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Hey why should dentists get paid if their patients don't go home and floss, and brush enough and then "fail" their exam which results in cavities. Like a dentist, a teacher can only do so much for a student, they can't take the test for them, or guarantee the student prepares at home, or makes sure the kid eats a healthy breakfast every morning. Some of these standardized tests are no joke yet very few students take the initiative to seek additional tutoring or take an at home study course. Somehow, people expect students to sit in class, be given a wealth of information in a group setting by one teacher, and then magically pass a very challenging exam. That's impossible and I think it says more about our students and their home life (personal responsibility) than it does the efforts of our teachers. Now are all teachers fabulous, no, but the low pay and stressful nature of the job tends to weed out most of the bad apples. Basing teacher job security on someone else's performance is like a real estate agent only getting paid if the buyers pay their mortgage, they made the sale, went to closing, the commission is theirs. Same with teachers, they taught the info, they put in their time and did their job like anybody else, they should get evaluated in that sense, not student performance.
You conveniently blame everyone except teachers, but you left out an important fact: Teachers are being paid to educate children. We do not pay parents to educate their kids, and we are not paying students to educate themselves. So what exactly are teachers doing to earn the money the taxpayers are paying them? Not much in Wisconsin, according to the statistics. Wisconsin teachers are nothing more than over paid baby-sitters. In the real-world pay is based upon performance. Only in the insular fantasy world of unions is pay increased based upon failure.
In the last decade Wisconsin taxpayers increased what they were paying towards education by 50% in real dollars, and saw not one point of improvement. Teachers who cannot get at least 50% of their class to meet the minimum State educational standards should not be allowed to continue teaching. They are obviously failures in their chosen profession.
Except that they are not being taught to pass tests. If they were, the majority of the students would be passing those tests. Instead, the majority of the students are failing those tests. So clearly they are NOT being taught to pass tests.
If you had a student who only got 33% of the answers right on their test, would you give them a passing grade? Why should teachers get a pass when two-thirds of their students cannot even meet the State's minimum educational standards?
You conveniently blame everyone except teachers, but you left out an important fact: Teachers are being paid to educate children. We do not pay parents to educate their kids, and we are not paying students to educate themselves. So what exactly are teachers doing to earn the money the taxpayers are paying them? Not much in Wisconsin, according to the statistics. Wisconsin teachers are nothing more than over paid baby-sitters. In the real-world pay is based upon performance. Only in the insular fantasy world of unions is pay increased based upon failure.
In the last decade Wisconsin taxpayers increased what they were paying towards education by 50% in real dollars, and saw not one point of improvement. Teachers who cannot get at least 50% of their class to meet the minimum State educational standards should not be allowed to continue teaching. They are obviously failures in their chosen profession.
2 big problems, not every state that wishes to follow in Wisconsin's footsteps does pay their "baby sitters" as much, and they still plan to cut. And I don't think you understand what teaching and learning entails. Have you been to college, what did your professor do? Mine gives a lecture, goes over some of the info in the textbook, and provides feedback on grades and other standards of acceptable academic performance. How does one (the teacher) decide for someone else (the students) that their brains will retain this info, understand it, and be able to recite it properly on a test. Do you realize that a teacher may get a student with undiagnosed LD issues, ESOL difficulties, bad home life, no desire or drive, or better yet one that didn't learn the year before for whatever reason. They have one year to bring students up to that level and don't even have sufficient time to work one on one with those students without sacrificing time with the rest of the gang. I think people's expectations are unrealistic, "We pay teachers to teach, not the parents, not the students. There should be better learning gains. Teachers are lazy government leaches," give me a break. Also do me one favor before you assume to know what the working conditions are like and go volunteer as a teacher's aid at your local schools, and get back to me with how easy it is to make students learn. Tell me how a 9th grade bio teacher is supposed to bring an incoming student who is at a 7th or 8th grade level up to a 10th grade level by the end of the year. Sad thing is, a teacher may work her ass off and get the kid up to 9th grade level (2 full grade level improvements) but since the standardized test is written with end of year curriculum, the teacher, and sadly the student, are still considered to have failed.
Teacher's are expected to do everything and are to be "held accountable" if children are left behind. If you have not stepped foot in a classroom in more than 20 years, the classroom enviornment is totally different than when I was going to grammar school in the 1970's. We were taught respect at home and god help us all if we ever got into trouble. Children have all kinds of issues today coming from the homefront, and the teachers are supposed to have a magic wand and put on many different hats. I only taught for 3 years, but I also learned about the time teacher's put into their planning, lesson plans, correcting homework, etc. Teacher's have a demanding job. Now, the one thing I could never understand is tenure. I also worked with teachers that had no business in the field and that were just there to collect a paycheck and a pension. That teacher in the classroom today is the role model for many children that come from dyfunctional homes.
Teachers perform a uniquely important job - educating future generations of Americans. They work long hours, are under respected and under appreciated. They need summers off to unwind and prepare for the coming school year. They should not be forced to contribute to their health insurance. They have earned their pensions and should not be forced to delay retirement to age 60 or 65.
Give teachers a break!
I don't have a pension and should not have to contribute the THEIRS.
Teachers perform a uniquely important job - educating future generations of Americans. They work long hours, are under respected and under appreciated. They need summers off to unwind and prepare for the coming school year. They should not be forced to contribute to their health insurance. They have earned their pensions and should not be forced to delay retirement to age 60 or 65.
Give teachers a break!
Sorry, but most of the rest of the work force in this country work as hard or harder than teachers. They work fully 30% more days in a year than the average teacher, with longer hours each day. They don't get unlimited paid "sick time" to go to labor rallies. They don't get to retire on fully taxpayer funded pensions at 55 or 60. Their pay dosn't come off the backs of taxpayers that frequently make far less than they do.
Our public employees, teachers in particular, need a wake up call as to what the real world is like.
Sorry, but most of the rest of the work force in this country work as hard or harder than teachers. They work fully 30% more days in a year than the average teacher, with longer hours each day. They don't get unlimited paid "sick time" to go to labor rallies. They don't get to retire on fully taxpayer funded pensions at 55 or 60. Their pay dosn't come off the backs of taxpayers that frequently make far less than they do.
Our public employees, teachers in particular, need a wake up call as to what the real world is like.
I've worked in what you call "the real world" for decades.
I've also worked as a high school teacher.
Your statement is full of bogusity.
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