Ira Smolowitz, Ph.D. Professor of Finance and
Dean, Bureau of Business Research and Program Development
at the American International College, Springfield, MA.
The profession of public school teaching has engendered non-stop negativity, some of which is of the profession's own doing. In this article we will identify five operant conditions within which teachers must conduct their increasingly difficult jobs. We will attempt to look at each issue from two perspectives, those outside education and from one who has worked within the educational institution. This should serve to place the above negativity in perspective.
Operant Condition #1—Poor Physical Plant
(I.S.) In the October 11, 1998 New York Daily News article “Obstacle Course in Brooklyn School” – the author Nancie L. Katz describes the physical conditions at Brooklyn, New York Public School 91. My summary of these conditions include: (a) plaster dropping from the ceilings, drafts that seep through exposed brick walls, vermin scampering in through holes in the walls (b) students must bring bottles of water to school because the gushing liquid from the drinking fountains necessitated their non-use (c) A non-working fire alarm the school principal Solomon Long states: “It is abominable for children to be subjected to this… in the richest country in the world” while calls for help have gone unanswered for eight years. Given the number of over-crowded, aging, public schools in this country a deteriorating physical plant is not conducive to learning.
(R.L.) Viewing this condition from the inside out, one could find some such conditions as were stated, but today one would more often find this kind of condition mostly present in the large cities. Massachusetts’s communities have spent a small fortune along with funding from School Building Assistance through the State Department of Education to renovate and retrofit school buildings within the State. In fact, there are many beautifully built and equipped school buildings in Massachusetts today. I believe this would also be true within other communities throughout the country.
Operant Condition #2—Playing the Blame-Game
(I.S.) In the March 29, 2004, New York Post article, “Hard Lessons Of Windy City,” the author Carl Campanile cites the case of Michael Henry: Michael Henry, 14 can barely read. He repeated third grade in the 1999-2000 school year after he flunked the reading exam. But holding him back turned out to be a disaster. His reading comprehension and test score did not improve during the second go-around in third grade. Already behind a year and still unable to read, Chicago educators promoted Michael to the fourth grade. “they weren’t teaching me” Michael said. His mom, Karen Henry, said the stricter promotional policy failed him because the low-performing school didn’t assign qualified teachers or put programs in place to help Michael read and write. “No one got hurt except Michael,” Henry said. I grew up in Brooklyn (Brownsville) New York. I entered the third grade in 1949. When I came home from school I played stickball or punch ball in the street. At 5:30 my mother would come to the tenement window, of our apartment, and signal to stop playing and come in and eat supper. After supper I did my homework with my mother’s assistance. (We did not own a T.V.). As I stroll down memory lane, I remember her diligently asking me questions so as to enable me to better prepare for a forthcoming test. Given her East-European emigrant status and a formal education that did not exceed elementary school, she probably learned history, geography, etc., via her diligence in asking me potential test questions in the above subjects. Education was respected. My parents knew that education was the way to climb the economic ladder. Teachers were revered: I remember at about age eight seeing one of my teachers shopping in a grocery store. I was stunned.
Teachers buy groceries, shop, etc. Just as we all do! To my mind they were icons. It was inconceivable for my parents to become adversarial or litigious with a teacher. In those days, if any student came home with a bad report, the parental assumption was that the teacher is right and the student wrong! The current climate of an adversarial teacher-parent relationship will, in my opinion, serve to undermine the education process. I once became aware of an incident in which a parent was informed that her son repeatedly did not turn in his homework assignment. The parental response was to blame the teachers because they had failed to motivate the child to do his homework.
In my opinion, education is a never-ending process. If parents do not respect the process, how can they respect teachers who play a critical role in the process?
(R.L.) As the second writer, my experience was much the same during my growing-up years. And I do agree that there is too much evidence of an adversarial teacher-parent relationship within the schools. In the same instance where parents blame the teachers for lack of motivation or not teaching their sons or daughters, there is also evidence to point to teachers blaming parents for not preparing their children for school or supporting them while there. Or, in another instance, giving them less than full effort in teaching them.
