Who should the best (strongest) teachers teach?

[Pieces of Arzt]

Curious to know...what are your thoughts on this quote below?

"The strongest teachers should teach the neediest, low-level students. The preAP and AP kids can almost teach themselves, so it's not necessary to give them the best teachers."

[Clix]

It's bollocks. With gifted students - as with ANY students - learning from a good teacher will result in greater gains than learning from a poor teacher or learning on your own.

[Boxcar]

Well...

I do agree that all students need a good teacher to excel and succeed.

However, I do understand that a group of stable and self-sufficient students can withstand one year with a rocky classroom.

Of course, inexperienced teacher after inexperienced teacher isn't good.

For strong students, it is erosion. For weaker students, it is a mudslide.

[SS Rocks!]

I agree with the part of the quote that says the strongest teachers should be with the neediest students.

Students that are academically strong can also benefit from having strong teachers. I do not believe that they "teach themselves"

The way my principal structures the schedule is by trying to give the experienced teachers the lowest and highest academic levels, leaving the remainder of the teachers with the "average" student. I think it works out well.

[silvana]

I guess I do see the point of putting the stongest teachers with the most needy students, however, I also agree that education is for all children and no matter what their ability all children deserve good teaching. I suppose admins should really be saying how can we make this teacher better.....which is a more positive outlook in my opinion

[David]

Even though it's Utopian all kids no matter, what their abilities are, need the best teacher that is suited to their needs. I can see the point of matching a certain teacher's approach to teaching to particular classes.

[christine]

It is entirely possible to be a strong teacher with gifted kids, to be able to push them in ways few other teachers can or do and be a monumentally bad teacher for students who struggle. It is entirely possible to be a strong teacher with students who struggle, to be able to get them to understand the material in ways few other teachers can or do and be a monumentally bad teacher for gifted students.

Of course, most teachers are going to fall somewhere in between. It is a mistake to think that teachers who do an excellent job in a "good school" can be dropped into a "bad school" and replicate that success. Some will. I suspect many will not. There are too many things that go into the illusion of the "good" teacher.

I know what my strengths are, and I have a pretty good idea of my weaknesses. I am a great teacher for many of my students. But there is this one group, that no matter how hard I try, how many new things I roll out, for that group? I would say I'm a pretty crappy teacher. I try new things, I take classes, I pay attention during PD days, but that's my weakness. If you put me in a school full of those students I would (and should) be run out on a rail.

It's not as easy as giving the neediest kids the "best" teachers.