teachers into great teachers.