Although I'm not negating the significant challenges of teaching and admittedly I could never do it, teachers here in NYC receive obscenely-huge pensions (as of 2016, those with 35 years of experience received pensions of $87,945).

Yes, Indirect learning is the worse. And a degree in human development does not create an acceptable route to becoming a teacher. Plus, even the human development teachers often take on a do what I say not what I do - the the knowledge is out there. And the system needs innovation. Forcing kids to track by grades is silly. So is not allowing a child to direct their own learning. Often the idea of child directed learning can result in permissive parenting and teaching which is a disaster - and a by product of back and white thinking. The recipe for healthy human development starts with generating a sense of belonging through caring relationships that allows the student to feel safe, skill building happens on four domains: emotional, physical, mental and social; clear and high expectations that are relatable and attainable are crucial, as is meaningful participation and community involvement. Oh, and how about we combined community college and high school?

80% failure rate and they are happy about that? Maybe the problem starts far earlier in homes where kids are born out of wedlock and raised by unwed, never-married mothers on welfare. Solve that first. Oh, and more truant officers and reform schools!

Good article. Good teaching can be taught but only partly through education courses and books. Every school needs a mentoring program where experienced teachers mentor new teachers. Teachers should be provided the time and encouragement to observe in other teachers' classrooms. There should be regular staff development, not provided by costly outside organizations touting the latest best practices, but by teachers teaching teachers. Principals can forego a teachers' meeting once a month to allow teachers to sign up to share their own best practices. This can be done in the cafeteria or library. New teachers are hungry for opportunities to see excellence happening in their schools. There's not enough space here to suggest all the ways this can be done. Teachers will cover classrooms during their own planning periods for someone who wants to go observe another teacher at work or even having a parent volunteer come in a show a movie! Even better, principals and assistant principals can cover classes themselves. These ideas foster collegiality and friendship among teachers. Allow teachers to, on occasion, take over the means of production!

Good Teaching arises from asking the right questions. This Principal IS asking the right question: "Can good teaching be taught." Answer: "Yes. His question is his proof." Q.E.D.

It's 2018! And the Principal chosen for this articles's last name is GUNNER! You can't make this stuff up!!!

Good Teachers are born, not Taught. However, effective tools to use in teaching can be taught. It takes about 3 years for a Teacher to get their "Sea Legs". Unfortunately, many Teachers leave the Profession before then. Every struggling school needs Mentors who works with the newer Teachers in a non-Evaluative manner, where their only goal is to help, not write up the new Teachers. Meanwhile. Open the schools from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Let Coaches/Parents help out with watching over the children who arrive early and stay late. Allow Senior Citizens to be Classroom Aides. Install washers and dryers and extra clothes to help the poorer and neglected children to look proper. Add longer recesses and lunch times that are monitored by non-Teachers so the Elementary School Teachers can have time to gather their thoughts and meet with their Mentors and fellow Teachers.

hat a fascinating and excellently-written article! The author manages to track and narrate the stories of different teachers with different gifts, their principal, and the principal's mentor. It illustrates the "secret" that good teaching requires perhaps a larger skill set than that of any other profession. K in Canada points out that it's not something you can begin to master in a year or two. Most people, especially parents, have no idea what their kids' teachers have on their plates every day, into their evenings, and during their summers "off." (My eyes were opened during an after-retirement stint as an assistant English teacher in the Peace Corps.) Maybe we should require every college student to put in five hours a week for a term or two as assistant teachers in the public schools. This would be preceded by a mandatory "how to teach" class complete with practice teaching: lesson planning, student assessment and testing, classroom management, multi-level classrooms, special needs, motivating boys, motivating gifted students, motivating ELLs, motivating hyper-active kids, motivating girls ... ) Only then might we eventually arrive at a voting public that's willing to pay teachers what they're worth. In truth, good teachers should be paid more than most STEM professionals, if you rate jobs by difficulty, effort, the range of skills needed, the huge "emotional work" aspect, and most of all by the ongoing requirement for intentional, honest, patient self-development.

Of course good teaching can be taught. There are a multitude of books on teaching, including "Teach like a Champion," that teach specific techniques and methodologies. The question is, do teachers want to learn?

I'm a new teacher and I know how Ms. McNeal feels - the staying late at school, preparing lesson plans, marking, being a psuedo-counselor to students... some days I feel like I failed, but I do care. It's exhausting, but you have to carve yourself a life at home or else your life becomes work. There are a lot of expectations to be met and it's true that you need to see good teaching to develop the skills to teach - if you grew up with only one model of teaching, you reflect your experience in your own teaching. Part of the problem is support - when schools are underfunded there is a lack of resources and teachers must come up with their own. This removes time that could be spent supporting and interacting with students and adds stress for teachers when these days you must be interesting, all the time, or students will lose focus. Teachers are also the one profession where a brand new graduate from college is expected to do the exact same job as someone who has been teaching for 20 years with similar results. Naturally, the new grad will struggle and not always meet expectations and of course, feel like a failure at times. I've heard in my circles that it takes about 3-5 years to get adjusted - Ms. Fluellen, teaching for 6 years and seemingly with a natural talent seems to fit this well. But if more principals could mentor and support especially new teachers like Ms. McNeal so they don't get burnt out and quit, I think we would see less turnover and more positive results.