What would you think if you saw a student wearing a T-shirt that said "Jesus Sucks!" while attending classes at school? How about "Kill a Kike!" or "Bi-racial Marriage is Unnatural"?

The fundamentalists are up in arms again, because a boy in a Poway, California high school was not allowed to wear a shirt that said, "Homosexuality is shameful."

You can be certain the same people who complain about the rights of Christian youth being trampled by liberal educators, would also be the same people who immediately complain about the aforementioned scenario.

All inflammatory speech, whether targeted at gays or Christians should be banned in schools. Let that ignorant boy, who thinks he is so righteous, try wearing that T-shirt in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego! I'm sure he wouldn't have the balls. What a puny little man he is. I'm sure his parents are very proud. The apple never falls far from the tree.

I'm reminded again why I grew to loath suburban life in San Diego. As a kid, I had to silently endure harassment by kids just like that boy, who was raised to believe responsible speech and free speech are totally unconnected. God protect us from the righteous!

There are bad teachers in schools, and they must be removed from the profession. They exist in BOTH public and private schools. If teachers throughout the United States want to be seen as professionals worthy of the greatest trust and highest admiration, we must accept the responsibility of cleaning house. No one else can do it. Good teachers must eject the weakest among our ranks.

What is a bad teacher? That simple sounding question is one of three core problems in education reform (the others are parents and politics - but I'll deal with those on other days). The definition of a bad teacher is a problem because there is not one answer. And many in the profession don't want to answer the question at all. Therefore, because there's a lack of clarity, I will try to shed light on the issue by offering my definition.

A bad teacher has stopped growing and ceased changing. A bad teacher no longer makes significant changes in their day to day teaching. If an ordinary person observed a teacher 5 times during one academic year, and then returned five years later and saw the same teacher in the same room following the same basic plan - that is a bad teacher.

 Be careful! Do not misinterpret my words. I do not want to imply that change only for the sake of change is what marks a good teacher. That could not be further from the truth. But, I do believe that a good teacher is always seeking improvement. A good teacher is constantly changing his or her instructional techniques and trying new units. A good teacher refines everything because he or she is constantly evaluating student achievement and the happiness of parents.

 A lack of change indicates that a teacher has become frozen in time. And, since society and people are constantly changing, a frozen teacher has become irrelevant. An irrelevant teacher is a bad one. Additionally, if the satisfaction of parents does not have a significant role, then the teacher is missing a major component of successful teaching.

 The list I'm about to deliniate could create a great deal of controversy among my peers - but that's fine. I treasure my career, and I'm not afraid to step out alone and demand greater accountability. If a teacher can argue effectively that I'm wrong or misguided, I'll be happy to change my opinion and admit my error.

 How do you spot an excellent teacher? Look for the following indicators. An excellent teacher will:

• seek constructive criticism from peers, supervisors, and parents, and use that feedback to foster professional growth.
• openly invite parents to observe and assist in class at ANY time.
• complete a formal and detailed long-term plan for each academic year.
• write goals for personal growth annually.
• create educational units that change every couple of years.
• when faced with direct negative criticism, know EXACTLY why s/he does things, and can easily defend himself or herself.
• display student work that clearly reflects diverse student interests and details exact learning objectives.
• foster positive and regular parent/school communication
• take on leadership positions and responsibilities willingly and regularly.
• display a willingness to try and fail publicly. (Good teachers are not perfect)
• practice a habit of formal reflection upon his/her professional practice.
• establish and continue an immaculate record of ethical behavior.

Please note: I did not say an excellent teacher must work long hours. A superb teacher doesn't try every new educational fad. Good teachers have a balance between that which is tested and tried, and that which is new and innovative. Furthermore, an excellent teacher does not make everyone happy every day. Nor will he or she necessarily be found exclusively in a public or private school setting.

There are good and bad teachers in both settings. But I am daring enough to argue that good teachers are more likely to be found in public schools, where they must adapt to a greater range of abilities and circumstances. Teaching is complex, because students are complex. A simplified formula, like in a private school, usually fosters simplified teaching.

 A good teacher puts all the professional elements I mentioned into a coherent whole, creating an outstanding professional reputation. Good teachers are male and female, young and old, liberal and conservative, gay and straight.

 I know what a good teacher does because I have seen both good and bad during my nine years in classrooms (public and private). I have seen teachers that never change. They never try new things. They run from parent contact and criticism. They cannot effectively argue why their techniques are best. He or she routinely falls back on this argument: "I've been doing it this way for years."

