Some of the hardest working people are teachers. I cannot imagine being a teacher right now. With learning disabilities being diagnosed left and right, food allergies, and helicopter parents…teachers have a full plate.

It seems that the media and special interest groups are always pointing their fingers at the teachers whether it be about pay, union contracts, or test scores.  These people (teachers) have families to support and lives also.  I think that sometimes people tend to forget that.  Teachers are in charge of your children at least 6-7 hours a day, 5 days a week.  We need to respect their education and experience more.

I went to public school from kindergarten through high school, and so did my husband.  I also attended and received my Bachelor’s Degree from a state university.  My son goes to our local public school.  I believe in public schools and teachers.

My son is going into second grade this year, which will be his third year of public school.  I’ve been involved in the beginning.  I’ve volunteered in the class, signed up to work at the Book Fair, and even baked cupcakes for an event.  Teachers cannot do this alone. Like I said previously, teachers have a full plate and with economic barriers, they are severely burdened.

I recently read the book, Mission Possible: How The Secrets of The Success Academies Can Work In Any School by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia. Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of the highly regarded Success Academy Charter Schools, and literacy specialist Arin Lavinia offer groundbreaking, classroom-tested methods for dramatic improvement in teaching and learning. Moskowitz and Lavinia reveal how one Harlem charter school, comprised of neighborhood children selected at random, railed against all odds to emerge as one of the top schools in New York City and State within its first three years. Success Academy scholars have met or exceeded the test results of public schools for gifted students and elite private schools.

Do I agree with everything in the book? No, but I do think that sometimes you need to look outside the box and see how things can be improved.  I think in any career field, you need some kind of mentor or training program.  If you don’t have staff development or education for the employees, how can they evolve?

Stagnation, being unable to accomplish one’s job at a high level, is one of the greatest sources of low teacher morale.  Why do you think this country treats teaching so differently than it does other professions? 

Every career field can be stagnate.  People turn into robots, doing the same thing over and over. This is even more so for teachers.  Can you imagine teaching the same curriculum over and over, year after year?  I don’t think that their is enough input received from the actual teachers.  Most teachers are given the curriculum from the administration and are told to teach it; to pass state tests, etc.

How can any of this be positive? Without a peer support system or mentoring program, there is no way for teachers to evolve.  I know that every teacher has some kind of feedback that they want to give, but is there anyone listening to them?  In the United States, careers in teaching are not thought of as highly as doctors, lawyers, or engineers.  But who do all of these professionals start their careers with? Teachers are the foundation of everything, they should be respected.  Without excellent education, there would be not  doctors, lawyers, or engineers.

What can we do as parents to help out our teachers and schools? To prevent this stagnation and evolve into better and excellent academic programs. Is is charter schools, mentoring programs, volunteering?

Answer this question along with other options for a chance to win a free copy of Mission Possible along with a DVD of video from Success Academy Classrooms!

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Disclosure:  I was compensated for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.