The Carnegie Foundation made a very astute connection: that the preparation and development of teachers might be better conceived if aligned with the preparation and development of physicians. A supervised apprenticeship would then be in order, as is a medical internship. A case studies approach with ample, guided diagnostic experience would better support the development of complex proficiencies required by the circumstances of urban teaching. Guided and collaborative inquiry, reflective and revised practice, supported over several years, develops solid diagnostic dispositions.
The majority of alternative track novice teachers are placed in schools and classrooms analogous to "emergency rooms" (ER). With little systemic advance to create incentives that draw master teachers into ER sites, such placements remain "hard to fill." What an authentic community of master teachers could address deftly, is truly overwhelming to novices and their designated administrators. How are novices to survive such placements, and ultimately remain in the field beyond the average two year stay? Collaboration with peers and mentors, along with reliable and consistent access to on-going collegial support, seems to produce a culture of inquiry, support and revised practice. Researchers at the University of Washington have labelled this approach to teacher development, "ambitious teaching." Alternative route novice teachers are indeed ambitious! This blog site is intended to provide city teachers, and those who serve city teachers, with an informal, 24/7 "place to meet and share what works."
Nourished by nutrients of informed and consistent colleagial exchanges, ambitious teachers can more effectively, more easily, develop insight into themselves, their students, their conditions and circumstances. Through steadfast exposure over time to breadth and depth of the cases and classrooms sprawling within this complex field, practitioners can become masters.The issue though of longevity signals a current break-down of comparision between medical and instructional practitioners. By the time that medical professionals reach diagnostic and treatment mastery, their practice has skyrocketed. Society regards them with enhanced respect and remuneration. Conversely, by the time instructional professionals achieve such mastery, they are encouraged to take it easy, become an administrator, and/or retire.
What's the percentage of adults who engage a career whereby they invest energy and interest in the persistent dedication to unrelated offspring? Common knowledge indicates that most parents have affinity for certain children, but not everyone's children. It takes time for most adults to develop dependable bonds with "other people's children." On the contrary, teachers seem to form a self-selected exemplar set of highly altruistic individuals. The conscious choice to serve society as a professionalized teacher is then indeed noble. The choice to serve as a public school urban teach may be more aptly described as a special calling.
Moreover, as each state in our nation has its own character, challenges, risks and resources, so to we find that the nature of classroom teaching differs dramatically across contexts and circumstances. The choice to become a public school teacher in our nation's cities, becomes an ambitious journey at the very least. This is a call then to those ambitious ones engaging ambitious journeys. Enrich each other's journey through conversations that define terms and contexts. This qualitative inquiry invites us to extend our capacities to thrive, despite various odds that have persisted throughout the history of civilization. Public education is a gift whereby civilized world grows. When we grow without necessary and sufficient guidance, misconceptions and misperceptions develop like weeds. Restoring the dynamics of reciprocity and responsible citizenship can begin in our schools and neighborhoods...teaching the children well to become contributors, not simply consumers. To support this direction of healthy change, let us meet on the virtual sidewalks, riverbanks, and benches beyond the schoolhouse. There's no better time than now to get down to the basics ... identify our entry points, possible pathways, and the viallage dynamics needed to support this ambitious endeavor.
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