It seems that teachers have been making news nationally. With American students not performing as high as their European peers, it is logical that federal and state governments are reevaluating the system to improve education. Therefore, teacher accountability does enter the conversation.

Teacher accountability is very important. Teachers do need to be dedicated to students, willing to try new teaching techniques, and open to professional development. Yet, when teachers are working 60+ hours a week and implementing all improvements, there is only so much more that they can do. Yes, teachers get two months off for summer vacation. However, during the school year, they were so much that friends and family seem to be ignored for a while. Teachers work long after the school day ends: they have planning, grading, creating materials, and responding to parent emails. They are lucky if they have time to look for professional development opportunities or time to find and write grants to get supplies to their schools. They tend to have 150+ students that they see daily. With less and less money going to schools, teachers have fewer resources, older resources, and more students with NO additional compensation. Teachers train the leaders, inventors, and workers of the future. If the system is burning them out in one or two years, the system is unsustainable. It is better to have more resources and smaller classes for the benefit of all: the school, community, and students.

Now, I am mostly referring to the teachers who constantly work to improve their craft. There are many of them. However, some school systems make it so even the bad teachers stay in the system for a while. That means a teacher can be fired from one school in the district, but other schools have to pick up those fired teachers before they can look for new teachers outside of the system. Those situations can be hurtful to the schools and the students.

Lastly, teacher accountability is only one aspect of the problem. The culture of schools and learning needs to be changed. When I was a student, if I got a bad grade, it was because I did not perform up to the teacher's expectations. If I wanted to improve my grade, I had to do extra credit, or work harder on my assignments. Nowadays, it is the teacher's fault for a student not getting an "A" or "B." A teacher can work around the clock to improve students' learning, but if students don't study at home or turn in their work and if parents don't provide a quiet learning environment, it is almost impossible for that student to succeed. Like anything, the student has to WANT to succeed in order TO succeed.

Students have to stop being apathetic and they need to be dedicated to their education. Instead of seeing school as something adults and the government make them do, they should look at it as their job and preparation for their future.

Yet students are children as well and just want to have fun. They don't see the importance of education until they are adults (usually), if ever. Therefore, we need to strike a careful balance between work and play.

Accomplishing balance is the key to success for everything.