Efficacy Lecture

Things you kind of know instinctively, but need somebody to point out to you. Of course, if you are a "typical" Memphis City School teacher, you anticipate what the lecturer is going to tell you, and argue AGAINST it, contradict yourself several times, and ironically prove the point the lecturer is trying to make about our society.

The message was that intentionally or unintentionally grouping students by "intelligence" or "ability" is damaging to the kids in the 'dumb' class. No kidding. Also that our society has a flawed idea of learning and growth, attributing people's success to innate abilities, not hard work and innate drive. So our idiot representative teacher, who by example makes all of us look like the stereotypical reason why our state and city rank near the bottom, proceeds to argue that we don't have such a system. Another, braver, teacher says what many of us already discussed...that having Honors classes does just this, as well as things like optional schools. The original idiot then goes on to say her four kids "all have different abilities, and are at 4 different optional schools." Ironic indeed.

Earlier in the day she was an advocate for teachers who gave 110% but their kids still couldn't demonstrate proficiency. She refused accept the difference between capacity to teach, and demonstrating the capacity to teach (demonstrated by kids doing well on state tests). She goes further (embarassingly) to say she can't teach effectively without seeing the state test to know what will be on it.

I enjoyed one of the speakers, who, having taught for 35 years in Boston, and grew up in Dorchester, had a nice thick Yankee accent, but it annoyed me to hear several teachers near me parroting his accent...kind of rude and unprofessional.

If our teachers can't accept suggestions for growth, but cling to the old way of doing things - that don't work - then we are doomed.