https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aCkVRuv-HELUOEENtsOZN7zA6X1bHFMrrTVS6FH7WMo/edit?usp=sharing
Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL
Flawed Grading
Public Reaction to Stevenson High School Grading policy aka EBR:
This is a sample of the reaction that I have gotten to resigning because of the evidence based grading policies of the school that I have taught at for 23 years. Like I explained in my letter of resignation - SHS saw my frustrations with the grading over the years but rather than dialoguing with me about it, they finally chose to issue a draconian demand that I follow all directives without any question whatsoever - even though I have had the students’ best interests in mind from the beginning. But the school’s administration continues to ignore their own failed grading policy. Below is just a sample. It does not include the countless conversations that I have had with teachers and students around the building who all say that they agree with me about the grading system forced on teachers aka EBR.
Students
___________________________
Current Student
Dear Sal,
I hope this email finds you well. I am a graduating senior at SHS and I have read your resignation letter. I just wanted to reach out and say that although I never had you as a teacher (probably because I didn’t take sociology lol), many many students, teachers, and parents share the same opinion as you. In fact, I don’t know a single student who ever complimented EBR in its entirety. I know many teachers who also had issues with the system and never know what to do, like the idea how late work doesn’t effect your grade at all. I think this is a horrible mindset to have, especially when almost everyone goes to college afterwards and turning in work late can even cause you to receive a failing grade at college. I think the entire system the Stevenson bureaucrats have built is just monstrous because it doesn’t have the right goals in mind (which should really be to do everything possible to prepare kids for life after high school) nor does it have the evidence or experimental trials needed to show it works. I remember almost every one of my freshman and sophomore year teachers said how they think this whole system will blow over in a couple years and everything will go back to traditional, unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet. Anyway, I applaud you for that truly bold move and I really hope it’s more than just a splash in the ocean. I hope other teachers/parents will speak out about it and push the board to change the school’s “leadership”.
Thank you again for speaking out, it definitely spoke for many people.
J.M.
___________________________
Former Student (2018) -
Hi Mr. Salituro,
I hope this email finds you well. I imagine you are facing a flood of
emails in your inbox voicing their support and commending you for your
words. I am a former SHS student (class of 2018), and I just graduated
UIUC with a double major in mathematics & statistics. I can only dream
of articulating my thoughts the way you so powerfully and eloquently
did in both your twitter threads, but I could not stop myself from
reaching out.
EBR was introduced in one of my classes freshman year. There was not
one person in the class - including the teacher - that benefited from
this change. This pattern continued in each class that used EBR
throughout my high school years. In each of the surveys Stevenson made
us take at the end of the year reflecting on our EBR experience, I
articulated the same problems. There is too much subjectivity in what
constitutes a 2 versus a 3. The gray area between the numbers on the
EBR scale causes students a huge disservice, which is something every
single one of my teachers agreed with.
Since the first day of freshman year, my dream was to return to
Stevenson as a math teacher. The past 4 years I have proudly stated
that I am a Stevenson graduate, and spoken highly of how Stevenson
prepares students for the future. After reading your thread along with
the multitude of responses from other students and teachers, it
saddens me to say that Stevenson is no longer a place that I would
like to return to.
I cannot thank you enough for speaking up, and I hope that your voice
continues to inspire others and leads to concrete action and change.
Best,
G. J.
___________________________
Former Student (2019)-
Good evening Mr. Salituro,
I am not sure if you remember me, but I am a graduate of Stevenson (Class of 2019!) and I took your Sociology Honors course my junior year. My younger brother, Tate Bentsen, has been telling me about your resignation from Stevenson and all the reasons why.
Wow! This movement you have created is so impactful and much needed. I am of course so sorry it had to come down to a resignation, but I applaud you and your actions regardless. I hope that you find somewhere you can thrive in and continue to do what you love.
A little about me as a Stevenson alum- EBR made me a terrible student. I never turned things in, I never did the work, I did the bare minimum because I knew I could. That is the mentality Stevenson is enforcing. When I went to college, I could not have been less prepared for how higher education really is. Deadlines are concrete in college, and it hurt me academically when I came in with a Stevenson-mindset. The grades are lazy and about “progress” at Stevenson, but in college, they couldn’t care less about how we progress. Just that we do the assignments right and on time. There is no over summer make ups, or professors who respond to emails outside of the weekdays. When I was a senior at Stevenson, they had alum come in to talk to the seniors about college and “the real world”, and the students who presented to us literally said “Stevenson did not prepare me at all for the real world.” I back that statement up 100%. My first semester at college was the most difficult and almost gave me a culture-shock on how education is outside of Stevenson. Now, I am going to start my last year at UIUC, with my grades the highest they have been, because I UNLEARNED everything from Stevenson.
