Posted on 07/15/2015 4:11:04 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
One thing about teaching that is easy for parents, policy-makers and others to forget is that working with students for hours every weekday to help them learn is very, very hard work. Even in the best of schools and even with supportive administrators, teachers have unrelenting jobs. In recent years, a growing number of teachers have found that reforms which force them to test students more than ever, collect more data than ever and attend more meetings than ever, are making the job literally impossible.
That’s what happened to Scott Ervin, who has worked as a teacher, principal and discipline specialist over the last 15 years. Ervin loved working with at-risk students, and for years requested that the most difficult be placed in his class. But in this post, Ervin explains why he is quitting his job as a third-grade teacher at Fairborn Primary School in Ohio.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I agree with 16 and 19.....my only tiny quibble is that I don’t think a majority of teachers are the good guys just stuck in a corrupt system anymore. I think the majority of them ARE part of the corruption, happily so.
Certainly true of teachers under the age of say 50.....
Ohio Ping
Scott Ervin (Fairborn Primary School): “the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Legislature as well as to Gov. John Kasich: the people who have cut our funding while asking us to jump through multiple, time consuming hoops that don’t help anyone. “
As stated by post #7 the “Common Core State Standards, which replace the universally hated NCLB. I believe every single issue he related as impacting his decision to leave the teaching field can be traced to Common Core.”
And see the two threads below - Congress has voted to renew NCLB.
House narrowly votes to renew No Child Left Behind after drama
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3309606/posts
House Republicans Betray Common Core Moms
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3310485/posts
Resource link:
http://ohioansagainstcommoncore.com/
There are no easy answers to the morass caused by government regs, teachers’ unions, incompetent teachers, incompetent/corrupt administrators, unruly kids, weird parents and so forth. Given that, I have never met an “educator” who didn’t gripe...about their pay, about how “overworked” they are, about the students and so forth. Really, “educators” get paid relatively high now, only “work” several months each year and get great benefits (retirement, etc.). Stop griping and do something to correct the situations.
I agree with 16 and 19.....my only tiny quibble is that I don’t think a majority of teachers are the good guys just stuck in a corrupt system anymore. I think the majority of them ARE part of the corruption, happily so.
Certainly true of teachers under the age of say 50.....
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The “good ones” are leaving the profession, if they can and that has been happening for a while.
Some could manage for a while with the local educational control, but when a national education program like common core is in the mix, it becomes impossible.
True, and another factor is that the younger ones were given an even more “educational” education. It’s swirling the wrong way......down down down....even as teachers pay goes up up up.....
In an generation or two our socialized healthcare will have similar problems, and the same quality of people running it.
So?....How much respect should we have for those that continue to teach in and run the government indoctrination camps?
My action?
I shun them.
There are no easy answers to the morass caused by government regs, teachers’ unions, incompetent teachers, incompetent/corrupt administrators, unruly kids, weird parents and so forth. Given that, I have never met an “educator” who didn’t gripe...about their pay, about how “overworked” they are, about the students and so forth. Really, “educators” get paid relatively high now, only “work” several months each year and get great benefits (retirement, etc.). Stop griping and do something to correct the situations.
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The article is a statement of how things have changed recently and there have been other teachers who resigned over common core.
As to the reference about teacher pay and work hours, benefits, etc. Take the author’s challenge and become a teacher.
BTW - teachers are powerless to change the system or to manifest solutions in a top down politically driven education system that supports corporate profits.
True, and another factor is that the younger ones were given an even more “educational” education. It’s swirling the wrong way......down down down....even as teachers pay goes up up up.....
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The colleges changed the teacher preparation courses in the early 70’s from my perspective. The influence of socialistic and Marxist ideology began to (Ramped up) infiltrate around that time.
Don’t know of any pay increases - most wages are stagnant, but the teacher pay scale is based of number of years of experience and education level (Masters is now required mostly).
Meanwhile, someone who is retired, or semi retired, from the real world, is not allowed to go in and teach young skulls......with real world wisdom.....
BTW, no clunkers in faculty parking lots any more.....
All children are precious. Not all children are equally good students. All children should have the opportunity to pursue a rigorous education, and allowance should be made for late bloomers and second and third tries. But the insanity will not stop until we accept that children are different, and that ability grouping and tracking are essential.
I attended a perfectly ordinary, Midwestern small town high school with no particular academic pretentions. I had the good fortune to have passed through the system before the "everybody needs to go to college" nonsense hit -- i.e., I got through before the great dumbing down of the curriculum, and before social promotion became the norm. I was lucky.
The schools can be fixed if we are willing to relearn old truths, but we will have to put a couple of modern manias to rest first.
So?....How much respect should we have for those that continue to teach in and run the government indoctrination camps?
My action?
I shun them.
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Would you say the same for doctors who continue to work in Obamacare?
As with any profession, a person joins that profession initially because they love the work. Some will be forced out because of the cultural and political climate.
Teachers may not agree with what’s going on, just like some doctors who remain in their profession.
Meanwhile, someone who is retired, or semi retired, from the real world, is not allowed to go in and teach young skulls......with real world wisdom.....
BTW, no clunkers in faculty parking lots any more.....
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Check in your local area for tutoring programs. There may be a mentoring program as well.
No clunkers - anywhere! People live above their means in every walk of life.
