We Need To Do Better

by Michael Barata

I was one of the biggest proponents of tying teacher evaluations to student performance. I have been teaching college level psychology since January 2012 and now, well, I don’t see it that way.

Oh what a BIG flip-flopper I am! And the only reason why my perspective has changed is because I am a teacher now. I’ll concede.

The deeper truth is I continue to discover how powerful and rewarding education can be for both the teacher and the student, but I also experience how uninspiring it can be for both the teacher and the student.

Teachers who gaze at tenure or retirement as the prizes are obviously failing to connect with, challenge, nurture, and yes, inspire, students to realize their own potential and how to use their education as a means to achieve their own greatness. Students who view showing up for class as education and the teacher as the answer bank are obviously failing to think about the bigger picture of life and what they want to do with it and how education can help provide means for understanding, opportunity, and achievement.

We need to have real conversations with educators about their motivations and their desires. We need to have real conversations with students about their motivations and their desires. We need to do that. We ALL need to do better.