A year after I left the system, I took a walk through the halls of my old school. Every classroom had a new smart board. There was a brand new iMac computer lab. I had spent many months putting together the grant that brought these 21st century tools into our school. It gave me great pleasure to think of all the students who, in years to come, would benefit from mastering them, giving them a boost in achieving the American dream.
If he hadn't let me go, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to romp through 25 schools and report on my journey in Yo Miz! By not giving me a position, he gave me a gift, right? And, as the book is about the kids, maybe it will help influence a policy maker here or there. Maybe some of the striking inequities between schools will come to light. Maybe we will listen more attentively to teachers' and students' voices. Maybe this culture of top-down hyper-testing will change. Maybe I'm a dreamer.
JB: There's absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming - the opposite, in fact. Where would we be without it? What were you hoping to accomplish with the book?
ER: As I started out on this rotation, I hoped to have some fun. As a substitute teacher, I knew I'd be on the lowest rung of a school's "power" structure. If I were a visiting dignitary, a school's leaders would make sure the school was all polished up, serve me coffee and give me a lovely tour of their best classes. As a sub, foggedaboudit. I'd get to see the school's unpolished underbelly. It was a perfect vantage point. I pretended (to myself only) I was a reporter for the Daily Show. I kept it on the down low. Once I got to my second school, a very tough place in a highly underserved area, I realized that the students, their challenges, the inequities in resources (especially in the arts) between the schools...were rather astounding. So I hoped to tell my truth, be fair, funny and maybe, just maybe, the book would open people's hearts to all our students. All of these kids, whether privileged or underserved, deserve the best education we can give them. We can do better.
JB: The way you as an ATR were treated surprised me. You were alternately treated rudely, given classes but no lesson plan, or routinely ignored. They certainly didn't maximize your strengths or services. What do you make of this?
ER: I spent many hours at some of these schools hoping I could tutor, coach or assist in any way. Think of the energetic waste: here I am, a licensed teacher with 10 years experience, assigned to sit alone in a hallway, or next to an exit that is never used, hour after hour, day after day. How many students are sitting in their (large) classes who could use some one-on-one instruction from someone like me? This is not rocket science. It's Leadership 101. It's easy.
It's easy to greet a new teacher with a friendly "good morning" when she enters your building.
It's easy to ask the new teacher what she teaches.
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