If there are ways in which I can support the voice to bring change to Stevenson, please let me know how I can. You are an amazing educator, and I wish that there were more people with your type of love for teaching in administrative positions that make these decisions.
With full support,
Lana Bentsen
___________________________
Former SHS student via Twitter-
I am very sorry to hear about how the administration is handling this! I am trying to become a teacher and one of my dreams was coming back to Stevenson but now I am not so sure!
As an alumni from Stevenson I do not have fond memories of the EBR learning. This form of grading was not helpful caused more stress than necessary at an already competitive school.
___________________________
Former Student -
I hope this email finds you well.... I am a past student of yours, and ... I am currently a student at the University of Missouri and I just wanted to take a moment to send you an email…. Currently, I am a psychology major with minors in human development and family sciences and criminology/criminal and juvenile justice and multicultural studies and addiction science certificates. I am a research assistant in three labs:
Dr. Hawley’s suicide risk meta-analysis, Dr. Groh’s Family and Child Development Lab studying externalizing and internalizing disorders and temperament, and Dr. Borduin’s lab in which I am doing a long-term follow-up study on MST therapy with individuals on probation and parole. May 14th I am going to Costa Rica to do a comparative criminal justice program. By the time I graduate I will be fluent in ASL. I have been on the Dean’s list every semester and I am the president of Psi Chi, the national psychological honors society.
I say these things to you because when I was in High School, I never felt smart or successful. In the intense rigor that was Stevenson, I felt subpar at best. I was surrounded by students in Calculus 5000 while I could barely comprehend long division. Except in you and Nancy Fenton’s classes. I found my home in your classes, where I understood and valued the material and the teacher, and the teacher valued me. I stand where I am today because of you. At a point where I felt like giving up on academia, you showed me a light at the end of the tunnel that maybe college could be different. Ms. Fenton showed me the joy of learning about psychology, and you showed me the importance of the criminal justice system. I found my passion in pairing these two things together to hopefully make a difference to someone, somewhere, someday. I am successful because of the foundation of steel you built for me, and for that I will be grateful for the rest of my life. I hope to continue on to get either my Ph.D. or Psy.D. after my undergraduate studies.
EBR was fully implemented my senior year, and it was honestly laughable. I turned in an assignment in the beginning of the year and had a chance to “make it up” at the end of the year and turned in the exact same assignment and got a 4. EBR does not allow teachers like you to do your magic. It is limiting, to the point of suffocating and it is ultimately, above all, a lie. They are so busy trying to pioneer in a field, they’ve forgotten the students. You have not forgotten your students, and you have done everything in your power to stand by them to the last moment. I know how SHS can make you feel but please know you have made such a huge difference in so many people’s lives. Thank you for everything you have done for me and other students.
Best,
J. S.
___________________________
Former Student -
Your assessment of their foolhardy and unintelligible grading system is 100% accurate. All of my peer graduates detest it, and often faced serious consequences because of it. I hope they listen to you. It is teachers like you that make Stevenson a somewhat good place. I can name five teachers who gave a damn, one social worker and counselor who cared, and that's all the positive feedback I have for Stevenson is limited to those people.
R- M-
___________________________
Former Student-
@Sociologysal I’m the class of students who got EBR and standard grading (grad 2018), we KNEW that EBR was terrible from the start, we told the district! The big boys just want $ at the cost of teachers and students, and the students will ultimately suffer. I’m proud of you!
Lauren Saban
___________________________
Former Student via Twitter -
@Sociologysal Hi! This is Mars from class of ‘21. I just wanted to say even when executing a class online, you still thoroughly engaged our class and involved all of us in discussions. I feel like throughout my time at SHS, I had to constantly regurgitate information. I went throughout high school without being diagnosed with ADHD and the EBR system quickly frustrated me and burned me out. I’m very grateful to have had a teacher like you who made me want to be present during class. Thank you for making a difference.
___________________________
Current SHS student -
I just wanted to provide a student’s perspective regarding the concerns outlined in your resignation letter, blog post, and Twitter thread.
Before I do so, however, I feel I must preface that by saying you are truly one of the finest teachers I’ve had the pleasure of learning from, even if only for a semester, and other students not having that same opportunity as a result of our administration’s actions is extremely disheartening. Further, please understand that this is coming from someone who will have aced--by the time he graduates--almost three-dozen semesters’ worth of “college level” courses at what is purported to be one of the best public high schools in the country.
