When I first moved from Vermont, my immediate thought was that Northamptonites took themselves too seriously. I jocularly threatened to string a banner across Main Street imploring, “C’mon folks, lighten up.”
The current brouhaha at Northampton High School reminded me of this. I have no kids at NHS, but the ongoing math debacle touches me because I was a high school teacher in Vermont. I take no stand on the NHS dispute because there is no “right” answer. I sympathize with both those who want programs for talented students and those who want mixed-ability classes.
Yet, like it or not, parents who want separate classes for high-performing kids are elitist; those who presuppose every kid can be mainstreamed are unrealistic.
Tracking was the norm in both the schools of my youth and the one at which I taught. Each tried hard to disguise tracking, but it was easy to determine who was college-bound versus those in clerical, vocational or general studies programs. The remainder were, in educator parlance, either “slow learners” or mentally challenged.
Kids being kids, used different (and often mean-spirited) terms to describe anyone not in their particular in-group. Teachers intervened when they heard ridicule, but what was said out of earshot was a problem no anti-bullying policy could prevent. I did my teacherly best to treat every student with as much respect as I possibly could. The key word, though, is “possibly.”
Parents often lambast schools like NHS because they have forgotten the intended purpose of public education. They were never supposed to cater to elites or compensate for unfortunate genes or circumstances. Schools were designed to provide a broad education for future American citizens and we got what we built: something that looks like a bell curve.
The bulk of public education was aimed at the great — some say mythical — American middle. The lion’s share of resources is almost always allocated to that constituency and, alas, those on either end of the curve get short shrift. We have come to expect schools to do everything because they are called upon to do things no one has, such as keeping Johnny off drugs, making sure Susie doesn’t get pregnant, getting Chris into Harvard, single-handedly eliminating prejudice, and providing for both elites and those on the other side of the curve.
Northamptonites are caught up in the inherent politics of all of this. Local control is another burden schools are called upon to shoulder. Where you live determines what is taught, who is taught, and how much money is available for those tasks. Everything that’s added increases costs. If you think the NHS debate is out of hand, try arguing that local districts should be abolished, that a standard curriculum is needed, and that every school should get exactly the same amount of funding, not a penny less or a dollar more.
Let’s get back to my “possibly” remark. We forget that educators are under tremendous pressure. There are calls to dismiss NHS Principal Lori Vaillancourt, who called protesting students “asshats.” I wonder if parents have ever gotten so mad at their kids that they yelled or called them a name. (Imagine if you had 15-20 of them!)
Educators also have breaking points. On occasion I got so furious that I stormed into the teachers’ lounge and found kindred spirits, including principals, who agreed that your little angel had been a world-class jerk. We swore, we vowed Biblical revenge, and the next day it was forgotten. We just needed to vent.
If this attitude shocks you, stroll down a school hallway and listen to kids air perceived grievances against school personnel. It will make asshat sound like “rainbow-colored unicorn” by comparison. I’ve never met Ms. Vaillancourt, who erred in airing her frustration publicly, but educators aren’t supposed to be paid babysitters either. (The latter have the option of declining the next time they are called!) In a wider sense, do you know anyone in any job whatsoever who hasn’t snapped? Everybody ends up doing the best they can “possibly” do at a given moment in time.
The best course at NHS is for everyone to lighten up, forgive, and find real cross-constituency solutions to the current dilemma. Parents should tell their kids to give respect if they want it back. But don’t ask me how to fix the math conundrum; I agree with both sides.
Florence resident Rob Weir got a Ph.D. at UMass and taught American history at various colleges in the area. But he still thinks his most creative teaching moments were in the high school classroom.