This commentary is by Mike Macijeski of Northfield, a retired teacher and school board member.
Jay Stroud’s commentary of March 24 hit the nail on the head: the sine qua non of great schools is great teachers.
The question for us Vermonters, then, as we try to create excellent, sustainably funded schools, is how do we do that? What will attract and retain the teachers who will awaken a deep love of learning in our young people?
Few teachers I know go into education for the money. Good pay and benefits are important, but they aren’t enough to attract top teaching talent. At least as important is a school climate that emphasizes excellence for all students: academically, but also in the arts, vocational and technical education, and socially, helping nurture the citizens and community members we need.
That’s what I’ll be looking for in whatever reform proposals emerge from the Legislature. Will they set a high bar for the teachers we hire, and then pay and treat them like the professionals we need? Will they encourage our schools to collaborate with their communities, partnering with local businesses, seniors, universities and volunteers to provide real world education to complete what our students get at school?
Data like test scores, budgets, class sizes and graduation rates are significant, but they don’t tell the whole story. Great teaching, like greatness in all human endeavors, is at least as much of an art as a science. It demands knowledge, passion, dedication, integrity, and most of all, a love for their students and the commitment to help them succeed. That is what the next generation of Vermonters needs and deserves.
