Gwinnett Teacher of the Year Resigns Stating 3 Major Problems in Schools
Lee Allen, named the 2022 Gwinnett County Public Schools Teacher of the Year in December, taught ninth-grade algebra at Archer High School and coached wrestling. Gwinnett County's top teacher said he's leaving the school district, citing a disconnect between superintendents, school administrators and teachers regarding the post-pandemic challenges teachers face. [Source Fox 5 Atlanta]
This past weekend I shared a social media post of Lee Allen, Gwinnett County School’s Teacher of the Year, as he addressed his local Board of Education. I found it shocking that he was only allowed 3 minutes to speak, but he utilized his time well and stated very succinctly the issues he sees in education. What is more alarming is that Coach Allen is resigning from his position in the school system, leaving all of the accolades and award money, because the system and community support for teachers is lacking.
Allen gives three big problems in public school:
student apathy and disrespect for school rules/norms
mobile phone usage
a disconnect between administration and the classroom.
The post has garnered a ton of comments online and has also led many teachers to reach out to me privately via messenger and email. Most of the teachers who have contacted me agree with the Gwinnett Teach of the Year, although some argued they had much better support from their administrators.
Let’s look at each issue and the concerns that surround them:
First, post-pandemic student apathy seems to be at an all time high. It didn’t take long for students to realize that their efforts in-person did not need to be as elevated as before the lockdown. Kids figured out that even with minimal effort they would be promoted to the next grade. I mean, how could they hold back so many kids at one time? With the relaxed accountability measures came less effort from the students. Teachers are being asked to do more teaching with less effort from students. And this apathy is not just with academics, students have begun ignoring class behavior rules at an alarming rate. Whether this is due to less social interaction during the lockdown or simply a rising disregard for adults in authority, there appears to be a big problem.
Teachers are being asked to do more teaching with less effort from students.
Of all the concerns of teachers who have contacted me, classroom and hallway behavior top the list. Think about it, if one student is disrupting the classroom, all the students suffer loss of instructional time. But now we are seeing day-long and/or multiple disruptions which can lead to an uncontrollable chaos. Smaller class sizes might be a potential solution along with a greater reinforcement of the rules in the classroom with immediate consequences if those rules are broken. But if a teacher removes a student for classroom disruption, then that student must be held accountable for the discipline to be effective. Administrators must be on the same page and consistent with swift discipline. If that means, in-school suspension, detention, Saturday work-detail, or enrollment in an alternative school, then so be it! Drastic times call for drastic measures. (And I might argue this needs to happen in all age groups. The earlier we can begin value & respect-driven behavior modification, the better.)
Next, Mr. Allen mentions mobile phone usage. This is a topic I have pleaded with our leadership team to research and provide a strategic solution to an ever-growing problem. Many teachers have told me that mobile phones are the devices of greatest distraction and they are used for bullying, TikTok challenges, and are the catalyst for MANY different behavior problems. Studies continue to prove that phone and media companies are creating the devices, apps, and games to be as addictive as possible. And we are giving this drug directly to our kids. (I am guilty, too.) But if there’s a way we can help parents curb the addiction their kids have to these devices, decrease the amount of distractions in school, and cut down on the number of behavior issues, then we have an obligation to help.
Some parents push back on a strict no-cell-phone policy. But I would argue they aren’t in the classroom to see the constant struggle teachers have to keep the students’ attention. It is inhumane to ask a teacher to be more engaging and more entertaining for 8 hours a day than the dopamine darts given by Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, etc.
[Maybe there is another way besides banning phones? We should look into school-wide software that blocks all social media sites and gaming platforms, shuts down texting and messages, and cannot be bypassed by a VPN. There must be some way to limit the mobile phone distractions. ]
The third big problem is the disconnect administrators have with the classroom. Mr. Allen argues that the classroom is drastically different in 2022 than it was in 2019 and that most school leaders haven’t taught in the classroom for decades. I believe he is on to something here. The disconnect that some administrators (and most central office staff) have might be remedied by each spending extended time in a high-needs classroom, not an AP class and not a 15 minute drop-in evaluation. Allen added that the time spent needed to be a full week of teaching, minus the suit and the title. He believes that if the upper brass could be boots-on-the-ground for a week, they would have an entirely different perspective and have much more respect and empathy for the classroom teacher. I personally believe this would lead to teachers being heard, valued, trusted, and understood. More respect is due to our teachers who are in the trenches day after day.
More respect is due to our teachers who are in the trenches day after day.
Other items not addressed specifically by the Gwinnett Teacher of the Year but that came up in my communications were:
more teacher autonomy with greater treatment as a bonafide degreed professional,
more parent support for the teacher and accountability when their kid breaks the rules,
and LESS of the ever-increasing paperwork including: documentation of behavior interventions, EIP meeting notes, lesson plans that are more extensive than the actual lessons, etc.
Teaching has always been a profession that requires great skill, immense patience, and good rapport. But today, teachers are consistently asked to be so much more and often treated like second-class citizens. Systems are asking teachers to do more with less. Everyday. Every year. Year after year. And it has just become too much.
I remember a time when teachers were revered in the community and parents nearly always gave teachers the benefit-of-the-doubt. I’d love to see this profession return to one that we lift up as heroes and life-shapers. Our teachers are incredible assets to a thriving community and a gift to our children. We need to rally around our educators and give them the support and respect they deserve.
Parents, teachers, admin…click the envelope at the top, email me, and let me know how I can help. What am I missing? How can I advocate better? Let your perspective be heard.
