Voyage Ministries: Has Vitti ever met a teacher? (rough draft)

I asked the question because several times recently he has said that our new teachers first, second and even third year teachers like the new curriculum because it tells the exactly what and when to do things. I really wonder if any new teachers have really told him that or he just says it because in his mind it sounds good and makes sense.

I guess I could see some new teachers liking it, in some ways it probably is easier just to be told what to do and when to do it but I think for the most part teachers didn’t join the profession so they could regurgitate a script.

They joined to help kids something many feel this new curriculum isn’t doing and they joined because they felt they could be creative and innovative which are things that this new curriculum robs teachers of.

The superintendent was a teacher for just two years at two different schools, maybe he wanted somebody to tell him what to do and when every second of the day but I imagine the amount of teachers both veteran and new agree with him.

I sincerely believe we would have a lot more success if we trusted our teachers to do the right thing and gave our teachers the support so they could do them, rather than micromanaging them and demanding they maintain pace with a pacing guide that is ridiculous. I believe we need to let our teachers be innovative and creative and that we destroy those things to our detriment,

I also sincerely believe we would be doing a lot better if the super understood teachers and why they do the job that they do, because it has become very apparent that he doesn’t.

Just another note the superintendent is preaching patience and that eventually the district will release the pacing guide as teachers prove successful. This tells me he doesn't trust teachers not even teachers with a proven track record of success who are just as critical of the new curriculum and pacing guide. he also said that he believes in year two or three people will really like the new curriculum, which makes me wonder can we really afford to waste a year or tw as we get there? Isn't there a middle ground we could meet?

If the super understood what teachers do and why they do it then we wouldn't be having a lot of the problems we are. It is really unfortunate that he doesn't.