Everybody has their own ideas of what types of change we need in education. However, if you ask the teachers, you will hear the same ideas over and over. In a recent survey, we asked teachers for their opinion. These desired changes were reiterated in multiple comments in multiple ways.

1. Implement higher wages for all educators now. 

A low salary for educators deters the future generation from pursuing a teaching career and further exacerbates a teaching shortage in areas of low wages and poor treatment.

2. Respect for the profession should be a given.

Why, oh why, isn’t this happening? I’ll tell you why. It is because teacher bashing is commonplace in our society, and it trickles down to the students. Teachers are becoming second-class citizens when we should be pillars of society.

3. Parents should enable their kids less and hold them accountable more.

Hey, I was there, and I know it’s hard to let go, but stop making excuses for your kids. Trust me, they need to fail and experience consequences to grow as productive members of society. If you don’t bail them out now, you won’t have to bail them out later.

4. Teach life skills.

Managing money and debt are much more valuable skills to the majority of students than learning complex quadratic equations.

5. The administration needs to be more hands-on and proactive.

Let’s see administrators walking all over the school, forming positive relationships with students and staff. And, for goodness sake, enforce consequences.

6. Let’s have less bureaucratic bulls@#!

This means getting rid of the unnecessary paperwork and countless pieces of training that we do every year. Legislators who have never taught should not be creating mandates for teachers.

7. We need more support for behavior emergencies.

If one student is destroying the whole learning environment, something has to be done from the administrative level: more mental health, distance learning, and parent accountability. Something!!!

8. Data needs to stop doing so much driving.

We get it. Data needs to drive instruction, but we know our students’ weaknesses without looking at the data. We are expected now to collect, analyze, graph, and decimate countless numbers on a page. Students are so much more than data. 

9. Bring back play-based kindergarten.

So, I am a kindergarten teacher, and kids are not ready at this age for a full day of textbook instruction. This is why we are seeing so much out-of-control behavior at this age. We are forcing testing on five-year-olds who need to interact with play kitchens and manipulate objects imaginatively.

10. Let’s use developmentally appropriate standards.

Writing a full research paper in first grade is a bit much. Have kids changed so much in the last twenty years that we are expecting so much more of them at a younger age? Does this really translate to future success? No.

11. We need less testing.

There is so much time wasted in schools on test preparation and implementation. This is the time when students could actually learn. The hyperfocus in schools on doing well on tests and judging administrators and teachers on the results is extremely counterproductive. 

12. Cell phones should be banned during class.

Parents complain about students not having access to them in case of an emergency or if they need to get ahold of them.

Number 1- You do not need to have access to your child every second of the day. Call the office.

Number 2- In case of a true emergency, students need to be following safety protocol.

13. Outlaw micromanagement.

No, we do not need to turn in lesson plans or teach scripted lessons. Trust us to teach without constantly looking over our shoulders to try and catch us making mistakes.

14. Focus less on the politics of teaching and more on the well-being of students and teachers.

When educational policies and curriculum change, major textbook and testing companies benefit. Districts and schools are constantly changing curricula, and it is rarely for something better. When students and teachers are mentally okay, more learning will occur.

15. Let’s have smaller class sizes.

Every part of teaching and learning is harder when you have 30-40 bodies crammed together in a small space. 

Will some of these changes actually occur? Some have taken place in many districts. These are the districts that are not seeing teacher shortages. When we start valuing and respecting the input of teachers, our schools will be transformed into places where everyone wants to be. 

Reference: https://boredteachers.com/post/need-change-in-education

1. I am bringing back doing what the kids like to do. 

I’m not talking about letting them call the shots. I’m still firmly in charge. I am talking about the things that used to be a normal part of the school day, a normal part of childhood, but that are often overlooked now in our rush to move on to the next standard or prepare for the next test. This school year, I will spend more time reading aloud to my students–not just the books and chapters we have to cover as a part of our curriculum, but reading together purely for the joy of a good story–no quizzes, no discussion questions, no final projects. I want to read books that will make us laugh or cry, books that inspire, fascinate, or spook us, and books that are masterfully illustrated. I want to read books that will help my kids love books–no strings attached. (Just so you know, we may get a small share of the sales made through the Amazon affiliate links on this page.)

