With so much focus being placed on the importance of data and data driven instruction in today's public schools, I can only hope that the 'powers that be' realize that despite their best efforts there will never exist any data that will ever show or tell...
how much teachers sacrifice for their students.
the massive amount of time that teachers spend not in celebrating most of their student's wonderful achievements, but in agonizing over the one kid that they were never able to reach.
Nor can a number, score, or statistic ever show how much of a positive impact a teacher has had on a student that...
comes to school each day to enjoy the one meal he or she will likely get for the entire day
only recieves kind words, safety, and love when in that teacher's classroom
is regularly abused at home
has to spend his or her nights making sure their drunk father does not beat up their mom when he gets home
lives in abject poverty
The list could go on and on, but from my perspective what is most important to understand and remember is that within the public school's current obsession with data and data driven instruction is the fact that behind each of those numbers, decimal points, bar graphs, and fancy excel spread sheets is a student and a teacher. A student that could be having the best childhood of anyone on earth, or a student that is experiencing things daily that most of us would not wish on our worst enemy. Behind those numbers are also teachers...a few of which burned out years ago and could care less, but so many more that passionately sacrifice their time, money, sweat, family, and yes tears to make sure that every single student that steps into their classroom each day walks out a better person than they were before.
