Female High School Teachers in Metro Detroit:
Case Studies
Connor Larson
Running head: TEACHERS CASE STUDY 1
Oakland University
Abstract
The purpose of the following three case studies is to gain knowledge on and examine the issues that high school teachers in the Metro Detroit area face. These issues will be looked at through the perspective of female high school teachers, as the interviews focused on this particular gender, rather than a combination of both male and female interviewees. The primary research composed and provided for the case studies was conducted in the form of interviews with female high school teachers in Metro Detroit, all of which were done by means of personal, face-to-face communication. The findings of the primary research are then compared to the results of the secondary research for this project to thoroughly evaluate the issues that high school teachers face.
Keywords: education, female teachers, high school, Metro Detroit, school funding,
student-teacher relationships, teachers, standardized testing
Female High School Teachers in Metro Detroit: Case Studies
Budget cuts. Rising class sizes. Teaching for the test. These are some of the specific issues that high school teachers face, and also the ones that this ethnography project focus on. The primary research gathered from the three separate face-to-face interviews with the female high school teachers is being compared and contrasted to the secondary research that was found, regarding high school teachers. By comparing these two forms of research, the severity and impact of the issues at hand will be discussed in the following three case studies.
Case Study 1: Mrs. D
Mrs. D was interviewed in her classroom, by means of face-to-face communication, on October 25, 2016. This interviewee preferred not to have her real name used in this case study; therefore, she will go by the pseudonym Mrs. D. She is a high school teacher in the Metro Detroit area, and she currently teaches Marketing I, Small Business/ Specialty Marketing, and Finance. She attended Central Michigan University, where she got her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, with her major being in Business Education. She also attended the University of Michigan, where she got her Master of Public Administration degree. She is also vocationally certified, and has ten years of teaching experience. The purpose of the interview with Mrs. D was to gain insight into her personal thoughts on the common issues that teachers face.
The first issue that was talked about during the interview with Mrs. D was the issue of budget cuts in the school system. When this issue of budget cuts was brought about and she was asked if she experiences negative effects from budget cuts, she said, “Personally, I do not get affected by the budget cuts” (personal communication, October 25, 2016). This quote is largely related to the funding of professional development conferences teat teachers want and need to attend in order to improve their teaching methods. The funding for these conferences is limited due to the budget cuts. However, since she is a vocationally certified CTE teacher, these conferences continue to be funded. However, this continued funding is not the case for all teachers. Most are not vocationally certified, so they face negative effects of budget cuts. This is consistent with the counterargument that centralizing funding can lead to unintended consequences (Zimmer & Jones, 2005), with one of those consequences being that teachers are not able to attend as many professional conferences as they would otherwise like to be a part of.
Next, the idea of larger class sizes was brought about in the interview. When discussing this topic, Mrs. D was asked if the increased class sizes affect individual attention. She answered that, “One-on-one time with students is definitely affected” (personal communication, October 25, 2016). In particular she said, “Time to individually sit down with students and discuss their resumé is limited” (personal communication, October 25, 2016). With Mrs. D being a Business Education teacher, individually meeting with each student to discuss their resumé is crucial to what she is trying to accomplish in the classroom. This is consistent with the research that bigger classes will decrease the amount of time that can be spent on instruction and dealing with the individual child (Blatchford, Bassett, & Brown, 2011).
Lastly, the idea of increased standardized testing was brought up in the interview between Mrs. D and myself. When Mrs. D was asked if teaching for the test was something that she has to do for her classes in order to cover the specific areas included on the test, she replied, “It does feel like I must teach for the test to meet what has to be covered” (personal communication, October 25, 2016). The claim she makes here is consistent with the research that claims that using standardized test scores as a measure of teacher effectiveness pressures teachers to reduce the content of their curriculum to students’ acquisition of only the knowledge and skills necessary for passing the test (Aydeniz, 2012). While still on the topic of standardized testing, she said that the increased use of standardized testing “limits the individual creativity of students and lessons” (personal communication, October 25, 2016). This statement aligns with the research that these continuous standardized tests lead to loss in the diversity of teachers, the diversity in the course work, and the loss of critical thinkers (McCracken & McCracken, 2001).
