Dr. Frances tends to repeat himself, utilizing the same words over and over. I'm not sure if that's an intentional rhetorical device, if he was pressed for time and copy-and-pasting, if he was trying to make sure he would not be misunderstood by repeating himself, or if it was unintentional. Still, he did make me take a good look, not only at the points he was raising, but also critically examining his book for errors in judgment and logic as well, so I guess he succeeded.
I haven't finished the book yet, so no concluding thoughts, just meanderings.
One of the things he repeats over and over is the necessity of clear guidelines and expectations about work quality, regulations and structure on how procedures are to go forward, what type of considerations will be made for work, and what kind of expectations are to be met. I don't think I'm making myself clear.
He points out the necessity of having guidelines for everyone to follow. Dr. Frances seems to have felt that innovation did not have much place in diagnostics unless the innovation had itself been properly tested and proven to be more accurate, suggest a reasonable treatment, and be safe for patients, both for those who needed the treatment but also for those who may receive the treatment under a false diagnosis. Dr. Francis was mostly referring to those who receive mind-altering drugs as treatment, but I feel the same could be said for education.
I love educational innovations. Pretty much anyone asked within the United States will say that the educational system is broken for one reason or another; drop-out rates, students not testing as well as those from other countries, failure to be prepared for careers by graduation, favoritism, under-funding, etc. One of my not-so-secret goals is to revolutionize education in some way, make it better for students and teachers alike. Realistically, however, the reasons behind our broken system are complex and often mystifying. Like monkeys, parents, government organizations, teachers, students, and administrators take turns throwing crap at each other. Coming in like Hercules to the Augean Stables is a fantastical dream, requiring manpower, ingenuity, and focus. It might have been possible for mere mortals to clean out the crap if they'd dug a trench towards the stables, diverting the river in that manner instead of just manhandling it with godly strength. In a similar manner, creating a better environment for education may be possible if specific guidelines are created for measurement and achievement.
These guidelines would have nothing to do with measuring achievement, but would instead standardize how achievement is measured. Instead of testing, the guidelines would focus on how, when, and why to test. Moreover, these guidelines would take into consideration the educational needs of the students and the community. They would carefully way the cost of the new guidelines, test and re-test their accuracy and efficacy.
Like it says in the title, these are just my meanderings. But it's somewhere to start, and it's something I can do. I don't have to wait for a committee or a bureaucracy to compel my teaching standards. I can develop some guidelines of my own, taking note of the Common Core, or what other teachers have said and what might be needed. First is the research. What kind of standards should I instill for my quest?