As for EBR, I feel that it has left me and my peers grossly underprepared for college and whatever might follow. The preponderance of my teachers feel powerless because there’s little recourse for students that show up five minutes late to class everyday, and even more egregiously, little recourse for students that don’t complete homework and submit every assignment five weeks late. It is enormously frustrating for the students, myself included, that do show up to class on time and follow deadlines when the others are rewarded with the same grade, and it is naive to believe that similar behavior is conducive to success in higher education. This is a system that inherently enables poor effort and habits in both the fundamental characteristics of being a student and learning itself.
Intrinsic leniency to such a liberal extent is a grave disservice to the student.
In terms of individual assignments, the ambiguity innately built into the grading system is counterproductive to the growth that it ostensibly promotes. For assignments graded qualitatively, students are seldom aware of what it takes to improve their grade. Most of our teachers provide excellent feedback, but because the system necessarily prevents a clear-cut definition of what constitutes mastery, it becomes extremely difficult to achieve; the system inevitably hinders the development of skills imperative to future success.
Please feel free to share.
L. H.
___________________________
Current SHS Student-
This is *** from last semester. I know I was basically an awful student in your class, but I still really appreciated all of the work you put into your classes. I found the content very interesting, even if it didn’t show, and I still check your website often! I use knowledge from your class every day and apply it to my life.
I read your post and letter of resignation, and I agree completely. I missed a lot of deadlines and things spiraled out of control. EBR really isn’t that good. I don’t think it’ll prepare me for college nor do I think that it really accurately reflects someone’s ability. What is the boundary of a 3? What about the mythical land of 4? It’s either an A or a C basically. There’s a lot that irks me about EBR….EBR made me care a lot about numbers, over 2s and 3s, how many there are of them, how many I need, what grade I need for college… I hated it. I told my mom so many times that I wish school didn’t grade in EBR, simply so that I could learn, without losing motivation just because I have enough 3s or whatever. Grades should constantly change and reflect a student’s current effort and knowledge.
You’re amazing. I know the school is crying over losing you… and so am I.
I hope you do end up happy though, and if you continue to teach sociology, those kids will be very lucky!!!
Kindest regards,
___________________________
Current SHS Student
Hi Mr. Sal!
I’ve recently read your resignation letter and I just wanted to reach out to you to say that I really don’t blame you for resigning. My family and I completely agree with everything you said about EBR being a broken system and I just wanted to voice my support for you. I am so beyond lucky to have had you as a teacher and SHS will not be the same without you. Good luck with whatever your future holds, I know that you will do great things.
___________________________
Current SHS Student:
Hi Mr. Salituro! In case you don’t remember me, which I wouldn’t blame you for, my name is *** and I was a student in your sociology class 1st semester during that dreadful year of e-learning. I just read your Twitter thread about your grievances with the Stevenson system and I thought it was incredibly well said. Me and many other students are very thankful for you for speaking out against the institutions that have caused so much confusion and strife at this school. I hope that your example stokes discussion and change at Stevenson and that these EBR years can become memories of the past. Your class was definitely a stand out in my four years at Stevenson, and it’s a shame that more kids won’t be able to have you as a teacher, but hopefully the administration and faculty take this seriously and genuine change can come of it. We all wish you luck in whatever the future holds for you.
Thank you very much,
___________________________
Former SHS student via twitter-
Thanks for speaking up. I know personally when the EBR system was beginning to be implemented, I and many others had concerned talks with @areibel about how harmful it was to students and how it just doesn’t work in a system where you need to eventually convert to final grades
It was clear that he and other administrators just didn’t care about our concerns and how to improve the system if it was inevitable (I wonder why, he wrote books and devoted a lot of his life to pushing this system…)
And it was also clear from talking to teachers how much they disliked it, but none were willing to go on record for concerns you mentioned. I hope @areibel and other SHS admins can take a step back and realize the harm they are causing by pushing an unfinished at best system
___________________________
Former SHS student-
Just wanted to wish you well as you wrap up your time at Stevenson. I always knew that EBR stuff was BS aimed at putting $$$ in the pockets of admin, but wow….. Since being in college, I have wondered on many occasions how the hell SHS kids will survive at the elite institutions everyone brags about on May 1st, because once you get to college, each and every point on literally every assignment counts toward your final grade. No skipping assignments or arbitrary boosts if the professor likes you.