Operant Condition #3—Misplaced Emphasis
(I.S.) In this country education spending initiatives promising great benefits are a way-of-life. However, consider the New York Times article of April 19, 2004. The author Lizette Alvarez indicates:
Imagine an education system where children do not start school until they are 7, where spending is a paltry $5,000 a year per student, where there are no gifted programs and class sizes often approach 30. A prescription for failure, no doubt, in the eyes of many experts, but in this case a description of Finnish schools, which were recently ranked the world’s best. Finland topped a respected international survey last year, coming in first in literacy and placing in the top five in math and science……. If one trait sets Finland apart from many other countries, it is the quality and social standing of its teachers, said Barry Macgaw, the Director for Education at the O.E.C.D. (Organization of Economic Corporation and Development).
All teachers in Finland must have at least a master’s degree, and while they are no better paid than teachers in other countries, the profession is highly respected. Many more people want to become teachers after graduating from upper school than university can actually handle, so the vast majority are turned down.
(R.L.) This misplaced emphasis in our country comes from a variety of sources. First, the NEA (National Education Association) and other like groups complain constantly about the poor paid profession of teachers. At the same time, they have constantly maintained that all teachers should be paid the same salary, which is based on experience and degrees held. This may work in the blue-collar industry but allows for no incentive in the professional fields.
Operation condition #4—Insanity Prevails
(I.S.) In the April 9, 2004 article in the Hartford Courant, “Union Work Rule Bust Holes In School Budgets,” the author Lydia Segal indicates that:
As shrinking revenue forces public schools across the country to slash budgets, superintendents are searching for ways to cut without harming learning. My study of six districts identified a way to free up millions of dollars for classrooms and enhance teaching. How? Change union work rules. In Philadelphia, school custodians may replace broken tiles for up to three hours per day. Work beyond that requires central office craftsmen who cost 40 percent more, not including travel. In Torrance, California, janitors may replace light bulbs inside schools but only central office electricians who cost 40 percent more, may require exterior bulbs.…In New York City…school handymen may plaster a hole in a wall if its diameter is less than 3 inches. For bigger holes, principals must summon central plasterers and wait months, even years until the backlog of 50,000 orders clears.…The New York City teachers union had to bargain for direct deposit of paychecks, although this saved everyone money. Had managers offered it first they would have begun to build trust.
(R.L.) As the second writer, I agree that insanity does prevail relative to union work rules in the non-professional ranks but it is also present in teacher contracts. Teachers unions want to negotiate everything from salaries to working conditions that determine every detail of their job description. And in the event they are unhappy, they go to “work to rule” or even strike where permitted by law. I am not sure this demonstrates their dedication for their students or teaching.
Operant Condition #5—Poor Perception of Teachers
(I.S.) Many people have the perception that teachers are not in fact, underpaid, given that they don’t work” on Saturday, Sunday, legal holidays, and a significant portion of the summer. This is an error's perception. Teachers take work home. At home they prepare lesson plans, including student evaluation reports, confer with parent via phone calls, and e-mail. In some school districts they must purchase supplies out-of-pocket and incur the associated costs.
If this country is to retain its global economic competitive position, it must produce outstanding leaders of government and industry. The negativity directed against the teaching profession is counter-productive. Changing the operant conditions listed in this article, ASAP, will strengthen the teaching profession and the economic welfare of all Americans.
(R.L.) I agree that many people have a poor perception of teachers. However, in this age of accountability, we are bombarded constantly from various groups within the profession that such efforts as (MCAS) Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, (MTEL) Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure, and No Child Left Behind, a federal program, are not valid, are useless and should be discontinued. Only recently, Springfield Public Schools and other school districts attempted to sue the state for lack of funding for education. Instead of showing their positive sides, of which there are many, this unfavorable press and actions within the teaching profession only serve to damage the perception of teachers and education nationally. It has taken many years for education to deteriorate to the state we find it. But, the raising of standards and assessment practices as currently being practiced are making a difference, and with many educators stepping up to the plate, the future is brighter.
Articles printed with the
permission of Dr. Ira Smolowitz, Professor of Finance
and Dean, Bureau of Business Research and Program Development
at American International College, Springfield, MA, and of Royce E. Layman, Ed.D., Director of School Administration,
Professor of Education and
Retired School Superintendent.
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