Second of three parts
Re “It Would Not Hurt to Extend Probation Period, Goldberg Says”
From the pedestal on which her adoring students placed her during 41 years of teaching English to Culver City students, Nancy Goldberg says teachers and students are interacting more than ever today.
Three years after retiring, Ms. Goldberg, a popular member of the School Board, said that teachers have a “moral obligation” to interact with students “on more than just the class level.
“Teachers usually want to that,” she said. “I always did.”
“For some teachers, this is too high of an involvement. But we don’t have those kinds of teachers in Culver City. Seriously, we don’t.
“We have more clubs at the high school than we ever have had. We have so much involvement from teachers, voluntary involvement.
Speaking of Interactions
“That probably is a reflection of the community and of a well-run school, frankly.”
Since the conversation was sparked by last week’s teacher tenure court ruling, Ms. Goldberg was asked:
Is it understandable that non-educators would resent the lifetime teachers are granted?
“I never felt I had lifetime protection,” she said. “I can’t speak to the question because I did not feel that way.
“I knew at any point, the rug could be pulled out from under me if I had an infraction on my record. That was the kind of approach to teaching that I advocated.
“Those kinds of people don’t offend students,” Ms. Goldberg said. “They do their job, and they get to work in what I think is the greatest occupation in the world.”
Moving to a thornier question, since a uniformly solution has been elusive, how does Ms. Goldberg believe teachers’ performances should be evaluated?
“By the mid-1980s, I had been in teaching for 12 to 14 years,” she said. “What really set my teaching apart and gave me a sense of security was that my colleagues observed me, and would not be chided by administrators for giving constructive criticism.
“I went through many of those collegial involvements. I only had one that stung. And it stung because it was true.
“Most teachers would rather be evaluated by other teachers, in addition to administrators.
“But,” said Ms. Goldberg, “when you have an administrator who does not know your area, come in and assess you, it’s hard to put a lot of credibility in their evaluation.”
