The Connecticut Education Association will hold elections for a new president in May. The two candidates for president of the CEA are Jeff Leake and Bob Smoler. Jeff Leake is currently CEA vice-president, and Bob Smoler is president of the Fairfield Education Association and a math teacher at Fairfield Warde High School in Fairfield. I have asked them twelve questions about issues regarding education that face us as a state. I have previously posted three sets of the candidates’ answers. Here are their answers to the fourth set of questions which all deal with the teaching profession:
Bob Smoler
7. How will you address the declining number of young people pursuing a career in education?
Many years ago, there was a severe nursing shortage and the industry developed a number of creative incentives for people to enter the field. I mentioned some of what I’d like to see happen in question 1, but we must recognize that teacher burnout, violence against teachers and the increasing risk to a teacher’s reputation as a result of a possible DCF referral or social media attack by a student or parent also plays a role in whether someone will enter and stay in the teaching profession. The profession has also been under attack by sections of society that are anti-union, pro charter school and /or just looking to reduce the cost of public schools.
To counteract the above, the state needs to enact protections for teachers so becoming a teacher doesn’t involve putting your physical and emotional well being in jeopardy. Secondly, teachers need to take charge of our profession by making our voice heard in public forums and in the election process. Everyone wants to join a winning team and if teachers are viewed as respected and part of the solution, people will want to join the profession.
We also must recognize that many teachers are women, often with young families. Job sharing arrangements, paid time off to care for a sick child or parent, ability to continue your insurance at the standard teacher cost share rate after FMLA time has expired are all steps that could be taken to make the profession more family friendly.
8. Do you have any recommendations for the current way teachers are evaluated in Connecticut?
Teachers are in the business of helping student grow academically, emotionally, and ethically. We are striving to develop individuals that are capable of maximizing their own personal potential and contributing to society to the best of their ability. Teachers should be judged based on student growth over a period of time, not based on a given test. As mentioned before, student advancement in the key 21st century skills is part of the equation. As important, students need to learn how to advocate for themselves, how to handle the ups and downs of life, how to appreciate people from all backgrounds and thought processes. Personal development needs to be as celebrated as academic development. As a mentor, teachers play a critical role in all of these areas and teachers should be evaluated on how much they advance their students in each arena. I am on my district’s TeVal committee and am pushing to truly revolutionize the evaluation process.
9. What are your thoughts on teacher education programs in Connecticut, including the Relay Graduate School of Education?
Either teaching is going to remain a profession or it is not. Reducing standards for teaching certification, as the Relay Graduate School of Education does, is just going to allow less-qualified teachers into the classroom and degrade the type of education students will receive. From my perspective, teaching certification standards must remain high, and the state needs to create encouragements for individuals to get into the profession and meet those high standards.
Jeff Leake
7. How will you address the declining number of young people pursing a career in education?
- We need to craft a new vision of a teaching profession that is led by teachers and ensures teacher and teaching effectiveness;
- We need to imagine a profession built on the concept of collaborative autonomy, where teachers both teach and lead;
- We must identify, encourage and support minority candidates (high school and college) in order to change the racial makeup of our teaching force in CT;
- We must counter the negative narrative and demand the respect that our professionals deserve.
8. Do you have any recommendations for the current way teachers are evaluated in Connecticut?
- With the help of strong union/teacher membership on the professional development and teacher evaluation committee, districts have developed evaluation systems that are comprehensive and that contribute to enhanced teacher practice and student learning and growth;
- In districts that have developed evaluation plans with limited union and teacher input, teachers describe limited confidence in the ability of the evaluation system to help them achieve continuous growth.
9. What are your thoughts on teacher education programs in Connecticut, including the Relay Graduate School of Education?
- Relay Graduate School of Education is not a true teacher education program but rather a factory for the charter school chains;
- Individuals interested in teaching as a career should enroll in institutions accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Real Learning CT 