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I am going to start doing this with one of my students- she claimed that she turned in FOUR assignments and implied that I lost them. I never lose my kids' papers; and I have never lost 4 things from the same kid. Nonetheless, I tore apart all my files, etc. and then gave her the work again to make up after I got her to admit that she hadn't handed in the stuff after all. Meanwhile, not a peep from the mom or kid (like "I'm sorry my child made you waste two hours looking for stuff she lied about.")
I also once had a parent threaten to sue me after her son broke a girl's nose by throwing a book. I "aggravated" him to do it because I insisted that he at least write his heading on a paper before I let him use the bathroom. (This was the only way I could get him to do anything- he usually sat there and did no work at all.)
As I tell the parents, in cases like this, regardless of whether the problem is me or the student, having them keep a log fixes the problem. I've only had one issue since I started doing that with students who claim I lose their papers and that wasn't a lost paper. It was a paper that got handed back without a grade (Must have stuck to the paper behind it when I was putting grades in). I have yet to have lost a paper that I signed for but I have caught students trying to pull a paper out of the folder. I'm guessing they were trying to prove I lose papers.
I feel your pain. I have two students who claim I lose their work this year. Their parents claim it's "KNOWN" that I lose papers. I made the mistake of telling my students, at the beginning of the year, that they should not hand papers to me, leave them on my desk or leave them on my podium because they're likely to get lost (yet they still try to hand them to me, leave them on my desk and podium and consider them turned in ). Papers are turned in to the appropriate folder for their class. This got repeated to the parents as my admitting I lose papers. I've explained what I do to the parents and they still don't get it. Folders are collected at the end of each class. If it's in the folder, it gets graded. Not in the folder equals not turned in. I'm not sure what more I can do.
It amazes me that they don't make their kids appologize. I can't tell you how many times I've searched for something that was in the student's locker but I can count on one hand the times the student appologized.
I'm pretty sure my days are numbered. Unfortunately, complaining parents are always listened to and if I can't prove I'm innocent, I'm assumed to be guilty. I'm hoping I'm not being let go after Easter break but I fear I am. They let a teacher go last year, because of parent complaints, at the 3/4 mark. They waited until grades were in and report cards signed and then terminated her. Her replacement had already been hired and was ready to enter the classroom the day she was let go.
I've never been a fan of unions but I understand why teachers have them. Without someone watching out for our backs, we're toast.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 03-28-2010 at 08:34 AM..
As I tell the parents, in cases like this, regardless of whether the problem is me or the student, having them keep a log fixes the problem. I've only had one issue since I started doing that with students who claim I lose their papers and that wasn't a lost paper. It was a paper that got handed back without a grade (Must have stuck to the paper behind it when I was putting grades in). I have yet to have lost a paper that I signed for but I have caught students trying to pull a paper out of the folder. I'm guessing they were trying to prove I lose papers.
I feel your pain. I have two students who claim I lose their work this year. Their parents claim it's "KNOWN" that I lose papers. I made the mistake of telling my students, at the beginning of the year, that they should not hand papers to me, leave them on my desk or leave them on my podium because they're likely to get lost (yet they still try to hand them to me, leave them on my desk and podium and consider them turned in ). Papers are turned in to the appropriate folder for their class. This got repeated to the parents as my admitting I lose papers. I've explained what I do to the parents and they still don't get it. Folders are collected at the end of each class. If it's in the folder, it gets graded. Not in the folder equals not turned in. I'm not sure what more I can do.
It amazes me that they don't make their kids appologize. I can't tell you how many times I've searched for something that was in the student's locker but I can count on one hand the times the student appologized.
I'm pretty sure my days are numbered. Unfortunately, complaining parents are always listened to and if I can't prove I'm innocent, I'm assumed to be guilty. I'm hoping I'm not being let go after Easter break but I fear I am. They let a teacher go last year, because of parent complaints, at the 3/4 mark. They waited until grades were in and report cards signed and then terminated her. Her replacement had already been hired and was ready to enter the classroom the day she was let go.
I've never been a fan of unions but I understand why teachers have them. Without someone watching out for our backs, we're toast.
Michigan. I'm in a charter school. Very few charter schools have a union.
It's funny. From the other side, I thought competition would increase the quality of education and wages would be competitive. Instead, wages are well below starting salaries for union districts (and never go up) AND we have no job security. Not that you should keep a bad teacher but the stress of always wondering if/when you'll tick off the wrong parent and get axed is too much. Given I teach on my own in my room, it's my word against their child's word and that child has the state money attached to their attendance. When push comes to shove, they'll choose to keep the student not the teacher. Teachers are easily replacable. Students are not. They're in short supply.
I've had three parents complaining about me pretty much all year (same three and they go to the principal not to me). My days are numbered. If they don't fire me right after the Easter break, I really want to tell them I'm not renewing my contract for next year so it's an out and out quit not a termination (would have to be with cause during the year) or being uninvited back. Either of those, you have to disclose every time you apply for a job. If I have to explain why I was uninvited back or fired every time I apply for a teaching job, I might as well leave the profession. Unfortunately, my husband is afraid I won't be able to find another job by September and doesn't want to take the risk of me not having a job. I see that risk as the lesser of the evils. It will take me years to live down the black mark created by being either fired or uninvited back and I have a bad feeling that will happen just as soon as they've secured a replacement for me.