Not only that, but in 2023, my middle schoolers will be using more crayons, glue and scissors. We are going to make Valentine’s and Mother’s Day cards. We will set aside time to decorate their notebooks with stickers or create their own bookmarks. And we will have more outdoor silent reading days, game days, and write-letter-to-a-friend days. Do all these things fit easily with my standards? Not really. But I do not care. Allowing kids to do fun (if not technically justifiable) activities once in a while will not likely affect our all-important test scores or prevent anyone from learning what they need to know for next year, but resentful, stressed-out students and a burned-out teacher might.

2. We will have more catch-up days–for them and me. 

Too many teachers are afraid of “getting caught” sitting at their desks grading papers or working on lesson plans during class time. And too many kids are overwhelmed and stressed out. The simple solution to these problems is bringing back the routine of simply taking a minute (or a class period) now and then to get caught up. Whether it’s working on missing assignments, studying for an upcoming exam, cleaning out their notebooks, or simply reading quietly, most kids need and appreciate time to just deal with stuff. Teachers certainly do.

From now on, I see no reason not to give them (and myself) that time. I am convinced we will all be better for it. So, if an administrator walks in to find kids reading, going over flashcards, standing at the trashcan emptying their binder, and me putting grades in my grade book, I’m just going to say, “Welcome! Come on in. We are all being productive in different ways.”

3. I am taking my time with our standards. 

Speaking of time, I am finished rushing from standard to standard in the hopes that my students can glom onto concepts as we whizz past them. Fortunately, like many other schools, mine is pushing for a focus on essential standards rather than the “inch deep, mile-wide” approach of recent years. And I am taking that to heart. I don’t care if we only cover four standards all year. My students will have them down! Honestly, my conscience will no longer let me do it any other way.

4. I’m making relationships a priority. 

I’ve always believed that a good rapport and strong relationships are the linchpins of effective teaching. But we all know that the pressures of teaching can make it easy to lose focus on that, and I’m bringing it back. Everything I’ve already mentioned will help me build stronger relationships with my kids because it will show them that their interests and needs are a priority for me. Doing these things will also create a more enjoyable, relaxed classroom atmosphere for all of us.

I’m also going to be making time for relationships with my co-workers. It’s so tempting to work through lunch alone in my room, just to try to get caught up. I don’t have it figured out yet. Clearly, something will have to give, but I’m going to enjoy more lunches chatting with friends. I’m going to linger at the copy machine and ask people about their families or what they did over the weekend. I’m going to invest more time hanging out with my teacher besties and more time getting to know other teachers. Of course, I can’t develop deep relationships with everyone in my building, but I’m finished just rushing past people in the hall and never having time for more than a nod and a smile. I’m through with always being in a hurry.

5. I’ll be speaking my mind. 

Whether it’s in defense of my new, more laidback teaching style or to advocate for more recess or fewer meetings, I will be speaking up for things that I think matter for my students and fellow teachers. I am convinced that education in this country is at a crossroads. If we don’t make meaningful changes, both major and minor, I truly fear for the future of American education.

6. My family comes first. 

Always! Working on weekends or long hours after school will not benefit my family financially or further my career. And having teachers who are angry and tired because they have to prioritize their jobs over their families does not benefit our students, society, or anyone else. So from here on out, if it interferes with my time with my family, I won’t be doing it.

Because I am doing more things that I think will result in bringing joy back into my classroom, I feel, for the first time in a long time, empowered as we begin the new school year. I’m excited! I love being a teacher, and I want to continue to teach until the day I retire. That’s why I am making these changes—for my sake and for my students.

Reference: https://boredteachers.com/post/bringing-joy-back