Q&A WITH AMOS HATCH
TPTENEWS
FALL 2015
THE NEWSLETTER FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THEORY & PRACTICE IN TEACHER EDUCATION
Professor of Urban Multicultural Education Amos Hatch, professor of urban multicultural education, is the author of several books in the fields of education and educational research. His most recent publication is Reclaiming the Teaching Profession: Transforming the Dialogue on Public Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015). Q: What is the central message of Reclaiming theTeaching Profession, and who is the book’s intended audience? A: “The book is for educators (especially teachers) and their allies. The central message is that the teaching profession and public education are under siege, and we need to resist the takeover of public education by powerful outsiders and reestablish the professional credibility of teachers.” Q: How did the book come to fruition? What inspired you to write it? A: “I made the mistake of trying to work on two books, along with other writing projects, at one time. While progress on this book was delayed, other scholars published books with similar themes, so I shifted all my energies to completing this book. Inspiration for this book came mostly from frustration with the incessant teacher bashing that has intensified over the past several years. I wanted to give teachers and other educators counter narratives to combat all the negative stories out there—stories that give an incomplete and often distorted picture of what teachers do, how devoted they are, and how important their work is.” Q: Throughout your career at UT, you have been recognized as an educator who prepares interns to be effective teachers in urban
classroom settings. What are some examples of instructional or programmatic changes you’ve made over the years to continue this effective preparation of future teachers, and what prompted those changes? A: “I’ve been lucky. Over the years, I have worked with some of the best teacher educators anywhere. In our program we do everything as a team, and I have been privileged to learn about teaching—especially inclusive, urban teaching—from working directly with smart, innovative people committed to preparing successful teachers. From its beginnings, our program has tried to integrate traditional teacher preparation content around themes that made sense for inclusive, then urban-multicultural, classrooms. At one time, our students signed up for five freestanding classes, but experienced them as an integrated block taught by our team. Currently, we can combine no more than two classes at a time. But the spirit of integrating content in order to prepare students to be successful in special settings, rather than providing a set of courses, lives on.” Q: We often hear about the high attrition rate of teachers, with about 50 percent leaving the profession after five years. In urban schools this number is even higher. Based on your work with veteran teachers, what are some of the key fac-
tors that promote the retention of excellent teachers, particularly in urban schools? A: “UT has one of the best teacher preparation programs in the United States. The five-year model is essential to preparing teachers who stay in the profession, especially those who teach in urban settings. I think graduates of our program stay in urban teaching because they are prepared for the challenges and appreciate the fulfillment that comes from such important work. We work hard to help the amazing preservice teachers we are lucky enough to attract to see beyond the deficit model that characterizes how many see urban children, families, and communities. Our students build relationships that capitalize on beauty, strength, and possibility. The work is hard, but they stay because they love it and they are good at it.” Q: Do you have any upcoming publications or manuscripts? A: “I am back to working on the other book I mentioned earlier. It’s a very different book. It’s about helping young children learn to think. I’m talking about complex cognitive processing that traditional developmental psychologists thought was impossible in the past. Recent research has shown young kids can learn to think in complex ways, and this book is about how adults can scaffold young children’s abilities to do that.”
HATCH BY THE NUMBERS
5
36
27
UT degrees earned by his two sons and daughter-in-law
Institutions for which he has served as an external reviewer
Years teaching at UT