Be True to Yourself
By Maryann Manning

Should you change what you believe in because of mandates?

Many excellent reading and writing teachers are facing important philosophical questions in their teaching. I often receive e-mails or phone calls from teachers who are former students, friends or my readers. Their messages all have a similar ring to them and often include the phrases, "I can't continue to…" or "I've just been to a meeting and I've been told I can't…" What follows these statements varies from lamenting the loss of a strategy like writing workshops, shared or guided reading, daily news or even read-alouds. The reasons why these teachers can no longer engage these activities also have a similar beginning: "We have a new…" followed by a reading program, policy, mandate, test or initiative.

Too many hands are tied
Each message tells me how the teacher has worked for years to perfect a reading or writing workshop, strategy or has invested professional development in learning about good children's literature. Many teachers tell me how they believed constructing meaning is the goal of teaching reading and how they don't want fluency (often interpreted as speed) to be the goal of their reading instruction.

The reasons that were given by the decision makers are also generally similar: "What you've been doing isn't scientifically research based." Teachers know that a narrow interpretation of science has been applied and qualitative research – including teacher research – has been ignored. The other most often-quoted reason is "to raise test scores." This reason upsets many teachers because they question the appropriateness of high-stakes tests and know that test results have a lot to do with zip codes. Teachers who have tenure tell me that they try to explain their position to their superiors, but they must still implement the change.

Making a choice
Probably the saddest message I have received is from a young man I know very well who has moved about 700 miles to a new school system. He continues to teach fourth grade in the new system but is distressed because every minute of his day is dictated. He stated that he must make a choice between his only recess break and reading aloud to his students. Imagine being put in a position to make such a choice?

After I regain my composure from sharing the indignation the teacher is feeling, I try to word a response that doesn't include "quit your job" or "be insubordinate" because most of us need our jobs. Instead, I try to be more understanding of the administrators who are the bearers of the messages from their superiors. I also receive messages from central offices and building administrators who are just as distressed because they are receiving the edicts, too.

Now, what can we do as we try to stay true to our values yet stay within the guidelines of a policy? My responses won't work in all cases, but often the school day has many more minutes than the new mandate requires. Here's my answer to teachers who express their concerns:

"I can't do…" The blank is often for a particular strategy such as daily news in kindergarten and first grade that isn't in the prescribed reading/language arts curriculum.

Try moving the practices that you value to another time of the day or use the strategy during content area teaching. One teacher moved daily news from her favorite beginning of the day routine to her end of the day closing routine.

"I can't have a writing workshop because…" The blank usually relates to no time left after the prescribed curriculum. I suggest to try having the writing workshop in either science or social studies or during an integrated theme immersion. Certainly the content area alternative isn't as good as a real writing workshop because students are being limited in their topics, but they do get the experience of drafting, revising and publishing. A teacher I know published over 50 books during her theme immersions in a school year.

"Every day I have to spend time preparing for the…" The blank is usually a test to which the teacher is philosophically opposed. Try confining the practice to a short period at one time of the day. Do the drill and then get on with your good practices. One teacher I know was told to have students prepare for timed fluency tests by asking them to just say the words they know and skipping all the other words. This is a poor way to have anyone read, so I suggested a game of "Say the words you know." If the students spend the rest of the day reading for meaning, they may never connect the game with real reading.

"During my reading block, I can't use this strategy…" The blank is often read-aloud, guided reading or independent reading.

Again, many of your favorite reading strategies can be used during other times of the day. A teacher I know who couldn't have guided reading during her reading block because another methodology was used, found nonfiction science and social texts and had guided reading then. If independent reading isn't considered important during the reading time, find other times during most days. You may not be able to have SSR as often as you want because there are days that will be filled with important areas such as art, music and physical education.

"I have to use texts that don't sound like language." Teachers of all grade levels voice this concern. I suggest using the text for a very short period of time, the least time you can get by without anybody noticing. Fill the rest of the day with quality children's literature during read- alouds, self-selected independent reading, literature circles and shared and guided reading.

When William Shakespeare wrote, "To thine own self be true," he wasn't addressing reading/language arts teachers, but in my opinion, the phrase is very fitting. We have spent years becoming the teachers we are and we can't and shouldn't change what we believe because of mandates. Maybe we can be true to ourselves and still be in compliance with the rules of others.

Maryann Manning is on the faculty of the School of Education, the University of Alabama at Birmingham.