My best friend retired this year after teaching in Elementary schools for 25+ years. Common Core is destroying our Fed education system. But, according to her, the younger teachers are all on board with Common Core. One reason for her early retirement? The lack of ethics and morals in the new teachers. Yep, the Marxists have a stranglehold on our children.......prayers that this can be reversed.
My best friend retired this year after teaching in Elementary schools for 25+ years. Common Core is destroying our Fed education system. But, according to her, the younger teachers are all on board with Common Core. One reason for her early retirement? The lack of ethics and morals in the new teachers. Yep, the Marxists have a stranglehold on our children.......prayers that this can be reversed.
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Yep - thank you for this! And it bears repeating!
“Here it is. TEACHERS ARE TEACHING CHILDREN SEVEN HOURS A DAY! They can’t do anything besides teach during that time. That is a full work day. When you ask a teacher to do something, when you ask a teacher to do ANYTHING, you are forcing them to stop doing something else that they are doing outside of their workday. Teachers do not have “down time.”
Not sure why he thinks that differs from other jobs, other than fewer hours. My wife was a nurse. Does he think she could take a break from her patients to enter data? Well, she’d be fired if she didn’t enter data, so she did - and then got in trouble for overtime.
In the military, I didn’t have many 7 hour days. I also studied flight manuals on my own and spent a 10 year period deploying nearly 6 months each year to places like Saudi Arabia. I couldn’t count the Fridays I attended training until 8 PM after arriving at work before 5 AM, just because that was when the squadron could fit in OUR mandatory meetings.
I’m currently spending my own money and studying on my own time to get certified at a higher level in my job. My wife got her BSN on her own dime, studying when she wasn’t pulling 12 hours shifts in the hospital. I used to skim thru research papers for her, so she could use the ones that had the best data for writing her papers. No one paid me to do it any more than they paid her to get her BSN. And a year later, she quit because of the pressure to file reports rather than care for patients.
And I’m supposed to feel sorry for this guy?
Education has been a favorite whipping boy for a long time - but it has been broken for a long time, too. Can anyone say, “John Dewey?” I suppose, as someone here has already written, that it goes back to the time the fed. government got its fingers in the pie.
I retired from education going on 5 yrs. now. I taught 6th grade, 3rd, 4th, 2nd, was a reading specialist for 1st graders but mostly a guidance counselor. Teaching is one of those professions that can span a wide range of talents. It’s a mix of human relations and intellect. There’s an art to it but you need brains, too. Sometimes, really smart people aren’t very good at it and sometimes you have a minimally competent individual that really connects with kids and inspires them (and sometimes you have both negatives - I’ve met them, too). I have seen totally basket case teachers and administrators just get moved around the system and rarely really dealt with. It’s incredibly frustrating. I believe competition and freedom from government would help a lot - but it is still going to come down to who’s values hold sway. If I had it to do over again I either would not go into education or I would teach at a Christian school and suffer with the low pay. There really are dedicated people out there that are very bright and love kids and love teaching and are in it for the right reasons. My youngest son has 4 little children - birth to five. Right now, his wife stays home and homeschools two of them. He teaches at a church school and makes a horribly low salary. They live extremely tightly watching every dime and penny - yet they are happy and content and love each other. My son speaks 4 languages (English - of course - Hebrew, Spanish and reasonable German. Has had about 4 yrs of Koine Biblical Greek). He studied at Hebrew Univ. in Jerusalem where he was getting his masters, met his wife and learned Hebrew (and Spanish from her). So, you see, not all educators are money grubbing knuckle draggers seducing little socialists. There are really decent, moral, bright people in education for the right reasons - just not too many. And not all the good ones are “Christian Missionaries.” But, remember… look at the population at large and what we have to draw from. See, it’s us that’s destroying us. Morality matters. The more corrupt we get the further down the rabbit hole we go and we all know that but are far less critical when it comes to examining our own heart and life. But it’s the last thing most want to do. Far easier to blame someone else.
As a Christian, I skated as close to the line as possible in sharing my beliefs regarding controversial issues - when they came up (and sometimes when they didn’t). The population in general would hate me for that, I know. But really, the students’ parents didn’t seem to mind (you have to know kids talk to parents about what their teacher says and does at school). But leftist teachers do the same thing. You tend to run your classroom/school based on your values whether you want to admit it or not. I told my students what I thought on every issue (when they asked) and what I believed and why I believed it. I would tell them that they most likely would believe what their parents believed and that was as it should be in most cases - but someday, they would have to decide for themselves what is right and wrong - where would they go for answers? We discussed human nature and why students and adults tend to be self-centered, tend to look our for #1 above all else and how that is what is really destroying our world. There is a god of this world and there is Almighty God the Creator. There is a war going on (if you haven’t noticed) between good and evil. We are both the battle field and the prize. Choose wisely whom you will serve. Education is not the only profession with phonies and lazy bums - I’ve come across them in every area and so have you. But educators influence young minds and hearts so it IS more critical.
I could see the handwriting on the wall and was ready to get out. I just could not tell little kindergarteners that it was “ok” for Johnny to have two daddies or two mommies, that socialism was a good thing, that America was a racists, evil nation, global warming is destroying our planet so we need to kill off humanity to solve that problem and Obama was the greatest president of all time.
A sad situation that proves the incompetence of the American people
Who is the governor of Ohio, again?
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