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Our administrators have changed 4 times in the past 5 years. School board members are more concerned with "special education". The only problem the school board and superintendant had with the doing away with the honors program was that the kids overheard the teachers talking about it and went home and told their parents. That was before the decision was made. When the decision was made, it was done behind closed doors and we didn't find out about it until the next year when suddenly there was no honors classes.
The leadership does come from the top. Principals are great examples of this. I can honestly say that the elementary school is great. There was a big turnover there for years. If that principal didn't like how you taught or the results you were getting weren't up to par, you were gone.
Unfortunately once the kids get out of that school, it's all downhill from there. All teachers are tenured and no one will do anything about it. For 5 years now, a parent could complain and hear, "I'm new here and would like to see things before making any decisions". Kind of hard to get results that way.
The teachers are very disrespectful to the kids and the kids are likewise. There is no accountability. I will tell this one again, there are several teachers that have told my kids "I hate parent teacher conferences. I don't want to meet with the parents. I don't want to stay late." You meet with them and they sit back and say "they're doing fine". No ellaboration, etc. Yes, I can tell you from personal experience, MOST of the teachers in our district do not care one bit about teaching, only the paycheck. There is a lack of parental involvement and that protects them from accountability.
Then raise heck with your school board--they hire the administrators. If the board is unwilling to make the administrators (and ultimately the teachers) accountable, then they need to go. We had a teacher here was was very disrespectful (mean is actually more like it, and not in a "I expect you to learn" way--in a petty bullying way) and she lasted one year because the parents started documenting things and took them to the principal. The system only works if you make it work.
No. It's supposed to be a partnership. I'm with you 150% on that.
I have a question though. Does this same kid that doesn't do his homework advance each year?
Do the teachers you know practice "pass the trash"? It sounds to me like you do care and are probably one of the handful in it because you want to teach. Unfortunately, there are too many out there that do not want to teach and just want the paycheck and benefits.
Parents can/do pay for an attorney and sue school districts if kids are held back.
Then raise heck with your school board--they hire the administrators. If the board is unwilling to make the administrators (and ultimately the teachers) accountable, then they need to go. We had a teacher here was was very disrespectful (mean is actually more like it, and not in a "I expect you to learn" way--in a petty bullying way) and she lasted one year because the parents started documenting things and took them to the principal. The system only works if you make it work.
You are right. We are in a bad district. It's middle class suburban, but a bad school district.
I don't know that there are enough parents that really care, as long as their kids pass each year. It's sad really.
That would be why I can't wait for the school choice list to come out.
One is parents. They just expect teachers to teach their kids and have nothing to do with their education. That is extremely prevalent.
The other is tenure. There are many teachers out there that are in it just for a paycheck. Once they hit tenure, they know it takes an act of God to fire them.
Teaching is an important profession, but I would like to see tenure done away with. Let it be like the private sector. Reward the good and get rid of the bad. Now if we could do that with parents we'd be in better shape as well.
Where do you get your information? Can you substantiate this assertion with FACTS?
There are tenured teachers who should not be in a classroom, but I can assure you, they are not many. And, they are still in the classroom because somewhere along the line, an administrator(s) did not do their job(s).
During the course of my career, I witnessed more than one bad teacher being transferred to another school, not because of "the union," but because the principal simply did not want to invest the time it would take to properly observe/document the teacher in preparation for removal. Much easier to just pass the bad teacher on to another school...
As for "reward the good and get rid of the bad," exactly how do you assess good or bad for a classroom teacher?
I wonder if the forum will get a break from the union propoganda on account of the usual suspects out protesting
Were you out there with the tea party? You're seeing a lot of people who would never normally go to a rally get involved with this. I promise you--no one's paying me, or my friends, and we're not being bused in from out of state. I don't belong to a union, and I never have. This issue has hit a nerve with lots of different types of people--you may not like it, but you can't deny it. I'm going out there to support our teachers, because I believe in what they do, and I think our school is stronger because they have a voice there through their union. I'm far from the only parent that feels that way--obviously.
Our district has many teachers that should have been gone. They have gotten rid of honors classes in the middle school thinking that mixing up the student population with the honors kids and the poorer performers together will impact the poorer performers. It has failed.
[/qoute]
Who did that? The teachers or the School Board?
[/qoute]Our district has failed (this is the 3rd year in a row) and NOT ONE has lost their job. This is in a middle class suburb.[qoute]
Failed what? Making AYP? At what level did it start? Going from 40% passing to 60% passing is easy. Going from 94% to 97% is almost impossible.
My kids are honors and AP kids. The work they are doing is laughable. Is it honors work - no way.
I also subbed for many years in these same schools. I have seen it up close and personal.
For some kids it is the parents that take no interest in their kid's education.
For other kids, it is the teachers that just want to collect a paycheck.[/quote]
Are all the kids in the class Honors and AP? If not,that, again, is a School Board policy (no tracking, open enrollment, letting any kid in whose parent makes a big enough fuss) abetted by the CollegeBoard which is putting a lot of time, energy and money for advertising into convincing people that everyone should take AP classes (at $79 a pop for each AP test)
My kids are honors and AP kids. The work they are doing is laughable. Is it honors work - no way.
I also subbed for many years in these same schools. I have seen it up close and personal.
For some kids it is the parents that take no interest in their kid's education.
For other kids, it is the teachers that just want to collect a paycheck.
Are all the kids in the class Honors and AP? If not,that, again, is a School Board policy (no tracking, open enrollment, letting any kid in whose parent makes a big enough fuss) abetted by the CollegeBoard which is putting a lot of time, energy and money for advertising into convincing people that everyone should take AP classes (at $79 a pop for each AP test)[/quote]
Yes, all of them are in those classes. There are requirements to be able to take those classes....
Where do you get your information? Can you substantiate this assertion with FACTS?
There are tenured teachers who should not be in a classroom, but I can assure you, they are not many. And, they are still in the classroom because somewhere along the line, an administrator(s) did not do their job(s).
During the course of my career, I witnessed more than one bad teacher being transferred to another school, not because of "the union," but because the principal simply did not want to invest the time it would take to properly observe/document the teacher in preparation for removal. Much easier to just pass the bad teacher on to another school...
As for "reward the good and get rid of the bad," exactly how do you assess good or bad for a classroom teacher?
Yes I can in my own school district. I have stated all of my information from the point of my own school district.
There are MANY tenured teachers and 3 of the principals/vice principals in our school district that are of the "good ole boy" network and should not be there.
Funny, the dad of the one principal is and has been on the school board for years.
Easier to "pass the teacher". Here it's easier to "pass the kid".
Yes I can in my own school district. I have stated all of my information from the point of my own school district.
There are MANY tenured teachers and 3 of the principals/vice principals in our school district that are of the "good ole boy" network and should not be there.
Funny, the dad of the one principal is and has been on the school board for years.
Easier to "pass the teacher". Here it's easier to "pass the kid".
Then get some parents together and run some new folks for school board. It works--I'd run someone really good against the seat held by the administrator's dad. Even if they don't win, it can shake up the board enough that they start listening to the parents.
Last edited by mb1547; 02-26-2011 at 10:27 AM..
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