Outside Looking In

I am currently a teacher in training at Johns Hopkins University. My goal when I graduate is to become a high school English teacher. I have always envisioned my classroom as one that would inspire like Stand and Deliver and Dangerous Minds. That seems a bit cheesy and I will be the first to tell you that; I know it will be a lot harder to conduct a classroom than those movies portray. The bottom line, however, is that I love teaching and I invest a lot in my students. I am certain that I will be an excellent teacher.

So, why would I want to teach in Baltimore? Baltimore schools are struggling and there is no doubt that there is excellent student potential; it has that Hollywood beginning to it. But the more I hear about the administration, the more I tend to shy away from Baltimore. I had the chance to speak to a panel of charter school teachers and they all left the system because of lack of administrative support. I attended a school board meeting where I saw countless people issue complaints about the lack of support for their children. We can even scroll through this blog and find harsh critiques of administration. I have even met some teachers who have changed their philosophies about teaching and are looking to leave teaching altogether.

While that can be said for a lot of school systems, Baltimore is at a more critical starting point than most schools. Give a local teacher-to-be a choice between Baltimore and DC, DC is much more attractive. That is because of the display of leadership and the appearance of change you find in Washington. Michelle Rhee seems more responsive to student concerns than what I have seen out of Baltimore.

There is a bureaucracy in place that is killing the system. Apathetic administration is driving out good teachers and attracting equally apathetic teachers. What you are left with is a school system going through the motions. Dr. Alonso has a plan that grants autonomy to the principals, and that is a good first step. I just hope there is going to be some scrutiny of the people he is giving that power to. If not, there may not be a lot that Baltimore can do to attract and retain new and effective teachers.