HOUSTON – They say children are our future, and educators are responsible for molding those young minds. As someone who comes from a family of educators and was one briefly, you should know children aren’t stupid and are more aware than we give them credit.
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In light of a million-dollar teaching certificate scheme, where hundreds of teachers slipped through the cracks, we’ve heard understandable frustration and shock from lots of people. Many might be saying, ‘Why wasn’t anyone thinking of the children when they were conducting this scheme? But I pose a different question: what are the children thinking about all this?
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Prosecutors say the scheme was led by three former Houston ISD employees including Vincent Grayson, a basketball coach, who reportedly made more than $1 million by charging educators $2,500 each to guarantee they passed their certification exams. He allegedly collaborated with assistant principals LaShonda Roberts and Nicholas Newton, who are accused of recruiting educators and facilitating the cheating.
According to court documents, Newton was allegedly taking the test in place of the real people. Of the 100 educators identified so far, 38 are from Houston-area districts. 15 from Houston ISD; five from Alvin ISD; and four from Cy-Fair ISD and Fort Bend ISD.
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I spoke with an 11-year-old Houston-area student, who will not be referred to by name (per his parents). He is a 5th-grade student at Cy-Fair ISD and told me over the phone how he heard about what happened.
“I feel like the teachers that get fake certificates shouldn’t be teaching because they might not even be able to teach correctly,” he said. “Some teachers might not even be ready to teach children.”
Despite the saying, “those who can’t do, teach” there’s an esoteric art form to teaching. In other words, just because one is an expert in a particular subject doesn’t mean they’re able to teach that subject because they lack the pedagogy.
Not to mention, students can usually tell if a teacher doesn’t know what they’re doing, so it takes a trained professional to handle a classroom. Even the student I spoke with admitted, “Kids rebel and do lots of other things because they don’t wanna do what they’re told.”
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But when faced with a veteran teacher, who knows how to reel students in and command a classroom, these problems are handled effectively.
“When students weren’t doing what they were supposed to, teachers were nice about it,” he added. “They were clear about their teaching.”
Another thing people probably forget is children remember things. Once you have lost their trust or respect, it’s hard to come back from that. And whether this student has had a teacher who slipped through the cracks, the damage is done.
“I’d feel pretty hesitant about them and not like them as a teacher for cheating,” he admitted.
We teach children to follow the rules and take responsibility for their actions, so what happens when a student is asked that someone, he’s supposed to look to for guidance didn’t practice what they were teaching?
“Maybe a retake of their test or their certificates revoked?” he suggested.
Time will tell if the Harris County District Attorney’s Office feels the same.