Teachers Who Teach and Schools That Work



Posted: Saturday, January 10, 2009

by
firstcenturychristian

William J. Bennett served as the Secretary of Education from 1985-1988. During his tenure he visited scores of schools across the nation, both high and low performing. He sought to find out what made the difference in teachers and schools that succeeded or failed. In his book The De-valuing of America, Dr. Bennett set forth the things he learned about successful teachers and schools.

To succeed in educating children, those involved must understand the purpose of a school. Bennett's view was " to make students both smarter and better, to develop intellect and moral character." From citizens he interviewed, he discovered that they expect schools first, "to teach our children how to speak, write, read, think and count correctly; and second, help them to develop reliable standards of right and wrong that will guide them through life" (p. 51). He found this to be very similar to the views of Thomas Jefferson who "wrote of the importance of calculation and writing, and of reading, history and geography. But he also emphasized the need to instruct the mass of our citizens in these, their rights, interests, and duties, as men and citizens." Jefferson believed "education should aim at the improvement of both one's morals and faculty" ( Report of the Commissioners for the University of Virginia ) (p. 56).

Observation taught Bennett that the central ingredients in the success of a given school were " local people, leaders, community commitment, and shared values..." In schools that worked he always found "...teachers and principals... of good character, committed to academic excellence, (who) have a genuine regard for the well-being of children" (p. 77). "In every case there was someone who took a personal interest in the children and their future" (p. 78). He concluded "This, then, is the iron law of education: the system' doesn't educate anyone. Individuals do" (p. 78). " The first requirement is to get order" (p. 79). No one can learn in a chaotic environment. Let your students know that you genuinely care about them. Students must learn trust. They must learn to trust deserving adults, "to trust themselves and have confidence in themselves in dealings with others." "To teach it (trust) is not a matter of a lesson plan; it can only be taught over time by adults nurturing students in a thousand small ways" (p. 82).

He found that "Great schools are led by great individualsbut they are not one-man or one-woman shows." He learned that at a good school, "the physical environmentequipment and facilitiesmatters less than the environment of spirit, purpose and attitude... ( p. 84). "The critical factoras common sense and experience testifyis not the size of the class but the quality and command of the teacher" (p. 86). "In teaching, is it the human qualities of inspiration, competence, and commitment that matter, not a bureaucratic formula" (p. 86).

He met Jaime Escalante, of the Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, whose mission was to teach calculus to disadvantaged Hispanic youngsters. Escalante "seeks every opportunity to impose his ethic of achievement, success, and hard work on them" (p. 85) He does not "assume a fake posture of equality with students; He takes his students where he finds them...and he argues, pulls, cajoles and exhorts them to the activity of hard work, very hard work, for their own lives, for their own future" (p. 86). Escalante gained national recognition for his teaching success.

"Great teachers and principals violate the conventional wisdom of the educrats, the wisdom' that says nothing can be done to improve American education...The heroes demonstrate that it can be done. And they do it" (p. 91).

Just this week a federal study found that some 32 million American adults (one in seven) are functionally illiterate. Make it your goal as a teacher that not one of your students will finish the year without improved reading skills. We can't fix the nation's problem with illiteracy, but we can make sure that those in our care won't be among those who cannot read!

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William J. Bennett. The De-Valuing fo America. (New York. Touchstone, Simon & Schuster, 1992).

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