Freedom to Teach

Delisa Brooks August 22, 2019, 3:34 pm

Freedom to teach means being able to teach with worrying about the countless state assessments administered to students and how students will perform on those assessments versus how the students will master the content of my course.

Freedom to teach would allow me to have autonomy over the classroom instruction and how my students progress academically, socially, and emotionally. I just want to teach and for students to learn~

Megan Ortmeyer September 13, 2019, 8:54 am

Great points! Thank you for sharing, Delisa!

witty505 August 25, 2019, 1:48 pm

Freedom to teach means that I don’t have to adhere to “standards” that were written by someone else with a one-size-fits-all mentality.

It means that I can adjust to my students needs and interests without fear of being labeled an unsatisfactory teacher and losing my job. Freedom to teach means teaching without censorship, even ideas that challenge the current zeitgeist. Freedom to teach means bringing spontaneity, wonder, and joy back into the science classroom.

Megan Ortmeyer September 12, 2019, 4:17 pm

Thank you for taking the time share!

DawnH_2831261 August 28, 2019, 7:21 pm

The freedom to teach means to have the ability and freedom to present the information to the students that encourages their inquisitive side of the mind through empowerment and ownership.

Megan Ortmeyer September 12, 2019, 4:26 pm

Thank you for sharing, Dawn!

mitchells_3325448 August 29, 2019, 9:51 am

Freedom to teach means that I am able to impact my students where they are instead of fulfilling an edict handed down from on high.

Megan Ortmeyer September 12, 2019, 2:55 pm

Great point about being able to meet your students where they are at. Thanks for sharing!

pfagutie August 31, 2019, 1:29 pm

Freedom to teach, to me, means being given the time, the resources, and the respect to do my job.

We don't go into this profession without passion for kids. Freedom to teach means letting the professionals do the job that they have been trained to do, to do what is absolutely best for all kids, and keep parents out of the classroom unless they are there to truly help and do for the greater good! Freedom to teach is an opportunity to engage kids and instill a personal passion for their own learning through facilitating meaningful activities and lessons that can be driven further by the student's interests, and commonly can and should be self-initiated. Freedom to teach means having some flexibility and allow our teachers to give the appropriate guidance to their students so that they can have voice and choice in how they best learn. Freedom to teach feels like an art that is gradually and deliberately being taken away; soon to be lost. However, I will continue to fight the good fight until I retire! I will continue to coach and mentor and encourage all of our new teachers! I choose to be their Marigold!

Megan Ortmeyer September 12, 2019, 11:59 am

Thank you for sharing!

Mary_H_3149678 September 29, 2019, 10:03 am

Freedom to teach means we can present the material in a way we feel will best be learned by the student.

It also means trusting the teacher is doing their job without needing additional data to be gathered by the teacher to justify learning and growth. The grades and district tests should show if they are understanding the material.

Liam October 1, 2019, 2:22 pm

It is important to give teachers the trust and freedom to lead their classroom, and not rely on misleading data to measure a teachers performance. Thank you for sharing!

lwingate_3071449 August 23, 2019, 11:41 am

Freedom to teach is being allowed to design lessons and make accommodations without having to get them approved by someone else.

I like that I have freedom in my science classroom so that if a volcano explodes in Hawaii, I can take time to talk about it with my Earth Science class without worrying about having to keep to a predetermined schedule and order of topics.

aleinen66 August 23, 2019, 12:09 pm

I agree., although I teach math. If a student asks me a math question, I want to be able to answer it right then, or take time to have everyone explore it.