___________________________
Current SHS Student:
I just wanted to reach out and thank you for everything. I genuinely loved being in your class so much and I am so extremely grateful I had the opportunity to learn from you. Your care and passion towards not only teaching, but also to helping the whole student (inside and outside of the classroom) was something that I really valued and not something I see a lot here at Stevenson. I really looked forward to your class everyday and it was definitely one of the most interesting and fun classes I have ever taken. I also just wanted to say I wholeheartedly agree that EBR doesn’t work for students or teachers and the system as a whole has left me entirely unprepared for college and life post Stevenson and I have really appreciated your advocacy on this subject. It really saddens me to see administration continue to support a flawed system that hurts students and teachers. But anyways I just wanted to thank you for everything because you’ve really changed lives during your time at Stevenson!
___________________________
Current SHS Student
I was not a student of yours but my name is ***, a senior, and I am friends with your current student *** and former student ***. With the spreading news of your resignation, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to advocate for the students. You are a favorite teacher by so many and it’s a shame that Stevenson is losing such an influential teacher. While I never had the chance to take your class, I can say that the steps you have taken to protect and help students has gone beyond your classroom and your impact doesn’t stop at Stevenson. Your future students are very lucky.
Thank you again,
___________________________
Current SHS Student
Subject: Thank You
Hi Mr. Sal, I had your sociology dual credit class my junior year, 2nd semester. After seeing your letter of resignation, I know a lot of students must be sending a very similar email to this one. I wanted to let you know how much of an impact you had on my life and learning. Your class was eye opening, your love for 90s hip-hop was passionate, and your love for teaching all contributed to your class. Your course taught countless students how to think sociologically, which I believe the world needs much more of. I will always have your teachings with me throughout life and other experiences, and for that I cannot thank you enough, Sal. I only wish you the best after this semester, you truly do deserve it :)
Much Love,
___________________________
Former SHS Student
My name is ***. I recently stumbled across your Twitter thread and letter of resignation. I am currently a sophomore student at UIUC studying English with a concentration in secondary education (with a minor in mathematics as well! I am hoping to teach high school students, either English or Mathematics). As a high school graduate in 2020, I was lucky enough to have limited exposure to EBR in my classes -- they were limited to my English and Spanish courses (non AP), with a few classes my senior year being EBR. I loved my experience at Stevenson (though it was very stressful!) because I feel like it more than adequately prepared me for college. I take the good with the bad because of this.
However, I have two younger sisters at Stevenson (I believe you had ***, the elder of the two), and I completely agree with your assessment of Stevenson shifting gears and doing a disservice to their students. I am also tutoring 3 current Stevenson students privately and I see the disconnect that Common Core provides for the students. A few anecdotal examples of this:
1) When complaining to my sister about the finals I have to take for my college courses, she replied, "Don't you have A's in your classes? Why do you have to take finals?" She genuinely had NO IDEA that finals, in college and not to mention at most other normal high schools, were mandatory. The norm for her is that if she has an A, or even is happy with her current grade, she is not tested on the material from the whole year. This in itself is a HUGE disservice to the students. I fear for her when she gets to college and has little experience studying for all of the content from a course. The only true summative assessment is the AP exam, and even with this, I fear that AP scores will go down -- because if your FIRST experience in studying cumulatively is for your first AP exam - I just don't see how this could go well.
2) This phenomenon is not contained in the instance of my sister, as I'm sure you know. When tutoring two sophomore girls, I created a detailed study plan for final exams. However, when it came to start studying, they decided that they were happy with the A's and few B's that they had, and decided to opt out of all of their finals. I was flabbergasted that Stevenson was creating an environment where if you're content with your grade (or maybe, as high school students, they don't want to study) then there is no need to study for a cumulative exam. Maybe it's because I'm jaded and just took a final exam worth 40% of my grade -- but this will NOT fly in college.
3) I had a parent come to me begging me to help her daughter with her lack of motivation for classes. As her tutor, the student's mother told me that her daughter was failing all of her classes (did not take any of her formatives or summatives), but then because of EBR, her teachers let her take all of her tests at the end of the term. She passed classes she should not have, and her mother said she was disappointed with how Stevenson enabled her daughter's bad habits. This girl is now off to college, and we are all severely worried about her. Stevenson has done her a disservice, and I do not think she will be successful in college. I would love for her to prove me wrong, but given the trends I have seen, I am hesitant.
As (hopefully) a future educator, this is all so disheartening to me. When first going into teaching, my plan was to apply to Stevenson to teach due to the great pay and my love for all of my teachers at the school. However, after these experiences and reading your experience, I cannot, in good conscience, return to Stevenson to teach if EBR and Common Core is still practiced there. I would like to thank you for your words and courage in sharing your experiences and tell you that they have caused a lot of strong discourse within the community of alums.
