New York City posted the nomination narratives from its “Thank a Teacher” awards program. Here’s the first one, about a physics teacher named Sidney Harris:
Mr. Harris’s expertise was in physics but what he taught me went far beyond science. He pushed me. He shaped the way I thought about my future. And he set expectations for me that were, before then, unimaginable.
What was his value-added on this kid’s Physics Regents? We’ll never know, but Mr. Harris’ former student Joel Klein says: “I really believe I am chancellor today in no small measure because of Sidney Harris.” Read a handful of these narratives and then ask yourself if we should evaluate teachers primarily based on their students’ test scores.