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February 9th, 2009
11:26 AM ET

The toughest job

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/US/01/16/school.bus.cuts/art.school.bus.cuts.afp.gi.jpg]
Michelle Rhee
Washingtonpost.com

Much has been said and written about education in our city recently, and I want to set the record straight with students, parents and, especially, teachers. My thoughts about teachers have not always come through accurately. Much has been lost that they should know.

I often speak of our district's performance data with sadness and outrage. The situation for our city's children is dire. Yet while I acknowledge the seriousness of the work we face, I want to be clear about something: I do not blame teachers for the low achievement levels.

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Filed under: Education
soundoff (One Response)
  1. Sue

    I think the most effective way to improve our educational system is to figure out why all kids start out wanting to learn and understand things and by high school so many of them have such negative emotional baggage around thinking and working hard in school. Maybe having them sit still and be quiet in early grades when they are enthusiastic is the problem, let them love learning and they will become life long learners like those of us it couldn't be beaten out of... I think something in our pre high school school system is beating the love of learning that is a natural instinct out of kids, and maybe it is making them feel dumb if they are slower than the kid next to them, or force feeding them things of no interest or relevance to their lives.... I think the problem is more motivational and if you have kids hungry to learn you will attract more accomplished people as teachers, and not make the old adage of those who can do and those who can't teach as true as I think it is in our school systems today.

    February 9, 2009 at 12:41 pm |
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