___________________________
Former SHS student-
Dear Sal,
I graduated from Stevenson in 2010. Your class made such a lasting impact on me that I ended up becoming a teacher. When I had your class, our final was to participate in community service, and I still remember fondly going with you and a small group to work at a lovely soup kitchen downtown. No other class I have ever taken has ever opened my eyes to how important giving back to the community is, and this was one of the reasons I decided to go into teaching (after a short stint of working as a line cook).
I saw your letter of resignation and all your frustrations that someone shared on facebook, and my heart goes out to you. It's incredibly sad to hear how much the district has changed and that the grading philosophies have deteriorated so profoundly. I wish I could say things are different where my husband and I teach -- he in high school english at *** and myself at *** in third grade. We too have witnessed first hand how much of a disservice EBR does to students. It's hard to feel optimistic about the state of education and setting up the next generation for success.
With that being said, I wanted to reach out and thank you for all the long hours, love, money, and heart you poured into all your students over your years at Stevenson. The lessons you taught us are alive and well in the lessons I teach to my students -- we take time each day to build community with each other, and give back to the community around us. I've partnered with a nursing home down the street that we do outreach with. We have long discussions in class regarding our individual identities and how important it is to be aware of our own bias and experiences as we study uncomfortable moments in American history…. None of this work I do today would be possible without the seeds you planted when I was in your class.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me become the person and teacher I am.
All the best,
___________________________
Former SHS Student-
I graduated Stevenson high school early this past December. I made the decision to graduate early because I hated Stevenson so much from the administration, to their teaching strategies, and to how terribly they treated their students just to have a high ranking for “best school awards”. My friend told me about everything that you are doing and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for standing up for all the people that have to stay silent because they are either afraid to get fired, or for students who are afraid to get a bad grade/ face consequences. The past 4 years I've been constantly debating making videos to post all over social media about how terribly this school and their system treated me but I was too afraid for the backlash. The point of this email was to just thank you and explain how myself and many around me respect you. Although I never had you as a teacher, I really wish I did! Feel free to post this email and do whatever with it!
___________________________
Parents
Parent of current and former student-
I’m sad that you feel the need to retire from teaching. I had 3 children go through SHS under the old system and they were all well prepared for the academics at the next level. My 4th child is a junior. I have been saying the same things since learning about the grading system. It is awful and every teacher seems to agree. Last year my son had a grade of A/B going into a math final. I took him to tutors to help him prepare. After the exam he felt knew each question and got 100%. He wound up getting the B. I inquired as to his score on the final. The teacher was kind and wrote a well thought out 6 paragraph response about standards. I responded by once again inquiring about his score. I was again told about standards. I thanked her again and repeated my question asking “did he get a 98%, 92%, 84%, 73%, 65% etc….” The teacher responded that she doesn’t grade the test that way and doesn’t know how many questions my son answered correctly. She said he used strategies that were not taught in the class (guess utilizing tutors wasn’t a good idea) so he didn’t properly dominate the strategies/standards taught. It was a math class and it was irrelevant if the answer was correct. How silly is that?
Parent of current student-
Hello,
My daughter, a freshman at Stevenson, just forwarded me your recently published article. I just finished reading it and had to send you an email of congratulations. I am not sure if anything will change because of the large amounts of money at hand. As we know, money is powerful. It can silence many! I have four children. Two are in the district, a freshman and a seventh grader. I also have a 9 and 7 year old that I have been homeschooling and they have never attended school in our district. I had my own questions about our elementary school district and could see in meetings with the school that there was never an active ear listening with any interest to constructive criticism regarding their curriculum and grading system. So, I just decided to school my younger ones myself, as my older ones were too socially invested to leave. The other day, we brought out old-school Mad Libs. My 9 year old had to instruct my seventh grader on what adjectives and adverbs were so she could play along. There are so many ways I could respond and say how much I agree with you. Although, I think it will be much simpler to just say thank you so much for your courage and directness in your writing. I hope this article gets views from the entire district and then some. I hope that more teachers decide to stand up for what’s right. Regardless if the needle moves, you should feel solidly proud of yourself for speaking out. If nothing else, it was cathartic for you to write and cathartic for me to read. Good luck to you on your retirement.
Many thanks,
Teachers
SHS faculty -
Sad to see you go and move on because I know the impact you have made on students like me. But I am simultaneously in awe of your courage and honesty in this letter. I think it should be shared with every teacher here. The truth that is spoken is pure, raw, and TRUE!!
