The Next New Thing

The Next New Thing What is it about public education that continually prompts educational theorists, school administrators - and certifiably ignorant politicians - to present working educators with a never ending stream of magic formulas to save our schools? Yes, that's a rhetorical question. We could hold seminars and present all manner of power points on the topic, but even listing only the acronyms of the latest and greatest plans to improve our schools would take up too much space. And people wonder why teachers - you know, the folks who are in the classrooms building relationships and interacting with student every day of their professional lives - become a little cynical over time. Take Breakfast in the Classroom, for example, the expansion of the Breakfast in the Classroom program (shall we call it BIC?) that most teachers, including the elected teacher representative, recently learned of by reading articles in the local newspaper. Since the program directly affects a teacher's work day and student instructional time, one might assume such a sweeping change to the start of the school day would be a topic for the bargaining table - or that teachers, at the very least, would be brought into the conversation. Asking the Teachers, Almost That almost happened at one elementary last year, where a principal decided to implement the breakfast program at mid-year. A faculty meeting was held and several teachers voiced legitimate concerns, not the least of which was that the program would potentially infringe on instructional and prep time. After hearing the concerns, the principal at first decided to allow a faculty vote on the subject - and then abruptly had a change of mind on the afternoon of the proposed vote. Instead, teachers were presented with what one teacher termed an orchestrated "dog and pony show" by an administrator from Food Services and a couple of happy teachers from another building that had already implemented the program. The meeting ended, and it was clear that several teachers were not persuaded. And that's when the principal chose to insult the entire faculty by challenging them to demonstrate that they "cared about the students" by accepting the program without a vote. They were also told that transferring to another school was always an option, thus providing a great example for principals everywhere of how to quickly and effectively alienate a large portion of your faculty. Food Services New Role? As we've inquired about the BIC program over the past months, we've been informed by more than one administrator that the program emanates from Food Services. Really? Since when does Food Services determine the work teachers do at the start of each school day? Should we now be concerned that Building Services will come up with grant money that would have teachers and students waxing the floors together? And where does the school board fit in this decision-making process? To our knowledge, the school board has never voted for implementation of BIC, nor have they ever discussed it publicly Of course, nobody opposes providing breakfast to students. Schools have been doing this for years - in cafeterias, which are commonly used for eating. Everybody recognizes the importance of good nutrition, and many teachers have accepted and even embraced the classroom breakfast program. Great. Since it's being implemented, we hope it works. What we cannot understand is why the implementation process circumvented the bargaining process or any meaningful discussion with teachers, who - along with cafeteria and custodial staff - are directly affected by this program. Assumptions and Questions The first assumption seems to be that teachers aren't already using effective techniques to help their students get off to a good start each day - or that this approach will be better than whatever they are doing currently. In fact, most teachers have constructed established routines, and their students respond well. This is what good teachers do. A new program like this will effectively change well-established and effective readiness activities in many classrooms. Some teachers have an already established practice of holding lunches in the classroom as an occasional reward to students. It's a great practice that they came up with on their own. A second assumption is that parents actually want this program. Breakfast at home is a routine function for many families. As far as we can tell, the community, like the teachers, have been out of the loop in conversation relating to implementing classroom breakfasts. Is this a case of the district determining community needs unilaterally? What if a student has already had a good breakfast at home? Do they sit quietly? Will they feel left out? A third assumption is that teachers and schools are increasingly expected to take on the task of counter-balancing societal issues that are outside their control. This has become an accepted, even necessary role for schools, given the rapid rise of poverty and poor living conditions in our community. We know that the concept of a community school attempts to address this issue, but are we trying to do everything at once? A fourth assumption is that the funding required to continue a program such as this is sustainable. Will the district eventually find itself in the unenviable position of cutting this program after it has become an expected part of the school day? This sounds like a question the board might have asked. Caring About the Students One assumption that no one should make is that teachers object to this program out of personal self interest. All the concerns we've heard from teachers have been about the continuing erosion of planning and instructional time, as they continue to deal with the pressure of unreasonable expectations - from a variety of sources - while attempting to maintain their own high standards of effective instruction. No administrator, parent or community member should ever question whether teachers care enough about the children they work with on a daily basis. Teachers have dedicated their professional lives - and a disproportionate amount of their personal lives and resources - to their daily work with children. Which is all the more reason a high functioning district should consult with teachers regarding programs like this . . . and the next "new thing" that will inevitably come our way.