At a roundtable discussion in Washington on Monday morning, U.S. Department of Education officials led a roomful of undergraduate students and faculty from various colleges of education in South Carolina in a conversation about elevating the teaching profession. The students, who are part of the , a selective teacher-recruitment program that provides a four-year scholarship to students who want to become public school teachers in the state, were invited to comment on a laying out a vision for the future of the teaching profession.
The session was one of several events hosted this week by the department in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, and is part of the Administration鈥檚 proposed $5 billion program called the RESPECT project, which aims to engage teachers and principals across the country in rebuilding the teaching profession. RESPECT鈥擱ecognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching鈥攊s an initiative led by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, active classroom teachers who are working temporarily for the department to serve as the 鈥渧oices of teachers.鈥� The TAFs have held roundtables with thousands of teachers in the past year to get their feedback in shaping the vision document.
鈥淎 lot of policy tends to start up high and work its ways down, but this is the reversal,鈥� Teaching Ambassador Fellow Greg Mullenholz said in introducing the event. 鈥淲e are meeting with folks like you all, who are coming into the profession, and we want your perspective. It鈥檚 about building the policy here and driving it back up the pipeline.鈥�
The idea behind this 鈥済rassroots policy initiative,鈥� Mullenholz added, is to challenge both new and veteran teachers to take the ideas laid out in the vision document, as well as those that arise from these roundtable discussions on strengthening the teaching profession, share them with their colleagues back at their schools, and encourage other teachers to participate in the project鈥檚 . 鈥淚t鈥檚 about whether the vision we present to you is the right one for the teaching profession,鈥� said Mullenholz.
Prior to the start of the table discussions, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made a brief appearance and took photos with the students. Acknowledging Teacher Appreciation Week, he spoke briefly about the importance of the teaching profession. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what bigger difference we can make in education than the contributions that teachers make in the classroom,鈥� he said.
At each of the five tables, students and professors shared their initial thoughts on the vision document. At one table, a student pointed out that the document referenced 鈥渆ffective鈥� teaching, but did not include a clear definition of what that looks like. Other students thought there should be more emphasis on how to get the public to take the teaching profession more seriously. Another student cautioned against placing too much of an emphasis on the use of technology in the classroom, explaining that some South Carolina classrooms don鈥檛 even contain books for kids to use, let alone computers. 鈥淲e need to first make sure every kid has access to basic books before we ask [the students] to become proficient in various kinds of technology,鈥� she said.
Mullenholz also asked the students to give their feedback on the five 鈥減illars鈥� interwoven in the document, which he said derived from the various conversations that the TAFs have had with teachers from all over the country. They are: attracting top-tier talent into education; creating a professional career continuum; creating conditions for success; evaluating and supporting the development of teachers, and getting the best educators to the students who need them the most.
In reference to 鈥渃reating conditions for success,鈥� students suggested that the document include more ideas on how schools can engage families and communities so that teachers are better supported and motivated to succeed. A student in the group discussing 鈥済etting the best educators to the students who need them the most鈥� chimed in that the student-selection process for teacher programs at colleges should be more competitive so that only the best candidates end up in classrooms. 鈥淪ome people who apply to education schools don鈥檛 really want to be teachers, they just use it as a 鈥榗rutch鈥� because they think it鈥檚 just so easy to teach,鈥� he said.
The session ended with Mullenholz asking everyone at each table to come up with one word from the discussion that resonated with them, and that they will take with them into the classroom. Among others, the South Carolina fellows pointed to the words 鈥渃ollaborative,鈥� 鈥渟upport,鈥� 鈥渞etain,鈥� and 鈥渁ccountability.鈥�
