Have you seen the new Newsweek?
- Thread starter janie1234
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dr.mel_PT
Cathlete
I agree but on the same side of the coin, how do you measure a teacher's worth? Granted, there are definitely teachers who should not be in the positions they are but there are great teachers in the mix as well who can't really be measured. You could say standardized tests could give you concrete numbers on who is doing well but that is so cut-and-dry, it doesn't take into account a lot of exceptions that go on in the schools. For example, my mom is a 3rd grade teacher and if they used the standardized testing #s to evaluate her performance, she would probably be up for firing. Problem is, her school district heavily believes in no child left behind, so she has kids who can't read, can't write, some can't even speak English...in the THIRD grade!!!! This is absurd to me. She gets to school 2 hrs early, leaves 2 hrs after the kids go home, and is constantly meeting with parents to discuss their children's performance. Which brings up another point: parents have to assume some sort of responsibility when it comes to their kids' education. She tells me so many stories of these parents who don't want to hear anything negative about their kids and say "Oh Johnny is too smart for your class, he's just bored, he doesn't care" and dismiss the fact that he is bringing home F's. There is no discipline in the families which is a huge factor. If parents are white-washing everything, of course the kid isn't going to put any effort into his work.
Also, as states are becoming more and more bankrupt, they're cramming more kids in the classroom. I think she said the projection was something like 30-32 kids in her class next year which leaves little room for one-on-one interactions.
It sounds good in theory but I do think it would be really hard to evaluate who's "bad" and who's "good."
Also, as states are becoming more and more bankrupt, they're cramming more kids in the classroom. I think she said the projection was something like 30-32 kids in her class next year which leaves little room for one-on-one interactions.
It sounds good in theory but I do think it would be really hard to evaluate who's "bad" and who's "good."
measuredoak
Cathlete
You've made some good points Melissa. I agree that while there are some teachers that need to be fired; I also think parents need to take more responsibility for their kid's education. Too many times, parents want teachers to do all the work when it should be a partnership between the parents & teachers with the same goal, the best education for the children.
ldy_solana
Cathlete
YES i agree. i have a special needs child who spends part of her day in a regular class. i have that teacher's number and the special ed teacher's number and i always call with questions of my own or concerns. sometimes DD doesn't bring home homework and i will call to see if there was suppose to be any. i have a workbook ready to go if she tries to get out of homework and i turn that in. we have a great school, the teachers care and they work with kids on helping them to LEARN the process but many feel their hands are tied by these SOL tests when they don't have time to really go over some subjects. i have to push that further at home especially with her math(and that isn't my best subject either)
there are teachers that care and want to do their best but they feel left behind themselves on being teachers b/c so much goes into these SOLs. and its not really fair for those that work and try their best to be shuffled amongst those that gave up a long time ago. i work at a school(not a teacher though) and i see all personalities. i know the best teachers b/c the kids really respond to them in a positive manner. and that is hard in the inner city.
kassia
Stephanie0523
Cathlete
I think that blaming the teachers is an easy way out. I know someone who has taught school for nearly 20 years and has absolutely no parental involvement. She teaches kindergarten, and many of her students come to school not even knowing their colors and shapes. She spends so much of the year teaching these kids things that their parents should have taught them BEFORE ever sending them to school. That sets everyone behind for the year and carries on into the next grades. She never has any parent volunteers either. She has spent so much of her own money on her classroom and works late hours. I feel bad for her and other teachers in her situation when I think of how incredibly opposite my child's school is -- with overflowing parental support. I think for too long people have blamed the teachers and called for teacher testing/firing. Perhaps offering incentives for teachers instead of punishments is a better answer. Maybe raising teacher salaries so that it's a more appealing option. And holding principals more accountable also would be a good step. I also think the education system needs to stop being so test-result-crazed. So much creativity has been taken out of teaching and learning because schools' success has been made to revolve around test scores. It's crazy, IMO.
I think teaching is one of the most thankless jobs in the world, and I truly admire those who enter the field for the sheer purpose of making a difference. I think if everyone shares responsibility for our children, our education system will benefit.
I think teaching is one of the most thankless jobs in the world, and I truly admire those who enter the field for the sheer purpose of making a difference. I think if everyone shares responsibility for our children, our education system will benefit.
dorothyrd
Cathlete
Teaching is very hard these days. My kids school district is a good school district, one of the best, yet there are such discipline issues these days. My DD who is a junior tells stories about how rude the kids are to the teachers on a daily basis. She sees teachers who are burned out and in her view, they were probably good at one time, but the whole issue of dealing with the kids, the system has worn them down. As a kid who is not rude, I think she probably gets a better response from some of these teachers because she does participate and respond favorably.
