bad decisions from administrators . . .

Two years ago, I had the privilege of teaching a group of GATE students. When I found out that I would be teaching these kids, I tried to find as much information online as possible about teaching gifted kids. Many people wrongly assume that gifted kids are self-motivators and do not need a lot of guidance. This cannot be further from the truth. Just like any other group of kids, you will have some that are self-motivated, but for many they are going to need help to stay on task and a level of instruction that is not going bore them.

In the school where I taught, the GATE kids had me for language arts and history. The administration assigned these kids to a TFA teacher for their math instruction. In their 7th grade year, the administration assigned them to another brand new teacher for their math instruction. For two years in a row, these students were assigned to brand new teachers who had no understanding of how to teach gifted students. This may not pose a problem in other districts that have strong new teacher support or great professional development. In my district, we have lacked both for as long as I have been there.

I developed a friendship with a parent of one my students. The other day I received a message from her that she wanted to talk about Shawn's latest STAR results. Shawn had performed phenomenally well in language arts in his 6th and 7th grade year. However, his math scores have plummeted for two years and she was very upset. This is a parent who has been a strong advocate for her child, probably ever since he started school.

Shawn is now in the 8th grade and she wanted to talk to me about the teacher he would have for math this year. Thankfully, his teacher this year is not a newbie and is probably one of the best math teachers in the district. Shawn's mom wanted to find out from me what her next step would be because a kid who had once excelled and loved math had now become a kid who absolutely detested it.

I couldn't help but sympathize with her and I gave her some advice on how to proceed. Regardless, I also couldn't help but be a bit miffed at my former administrators. I knew exactly what they were thinking when they assigned the GATE students to newbie math teachers two years in a row. They thought that they were doing the teacher a favor by giving them students who, for the most part, have virtually no behavior problems. However, this decision to do this to them two years in a row may have a devastating effect on them for some time to come.

I hope that my math colleague who has them this year can turn things around for them.

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edited to add:

I'm not bashing the teachers here, rather I'm expressing my frustration with decisions that are made that end up effecting both the teachers and students alike.

Yet, when test scores come out, it is the teachers that are held accountable. Many teachers have very little say on who they are teaching. Teacher support is almost non-existent in my school district. When new teachers are hired, it is sink or swim for many of them. If they are sinking, it is almost a guarantee that they will receive a non-reelect within their first two years. When they write too many referrals, they are slammed by the administration for not having better classroom management.

Yet again, when the test results come out, no one will ask about the story behind the numbers.