Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That survey asked U.S. school leaders, "Do you have enough freedom and autonomy to remove ineffective teachers from the classrooms?" Only 28 percent of the 853 surveyed public school superintendents said that they "have enough" autonomy to get rid of bad teachers. Of 909 participating principals, only 32 percent said that they had enough clout to dismiss bad teachers.
Put another way, in the Public Agenda survey, the folks supposedly steering the ship weren't No. 1.
That speaks for itself. The U.S. Sucks with public education.
And if you're a teacher don't take it personally, it's the system not you.
I agree that our education system is lacking and there are many bad teachers (as with any profession). However, you can't make blanket comparisions to other countries like Japan or Singapore - that's apples to oranges in some ways.
As a teacher, one of the main problems here is that large segments of our society don't really care about education or doing a good job, and they want to blame everyone else. I've seen it all at my school in FL (which was a great "A" rated school by the way). Parents refuse to set any consequences for their children (and undermine the teachers attempts to do so in many cases). Parents refuse to have their kids do any homework. Parents who feed their kids a steady diet of violece and sex. I could go on and on. Kids lives are like soap operas now and I only taught 1st and 4th graders! Kids are exposed to things they should never have to deal with. When I started teaching, I was shocked at how kids behave today and it took me awhile to get over that and decide that I still wanted to be a teacher. Kids rule the schools in many ways. Teachers are powerless to enforce any real conseqences and the administration still thinks it's 1950 out there and kids say "Yes sir, no sir". I have seen the same lack of discipline at many different schools and hear the same stories from many different teachers. I also studied the education system in Japan. Kids willingly help clean their school and classrooms. Everyone is expected to control themselves. Misbehavior brings shame to the student's family. You get the idea. There are some models of schools here in the US where discipline was enforced, the school was re-organized, and kids rose to the challenge. We need to focus on that, but at the same time, we can't keep cutting funding to education while at the same time enrolling more and more kids!
Anyway, getting back on topic, I hope NH would have less of the crazy behaviors that I saw in FL just due to a more family oriented (and maybe more educated) culture up there. I don't want my boys growing up to think the way things are in GA and FL is normal.
Just today, I read that some GA districts are going to a 4-day a week school schedule. (10 hours a day) We will do anything here to save a dime, regardless of if it may hurt the learning process. How are 5, 6, and 7 year olds going to hold up for 10 hours a day? How are parents supposed to find childcare for every Monday only? It's crazy but voters here love this stuff.
I agree that our education system is lacking and there are many bad teachers (as with any profession). However, you can't make blanket comparisions to other countries like Japan or Singapore - that's apples to oranges in some ways.
I know but we have to quantify our money spent with the end product at some point. What else can we compare it to?
What part of New Hampshire are you looking to move to?
Parents refuse to set any consequences for their children (and undermine the teachers attempts to do so in many cases). Parents refuse to have their kids do any homework. Parents who feed their kids a steady diet of violece and sex. I could go on and on. Kids lives are like soap operas now and I only taught 1st and 4th graders! Kids are exposed to things they should never have to deal with. When I started teaching, I was shocked at how kids behave today and it took me awhile to get over that and decide that I still wanted to be a teacher. Kids rule the schools in many ways. Teachers are powerless to enforce any real conseqences and the administration still thinks it's 1950 out there and kids say "Yes sir, no sir". I have seen the same lack of discipline at many different schools and hear the same stories from many different teachers
<sigh> you just described MD schools as well. sure there are good kids, and parents who are involved, but even the good schools have al lot of what you described.
Oh, and one other: sometimes the parent is involved, insists on good behavior, does make the kid do his homework - but the kid never hands it in!! And of course the only response is 'I don't know'. My best friend's kid nearly flunked out twice because he never handed his homework in. He had done it, had it in his backpack.. Luckily he's better now and is a senior.
My ex-sister-in-law works at one of the schools in Hollis. The kids are pretty good there (for kids these days )
I know but we have to quantify our money spent with the end product at some point. What else can we compare it to?
What part of New Hampshire are you looking to move to?
We're looking to be at least 1 hour away from Boston and hopefully further. Right now, we're just starting our research but we would like to be near a lake if possible (we love to kayak).
We could possibly go up to $240k or so for a home, so that may be a challenge up there. We would like to be in a smaller town, but maybe within 45- 60 minutes from Concord.
I noticed a lot of homes are very OLD (not used to that at all here in GA and FL). I think I might enjoy one of those, as long as it's not super drafty in winter. New construction just has no character and they clear out all the trees. I would love to get an acre or more and an old barn. It all depends on where we can find jobs in the next 1-3 years.
I'm looking for a more progressive way of life than what North GA offers. My family enjoys being outdoors & watching wildlife. We are well traveled and educated. (I have a Masters in Business). We want room to spread out and get away from the ever increasing crime and gangs here. (esp in Atlanta, which is creeping this way) We are not into organized religion, but everything revolves around church here. I believe in live and let live, Christian, Buddhist, gay, straight, black, white, whatever. Respect each other and respect nature. We are also very down to earth and don't want to play "keep up with the Joneses".
I, for one, am proud of the Londonderry School System. Yes, we spend a lot of money and the pay scale seems reasonable considering most households require both parents to be employed to pay the mortgage. Judging by their behavior in the shopping centers the kids seem fairly well civilized although I have no idea how much they have learned. We do have a "GREAT MARCHING BAND" and that does take discipline.
There is some less expensive housing in town like my condominium. There are two bedroom units available for around 150k (pm me and I'll find the actual amts) and they are big enough for two parents and two kids. The grounds are truly amazing. Check with a poster called ValC.
In any case if you move to southern NH you will find a culture that still values learning. We may have a NASCAR race track (also a sports car road track in the same facility) but, by and large, we do not have a culture that extols stupidity and ignorance.
I believe in live and let live, Christian, Buddhist, gay, straight, black, white, whatever. Respect each other and respect nature. We are also very down to earth and don't want to play "keep up with the Joneses".
We may have a NASCAR race track (also a sports car road track in the same facility) but, by and large, we do not have a culture that extols stupidity and ignorance.
What does that mean? What does NASCAR have to do with ignorance or stupidity?
I know. Just wanted to hear his response. Comments like that along with people name-dropping degrees and drawing attention to "how smart they" is usually a tip off to me that the person is dope. The evidence is overwhelming
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Luckily he's better now and is a senior.
)