I hate the stress of having to worry about whether or not they're trying to build a case to fire me or not. Every time I catch the principal listening outside of my door, I think the worst. The stress is not good for me.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 03-28-2010 at 11:27 AM..
The issue is: Where will disricts get this money to pay teachers more?
You'll be a superstar and the extra money will come from commercial endorsements. There's no reason why Mrs Tingle from Alexander Hamilton Elementary School, 1st Grade superteacher, shouldn't be on a box of Wheaties...or, you know, a box of crayons. You'll have an agent. They'll get you gigs on after-school specials and talk shows. There will be Mr. Mahoney brand laptops and Mister Lown gym towels. There will be the Super Science Teacher summer speaking engagement circuit. Band and orchestra teachers could form their own bands/orchestras and be booked by their agents/talent agencies to play at summer band camps throughout the US and give lectures. The privatized schools will negotiate for and offer these gigs to you through your agent if you sign with their school district.
You'll be a superstar and the extra money will come from commercial endorsements. There's no reason why Mrs Tingle from Alexander Hamilton Elementary School, 1st Grade superteacher, shouldn't be on a box of Wheaties...or, you know, a box of crayons. You'll have an agent. They'll get you gigs on after-school specials and talk shows. There will be Mr. Mahoney brand laptops and Mister Lown gym towels. There will be the Super Science Teacher summer speaking engagement circuit. Band and orchestra teachers could form their own bands/orchestras and be booked by their agents/talent agencies to play at summer band camps throughout the US and give lectures. The privatized schools will negotiate for and offer these gigs to you through your agent if you sign with their school district.
According to the data, the school I work for has an average of 25 students per teacher. At $7000 per student (I believe it's more than that), that's $175,000 each teacher brings in. Less than 21% of that is going toward teacher salaries and classroom supplies (assuming my salary and classroom support are typical). Things that make you go HMMMMM????
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 03-28-2010 at 05:33 PM..
According to the data, the school I work for has an average of 25 students per teacher. At $7000 per student (I believe it's more than that), that's $175,000 each teacher brings in. Less than 21% of that is going toward teacher salaries and classroom supplies (assuming my salary and classroom support are typical). Things that make you go HMMMMM????
All Teachers , staff and parents please go look at the thread....calling all educators! It is very important,
To answer the original post, yes. I do not say this because I believe most teachers to be inept. I say this for three reasons: one, all teachers should be exposed to more coursework in fields related to education but outside their major field of study to foster a better understanding of the breadth of the educational system; two, all teachers should take general education and special education coursework to include science coursework on how the brain works; third, increasing requirements might weed out potential teacher candidates who are not as serious about teaching as they thought.
Next, I'll delve into the topic of whether declines in progress academically across our nation are due to inadequacies in teaching. One important aspect of this I rarely see brought up is parenting. It is the parents' responsibility to begin education in the home and to continue it while the child attends K-12. School systems avoid addressing this and have, therefore, taken on the parents' role without the real ability to 'make things happen.' I believe we need to continually remind all parties that parents are primarily responsible and that the educational system is here to supplement learning (according to standards set forth by districts and states). School systems, administrations, and teachers are not able to carry the full weight of the educational load, nor were we meant to do so. It is a part of the biological (and spiritual) process that parents take the lead in this area. If we, as teachers and school systems, continue to attempt to take over that role, we will continually see failure as there is no way we can do this adequately. [Relying on the system for the full education of a child should only be the exception not the rule.]
If you think some teachers aren't all that great, do you think the criteria for hiring and retaining them should be tougher?
Would there be better candidates for teacher positions if they all had to take more classes to graduate, like other professionals, if they had to do a residency requirement like doctors and if they had to pass an exam on the level of a lawyer's bar exam, before a state would employ them? I would think making it harder to become a teacher would not only produce better quality teachers but it would raise their pay. The job would then become more attractive to more qualified people meaning the employing school district would have a better pick of the litter. Perhaps school districts would compete for the best ones offering them perks to sign on with their school district.
Sure, because the job is already so appealing, we should make it even harder to get in. The average teacher lasts 5 years, gets paid poorly, gets treated like a child and blamed for things that aren't her fault, is micromanaged to the point of utter powerless, has no voice in anything, and doesn't use the training she already has since she's supposed to follow blindly the latest fad embraced by the district, with neither deviation nor complaint. We don't need smarter teachers - we need to let the teachers we have do their jobs, instead of telling them what to do and then blaming them when it doesn't work (after they told us it wouldn't work).
I very much agree with letting "teachers [] do their jobs." I also know that too many people who love the teacher schedule are getting in to the profession and don't have the passion a true teacher has. This affects all aspects of the system including 'rolling over' for parents. This is only my take, but it seems that teachers who are not passionate about what teaching really is are willing to bend the rules, teach to the tests, and other less-than-desirable actions in order to keep their winter breaks and summers. Those I consider teachers at heart would not do those things but would stand for what is 'right' and are willing to speak out. For several reasons, I believe that if fewer, more serious, teachers applied for jobs, we, the teachers would have more of a say-our voice would be heard more often.
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