Week 14: Educational Efforts in NE Ohio

What might we add to our educational efforts in Northeast Ohio in order to achieve the quality of life and the social justice goals for all (as summarized in the last chapter of the Gollnick and Chinn text).

Consider: What is missing? What might warrant further enhancement? What can we create that is not already there? How can we do better what we already do?

One of the components that is missing in Northeast Ohio’s education efforts would be “Caring”. According to Gollnick and Chin, “One of the complaints of students is that their teachers don’t know them and do not care about them” (p. 384). I’ve heard that so many times from students and even from my own child. If a student feels that a teacher “doesn’t care” then they sometimes feel hopeless at being able to achieve academically. If a teacher show’s care, along with high expectations, a student will feel more apt to try to be successful. As stated in the text, “A caring teacher has high expectations for students, and pushes students to meet those high expectations” (p. 384). I’ve also heard from some teachers that have been in the field a long time that they’ve “given up” or “just don’t care anymore”. We cannot allow ourselves as teachers to start treating teaching as just a job. We are, most times, the first line of defense that these kids have. They have to know that no matter how bad it is outside of our classroom walls that inside, we care about them. I think that in Northeast Ohio teachers can become bogged down by school levy’s not passing, pay freezes, more students in the classroom than they can handle, etc. that they forget why they became teachers in the first place. Teachers need to reach out to the students and show that they care in order to foster successfulness in the classroom. Lastly, Gollnick and Chin state, “What are the characteristics of caring teachers? They are patient, persistent, and supportive of students. They listen to students and validate their culture. They empower their students to engage in their education. Caring teachers don’t give up on their students. They understand why students may not feel well on some days or are having a difficult time outside of school. Nevertheless, these teachers do not accept failure” (p. 385).