Tom DeGeorge

Tip O’Neil, the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the 1980s, had a saying that all politics was local.

Paraphrasing from Mr. O’Neil, it can be said that all education is local.

Over the past 10 years there have been numerous changes to public education. Some of the changes have come from outside private interests and others have come from within the education profession.

These changes have ranged from the growth of cyber and charter schools to the revamping of teacher and administrator evaluations for performance stemming from grants from private foundations.

The emphasis on test scores for student achievement has drastically altered the landscape of the classroom. Curriculum changes have reflected this shift in instruction from creativity and mastering material to an alignment with state test criteria to meet arbitrary test scores.

The changes have taken various names throughout the years with Common Core and Consolidation the newest wave of change.

Yet lost in this wave of uncertainty is the basic standard of education.

The hallmark of any educational institution is the relationship between a teacher and his/her students.

This relationship between teacher and student has not wavered as to its effect on a student’s growth in academics and character. It is not something that can be measured in any test score nor can it be aligned with a state standard or shown on a rubric. It is the relationship that guides a student through an unchartered academic area safely across to a secure base of new knowledge.

This relationship also strengthens an emotional growth for students in their development toward maturity. No other profession accounts for such an encompassing aspect of a child’s life.

Teachers do not teach from a curriculum. They teach from their identity and integrity.

A growing body of research points to the basic tenets of teaching. First, teachers have active intellectual lives outside their classroom. W.E.B. DuBois wrote that teachers must “be broad-minded, cultured men and woman” who are able to “scatter civilization” among the next generation.

Second, teachers believe that intelligence is achievable, not inborn. They expect all children to perform at high levels regardless of circumstances or background.

Third, teachers use data to provide the best instructional methods for their students. Assessments are used to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Finally, teachers ask great and probing questions. They ask questions for understanding at a level that will transcend the moment in the classroom to the student’s real world.

Education does not exist in a vacuum nor is it confined to a building. Education, at its heart, consists of a connection between a teacher and his/her students.

Anything that can strengthen and facilitate that relationship is worthy of discussion.

Tom DeGeorge is president of the Butler Education Association.