I am elementary school principal and a former classroom teacher. My mother was a teacher, my mother's mother was a teacher, and my mother's mother's mother and father were both teachers. I am writing to you because I am deeply worried about the fate of the teaching profession, the fate of our public schools, and the fate of our students. Let me tell you why.... The more I learn and the more I see about the direction public schools have taken across the country, the more upset I become. It is getting harder and harder to sit around and remain silent while I watch our students, teachers, and schools suffer.
I have been trying my hardest to preserve the integrity of our school, our teachers, and our students amid the misguided priorities of your administration. But I know what is going on across the country, and I believe you do too. We are losing our arts and music programs. We are losing recess. When I taught in the South Bronx, the students did not have gym class, because our day was supposed to be focused around the test. We are losing our ability to think creatively and problem solve. This singular focus on test scores, combined with larger and larger classes, means that students are not getting the social and emotional guidance they need from their teacher, who is under tremendous pressure, and is already stretched too thin. Our schools are not producing caring citizens ready for the challenges of the next generation. Instead we are producing test takers who are masters at filling in bubble sheets.
On your watch, the quality and depth of education in schools across the country has deteriorated....
Mr. Obama, our students deserve better. Our teachers deserve better. Our communities deserve better. Please, take a moment to recognize all the damage that is being done to our public schools. Then, let's move forward. Let's re-examine the notion that accountability can only exist through an annual exam. Let's recognize all that our students are losing out on because of our obsession with testing. Let's stop connecting teacher evaluations and teacher pay to these flawed high-stakes tests, and let's stop demanding that states seeking an NCLB waiver must do this. Let's stop blaming teachers. And let's stop firing staff and closing schools as a way to fix education.
Our public schools don't need your punishment. We need your support.
Sincerely,
Stephen Earley
Principal
Newport, Vermont
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