SD Student-Teacher Ratio

[texaslamar]

Eastcoastbias,

When you describe the SD school system, it's like you are describing Texas schools to a "T." Test scores, meetings to interpret data, paperwork and more paperwork, large classes...it's ridiculous, not fair to the children who are there to learn, and not really worth the vacation time teachers get.

Are all the school districts in the SD area suffering as well? I assume so.

[moved]

Yes, they are. I have a friend who substitute teaches in another district, and they're having problems well.

[Encinitan]

For what it's worth, we've been very happy with the Encinitas Union School district school our son attends. There are 21 kids in his class, he seems to be challenged to learn and do more, we supplement at home as much as we can, and it's all good.

[eastcoastbias]

"Test scores, meetings to interpret data, paperwork and more paperwork, large classes" this is what my wife and i talk about at the dinner table.

If you are in a district that doesn't perform well on the statewide tests- the teacher has some explaining to do and it takes away from the creative learning that can go on in a classroom. Your job as a teacher in these districts is to show them why they aren't performing and get them to perform on a test. In the meantime you have to network like crazy in case your pinkslipped or reassigned to an unfavorable school. All I know is my best friend in Ohio and my wife are both 5th grade teachers and their jobs couldn't be any different.

The state of california seems to think that all schools are created equally and fail to account for the fact that some schools are located in poverty stricken neightborhoods or other neighborhoods with a large population of students just learning English that are naturally going to fall short of the mark when comparing these areas to schools in the North County or schools in nice neighborhoods in SF. Having said all this, there are some very good districts here in SD. If you can afford to live in them which 99% can't but do anyways your child will okay here.

[Azure Ray]

You know, I am a teacher in Ohio who is looking to move somewhere else - I am going back and forth between Seattle, Austin, SD, NYC, and Maine (weird combo, huh?!) As I look around, I feel like all schools are going through the same thing. This year, our teachers feel like we don't even have time to think because we have to attend all kinds of meetings during our planning period to write curriculum, analyze test scores, figure out new ways to "reinvent the wheel" of education, and basically do anything that does NOT directly relate to helping kids. Is public education going down the toilet everywhere?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by Azure Ray

. Is public education going down the toilet everywhere?

In most large US cities, yes.