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I think PKCorey has a point, and arjay's post was a bit misleading. I doubt the average teacher is finding a summertime gig that pays at the same rate as their school-year job, allowing them to bring home a gross annual income of $81K. The $60K teaching salary is probably more like it. That's not a bad income I guess, particularly when accompanied by excellent benefits, but neither is it exactly astoundingly lucrative.
Rainy, I certainly didn't mean to be misleading -- that's why I took pains to point out that the is $59,528 for 38 weeks, and that the $81,459 based on a 52 week year.
And I suggested using only a 10% factor for benefits. In reality, I'm sure they come to much more than that. For example:
-- 24 paid days off comes to $7,519.
-- Say the medical insurance premium is $350 a month. That's $4,200 a year.
-- Employers pension contribution of 10% adds another $5,952.
-- Disability, life and dental insurance -- say another $100 a month. That's $1,200 per year.
So you get a total benefit package worth $18,872, on top of your salary of $59,528, and three months off.
Again, you're not getting rich but it's hardly what most people would consider a low paying job. I sure wouldn't!
Well, that's true and I stand corrected. Two of my daughters-in-law have been teachers and I should know that.
However, many Georgia teachers are represented by the Georgia Association of Educators, which is an affiliate of NEA. Although they can't do collective bargaining here, GAE lobbies on behalf of teachers and provides aggressive legal representation for its members. See here. So I'll back off my statement that it's unlikely anybody will be fired, but if they are it will be a battle.
I am well-aware of GAE, arjay.
But remember, most teachers in Georgia are members of PAGE--not GAE.
And why would I need to teach my students African American Vernacular English? What color am I again?
I don't have a problem teaching kids in AAVE if that's what works for them. In a culture that still stigmatizes dialect it may not the best thing for them in the long run, but the key is teach them in ways that they can learn.
And that's the problem here. It's not whether they're taught in AAVE, but whether they have learned the basic skills of reading, mathematics, science and social studies. It's about content, not linguistic style.
Thanks again for the clarification, aries. If I've overestimated the difficulty in firing teachers then I retract my comment about that. I have an acquaintance who worked in personnel matters and he says it is an extremely arduous process, but maybe that's just his personal take.
It is not about teaching in AAVE (or Spanish, etc.), though that is an approach that some like (but I don't agree with).
If you read my post carefully, I said "being aware of...", not teaching in. "Being aware" can make a huge difference when teaching/learning language/dialect acquisition.
And I'm talking about teaching in and making learning accessible to a different culture within America, the heterogeneity issue The idea is that in some areas the students don't know and struggle with standard American English. So to facilitate their learning, the subjects are taught in their dialect. An added complication that a homogeneous society doesn't have.
As for teaching Ebonics, that's a curriculum issue which also divides on cultural lines. It's more of a linguistic type course that one can elect to take, usually in college. Maybe it will help promote racial harmony but will do little if we hope to measure up to the Finns.
And I'm talking about teaching in and making learning accessible to a different culture within America, the heterogeneity issue The idea is that in some areas the students don't know and struggle with standard American English. So to facilitate their learning, the subjects are taught in their dialect. An added complication that a homogeneous society doesn't have.
...
You missed my point. For kids that are learning in Standard American English, you do not (and really should not) teach them in their dialect/language.
However, (and like I said above), "being aware" of students' dialects, languages, etc. helps a school/teacher teach the students (and aid in Standard American English acquisition) more effectively.
Moreover, (and like I said before) the point of the Finnish model is how they approach education--lean standards, testing, curriculum, teacher professionalism, teacher-training, teacher status, class size, and addressing child/societal poverty have nothing to do with the heterogeneity of a country's population.
I don't have a problem teaching kids in AAVE if that's what works for them. In a culture that still stigmatizes dialect it may not the best thing for them in the long run, but the key is teach them in ways that they can learn.
And that's the problem here. It's not whether they're taught in AAVE, but whether they have learned the basic skills of reading, mathematics, science and social studies. It's about content, not linguistic style.
Some good points--
But it is important for everyone in the U.S. to learn Standard American English.
The goal for AAVE speakers should be bi-dialectualism (and the goal for society should be to acknowledge, embrace, and praise the fact that beautiful, different U.S.-based/created dialects do exist).
Thanks again for the clarification, aries. If I've overestimated the difficulty in firing teachers then I retract my comment about that. I have an acquaintance who worked in personnel matters and he says it is an extremely arduous process, but maybe that's just his personal take.
If it is arduous anywhere in Georgia, that means that the administrator was not doing his job adequately and thoroughly enough (observation, evaluation, documentation).
If it is arduous anywhere in Georgia, that means that the administrator was not doing his job adequately and thoroughly enough (observation, evaluation, documentation).
If it is arduous anywhere in Georgia, that means that the administrator was not doing his job adequately and thoroughly enough (observation, evaluation, documentation).
Administrators not doing their jobs in APS? Impossible! Assuming that means helping teachers figure out how to cheat more effectively.
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