Teachers

Thread Starter

maxpower097

Joined Feb 20, 2009
816
I AM CERTIFICATED IN a Lot of stuff. I don't

Bring it up, I DON'T BRING IT UP SO I

DON'T GET QUESTIONED ON IT.
Ask yourself, who benefits from an education system such as this?

I got close to obtaining one of those certificates, I love teaching. One on one type. But where I am there are no limits on class sizes and teachers union is only concerned about their pension (by the way teachers union and teachers are different things, however teachers do nothing to change the fact that they are not represented). I couldn't be in the environment where I cannot speak my mind.

some examples ... an anti-war arts project was axed because a student made a gun replica
... putting students into applied math classes where they learn who to do taxes for 4 months in grade 11
... solving all quadratics with graphing calculator - people leave high school incapable of subtracting fractions and only able to draw graphs using table of values

To go back on track - teachers are different, just like any professional. I believe all started out wanting to change the world (although a prospect of summer "off" is a good one), some were broken by the system, others are still holding on, I salute them for it.
Its a FL thing! A1A Beachfront Avenue!!! Word!! ;)
 

1chance

Joined Nov 26, 2011
46
There are a lot of safe guards to help insure the quality of new teachers. First, during the student teaching phase there is a supervising teacher, such as myself, that watches them and offers advice and support on a daily basis for a semester. I have done this numerous times and if I think someone is not cut out to teach, I tell them. I issue them a grade for this practicum (usually worth 8 credit hours) and if they receive a B or C from the supervising teacher (and I have given such grades) I guarantee that virtually no school will hire them. If a new teacher is hired, then they must undergo a mentoring program for two years. Every year I mentor at least one new teacher. This involves observing them, offering them advice, making sure they know all the rules of the school, and even teaching them how to use the computerized gradebook system. This happens with a formal meeting every week and several informal meetings each week as well. There is also a lot of paperwork involved both for the mentor and mentored. My school administration is constantly checking with the mentors to find out how the new teachers are doing and doesn't issue returning contracts without a thumbs up from the mentor. For all this work done by the supervising teacher or as a mentor, I receive a token payment of $100 per supervision. I would do this for no pay, however, as this is how you "grow" good teachers.
As to why people become teachers, for a number of individuals, they come from a family of teachers so this is the norm. It is familiar and these are the ones who usually make the best teachers because they come into the situation with their eyes wide open. Those who teach because they have a "passion", unfortunately, usually burn out. For myself, I teach because I am very good at it and it enables me to influence the world more so than as just a single individual. Also, I really like teenagers and their belief that the world is theirs to conquer. My original desire was to do math research, but I found in grad school that I was actually very good at teaching and only average as a researcher. So when the Science department chairman for Columbia public schools asked me to forgo my doctorate program to teach for them, I accepted. (I must also admit that I was getting tired of living below the poverty line and trying to raise three children as a single parent.) Unfortunately, this pigeon-holed me as a science teacher and it took a few years to get an only math position. Another reason that I teach is that it compliments my OCB tendencies and allows me to observe my routines and establish a vague sense of order.
Another note--around here, private schools pay a much lower salary and do not generally offer insurance or a retirement program. Many of their employees are teachers who have retired out the public system and are willing to take a lower pay as they are "double dipping". I know many teachers who do this for about 5 years or so after leaving the public system.
My observations voiced here are my own and are unique to Missouri. I do not claim to be an expert on all things involving public education, but I do feel that I am definitely in the trenches looking out (at least for a couple more years :) ).
 

loosewire

Joined Apr 25, 2008
1,686
School is never out,the bell don't ring....I just heard on the radio about students

sueing there profeessor for not teaching a worthy class. A under served high school

showing off a special class until it showed the C.E.O. of a private company being

parts of the class,putting up the money. High schools selling overseas student a

pathway to U.S. college for $ 30,000.00 cash approved by district,it go on and on.

Forgive me for keeping up to date on issues. Money make the school system work,

I am sure teachers know that,and I don't think its going to change. The head of a

teachers union just arrested 3- houses.....lots of cash out of the teachers pockets.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Originally Posted by loosewire
I AM CERTIFICATED IN a Lot of stuff. I don't

Bring it up, I DON'T BRING IT UP SO I

DON'T GET QUESTIONED ON IT.

Speaking for myself, I agree your certifiable Loosie. :) :D

Quote Loosie "School is never out". Alice Cooper would disagree with you on this one. :)
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
teacher paradise used to be U.S.S.R. Teacher = God, still poor salary, but don't have to dance around entertaining your students, academics is priority, if you want extracurricular, there are clubs outside of school. Parents are there to support you, whatever teacher says is the final word. It was tough to be a student.

Anyway, all gone now, new russia took american system and has screwed up its education system completely. I guess they didn't read the report on US functional illiteracy - getting close to 20% among recent graduates. How do you pass a student who is illiterate?
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
1 out of 5 people are illiterate in the USA? I question that stat. Where did you get it?

That sounds close to the drop out rate in the USA, but being illiterate is not the same as dropping out. Most people are literate in the 4th grade.
 

t_n_k

Joined Mar 6, 2009
5,455
I believe term used was "functional illiteracy". In my country it is now believed by "experts" that around 40% of the population now fall into that category. Such matters as difficulty with understanding instructions concerning the use of prescribed medications or interpreting a train timetable are typical of functional literacy problems.
 
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justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
Bill, my apologies. I should have used functionally illiterate in last sentence (too lazy). Functionally illiterate is of course different from being unable to simply read, but that means that those people cannot pursue higher education - I shall blame IKEA.

Here is a report from 1999 (http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/herman/reports/futurework/conference/nalsfina/nalsfina.htm), you would think that everything possible would be done to improve the situation for new grads and have some programs set up for adults, but it does not look like that has happened.

Of course since everything comes from somewhere else now and is disposable anyway, why read instructions, I know I never do. Plus the human replacement is near completion anyway, just give it a few more years... or are they running out of silicon and is graphite a viable replacement now... and who will teach...

Strantor, thanks for posting a link to that report, I could find full pdf, just summaries.
 
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Thread Starter

maxpower097

Joined Feb 20, 2009
816
Not to swing one way or the other in 2009 the FSU football team read at a 2nd grade level so while I think the numbers are more like 1:20 or 1:50 theres no doubt the US is getting dumber each year.
 

THE_RB

Joined Feb 11, 2008
5,438
What about adjusting teacher pay based on performance, judged by national standard tests that the students take?

In many industries the quality of the final result rises significantly when pay incentives are introduced. However in teaching the teacher gets exactly the same pay even if they are hopeless and their students don't learn a thing... There's little or no incentive for the teacher to "give a damn".
 
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