SHS faculty -
I support your decision and know how much you are suffering to have to leave, but it really sucks to be left - I don’t want to teach without you next year so still struggling to accept that.
SHS faculty -
Where’s the grace and flexibility for you? You are remarkable for having the courage to speak the truth and not leave quietly. You are a true warrior for students and teachers.
SHS faculty -
I feel very sad. But, I get it. You will be missed by many. A true shame and I am deeply saddened. This whole thing is just sad because you mean a whole lot to many.
SHS faculty -
I’ve said from the beginning that SHS did never needed EBR…it is a system designed for [other schools that face challenges that SHS does not have]
SHS faculty -
I’m incredibly sad that this is the last group of students at SHS that you will have. Teaching with you has been so inspiring for me. I appreciate all the time that you spent mentoring me when I started along with all of the love and support along the way.
Local Teacher -
I have been witnessing [you] go through this for the last couple of years. And I am wrecked. [You are] one of - if not THE - best teachers, teacher leaders, and compassionate educators I have ever known. I am losing one of my most trusted colleagues and although we will continue to be friends, it feels like a huge loss. [You] have always inspired me to continue to grow and develop as a teacher and as a human being. [You] were my organizational, pedagogical, and creative partner for more than 16 years.
Seeing [you] struggle only made what has been a very hard year even more difficult.
Local Teacher -
I've been teaching at ***l for 28 years. I've dedicated so much of my life to this community and profession. But as I'm sure you can guess, everything is going to hell here, too. All logic, reason, imploring, evidence fall on deaf ears. I am discouraged, frustrated, and hopeless. There happened to be a part time position in our dept for next year, and even though it is going to be a huge financial hardship for me to take it, I did because my mental health demanded it. I'm really sorry you experienced the same ill-conceived grading policies we have implemented and they affected you the same way. Thank you for sharing your resignation letter; I know it's making its rounds among our faculty and hopefully our BOE. I feel our only hope at this point lies with the district parents who are finally starting to get angry and vocal.
I wish you luck with your future pursuits, and I hope the knowledge of all the lives you touched throughout your career brings you pride and peace.
Greenfield, IN teacher -
I just wanted to send a short note of appreciation. You are a great educator. I have always enjoyed your information and attendance at conferences.
Thank you!
Local Teacher -
It's simultaneously comforting and distressing to know that teachers at other schools and districts are experiencing the same thing that my colleagues and I have been seeing in our district. The bar has continued to be lowered and students are no longer challenged; teachers, instead, are blamed for holding anything resembling accountability toward students who submit, in many cases literally, nothing all semester and expect to be passed. I have only been teaching for 9 years, but this year I have frequently pondered how sustainable this career will be for me, as the situation is not getting better. Indeed, the situation isn't even maintaining - it just keeps getting worse.
Chris, I am saddened to hear that you are resigning, but I fully empathize and support your decision. Your resignation letter spoke to me on a visceral level. For whatever it's worth, you have been a huge help to me (and I'm sure countless other teachers) in addition to your students over the years. I hope you continue (or at least leave up) your Ways of Thinking blog; it's been an invaluable resource for me as I continually try to improve my own sociology course.
Because that's what teachers do: we keep trying to improve. We adapt, modify, and refine our pedagogy to meet our students' needs, but the people directing us are wildly out of touch with what is going on in our classrooms. It is akin to generals ignoring the reports from the field and ordering another charge into the breach for a battle in which victory can't even be properly defined.
Parent/Teacher
I’ve said from the beginning that Stevenson never needed EBR…it is a system designed for schools that face attendance challenges and high failure rates. We were never that… fortunately, I am in a spot that I can make it work without the stress, I had to learn to control my personal feelings on accountability etc…we are non GPA, but I tell students If they can’t complete work in a timely fashion, I’m not required to give them a road test…their choice.
You are remarkable for having the courage to speak the truth and not leave quietly. You are a true warrior for students and teachers! I am so proud of you!
Former SHS Teacher -
I just read your resignation on Twitter. I am so sorry it’s come to this! You were one of my most influential teacher mentors as I found my way as a 24 year old. Your students LOVE you. Our profession is in so much trouble when we lose people like you. I’m thinking of you and your family.
Former SHS Teacher:
Chris, I resigned from SHS in **** after *** and I offered to pilot SBG in the English department, voiced similar concerns. Your resignation and subsequent post is courageous and truly the only way anything will change. Kudos!
