Most school districts are pretty lenient when it comes to new teacher mistakes. However, due to lack of experience, there are several things that can cause new teachers to be fired. This article is about a specific action of a specific teacher; though I’m starting to wonder if it’s one of those Urban Legends.
First, some background. A couple of weeks ago I was doing research for an article on UCSMP (University of Chicago School Math Project) and trends in math. I taught high school math in a school district that started using UCSMP (we call it Chicago Series) in 1988. My feelings about the Chicago Series will be in another article, but overall, I considered it an excellent math series. with tremendous potential to improve students’ understanding of mathematics, but with a couple of major flaws that always seemed to lead to its demise. For my research, I just wanted to know if it still existed. I came across an article that I thought was written this year by a 23 year old male third grade and freshman math teacher. My immediate reaction to his article was that he should be fired for various reasons.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I just spent almost five hours trying to find your article again so I could verify my facts. I could never find it again. (Was he fired and removed?) However, I did find articles referring to a 23-year-old first-year math teacher who taught fourth-grade math in 2006; and I found a similar article that referred to a 23-year-old math teacher who was being praised for what she did. This is probably a good example of how stories change in the count. What I finally decided about the story was that it doesn’t really matter if it’s true or not. Either way, it’s a wonderful example of something a new teacher absolutely should never do, and it’s a good example of the Chicago Series’ two big flaws.
In his article, this new teacher, fresh out of college, was hired by a school district to teach third-grade math. This school district was using the elementary school version of UCSMP – Everyday Mathematics. I don’t remember if he wrote the article in September or October (one of the facts I wanted to check), but the point is that it was very early in the school year. He had already encountered some problems: his students did not understand anything of what he taught them and his parents were all crazy. He decided that the problem was the textbook and its focus, so he made a one-sided decision (no discussion with the department head or principal) to stop using the district’s chosen series and instead teach his students. third graders the way he thought it should be taught. And not only that, he was so proud of his decision that he posted it on the internet. There is no discussion with his director, but he writes about it on the Internet. The arrogance of youth!
So what about this image? Certainly, it seems that he cares about his students and wants the best for his future mathematicians. If you’ve read any of my other articles, read my biography, or visited my website, then you know how important math education is to me; And this situation literally horrifies me on many levels.
New teachers! You are paying attention? When you are hired by a school district, you agree to teach what they want you to teach, when they want you to teach it, and how they want you to teach it. If you don’t want to do that, then go teach elsewhere. You cannot unilaterally decide to leave on your own. The school district chose that math series for a reason. This teacher deserved to be fired for breach of contract at the very least. If you were so concerned about the math series, you should have spoken to your supervisor right away. There were solutions to his problems that were never explored because he was so sure he knew better than anyone. And for your information: Those older teachers have survived in the teaching field because they are wiser and have many valuable experiences and lessons to teach you. Take advantage of them. (I’m pretty sure his problems stemmed from both his lack of experience and the textbook series. The first year of teaching is difficult for everyone).
Next. Watch out for the new teachers! INTERNET is something alive and growing. What you write is there for all to see, and it is forever. Think carefully before you can do anything on the INTERNET. It may re-bite you quickly or many years later. (How dumb do you have to be to secretly go against the school district’s wishes and then brag about it online? Yet another reason he deserved to be fired.) Always remember that wherever you go and whatever you do, you are first and foremost a teacher. You are held to a higher standard. You have a responsibility to be a good role model for your students. Never forget that.
What I consider his worst mistake, and this is again a problem of inexperience because he has not yet seen this happen, is that he did not consider the mathematical damage it would cause to his students. They will not experience the damage until next year when their fourth grade teacher expects some knowledge that they will not have. I have no doubt that this young man can teach math to third graders. But I know from many years of experience with UCSMP, that the terminology used and the methods used vary greatly from what is found in a more traditional text. Unless you’ve been laid off or put back on the district path, your third-grade students will struggle in fourth-grade math. His students deserved better from him.
I know I seem pretty tough on this young teacher, but his actions indicate a couple of character issues that make teaching a poor career choice for him. That said, your situation points to the two main shortcomings of the UCSMP program. Because the series is very different in terminology and methodology, two things must happen each year. First, new math teachers need the same training that all teachers received when the series was adopted. I can guess what happened here. When my district adopted the UCSMP series, we received a lot of training in the philosophy of the series, a lot of teacher help, and even training to teach reading in a math class because UCSMP relies heavily on student reading. But that only happened the first year. After that, it became the responsibility of each math department to train new teachers. Sometimes this new teacher training is too hasty or even non-existent. And because we are such a mobile society, it is nothing unusual that the entire department has completely changed in a very short time. I suspect that this young teacher received little or no instruction on the differences at UCSMP or why he was chosen. UCSMP requires annual teacher training.
The second big problem has to do with parents. Because the series is so different, parents quickly discover that what they see in their child’s textbook is unlike anything they have called math. They quickly discover that they cannot help their children with questions and do not understand the fast-paced concept of UCSMP, so it seems to them that their child has deficiencies in basic skills. They do not know that their child will retain and understand mathematics better at the end of the year than students of a traditional text. They don’t know because nobody explained anything to them. UCSMP requires a tremendous amount of explanation and training for parents. (I’m sure you can foresee the problems of having poorly prepared teachers trying to explain UCSMP to frustrated parents. It’s not pleasant at all).
With the troublesome issues surrounding UCSMP, does this young professor deserve to be fired? Absolutely! He made very bad choices based on his own arrogance. He broke his contract with the school district and therefore with students and parents. He used the Internet for his own purposes. (I suspect to get support for your decision). And he was preparing his students for future failures. Unforgivable.
Hello new teachers! I hope you realize that the reasons given above have nothing to do with mathematics. They apply to all of you, regardless of subject or grade level. We need good teachers. If you are one, welcome to the profession!