https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1j7g0on/admin_wants_consistency_across_all_classes_in/
created by ifellalot on 09/03/2025 at 19:52 UTC
20 upvotes, 14 top-level comments (showing 14)
Middle School teacher here. My school’s Director of Academics and one of our Learning Support teachers is on a crusade to “support executive functioning” in our students and so we’re being tasked with coming up with “consistent practices” for all classes taught at a grade level. So all grade 7 teachers must do things this way… I don’t disagree on principle, in fact, I know the value of consistency for students.
For context, I teach at a small school with four sections per grade. I teach Humanities, and I teach two of the four sections. The other Humanities teacher teaches the other two, and there are Math/Science Teachers that each teach two sections. The central idea would be that my students would have similar practices in my classes and their math/science classes. However, we’re being asked to have the same approach for the entire grade. Even in homeroom, we need to have the same practices for start, middle, end of our 15 minute morning homeroom. My homeroom students ONLY have homeroom with me, so how does that create consistency for the students?
My concern is that this is conformity, not consistency. I deeply value relationships with my students, and I tend to be responsive in the moment to what is going on with them, and in my planning, I leave wiggle room for that. I always start and end my classes the same way, however, and base my teaching on evidence-based methods and strategies. My other Humanities counterpart is a Type-A organizer and has a regimented class where every student knows where to go, they sit quietly and await instructions and she runs a very tight ship. She is a phenomenal educator and I have deep, deep respect for her. But I am not her. Nor will I ever be. One of the other core teachers at my grade level is more like me, and relies heavily on student interest for classroom engagement and management, and the fourth teacher in my grade level is somewhere in between. All amazing teachers. None of us are the same, and we’re all frustrated.
The Director of Academics is also a Type-A organizer (and not a good teacher from what I’ve ever witnessed and students do not form relationships with her), so you can see what practices might be the model for this push for “consistency”.
Does anyone have thoughts, research, or resources that might help push back against this? We have a very civil staff environment, and the DoA is not unreasonable, she’s just set in her view of a “good teacher” and “good classroom”. The Learning Support teacher responds well to research, so I’ve been loading up on that, but I know my biases and am hoping for any thoughts (contrary to my own beliefs are obviously encouraged).
Thanks in advance!
Comment by MonkeyTraumaCenter at 09/03/2025 at 20:01 UTC
13 upvotes, 1 direct replies
My district is low-key pushing this. They'll tell us that they don't want us being in lockstep or doing a scripted curriculum, but we are getting more and more to do that is pushing us further down this road.
Honestly, the last few years have been sucking the joy out of teaching. I am trying to find it where I can, but the barrage of data sheets and district mandates and meetings is killing me.
Comment by old_Spivey at 09/03/2025 at 20:39 UTC
11 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It doesn't work. It isn't present in the real world. Children aren't computers that need a single platform. It is a result of stupid people with ideas they can't extrapolate.
Comment by Several-Honey-8810 at 09/03/2025 at 20:57 UTC
12 upvotes, 0 direct replies
no two teachers can ever teach the same way, act the same way, respond the same way, etc the same way.
Why admin expect this is beyond me.
Had admin one that wanted science to only give homework on Tuesday and english on Wednesday. How is that possible.
Comment by MollyPanse at 09/03/2025 at 19:56 UTC
34 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Like I did in the Army, I say yes sir, ma’am then go do whatever I want.
Comment by LegitimateStar7034 at 09/03/2025 at 21:08 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I teach Learning Support. 7-12. I’d never ask this. Students need routine and consistency but things change, stuff happens and every teacher is different. Which is lovely and what I want my students to experience.
You should base your teaching off the students like you’re doing.
Comment by DiceyPisces at 09/03/2025 at 22:26 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Sounds like a step before ai teaching tbh
Not a fan
Comment by Sea_Row_6291 at 09/03/2025 at 23:29 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Are they new to their positions? People feel a need to make a mark and justify their position. Generally, a one size fits all directive that looks good on paper. Do enough not to get hassled, then just do it your way. Odds are next year less than half the teachers will follow the directive, and the year after, everyone will forget.
Comment by THEMommaCee at 09/03/2025 at 23:52 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Things that *should* be consistent throughout the school: proper heading on papers; greet students at the door; address tardiness to class the same (except 1st period where kids have no control); put students’ learning objectives on the board in kid-friendly language; course-alikes should be on a similar pace; gum, food, bathroom procedures; major end-of-unit assessments
Things that *should* be left to individual teachers: everything else
Comment by Alarmed_Geologist631 at 10/03/2025 at 00:31 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Retired high school math teacher here. Also served as department chair for several years. For each course, we used common pacing guides and common summative assessments but we never tried to require common teaching styles or methods.
Comment by Desperate_Owl_594 at 10/03/2025 at 03:58 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
This is essentialism. What you want is constructivism.
You can look for research on those two terms and just read some. Print them out and call out their bullshit.
Comment by Independent-Vast-871 at 09/03/2025 at 23:10 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
So we want a teacher like me... who couldn't run a debate if my life depended on it... if our collaborative community decides that teaching a lesson using a debate gets to fail my kids on that standard because I can't do that method of teaching well at all?
Sounds like success to me!!!
Comment by empressadraca at 10/03/2025 at 00:34 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The three middle schools in my district have to teach the same thing on the same day (if you can, leeway is expected with the expectation that by the end of the year you all taught the same things and graded them pretty much the same with equal expectations). I just make sure I talk with my counterparts and we do it the same way. It's easy and honestly my school has benefited from it because we are doing things the same way as the higher scoring school and grades/scores are rising.
Comment by golden_rhino at 10/03/2025 at 01:59 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I guess parents are complaining that the other teacher is easier, and their kid is at a disadvantage. The “other” teacher is always cooler and easier.
Comment by StopblamingTeachers at 09/03/2025 at 20:22 UTC
-5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I think teachers are generally extreme conformists. A chemistry teacher is basically the same everywhere on the planet.
Students are becoming worse, lowering the requirements to executive functioning is more just. I’ve had extremely autistic students who love science and perform great. Their executive functioning was bottom percentile, and I didn’t penalize them for it.
The homeroom conformity will likely be expanded to include every grade.
I would thoroughly de-emphasize evidence in education. Our researchers aren’t very good compared to any other academic field. Ethics binds human experimentation pretty strictly.
Maybe conformity is good if it helps children. You’re a teacher.
It’s a small school. It doesn’t really matter.