I once took a stand with a colleague against a program intended to encourage reading. I was responsible for managing the IT in the school along with my teaching duties and she was the school librarian. In this program, students read books, then took computer-based tests on the contents; students were expected to earn a specific number of points by passing tests each marking period. The librarian was frustrated by students asking for books based on points, not their interests, and she complained to me about it. She complained a lot, and I was dismayed to see students “reading for points” rather than reading to learn. At the time, I was a graduate student, so I did a serious literature search on the effects of such programs. I drew the anger of several teachers and the admiration of the librarian when I announced to the principal that I would not long support the program.
Specifically, I told the principal, “The system is currently configured and functioning. I will not update it, nor will I repair it if it fails. I am available to show the teachers who claim it is vital to their curriculum how to manage and configure it and will give them all of the documentation I have.”
Now, I would not suggest any readers take such stands. In this case, I felt justified as I was a licensed educator and was very familiar with the peer-reviewed literature supporting my stand. I was also confident the principal would reach out to a mutual colleague whom we both respected who had recently directed the program be replaced with other reading programs in her school.
I recently heard a speaker recommend educators begin to take a stand for good teaching. We know what it is, and we know when we are not doing it.