We live in an era when many who have never been teachers, such as Arne Duncan and Michael Bloomberg, have assumed positions of authority over educational policy. Certainly it is a great thing that education is an area of intense interest to so many. It is frustrating too, however, that those who lack professional experience so undervalue and disparage the knowledge of classroom practitioners. The two weeks here at the Navajo Lutheran Mission School (NLMS) have impressed upon me how much those who teach children every day know about learning, management, child development, and flexibility than do many of those who sit in judgment of them.
NLMS serves approximately 70 students enrolled in Kindergarten through the sixth grade. We are staying in single-level apartments adjacent to the school. On Monday night after dinner, we spotted a black chicken running around the grounds. We had not seen the black chicken before, and she did not seem at home here at the school. I wonder how Arne or Michael would deal with her? One of the aspects of teaching that many on the outside do not understand is the vast amount of time teachers have to spend dealing with situations that are totally out of their control but which negatively impact the learning environment and must be dealt with before learning can occur. The black chicken represents the unexpected, the unanticipated, and the unplanned for occurrence that occurs multiple times a day. Educational reformers need to beware of the black chicken, since she is not going away.
S. T. S
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