I am taking 3 classes right now, and I am amazed at how students will come in(if they come), put there head down on the desk and sleep the whole class(and it is only an hour), right in the front row. I find this rude as well. I think students are a lot different now, and it possibly is the lack of discipline in the home.
Honestly, in grade school we would have never tried what these students are doing. I helped in the class room for both of my kids through junior high. They are 5 years apart, and the difference in the attitudes and behavior of the kids in those 5 years is vast. It has gotten much, much worse.
I am taking 3 classes right now, and I am amazed at how students will come in(if they come), put there head down on the desk and sleep the whole class(and it is only an hour), right in the front row. I find this rude as well. I think students are a lot different now, and it possibly is the lack of discipline in the home.
Honestly, in grade school we would have never tried what these students are doing. I helped in the class room for both of my kids through junior high. They are 5 years apart, and the difference in the attitudes and behavior of the kids in those 5 years is vast. It has gotten much, much worse.
ldy_solana
Cathlete
dorothy i agree that i MAJOR in our schools. kids are so disrespectful and the parents allow it. in fact one parent actually cussed out a principal b/c her daughter got suspended for fighting! this girl beat the crap out of a freshman boy(pounded his face into a locker) and the mother sided with the daughter!!!!
i agree these teachers are burnt out.
kassia
i agree these teachers are burnt out.
kassia
LasVegasFitGirl
Cathlete
Teacher Unions
I just heard on the radio last week that a long time union president said they would start representing the concerns of the students when they started paying union dues. It's not about the kids anymore. I think the govt has the teachers tied up worried about all these govt tests, then there's teachers that think they're paid so little they don't want to teach.
I just heard on the radio last week that a long time union president said they would start representing the concerns of the students when they started paying union dues. It's not about the kids anymore. I think the govt has the teachers tied up worried about all these govt tests, then there's teachers that think they're paid so little they don't want to teach.
mabdoo
Cathlete
I am a high school teacher and a lot has changed in the 15 years that I have been teaching. (OMG it seems like I just started yesterday!) I teach in an excellent district that is ranked nationally. Our teachers work hard as do many kids. However, many kids nowadays feel like they are entitled to a lot more than ever. They are much more rude than they used to be, too, but not always in a talking back or being disruptive sense. It is like they just don't seem to have common sense or courtesy. They leave little papers on the floor after they ripped them off their papers to hand in, for ex. When I ask them to clean it up, they tell me that it is the job of the janitor. Also, kids don't seem to want to study for things anymore. I teach higher level math classes. No, they are not going to get it the first time, sometimes they have to see a problem done a few times before they get it. Then they have to practice, but they don't want to do that. It is like their desire to learn is dwindling. They don't want to put in the time, mostly because they don't have much to spare. Many don't do homework because they are too busy with sports, musical, etc. Lots of my kids still have to use their calculator to multiply 6x7, etc. Shouldn't they know this by now? Also, why is it that they don't remember diddly about a topic that they were taught the previous year? Two reasons: our curriculums are a mile wide and an inch deep and the tests are always held over everyone, teachers and students and school districts. However, there are also a lot of great kids out there.
I do agree that there are bad teachers that need to be removed in some places but a lot of it stems from the parents and kids. Parents usually back their kids when it is obvious they are wrong. This leads some teachers to not even try hard. Why bother? No matter what some do they are not supported.
I could go on for days about what is wrong with education. I love my job and what I do. I don't mind preparing lessons. I get a lot of joy and satisfaction from it. I love to attend workshops to keep up with technology and to just keep learning. I do hate to grade papers though. I love working with kids and helping them and seeing the light bulb go on over their head. I wouldn't change jobs for all the money in the world.
I do agree that there are bad teachers that need to be removed in some places but a lot of it stems from the parents and kids. Parents usually back their kids when it is obvious they are wrong. This leads some teachers to not even try hard. Why bother? No matter what some do they are not supported.
