The nobility of teaching.

• Author: Lewis, Caroline Alexander
• Position: Education

CAN WE make the teaching profession noble again? We can and we must. Like many, I am quite concerned that current education reform strategies are burning out our best teachers, who then leave the profession prematurely. We cannot reform public education if our pool of effective teachers continues to shrink. In going after incompetent teachers, some education reformers have done a disservice to the entire profession. Beyond not being appreciated, teachers increasingly are being measured, blamed, and disparaged. Who is rebuilding enthusiasm and a sense of purpose and pride in teaching?

In Trinidad, where I grew up, teachers were held in high esteem. There was an arm's-length respect for them, and parents gave them space to challenge and discipline their children--and never blamed the school, the teacher, or the system. Motivation to learn was a student's responsibility, and failure was his or her own fault. I remember few disciplinary issues, since we knew our teachers indisputably were in charge. In my young mind, the potential and nobility of the profession were very apparent.

Teaching has changed in Trinidad and in the U.S., where I have lived for the last 30 years. I sense we are witnessing the demise of a great profession, one that wooed me significantly. Teaching gave me a sense of pride, purpose, and meaning throughout my career in education, although it was not all fairy tales. I worked with some of the best and some of the worst colleagues. Still, I laud the profession, and I want others to laud it, too.

Today, the nobility of the profession--the thing that drew me in--has been diminished. The ranks of effective teachers seem to be declining. In the debate on what constitutes successful education, the spotlight has become laser-focused on a teacher's ability to get students to pass tests. It has taken a toll, all of this testing, analyzing, micromanaging, measuring, and labeling that is consuming K-12 education these days. As a result, far too many effective teachers are worn down and burned out. To make matters worse, this is not helping us attract the brightest the best college graduates with the talent and passion for teaching.

So, how do we go about making the teaching profession noble again? I strongly would urge education leaders to change the reform agenda so as to acknowledge the range of issues that influence learning; recognize the attributes and value of effective teachers; and raise the bar on teacher salaries and redefine expectations.

Clearly, some individuals are better at teaching than others, and most of us agree that leadership should identify and confront the weakest, but our leaders are missing opportunities to do so while bureaucracies...