When the teacher keeps changing
Children miss out when the class has either no leader or a succession of leaders
The Boston Public Schools has long had trouble putting certified teachers in front of all its classes, a problem shared with many other districts across the country.
How does that affect children?
We talked recently with two parents in the St. Stephen’s Youth Programs parent organization whose children don’t have a permanent, licensed teacher. These children have had a series of educators leading their classes. Their parents spoke with us with the help of a Spanish interpreter.
How common are the situations they describe?
In her report on the opening of school last September, School Superintendent Mary Skipper said more than 97 percent of teaching positions were filled.
Skipper acknowledged that 500 teachers were working under a certification waiver. They did not yet have a license to teach their classes. Most of these teachers, she said, were expected to get their licenses during the year. BPS has about 4400 teachers, according to the state website.
We asked the BPS media relations office how many classes are currently led by someone who is not licensed to teach that class. We also asked how many classes have had a teacher who left during the school year, and how many had more than one teacher who left during the year. The media office did not respond.
Denisse Caraballo:
Three teachers have come and gone. Fortunately, we have a great paraprofessional — who is now leading the class. But my son’s progress in overcoming a motor disability is stalled.
Denisse Caraballo is a parent mentor at the Blackstone Elementary School. She has one child at the Blackstone and two at the Russell Elementary School.
Just this year alone, my son in kindergarten has had more than three different teachers. Now the third teacher has left, and a paraprofessional is running the classroom. Fortunately, he has been there since the start and I have a very good relationship with him, so I am able to know what’s going on with my son. He is great.
But one time earlier this year, when this para was not in the classroom, my son was attacked and the teacher who was there was not able to control the situation. Now my son will have to have surgery.
My son has an individualized education plan for hand motor skills related to writing. I have seen some progress. But at the IEP meeting, there was no one who could document the help he has been given or the progress he has made. So they extended the plan to next year without changes.
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A parent who didn’t want her name published:
Four unlicensed educators have led my son’s class this year, no permanent teacher. I’m moving him to a different school next year.
This parent has a child at the Russell Elementary School in Dorchester.
At the beginning of the year, they said the teacher would be back in three months. In the meantime, they put in a para as head of the classroom.
The three months passed and the teacher never came. I started to ask questions: Where’s the permanent educator who’s supposed to be teaching my child?
Meanwhile, there have now been four paras, and I only found out because I asked each one if they were licensed teachers. They all said they are not.
I’ve been really worried because my son has not made much academic progress. The school is not communicating with me.
My husband and I are very involved and we help our children with their homework. We have a younger child in kindergarten. Looking at our son’s work in second grade, he seems to have fallen back. I’ve been noticing there’s no homework being sent home and I’ve been reaching out to them to send work home because I know he needs it. His grades are down too. Last year, he did well.
I talked to the principal. I need the classroom to get a permanent, qualified educator to teach my child.
One time there was an incident in the classroom and my son came home with black and blue marks. I went to the school and asked how it happened, who was in the classroom?
The principal said they would speak to the other child’s parent and keep it from happening again. But I’m moving him to another school next year.