Case Study 2: Lisa Papacek
Lisa Papacek was interviewed in her classroom at Henry Ford II High School in Sterling Heights on October 27, 2016. For her college education, Mrs. Papacek attended Michigan State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, with a minor in Physical Science. Following that, she received her Master’s in Educational Leadership from Saginaw Valley State University. She has twenty three years of experience, teaching both mathematics and science, and she currently teaches pre-calculus at her high school. This interview with Lisa Papacek was conducted in order to determine her opinions on the common issues that teachers face, which have been previously researched.
The first issue that was brought up in the interview with Mrs. Papacek was that of budget cuts. When asked what types of things in the classroom are affected by the budget cuts, Papacek replied, “I’m not able to order teacher resources, new books, calculators, and tables for the room. Also, programs are cut, teachers are moved from building to building, and field trips are affected” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). This quote goes to show that many things, even things that are not thought of initially, are affected by these budget cuts. This is consistent with the research that says that centralizing funding can lead to unintended consequences (Zimmer & Jones, 2005).
The next issue that was brought up in the interview was that of rising class sizes. When asked if rising class sizes have a negative impact on student performance, Papacek said, “Based on my experience, students do better in a smaller setting” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). When the classes are smaller, she feels that she is able to get around to them individually, get to know them better, and promote a positive class environment. The claims that she made here are consistent with the research that states smaller class sizes have positive effects on pupil academic performance (Blatchford, Bassett, & Brown, 2011).
Another issue that was discussed was the increased use of standardized testing. When asked if the increased use of standardized testing has affected her curriculum, Mrs. Papacek said, “It has changed how I teach. I have to make sure what is on the test is incorporated into the lessons, even if it is from a previous class” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). Not only does she have to focus on teaching specific areas of the curriculum for the test, she even has to focus on areas of study that have already been touched upon in previous classes in order to make sure that the students are well-equipped with the knowledge they need for the test. This is in agreement with the research that says there is a growing concern among educators about standardized testing’s influence on curriculum, teaching, instructional time, and student learning (Aydeniz, 2012). Papacek continued on to say, “In order for students to succeed on those tests, the curriculum needs to be consistent with the tests. This takes away time from other things, such as projects” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). She has to focus her lessons more on straightforward methods of teaching rather than more creative forms of teaching. This is in agreement with the research that states that teachers are pressured to focus on using traditional instructional and assessment practices that have been effective in improving students’ achievement scores on statewide-standardized tests (Aydeniz, 2012).
Case Study 3: Tracey Metro
Tracey Metro was interviewed in person at her classroom on October 27, 2016. For her college education, she attended Oakland University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Spanish Language and Literature and her minor in U.S. History. She has twenty one years of teaching experience; all of which have been at Henry Ford II High School, which is where she currently teaches at. Right now, she teaches Spanish III, Spanish IV, and Advanced Placement Spanish V. The interview with Tracey Metro was held and conducted in order to get her opinion on the common issues that teachers face in the classroom.
The first issue that was talked about with Mrs. Metro was that of budget cuts in the school district. When asked if she sees, firsthand, the negative effects of the budget cuts, she said, “Yes, I do experience negative effects. Personally, I’m not able to get new books and workbooks for my classes” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). This statement made by Mrs. Metro is in agreement with the research that says that centralizing funding can lead to unintended consequences (Zimmer & Jones, 2005). These unintended consequences include not being able to purchase resources for the classroom, which is exactly what Mrs. Metro has to deal with.
The next issue that was brought up was the issue of rising class sizes. When asked if the size of the class affects the method of teaching and the academic performance of the students, Mrs. Metro replied, “It depends on what level of students are being talked about. The AP students are fine either way, but the Spanish II students are worse off with higher class sizes” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). This agrees with the research that smaller classes have positive effects on pupil academic performances (Blatchford, Bassett, & Brown, 2011). Mrs. Metro continued to say, “Regardless of the size of the class, I go around the room to get students to talk to me” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). Because she is a foreign language teacher, she needs to be able to hear every student talk in the language that is being taught and learned. This disagrees with the research that says that bigger classes will decrease the amount of time that can be spent on instruction and dealing with the individual child (Blatchford, Bassett, & Brown 2011).
The last issue that was talked about was the issue regarding the increased use of standardized testing. When asked if she feels that standardized tests are affective assessments, Mrs. Metro said, “Standardized tests do not determine the potential of a student” (personal communication, October 27, 2016). This disagrees with a counterargument from the published research, which states that proponents of standardized testing argue that test scores are valid and reliable indicators of student learning in a particular academic subject (Aydeniz, 2012).
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