In my latest edition of “Why Alabama??” we will discuss how Alabama leaders are squandering money and opportunities for education success – again.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey has received an inexplicable raise. Our illustrious Alabama State Department of Education Board voted 7-1 to increase Mackey’s salary by $80,000 a year and grant him a contract extension. It appears only District 1 board member Jackie Zeigler considered Mackey’s salary increase a poor idea.
According to an Alabama Policy Institute ALDOGE chart, Mackey will now be one of the highest-paid state superintendents in the nation at $325,000 per year. Don’t ever accuse Alabama of being unwilling to reward failure. We currently boast some of the lowest reading and math proficiency scores in the country.
The internet has its pros and cons. One benefit is documentation of leaders’ proclamations that, over time, have proven wrong or, worse, idiotic. Consider a 2019 AL.com article in which Gov. Kay Ivey touted the “eradication of Common Core math” as our then-state Board of Education adopted math standards aligned to the framework tested on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Alabama middle school students were ranked dead last in math, but our eighth graders improved from 52nd (we do have only 50 states, right?) to a celebratory 49th in 2024, with Mackey stating that from day one, math improvement has always been his goal. I’m not sure he grasps the meaning of the word improvement.
Along with ridiculously subpar reading and math proficiency, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have proven a failure in public schools. Take it from me. — a substitute teacher who has worked in a variety of schools — it ain’t working. I’ve seen kids throw chairs at their peers and yell at teachers. I have been kicked, bitten, yelled at, and nearly stabbed with a pencil. And all this happened in good schools.
We have some really dedicated, loving teachers in Alabama. Many of these teachers are determined to help students learn no matter how many standardized tests they must administer or how much crap in the curriculum they have to teach around. But they should not have to worry about being hit, kicked, bitten, stabbed, or yelled at for 180 days out of the year.
According to a recent 1819 News opinion piece, two West Point graduates have come up with an alternative to SEL. Mike Erwin and Jeff Bryan served in Iraq and Afghanistan. After returning home, they began to consider how to introduce a better character education program into public schools. This desire birthed the Positivity Project (P2).
Their organization’s motto is “Other People Matter.” In a world where the self is elevated to the highest platform, being others-centered is now a novel concept indeed.
Whereas SEL doesn’t invite parental participation, P2 is completely transparent and welcomes parents to work with their children on these lessons. It doesn’t collect data on kids and only contains 15-minute courses. Unlike SEL, nothing in their program promotes political agendas or anti-American messages. They also offer a free trial for parents and schools.
Alabama is due for a complete education makeover. We need an overhaul in curriculum, character education, and behavioral discipline. We need changes at the state board of education, as well as the superintendent’s office – though it looks as if we’re locked in with Mackey thanks to our state Board of Education. We need strong school administrators who have teachers’ backs and are willing to remove disruptive children from classrooms. Alabama needs administrators who are willing to call parents and have them come pick up their child when that child is repeatedly impeding the learning environment. We are in desperate need of intelligent leaders who will make outside-the-box decisions and stop repeatedly failing our children. Our children deserve principled leaders who will help implement effective character education and ditch the “you’re enough” propaganda that has nothing to back it up except a feckless pat on the back.
Alabama’s children deserve better than they’re getting. And here’s a crazy idea - every state Board of Education member, as well as every district Board of Education member, needs to substitute teach TWICE a year. They each need to substitute teach in a classroom and as a paraprofessional. There is an adage, “experience always kills a theory.” Let’s see how the education theories stack up after spending a day with real children, teaching real lessons, and dealing with real discipline issues.
Teachers might just finally get the support and the raises they deserve.
Kristin Landers is a substitute teacher and freelance writer. Landers’ previous work includes serving as Communications Director for the Alabama Policy Institute and working for Citizens Against a Legalized Lottery (CALL) to defeat legalized gambling in the state of Alabama.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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