Breaking the Cycle

Teachers often say that they live with the bureaucratic follies of the education system for the sake of the kids. Certainly there are rewards in this for both students and teachers. But is propping up a system that isn’t working helpful to children in the end?

Studies show that when spouses stay in abusive marriages, children often grow up to become abusers. Could it be that following the rules of the system for the sake of the children is what supports and perpetuates the bureaucratic follies? Is staying for the sake of the kids actually harming them—and our country?

What would happen in your school district if...

• Teachers who don’t believe in current policies refused to implement them;
• These teachers also designed plans to solve the discipline problems in their schools and raise the level of achievement through innovative curriculum;
• The teachers then went to the public and asked for the support of parents, students, and concerned citizens in implementing their plans;
• Teachers, parents, students, and concerned citizens rallied behind teachers and even found ways they could join in the effort to solve the discipline problems in their schools and raise the level of achievement?

Perhaps successful local movements would merge into a movement that supported national standards while giving local teachers autonomy to used the methods best suited to their students.

Two examples of education reform with a vision:

• The Broader, Bolder Approach: www.boldapproach.org
• The Annenberg Institute for School Reform: www.annenberginstitute.org