Ever-changing

We live in an ever-changing world. Think about things we purchase. The minute you purchase a car and drive off the lot, it has already decreased in value. You buy a new piece of technology – the latest and greatest – only to see an advertisement the next month for the new and improved model.


Just as with material things, issues related to education and diversity are constantly changing. For some these changes are improvements that they want to pursue, as in the case of the new and improved technology. Others are content with what they have and prefer not to be bothered with the changes.

Education must change in several areas and I believe we will see more discussions than we have already related to these issues. There are many conflicting views when it comes to the word accountability. What does that mean and how should it look? Many have expressed their dissatisfaction for the TAKS test and the reliability of truly assessing the progress (or sometimes lack thereof) of our students. This topic has also brought great concern to the curriculum and instruction issue. Because of the pressure to “pass the test,” have we become schools that “teach to the test” rather than focusing on what the students should really know to be successful? I don’t remember having to take any class time to prepare for passing a test until I was in high school preparing for the SAT. Now we have days, even weeks set aside to prepare our students to pass a test to show that we have not failed as a school.

Another change revolves around our clientele. I think we have made progress in this area, but we are not where we should be. We were presented with several articles at our last class meeting related to many issues. All were important issues related to conflicted ideas and challenges we all will face as educators. One in particular, cultural awareness and tolerance is of high importance especially when you consider the predictions of the majority of students we will be teaching. According to Current Issues and Trends in Education, “Diverse groups are expected to comprise more than 40 percent of the population by 2020 and 50 percent by 2040.” Are we prepared to meet the needs of this predicted diverse population? Actually, another question should precede the first question. Can we all come to a consensus on how best to meet the needs of the diverse population? If history repeats, we will have many obstacles to overcome before we get it right.