Local Teacher -
I just wanted to send you a quick note in support of your resignation. I read your post and your entire resignation letter. I teach at a school that adopted PLC's and touted the Stevenson way. We are currently in the midst of conversations surrounding grading policies that have done a disservice to students. So much of what you wrote resonated with me. I have moved to reading assessments to have kids demonstrate application in Sociology too and the turn in rate and work quality is declining by the minute.
I shared your post with my entire department and chair, it reinforced a message I tried to send at our last department meeting about the need for administration to slow down and listen to the teachers.
You have always been so welcoming and your course and passion for Sociology has been an inspiration. You will be missed! I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Local Union President
Right on, brother!
My name is *** and I am a teacher and the *** Association President. I shared your story with my building head reps and encouraged all of them to continue the dialog with their staff.
Our Union is engaged in this epic struggle as well. If we lose, nobody else is coming to save us. We either step or get steamrolled. The choice is ours.
I will be using your story as a rallying cry for one last-ditch effort to effectuate change. I will keep you posted on our progress. If ever I can be of any service to you, don't hesitate to reach out via email or my cell.
Local Teacher -
My Dear Friend,
I haven't had the opportunity to read everything yet, but having skimmed it, I am both sorry and proud to hear of your most difficult decision.
It sounds like *** and Stevenson (and perhaps all districts throughout the state and country) are experiencing similar situations.
These strongly influenced my decision to retire as early as possible (next school year) rather than teach through 2030.
It is not the same profession that we started in so many years ago.
I look forward to getting together over this summer to discuss this further in person.
Local Teacher -
I am so sorry to hear about your resignation. You have been an incredible resource to the entire sociology community and your passion for teaching is second to none. I am so sorry this happened, but I applaud your character for standing up for what is right. Good luck in the future and I will surely save this email and explanations about grading practices as our district heads into this direction.
Skybridge, Utah teacher -
Chris, I read through your reasons and believe it to be so hard for you. I actually re-opened my Twitter account just to read it.
I am seeing how lucky I am to not face these issues (some I could not have dreamed up - they are that bad). Maybe there is an option for you in Utah? Its not perfect by any means, but I work in a system where "every teacher is an English teacher", we try to match rigor with responsibility and growth, and my group email text to all teachers is alive and well.
Again, I am really sorry to read about your situation and hope some good can come to it and to you.
Thank you for your leadership and kindness.
Teacher from the Rocky Mountains-
I have never met you, yet I see you as a mentor of sorts. As a singleton teacher in my district, your blog and this Google Group have been the sole source of professional development during my 10 years of teaching Sociology. I am a better teacher because of you.
I also want to thank you for being transparent about mastery learning. Our district attempted to switch to [this grading] around 2015-2016, and it was a top-down decision. We even had someone from Stevenson come speak to us about the benefits of the approach. You were kind enough to share your process with me. But at the secondary level the flaws became apparent quickly. I won't go into further details except to note that eventually the pot boiled over, and right before Covid hit our district agreed to stop pursuing/enforcing mastery--- however, the state continues to push the adoption of these methods. Because of that, I have shared your letter with all of my colleagues as a warning.
You have my endless admiration and gratitude.
Minnesota teacher -
Big loss for Stevenson.
San Diego, California Teacher-
Wow! I am so sorry you went through this!
How very sad but alas a testament to the state of education these days. We were just told students can still walk at graduation if they are short 10 credits. Of course, we have been telling students all along they can't, so where is the motivation to do anything if admin and the district goes behind our backs and doesn't tell (or ask) us.
Maryland teacher -
I am a teacher in Howard County, Maryland. I have been a part of the Chicago Area Sociology teachers group for 10 years. In that time YOU have enlightened me with articles, quotes, news articles and compassion around my teaching of Sociology. I am sad you are leaving but please know, I too am retiring from my position of 30 years (with 49 years of teaching in total) for the same reasons. Good luck on your next journey, you are certainly going to make a difference wherever you go, whoever you touch.
Denver, Colorado teacher -
It is bittersweet to hear, and read, your letter of resignation. Ironically, I put in my notice last week to resign at the end of the year after 14 years.
The frustrations you have were the same frustrations I experienced when I moved out to Denver 9 years ago and found that Standards Based Grading was just being introduced. Fortunately, we as teachers fought back and won and were able to transition back to traditional grading about 5 years ago. But it upsets me that even with all of your efforts, data collection, communication, etc., your district still wants to continue pushing this bullshit grading system on its students and teachers. I couldn't agree with you more on your observations of the flaws in Standards Based Grading. It was so evident to me even in year one that it's hard to believe it is still being promoted, hell pushed, onto educators still to this day. You fought the good fight, I don't blame you for leaving.
