A Science Guy’s Almanac #9: A Salute to Teachers Re: 10/10/2015
On Saturday, October 10, of this year, the Cox Cable’s Channel 4 in San Diego broadcast the annual Salute to Teachers. This black-tie event recognizes all of the San Diego County teachers who were selected as Teacher of the Year in the school, and then in their school district.
District winners’ names and application materials were sent to the San Diego County Office of Education. There, four teachers were selected from the list of forty to be the San Diego County Teachers of the Year.
Those four are entered in the competition for California Teacher of the Year. The winner of that competition has a 1:52 chance of being named the National Teacher of the Year.
The Teacher of the Year program has been in place since 1974—my second year as a teacher. The Salute to Teachers celebration reached a milestone this year. 2015 is the 25th anniversary of that event.
In the early years of the Salute to Teachers, a variety of local celebrities hosted the gala. For nearly 10 years, Gabe Kaplan, best known as Mr. Kotter in the TV sitcom Welcome Back Kotter, was the host. Hosts of this year’s event were also media celebrities of a sort.
I was fortunate to be named as one of three San Diego County Teachers of the Year in 1985.
That year, the celebration consisted of attending a luncheon sponsored by the local chapter of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). I attended with my principal.
Before the luncheon’s keynote speaker, each of the three of us Teachers of the Year was asked to come forward. We received a plaque from the County Office and a round of applause.
Now, teachers submit videos of their teaching as part of the application process because advancements in technology allow a greater visual celebration. The Salute to Teachers features those videos along with live music performed by some of the award-winning choirs, vocal and instrumental ensembles, and other talented students from local schools. The MC is articulate. Winners are given time to speak.
All in all, the evening is a well-produced celebration of the teaching profession. Along with the sold-out Civic Center’s theater audience, several thousand people watch the event on their television sets.
What’s my point?
I am very happy when any teacher receives recognition for their contribution to the lives of young people. All too often, media emphasis is placed on disgraced teachers. Not nearly enough attention is given to those hundreds of thousands of dedicated professionals who put in countless hours beyond their contracted work days.
During this unpaid time teachers grade, plan, prepare, create, and seek new ways to inspire, encourage, and prepare their students for whatever comes into their lives. In addition to unpaid overtime, studies have shown the most teachers spend thousands of dollars from their own pockets on materials and resources that their students would not have without this investment.
Why do they do that?
Because good teachers want the best for their students. For an eye-opening look into this out of pocket expense, check out the Huffington Post’s September 2 article on this topic. Take a close look at the photos sent in by teachers. Look at the types of materials/resources they are purchasing. Very little of the items shown would be considered frills or frivolous purchases.
Education is a right reserved to each individual state by the Constitution of the United States. Each state determines curricula and budgets for their schools. Most of those decisions are made in state legislatures. A minority of those elected officials were/are teachers.
According to Table 2 from Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile released in November 2014, 102 of the current members of congress list their prior occupation in the field of education.
As you can see, not all “educators” were teachers. It’s possible that a sizable number never taught in any public school. I suspect the breakdown of most state legislators would be close to these numbers. By the way, numbers presented in the highlighted bullet point do not match those in the table.
So what?
Only this. Most decisions made on educational issues are made by people whose primary exposure to the educational system in their constituency was as students. Many of the issues are decided based on which outside group—publishers, curriculum developers, special interest advocates—has the most clout and/or the most money.
Bottom Line
If you are a teacher: Be proud! Be prepared. Be approachable.
If you are a student: Let your teacher know how much you appreciate her/him.
If you are a parent: Find out what you can do to help your child be most successful in her/his class.
Parents, Teachers, and Administrators
I am co-author of Tune Up Your Teaching & Turn On Student Learning. This book provides insights and ideas for all three groups on how to help students be better thinkers and learners. It is available at Amazon or directly from me through Teachers Pay Teachers. I’ll be offering 15% off on the book during November and December.
Also, visit Engage In Thinking at www.engageinthinking.com for additional information and resources.
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