Common Denominators and PHE

Ready or not, here it comes!  New teacher evaluations, high stakes student assessments, and common core standards have been implemented whether educators are ready or willing.  While most teachers out there are plenty able, the real question is whether or not we have the ability to find the time to figure out how to implement the new content, collect enough evidence, differentiate various artifacts, and decipher between SLOs, GLEs, EALRS, EOCs, CBAs, and any other acronym I may have missed!  These days it seems as though there is so much more to learn and do ourselves we may actually forget our true task at hand - teaching.  Honestly, when do you have the time to stop, collaborate, and listen? Wait, I mean to collaborate, collect, plan, assess, communicate, and analyze? What time is left for the actual teaching itself?

School districts across Washington State are now following evaluations provided by Danielson, Marzano, and the University of Washington.  I don't know about your trainers for your chosen model, but ours have all made it clear that we are never going to be “Distinguished” teachers again.  Instead, we can all hope to be so lucky to be “Basic” and every now and again on good days “Proficient.”  While I do know I will continue to shoot for “Distinguished,” I must commit to being “Efficient” in order to keep up with the changing of the times. 

To be honest, I am not afraid of change and do not mind a new evaluation form.  I aim to teach a comprehensive health and fitness curriculum the same as I believe many of us do.  Supporting common core appears to be a no brainer because most of us do some kind of math, reading, and writing practice in our classes already.  The new physical education standards support literacy, physical and otherwise, and therefore piggyback on the new evaluations, Classroom Based Assessments, End of the Course Exams, and Essential Academic Learning Requirements (WA State).  My concern is simple: My shoulders and back are getting tired of carrying such a heavy load.  How can we not feel like we are barefoot traveling on a dirt road to and from our schools going uphill both ways?  Politicians are piling on more responsibility while us teachers are frantically treading water just to stay afloat. 

Whatever happened to getting ahead?  Why is there no literacy regarding stress?  Time Management?  Scaffolding?  These are all vital concepts we preach to our students and yet as teachers we don't receive the same benefits.  The implementation of the common core, new student assessments, and evaluation has all been pushed forward in just the past two years.  Rather than stopping and smelling the roses, I feel like I should “Stop, Drop, and Roll” just to take cover since the sky is falling.  The “Less” in “Less is More” seems to apply to education in regards to time, money, and job satisfaction while “More” refers to expectations and assignments. 
In conclusion, if like me you're feeling stressed, I urge you to be proactive rather than reactive.  Educate yourself, attend trainings, sip coffee with colleagues (for this may be your only collaboration time), and get prepared for a wild and bumpy ride.  This past summer may just be the calm before the storm.

Biography: Judy Beard has taught physical and health education at Kittitas Middle School in Washington State since 2005. Judy received her undergraduate and masters degrees from Central Washington University and her PhD from Walden University.

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