Teachers take complaints to Tierney

LYNN – Lynn educators still love to teach, but they say federal mandates in the schools are making their job increasingly frustrating.The American Federation of Teachers invited Rep. John Tierney to speak on the state of local and national education issues at the Teacher?s Union Hall in Lynn on Tuesday afternoon. After his opening statements on past accomplishments with the Education Committee, it was the congressman who did the listening.About 30 teachers from Lynn, Peabody and Salem at the meeting voiced a common dislike for mandates like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top Fund and Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL).?It?s the things that take you away from teaching, like collecting data from assessments,” said Bruce Nelson, an AFT representative from Peabody.Kathy Coman, a teacher at Pickering Middle School, said too many assessment programs and constant evaluations have left her feeling discouraged. “I love my kids, but this job is killing a lot of us,” she said, to nods around the room.Tierney said there was “nothing worse than hearing teachers say they don?t like their jobs.” Though he defended some mandates, like No Child Left Behind, for helping underprivileged students, he said he often wonders why teachers were left out of the conversation when discussing those initiatives. He added that for evaluations, “the best system I?ve ever seen is when peers help each other.”Tierney told the teachers he believed the key to helping teachers make progress was giving them the right tools “to put the bounce back in your step.”?We?re moving to computerized systems, but we?re not necessarily giving you the computers,” he said, to laughs.But Christine Donovan said for her, it wasn?t the resources but more personnel that was needed at her school. “I don?t need new computers, I need people,” she said, adding that a lot of her time is spent filling out forms. “I have binders of forms just to prove I did a job.”Donovan said further that she hears “of more teachers leaving every day.” Jessica Digianfelice, a teacher mentor, said young teachers who are unable to keep up with all the mandates are leaving. One teacher she knew was taking classes to finish her master?s degree, taking a RETELL course and balancing more field-based courses to teach biology. “She asked me, ?When do I work on teaching?? They come to me and ask, ?Why do I do this job?? and I don?t have the answer,” said Digianfelice.Other concerns voiced to Tierney included that of Laura McGaughey, a social worker, who said teachers at Harrington could benefit from more prep time and professional development “that is useful.” The group also voiced that school administrators aren?t spending enough time in the classroom before climbing the ladder. Tierney agreed with the teachers that public schools were becoming “too privatized” with new regulations always rolling in.When asked if they felt if Tierney addressed or heard their concerns, Coman said Tierney was supportive and seemed to really understand.?He knows what it?s like to be in the trenches,” said Peabody teacher Patty Nizwantowski.