'When do I get to teach history?' Classical schools hire 'refugee' teachers

Teachers who are frustrated by low expectations, inflated grades and reluctant readers have more choices than ever before, write Annika Hernandez and Robert Pondiscio on Education Next. Some are reclaiming their vocation by moving to classical schools.

Chris Reynolds taught history and government in a Colorado public school, "introducing teenagers to the events that shape civilizations, the institutions that sustain them, and the texts that have survived them." But, over time, his students didn't know enough history -- who fought in the Civil War? -- to handle the readings, and administrators discouraged assigning essays.

Teachers became counselors, Reynolds says. "We were doing everything other than teaching content. And I remember sitting in meetings where I’d often say, ‘When do I actually get to teach history?’”

A colleague set up a “gallery walk,” an exercise where students move from station to station responding to displays, artifacts, and prompts. Reynolds saw a photo of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling with a thumbnail explanation and a prompt: Have you ever worked really hard on something that you were proud of? How did that make you feel? There was nothing about Michelangelo’s place in the history of art and culture. Reynolds thought: “We’re just teaching a generation of narcissists. All of human history is ultimately a question about you."

Soon after, he went to work at Liberty Common School, a classically oriented charter school in Fort Collins, where he's now assistant principal and teaches AP Microeconomics.

“Classical education” typically refers to "a liberal arts curriculum centered on enduring classics of the Western world (think Plato, Dante, and Shakespeare)," write Hernandez and Pondiscio. Students often learn classical languages, typically Latin and Greek, and there's an emphasis on history and the fine arts. Classical schools often use Socratic questioning and seminars, and stress moral and character development. Some classical schools are charters, others are private and a handful are run by districts.

The fast-expanding classical education movement is hiring teachers like Reynolds who "feel pushed to the margins by bureaucratic demands, ideological conflicts, shallow instructional trends, behavioral breakdowns, or simply the sense that traditional district schools no longer allow them to do the job they set out to do," write Hernandez and Pondiscio.

Many teachers they interviewed hope to regain their sense of purpose, they write.

Teachers who once imagined themselves as stewards of literature, history, science, and mathematics described feeling instead like troubleshooters, counselors, compliance officers, or test-prep technicians. Many still loved children — fiercely — but increasingly questioned whether their schools still loved learning.

"Refugee" teachers complain that curriculum changed every few years at their old schools -- or that there was no curriculum. Content was optional. Others were tired of teaching fads such as discovery learning, group work and “equity grading.”

Classical schools because they're traditional and pragmatic about what works, teachers told Hernandez and Pondiscio. Students read good books -- not contemporary “YA” novels or excerpts.

Fed-up teachers don't have to choose a classical school, they write. "The rapid rise of education savings accounts in over a dozen U.S. states is already giving teachers an opportunity to reinvent themselves, whether through running microschools, teaching online, or offering services directly to families." Parent choice has created teacher choice.

In an EdWeek survey, teachers talk about why they haven't quit:

“I absolutely love making a positive impact on my kids’ lives," says Joshua P, who teaches disadvantaged students. "I don’t only teach my content, but I teach hard work, dedication, perseverance, success, etc."

Emily N stays because of "supportive admin who I philosophically agree with, amazing coworkers who are helpful, kind, and love kids, and I feel effective (thanks to quality math, science, and reading curricula)."

"I finally found a school where teachers are valued and respected,' says Brooke L.

Some say they stay to qualify for a pension and health insurance. "No alternative options," wrote Jamie A. "I need fulfillment and love the subject I teach, but there isn’t much efficacy on the part of students these days. And the level of coddling of students by the system and their parents is unbearable. I hate perpetuating such levels of dysfunction! I am authentically worried for the future."