CER Op-ed

THIS TEACHER CREATED RESPECT FOR THE INSTITUTION CALLED SCHOOL
By Jeanne Allen
Stars and Stripes, June 8, 2000

        The kindergarten teacher who taught my four children is leaving our elementary school after 26 years, making me wistful just thinking of what an enormous impact this woman has had. Emotion aside, it dawned on me that her impact is tied to precisely what a really great teacher is all about.

        Carol Olmstead had her kids figured out - all 30 of them in most years - and developed a sense of what made them tick. I was stunned by October each year that she was able to "get" their personalities with great precision. That she saw as her job the need to develop a solid understanding of each child and to teach them based on what they were about is the first hallmark of a good teacher.

        Then there are expectations. Every child leaves the class with so much more then they brought. She equalized differences, without over-accommodating. I remember when Spanish-speaking Ali arrived in my son Teddy's class. Teddy was frustrated Ali couldn't understand him, and wanted very much to be her friend. Throughout the year we watched Ms. Olmstead provide her consistent, structured, demanding program to all the children. Ali's total English deficiency did not make her change what she was doing. Instead, her not-so-subtle message was that you, too, can learn. So it was wonderful when by the end of Kindergarten, this little girl whose family still chose to speak only Spanish at home developed a strong, working use of English without interventions at school or home.

        And when my daughter came home beaming from ear to ear this year and told me that Ms. Olmstead thought her Bs were the best in the whole class, I knew she did. When she told me that Jose had the best picture one day, I was thrilled that my daughter was so happy for Jose. But it wasn't a false self-esteem, kind of praise that Ms. Olmstead would laud on the kids. She built confidence by praising real successes.

        She saw the capacity of children year after year. That's also one trait of highly effective teachers: they continue to be excited and amazed at each child's brilliance, regardless of how long they've taught. Great teachers don't get bored with their subjects. Rather than view children as one amorphous group, they see the children and what each can do.

        Not that Ms. Olmstead never got bored or fed up. I'm sure she did more times than any of us knew. That we rarely saw it means that this teacher recognized her responsibility was to the kids. Regardless of her frustrations, it was not her place to share it with the class.

        They say in education that mission is everything. The mission of this teacher was simple: to get them ready for school, to learn how to learn, how to socialize, sit, listen, think, focus. The structure sunk in within a few short weeks. I marveled all this year at my daughter, who always knew on Tuesday that she had to return her book. She told me when packing her lunch that I was not to give her too much because she wouldn't have time to eat it. If I strayed from that rule and gave her a full sandwich, snack and dessert, I'd get an earful when she got home. My four all learned that rules are good.

        The country is consumed about how to hire and retain effective teachers, and by dozens of proposals that say the issue comes down to class sizes, education levels and years in the classroom. Ms. Olmstead has no additional degrees, and it's widely known that she was as effective with the children's parents as she is today.

        Of course not all parents felt this way. She's not a warm and fuzzy sort, and doesn't take it when parents wag their finger and make demands. But it's to be expected that just as every child is different, not every family will "gel" with every teacher. That's why it's important that student results trump peer or parent reviews in evaluations.

        And it's why choice remains so important. There will always be teachers who can do well with most children, but many that don't do well with all.

        In our school, though, this class stands out. Year after year children hit their heads on the proverbial Kindergarten ceiling trying to jump over the bar Ms. Olmstead had set; and they had fun doing it. This teacher created respect for the institution called school that carries throughout the rest of their formative years. That's a great teacher, and one that we can only hope all children someday will have in their lives.

This article also appeared as follows:

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Jeanne Allen is president of The Center for Education Reform, a national, independent, nonprofit advocacy organization based in Washington, DC and a mother of four school-aged children. Founded in 1993, the Center provides support and guidance to individuals, community and civic groups, policy-makers and others who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools.

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