When Marilyn Reallon began her teaching career, the profession was quite different than it is today.

“In the 38 years I’ve been teaching, the extremes have gotten a lot farther apart,” Reallon, a first-grade teacher at Kalmiopsis Elementary School said.

Reallon isn’t alone.

“Expectations have gone up tremendously,” Kalmiopsis Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Perry Kleespies said.

In the past few years, teachers in the Brookings-Harbor School District have observed changes in what is expected of them in three main areas: curriculum, behavior  and standardized tests.

As a result, most teachers have had to adjust their teaching styles. Still, teacher like Reallon still love teaching.

“Things have changed over the years,” she said. “I still like what I’m doing, but it’s very different than when I started.”

Curriculum

Over the years, Reallon has noticed a wide range of achievement level and higher academic standards.

When Reallon first started teaching, she said every once in a while she had a gifted student, but most of her students shared similar skills and were at grade level.

 Today, Reallon said she has some first-grade students who can read into second and third-grade level, and some who can’t read more than two words and don’t know all their letter sounds.

First-graders are also expected to learn more.

“What you need to read is so much more advanced than 10 to 15 years ago,” she said. “It’s a lot harder now than ‘See Dick Run’.”

Knowing your letters by the end of kindergarten used to be acceptable. 

Now students need to know all their letters and be able to read 30-40 words by sight, grasp peripheral math  (time, money, measurement and patterns) in addition to basic addition and subtraction and be able to write sentences by the start of first-grade rather than nearer the middle.

To adapt to all of these changes, Reallon has taken classes, conferred with colleagues and incorporated technology into her classroom.

Behavior

Teachers are not only faced with modified curriculum, they have also encountered changes in reinforcing behavior at school.

“At one point in time, teachers were expected to teach academics,” Kleespies said. “Today we are the surrogate parents. It’s like being the parent of 27 kids sometimes.”

Kleespies said teachers are now expected to teach manners, something that parents should be teaching their children.

Azalea Middle School Math and Science teacher Bonnie Raleigh has had a similar experience.

“Society has placed a larger role on teachers to teach social skills and values,” Raleigh said. “It’s a fine line to walk.”

Raleigh said teachers are not supposed to impose their  personal value system on their students, so it is difficult to teach students values.

Reallon has also observed changes in behavior.

She said she used to say “Oh, am I going to get a naughty kid this year?” Now she asks herself, “not am I, but, How many will have behavior issues? It’s a given.”

Reallon thinks drug babies  and parents working full-time are potential causes. She said she understands parents need to work to make ends meet, but thinks parents don’t spend enough time with their children.

Standardized tests

The changes are also at the state level.

Over the years, state expectations have changed from common curriculum goals and essential skills to standardized tests such as the Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM)  and Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM), and then to the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) test,  Brookings-Harbor High School English teacher Art Dingle said. 

In addition to the state tests, many students also take the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) tests.

“Public education is great, but the reliance on tests–if nothing else, it’s taken too much time,” Dingle said. “It can’t be the be all and end all, which it’s become. I understand standards, but you need to trust teachers.”

Dingle said this year’s seniors are required to pass  the OAKS test in reading to receive their diploma. About 40 seniors still haven’t passed. Next year’s seniors will have to pass both the reading and math portions of the test. 

Dingle said he is faced with spending class time going over test strategies and giving practice tests.

The state is apparently planning to get rid of the OAKS test and will implement Common Core State Standards in 2014, according to an October Oregon Education Association (OEA) article.

“It’s like they stick with one plan for two or three years, and then the rug is pulled out from under us,” Dingle said. “From year to year it’s almost never sure exactly what’s required.”

Dingle tries to adapt to the revolving requirements by altering schedules. He said he is forced to cut some assignments or activities out of the schedule.