The unions don’t make educational policy. Since this is a particularly political topic, I will try and keep my comments neutral. But, the OEA and the NEA dictate what style of teaching is "acceptable" here in Oregon and have for a long time.
We had a principle back in my high school who thought that the Eight assistant principles should be teaching classes instead of lounging in their offices all day and occasionally "reprimanding students (I.E. Firmly telling the student, 'now don't do it again')".
So, he had them setup to teach some of the more basic classes, subjects that wouldn't be extremely out of their skill range.
The vice-principles whined, and the Union got rid of him. Around here the curriculum for each of the schools is set by the administrators from the teachers union. The superintendent is just the highest administrator on the pole.
That’s one of the things public schools need and don’t have—the ability to create their own rules and eject any student that doesn’t comply with their system. What do you think the Catholic school teachers think of Dallas’s new rules? Right now, they’re probably rolling on the floor laughing and most likely some have died because they can’t catch their breath. Consistency, respect and discipline are key factors in education—private schools don’t care what parents think about their policies but public schools are exposed to every whim, prejudice and counter-productive complaint registered by parents or politicians.
Private schools, don’t care if their drop out rate is 50% and they stick to their standards without any “interference”.
And because private schools are authoritarian and make their own rules, people that respect education accept their strict school policy and probably wouldn’t think of complaining about the things that happen in public schools e.g. dress code. Private schools’ solutions to discipline problems are expulsion into the public school system. Private schools get the cream of the crop, the motivated; public schools must accept all students and they do their best to motivate students, even those who don’t appreciate or respect education.
This isn’t a condemnation of public schools but rather a comment about the limitations placed upon them by the powers that be.
My wife to be and I both went through the public school systems here. We both left with such a foul taste in our mouths that we decided that when we have kids, we'd do anything in our power to put our kids in a school system that actually teaches something other than "Feel good about yourself" and "Explore your sexual interests".
Now this is going to sound harsh, but neither of us feel a tad bit sorry when we hear the schools whine and moan about "Oh we need more money or we're going to have to cut blah blah blah". We wait patiently with baited breath for the whole system to collapse on its bloated over-administrated (Who on average draw around $100,000 a year, not counting the cadillac benefits package) self so that it can be rebuilt from the ground up.
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I cringe that the persons that will be allowed to advance by using these methods will be the ones that are intrusted with our well being as we age.
The students that study and advance without help from the state will be the doctors, lawyers, heads of industry, engineers, etc.
The others will not be able to perform in the world and will end up flipping burgers and working for low wages in facilities that care for parents and the elderly.
Thats alright because they will be replaced by young workers from India Mexico or Pakistan where the school systems gave them a good education and where teachers are treated with respect, unlike our public schools system here in the United States where Morons who can barely read or write get full scholarships to the best collages because they can dunk a basketball or run 100 yards with an inflated Pig Stomach and the teachers live in fear of their lives.
This nonsense drives some parents to make sacrifices in order to send their kids to private schools. I just could not send my kids to a class room where the teacher was not allowed to be in total charge of the classroom. I even signed a document which allowed the parochial school to reprimand my kids.
I paid two prices for my kids' education, but it was worth it. But, I now resent having to pay out-of-control school taxes, because they grossly mismanage our money.
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This letter from a student was in the paper today....
Re: "Teachers give new rules an F – Under uniform system, there's no penalty for late work, and homework scores can only help," Friday news story.
I am a 16-year-old high school student, and I was absolutely appalled by the news from the DISD. Not only is it unfair to other students, it discredits the work of any individual who graduates under this policy. High school is about learning independence and responsibility. These policies need to be rescinded, and teachers should be allowed to evaluate the work of students without concern for the overall grade of the student. Monitoring grades is the students' responsibility.
moonchild wrote: If this was my child's school district, I would move.
This is TEXAS STATEWIDE. You'd need to move out of state.
This is not statewide...my wife is a teacher in El Paso and I forwarded the article to her...trust me, she would know if her district participated in these new rules.
Now, there is no guarantee what might happen in the future.
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sgtpp214 wrote: Can you say 'No Child Left Behind'. I taught from 1966 to 1972 when I went into another profession. Society has been dumbing down the educational system for the last 20 yrs and society always blames the teachers. Quite frankly I don't understand why anyone goes into the educational field today.
The parents have allowed the dumbing down to happen by not taking action against school administrators who dictate such policies. If the administrators don't have the guts to push the students those adminisstrators need to be forced out of their jobs.
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moonchild wrote: If this was my child's school district, I would move.
This is TEXAS STATEWIDE. You'd need to move out of state.
This is not statewide...my wife is a teacher in El Paso and I forwarded the article to her...trust me, she would know if her district participated in these new rules.
Now, there is no guarantee what might happen in the future.
You are correct, I stand corrected. My wife informed me of this today. She has been teaching here in the Houston area for 16 years. This crazy plan was enacted this year here. I am afraid that it is not so easy running from these polices. Hard to quit after many years. It is a shame.
I have taught high school special education in a public school for 25 years, (that is another book to be written), however, we sent our daughter to a Christian school from pre-school through 12th grade. I, personally, had attended a Christian school through 8th grade, and then attended the local public school, because one was not available at that time.
My husband and I decided before we were married that we would send our children to a Christian school if one were nearby. Through much sacrifice, we sent our daughter to a parochial school mainly for the Christian education, but we also knew this particular school had outstanding academic credentials. She will be doing her student teaching in a public high school this fall and graduating from CMU this December. We couldn't be prouder!
Parents should be allowed to choose where to send their children to school. Even as a public school teacher, I favor tax credits for parents who choose to send their children to private or parochial schools. I do not support vouchers, as I am concerned that there most likely would be government regulations imposed on non-public schools. I have noticed in my own district that when more accountability was imposed on the public schools for funding, etc., that our school rose to the occasion. Our teachers worked together to make improvements, and even amidst complaints of No Child Left Behind, the school improved in many areas. Competition will do that. It is amazing to me that many in education demand "choice" in every other aspect of their lives, and yet not support "choice" in choosing schools?
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