Death of the Teacher’s Professional Section in Book Stores
Posted by Barb on August 30, 2010
Move over professional resources for teachers; more room is needed for test prep materials. I recently stepped into two different large book store and, as usual I headed directly to the children’s section to see what new picture books are on display. My next stop was the teacher section, a place where I used to find books that gave teachers creative ideas for their lessons, management, centers, projects, and organization. This was the section I could always find the latest research on strategies for teaching reading, writing, and math. These professional books have been a great resource to me over my 23 years of teaching and made me a better teacher.
However, I am sorry to report that the professional resources for educators no longer exists in these book stores. These great resources have been replaced by test prep materials. My heart sank with this realization. The leaders in teaching reading such as Richard Allington, Stephanie Harvey, and Isabel Beck are no longer on the shelves. A shift has taken place over the last decade and now what’s important in education is testing, testing, testing. What a shame.
New teachers only know drill and kill lessons that are designed to improve test scores, but certainly bore their students. There are fewer places for teachers to get professional development, to learn strategies that work in teaching today’s students. Instead teachers are told “make sure your students pass the high stakes tests.”
Educators, lawmakers, and parents are loosing sight of this profession – to teach students content and prepare them for their future. If teachers spend all their time on test prep, students are the ones getting the short end of the stick.
LessonPop’s philosophy is to empower the teacher. To give them the tools and knowledge to teach their students. We are the new look of the professional resource section. Of course our lessons will help students on tests because that’s what good teaching does. However, test prep is not our main focus. We believe that if students become active readers and writers, they can use those skills to pass any kind of test and be prepared for the years ahead of them.
I hope that seeing test prep materials in books stores is only a trend. I hope that one day things will go back to the days when the teacher shelves of books stores stock books that provide teachers with resources that inspire as well as promote best educational practices. Until then, I will reread my timeless favorites and keep working on LessonPop.
Add A Comment