 A bad teacher has little support. A bad teacher never argues that his techniques are backed up by research. A bad teacher does not site data or best practice. They resist the pain of personal criticism. They avoid the risk of planning ahead. They do not like to take on leadership roles because they want to avoid even the possibility of public failure.

 In conclusion, I want to say very clearly that bad teachers are a small minority of those in the profession. In my building, I think there is only one, maybe two teachers that I would consider to be unworthy of the title.

 The VAST majority of teachers are good and even excellent. And parent satisfaction at my school seems to agree with that assessment. We must all face the fact that teaching has a few perks (lots of vacation and often the protection of a union contract). But that is where the perks end. We aren't paid a lot, but the demands on us are high and usually very public. There are not millions of people clamoring to enter the profession. In fact, 50% of those who enter teaching leave the profession within the first five years. Teaching is not for the weak! But that's the way I like it. I don't want teachers who do it for the money. I want teachers who enter the profession because they love kids, they love learning, and they know it's the most honorable profession in the world!

 So how do we get rid of those who are no longer effective? There is only one way: fellow teachers must do it. We must pressure weak peers to leave the profession. And, we must allow districts and unions to negotiate contracts which reward measurably good teaching, as well as punish those who refuse to grow and change. Good teachers must mentor new teachers. We must demand the best from those who seek to enter the profession, and we must reject those who cannot live up to rigorous standards.

 Our commitment to the profession demands nothing less than out best. We must be honest, ethical, professional, fair, and caring - as well as demanding, exacting, and honest. If you don't like what I have to say, then leave the profession or prove me wrong.

 

Government leaders are the leading cause of this problem. They have ignored it until now, when the scale of the issue makes it highly controversial and virtually impossible to solve past mistakes. Laws exist to prevent hiring of illegal immigrants, but they are not enforced. Congressional representatives prefer spending tax money on pork projects rather than securing our borders to prevent illegal immigration.

Businesses ignore laws because they aren't enforced, and businesses small and large are constantly trying to force wages down in order to raise profits.

Illegal immigrants violate the law when they come to the US without documentation. They say "we aren't criminals," which is true, if criminals are only those who commit felonies. But IT IS a violation of law, just like driving without insurance, cheating on your taxes, shoplifting, and defacing property.

Citizens are part of the problem too. We complain about job loss and illegal immigrants taking social services, but we refuse to work at jobs that are low paying or undesirable. And we support politicians, like President Bush, who prioritizes war abroad instead of security at home.

Tell your congressman and President to get off his or her ASS! It's time to solve the immigration problem. Stop blaming just the illegal immigrants. Do not set up a guest worker system like the Bush suggests. They have that system throughout Europe. It’s that kind of system that has caused rioting in France. By comparison, yesterday's protests in our country were entirely peaceful.

Here is how we can fix this problem.

FIRST: Spend the money to secure our borders. It’s a big border and we must spend big money. Use technology, people, and political pressure against Mexico. Demand that President Vicente Fox reform his economy so Mexicans do not want to leave their home country. And make it financially harmful for those who do.

SECOND: Set up a process so that current illegal immigrants can earn citizenship through work, education, staying off social services, and staying out of criminal activity. Perhaps even paying a fine (equivalent to other non-felonious crimes). Until each person goes through the process and earns full citizenship, give him/her a Green Card.

THIRD: Fine businesses that hire illegal immigrants, and make the fines BIG (as big as a CEO's salary and stock options). Enforce the current laws! 

FOURTH: Raise the number of legal immigrants that are allowed to migrate from Mexico, so that more will chose the route that complies with the law.

FIFTH: The rest of us must be prepared to pay a price for securing our borders. Costs will rise for food, construction, landscaping, eating in a restaurant, and more. But wages will rise also.

SIXTH: Teach your child there is no shame in washing dishes or digging a ditch. Youth need to learn the value of hard work and labor, and stop complaining "I can’t find a job." My first job was as a dish washer. And half the people I worked with were illegal Mexican immigrants. They were good hard-working people. And they helped teach me to do the same.

The damage is already done. We cannot deport or jail 11 million people. FIX THE BORDERS FIRST. This is a national problem, so the solution must come from Washington DC. Tell your congressional representatives to stop arguing and start working. There has been too much talk about securing our borders, and not enough action. We are a nation of immigrants, both legal and illegal. We cannot deny our history, and we shouldn't blame illegal immigrants for taking advantage of a broken system. We should simply pay the price and fix the system.