The mayor stayed low-key about the governor at Wednesday's Q & A, but then had this to say:Other than politics (where "experienced" is now sometimes messaged as "entrenched" and becomes an albatross pols want to get rid themselves of) and teaching, I cannot think of any other careers where "experience" is so derided as worthless and perhaps even harmful."Seniority gives you the ability to have learned more as to how to deliver an education. But there are plenty of people just starting out that know how to deliver a quality education. The length of time you have worked is irrelevant to whether or not you can do what our children need."
Irrelevant? The mayor who justified seeking a third term because of his experience was saying that experience means nothing at all when it comes to teaching.
Good riddance, Mr. Chips.
Seriously, when I first started in this career back in 2000 and was looking for work, people asked if I had any experience teaching children, what I knew about teaching, what I thought, etc.
There was a specific connection between what I knew and how long I had been doing it.
The connection comes because you can KNOW something in a book without actually, you know, KNOWING it.
Over the years I have discovered various ways of reaching all kinds of students.
That knowledge has come WITH EXPERIENCE.
Don't know if that is measurable by a value-added assessment model.
Don't know if that knowledge will keep me in my job.
I DO know it has made me a better teacher.
