Great Educator

Dewey argues that social influences like the family, neighborhood, culture and the media impact students more than school do. He believes that education in schools is only a secondary factor.  Although at one point I agreed with this notion, I know school can overcome some social factors.  I have taught in a school where most students have many family and economic problems.  Discipline was out of control and teachers were overwhelmed. As a sixth grade teacher, I was very sad because I felt I could not help these students much. I had 6^th graders dealing drugs and that year we had at least six pregnancies in the 6^th grade class.  When a new principal was assigned to the campus, I believed not much would happen.  I was mistaken. She told all teachers that they were the key to student success.  There were no excuses for our students’ failures, we had to succeed.  She gathered teachers behind her and provided supplemental support for students. Teachers need helped in the classroom received the help they needed. That principal’s second year in the campus, that school received a recognized standing by TEA, a few years later we were exemplary. I know we impacted students even though those social factors existed in their lives. Was this just an academic gain? What happened after the students left this middle school? I cannot answer this questions, but I now believe that if all school and teachers believed that school can impact students more than their social surroundings, then we may continue the success.  Marzano (2003) asks a very important question, “If schools have little chance of overcoming the influence of students’ backgrounds characteristics, why put any energy into school reform” (p. 3)? We can overcome students’ background characteristics with teaching that focuses on the entire student.  We must not only feed the mind, but the heart as well.  Teachers must make students understand that they have no other choice but success and that no excuses can be accepted. Yes, the backgrounds of students make it more difficult to reach the students, but it is not impossible. The principal was moved to a different campus, but the campus is doing just as well as other campuses in the district that do not have the same problems this school has.

Reference

Marzano, R. J.  (2003). What works in schools: translating research into action. Alexandria,             Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.