I could go on for days about what is wrong with education. I love my job and what I do. I don't mind preparing lessons. I get a lot of joy and satisfaction from it. I love to attend workshops to keep up with technology and to just keep learning. I do hate to grade papers though. I love working with kids and helping them and seeing the light bulb go on over their head. I wouldn't change jobs for all the money in the world.
janie1234
Cathlete
Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh and kudo's to you for taking on one of the hardest jobs in America, . .and by the sound of it doing a great job.
I hate when parents get their pants in a twist because they refuse to get involved in their childrens education. "Why doesn't my son Johnny know all his multiplication facts?!!" My kids get straight "A's" because I work with them every day!!! We read every day! Sure sometimes I wish I could be getting a massage instead but it is my responsibility.
I have this thing I like to say which I may get flamed for but I truly believe that in most cases 99.9% of situations it is not the child it is the parent. Kids nowadays have got so much sass and they start young. I have a neighborhood kid that called my daughter a "stupid idiot" and he is 3. They think it is okay to litter, or to talk rudely to a teacher or an adult. I think that by the time they reach high school the behavior is so secondary they think it is no big deal. As a mom of 2 young children it scares the poop outa me. My kids are in elementary school and 4 of their classmates have been suspended. SUSPENDED!!! For crud that I would never think an elementary kid would do. They say things like "Oh Sh**" "Sucker!" "I'm gonna kill you." They watch shows that I would never ever allow my kids to watch. I mean books like "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Judy Moody" although catered to children have stuff in them that I think is just down right sass. Okay, . . I'm done off my soap box now.
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Stephanie0523
Cathlete
I have been a teacher for nine years.
This post fires me up. I totally agree that there are some bad teachers out there. I have worked in three different districts. One of them being a Catholic school. That was my first year. Those students were gold. I had 18 in my class and the parent involvement and support was through the roof. Great people, and they knew I was not Catholic. They could care less. I could not sustain a living working there even though I loved my job. I checked it out and I was living at the poverty level with my salary there. My boyfriend (now husband) cut me a check every week so that I could buy groceries. I was working my a@# off and could not sustain myself.
I am now working in the public school system in a high poverty area in Northern Michigan. When you go to school and see your student wearing the same clothes that they have worn for days and are dirty, you have to wonder....what the heck is their life like at home???
I have a student that I have placed in the front of the room. She smells really bad and her hair is always greasy. She is going through puberty and she has no idea about hygeine. You would think her mother would teach her those things. No.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know my most at risk students do not have any parent involvement. They do not show up for conferences, school activities, etc.
Kids are not bad. It is their upbringing.
You just have to care about them and let them know that.
I do know that there are no bad teachers in the school that I work at. We are a Grade A Michigan School. Our school scores better on the MEAP than all other area schools. Our high school is rated one of the top one hundred in the state. We are the bomb diggity!
No comment on the union stuff. That is complicated. All I know is that I am doing my job, and the test scores show it. I don't think those make a teacher bad or good, it is a day, it is a test. BS really.
It makes me frustrated, but I still love my job and the kids.
If you are in a situation like I am, I suggest you read the book A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Paine.
This post fires me up. I totally agree that there are some bad teachers out there. I have worked in three different districts. One of them being a Catholic school. That was my first year. Those students were gold. I had 18 in my class and the parent involvement and support was through the roof. Great people, and they knew I was not Catholic. They could care less. I could not sustain a living working there even though I loved my job. I checked it out and I was living at the poverty level with my salary there. My boyfriend (now husband) cut me a check every week so that I could buy groceries. I was working my a@# off and could not sustain myself.
I am now working in the public school system in a high poverty area in Northern Michigan. When you go to school and see your student wearing the same clothes that they have worn for days and are dirty, you have to wonder....what the heck is their life like at home???
I have a student that I have placed in the front of the room. She smells really bad and her hair is always greasy. She is going through puberty and she has no idea about hygeine. You would think her mother would teach her those things. No.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know my most at risk students do not have any parent involvement. They do not show up for conferences, school activities, etc.
Kids are not bad. It is their upbringing.
You just have to care about them and let them know that.
I do know that there are no bad teachers in the school that I work at. We are a Grade A Michigan School. Our school scores better on the MEAP than all other area schools. Our high school is rated one of the top one hundred in the state. We are the bomb diggity!
No comment on the union stuff. That is complicated. All I know is that I am doing my job, and the test scores show it. I don't think those make a teacher bad or good, it is a day, it is a test. BS really.
It makes me frustrated, but I still love my job and the kids.
If you are in a situation like I am, I suggest you read the book A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Paine.
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