Education is losing a GREAT leader and I appreciate all the work you've done, especially for the Sociology curriculum. Yourself and CAST inspired me to start the first-ever Sociology curriculum here in Aurora, CO, a district of over 10,000 students, and even though I transitioned to a Dean of Students a few years ago, it is still running strong at our school and making an impact on kids' lives.
So THANK YOU and best to you in the near future. You deserve better Chris. Go out and find that "better".
Central Oregon teacher -
Hi Sal, I was very sad to read your resignation letter. I frequently scour your blog for great Sociology teaching ideas. Many of your frustrations sound like mine. Many of my colleagues are leaving the profession, veteran teachers with very similar stories to yours. I have also contemplated leaving the profession, but feel like I’ve fought too hard and too long to give my district the satisfaction of my departure. Still, it feels like a hopeless battle. What will you do next? I wish you the very best and just wanted to let you know that your work matters a ton. My students benefited from your ideas all the way out here in Central Oregon :)
Local Teacher -
Sorry to hear of your struggles though can't say I'm surprised. From a Sociological perspective, noticed education and our morale has sunk since the 2008 economic downturn in our district. Though like you, I haven't lost my love for students, I'm very disappointed with the current state.
We've seen the same wave here with our superintendent over his years, initiative after initiative to separate us from the expertise and judgement we were hired to create. Students are detached from content in favor of whatever "skills" they're hawking, aka the newest flavor. Also noticed our district administrators have instituted a culture of fear to separate us into those that "buy in" and are rewarded, and those who know better and are still open-minded. Always tried to do what I thought was best for students; the reason I was transferred from *** to *** almost a decade ago when I questioned my new "buy-in" DC.
Local teacher -
Just sending you well wishes as I saw your tweet. Stevenson will definitely miss you. Hopefully we can cross paths to discuss ideas for sociology classes. One of my colleagues has a lot of friends who graduated from Stevenson and she shared how many of them loved having you as a teacher during their time in Stevenson. Thank you for sharing your truth!
Professors
Robert H-W, Professor of Sociology, Western Illinois University
Hi Chris - I am replying to all.
First, I am so very sorry for you. That the erosion of basic competencies in reading, writing and arithmetic has continued to the point that the best students are not systemically expected to excel. I too have noticed the effects of this on the receiving end of your output - high school graduates. Some are always very well prepared. But not all. I have somewhat more students now who are simply ill-prepared to write logical and structurally sound essays, even when I provide them with a seven-page guideline for crafting a five page paper.
I have always been loathe to assume "these students are worse than students in the past," as many of my higher education colleagues like to say. I have always assumed that my job is to educate future leaders. I understand intimately the relationship between teaching and learning. These are simultaneous and symbiotic activities. If only one is occurring, then neither is possible. Both must occur at the same time. Students must engage the materials in order to be guided further. Unfortunately, we seem to be evolving more toward a process in which we tell students what to write and they write what we tell them to write (in the best case scenario). My students in higher education are more concerned with having access to my lecture notes, my PowerPoint presentations, grading rubrics, the authors' practice quizzes and other ancillary materials, than they are concerned with reading and discussions based upon the readings.
We have created a system in which education seems less about creating the future leaders of our communities, and more about producing workers who can follow instructions blindly and without thinking.
It is a sad state of affairs, and as one who has always, truly admired your commitment to "teaching-and-learning" as a genuinely essential skill for the betterment of our shared, social communities and workplaces, I am deeply saddened that you now feel compelled to exit the field rather than continuing. Your students there, and our readers here are at a real loss. But I appreciate your concerns about hegemonic commitments to "standards based grading" at the administrative levels of leadership and government, and your sense of systemically-induced losses regarding for our students' future potentials. It is truly a sad place we occupy right now.
If I can offer any hope, rest assured that our social world will move forward again, just as it has transitioned backward over the past decade or so. These systemic progression-followed-by-regression patterns of social change are inevitable, and I pray we are now at the far end of one of these regression cycles.
You are a leader, and you have led well. Thank you.
Robert H-W
Professor of Sociology
Western Illinois University
Jeffrey Chin, Professor of Sociology, Le Moyne College
Chris: I read your blog and, like Robert's response, I can see the effects of the system in which you are working in my work life.
I don't have answers, but I wanted you to know that I enjoyed the brief moments when our careers intersected. You were doing good work!
Jeffrey Chin
Professor of Sociology, Le Moyne College
