Teachers Frustrated

Great Blog as always Mike.  Teaching Careers are not what they should be, and not only are we losing good ones, the system has nothing appealing to offer them anymore.  Why do the vocations that are vital to our well being have so little reward to them.  I've got two more years with kids in the Public School System and I cannot wait to be done with it.  Common sense is gone, it's all about funding, very little about teaching and in the end everyone loses.

As a side note I think it's ridiculous that they don't even have their own classrooms anymore but have to wander from place to place like Nomads because of overcrowding.

I happen to agree. We test the spark out of the eyes of students in Clay - just like most school districts do today.  I have heard many excellent educators, who have left the profession, state they did so because they did not want to be robots who prepared students for the GOD ALMIGHTY FCAT.  Now it seems there is a new acronym out there, even worse than FCAT, NCLB.  That is supposed to stand for No Child Left Behind, but in reality stands for NO CASH left BEHIND.  Students who have passed FCAT are still expected to have gains in their educational process.   Well, from the students point of view, I say to H with NCLB, I passed the FCAT and I am diploma bound.  Who cares what the federal government thinks?  Not me, I am outta here.  Are adults any different?  No we are not, if they put a line we must cross, we cross the line, and it doesn't matter how far we go beyond it, if we crossed it we are fine.

I have been in education for 35 years.  Every year we have been at the mercy of the Florida legislature for our funding.  When we get Republicans, we get tests, because tests are cheap.  They also have people who fail and that gives us something to harp about.  Just think what the political angle on education would be if 100% of the students passed FCAT.  DUH, it wouldn't make the news at all.  So, we are hering students to be professionals at their chosen vocation.  That sounds good, but most are just trying to make the day.  Call me a pessimist if you will, but in reality I am a realist.  PS -  I am working for health care.  I have retired, but can't afford to quit work until I become a ward of the state. For you die-heard Republicans, yes I chose to be in education, and make less money than the fatcats.  But, I know I made a difference, where all you made was a dollar.

Stuck on the Island - at least for another day!

I had a chance to attend a Clay County Elementary School a couple of times in recent weeks, and have been communicating with my "step-son's" 1st grade teacher since the beginning of this year, and I must say my hope has been restored.  In public schools (elementary anyway), and in human kind.

Everytime I visit the school I am so impressed with the obvious love - what else can you call it - that the teachers have for the kids.  This teacher in particular is so sweet, and so patient, and so everything you could ask a teacher to be, that I want to just hug her.  Throughout the school I can see the teachers and staff are making an effort to instill, and expect, discipline and respect.  Again, I know I'm talking about elementary (K-6), but still, I'm proud as punch of the school, Wilkinson Elementary.

If all was right with the world, school teachers would be the highest paid government workers.  What they do is without a doubt, the most important job in our society.

We all have teachers we remember well, and who had a lifelong impact on us.  I have several.

Thank you Islander, and anyone else who puts self-satisfaction and duty above a paycheck, and commits to educating the rest of us.  And a great big thank you to Mr. Sam Shive, Forrest High School, the best English teacher in the world.  30 years later, you are still having an impact.

islander,

If you had a magic wand and could wave it over the school system, how would you change the school system to make it accountable for learning gains but not encumbered by unnecessary reporting chores?

Would standardized testing be part of your strategy?

Can you give us an idea of what the optimum day would look like for a professional teacher?

Thanks.

Karen Lake

I think just about everyone on the local level has the best interest of our students at heart.  Above the local level, I just don't know.  In the last 35 years we have implemented so many programs only to scrap them in 2-3 years, I just don't know.  Everyone agrees that it takes at least 6-10 years for a program to get implemented correctly and have results that are accurate.  We never let the programs last that long.

Standardized testing is a good idea turned bad.  I know that students and teachers need to be measured, and I have no issue with that.  I do have an issue with the fact that the FCAT is what schools live and die by; I almost forgot about that almighty Jeb Bush school grade.  I think all schools range from A to F schools.  Many students learn and progress wonderfully, and some just never make it.  So student grades are like school grades, they vary.  The biggest pain in the buttocks is not the FCAT, but NCLB.  That is such a waste of resources and money.  We have certified teachers that are certified, but not highly qualified.  Does that make any sense?  Taking a class or specific curriculum does not make one highly qualified, merely certified. Many of the brightest and best teachers feel like robots, merely teaching students how to take tests and score high on the FCAT.  These teachers often leave the profession after only a short time.  After all, until recently, they could make much more money selling real estate.  

Teachers know what the problem is, but no one wants to hear.  The biggest problem is the lack of parental involvement in the development of their children.  I don't want to put blame anywhere, but many parents work long hours and some multiple jobs just to make ends meet.   Many parents don't have the time, or don't make the time to just be there for their children.

A case in point.  Years ago a student began to habitually sleep in class.  I first scolded the girl and left it at that.  A week or so went by and she still slept everyday in class.  I kept her for a moment after class, and I asked her if she was sleeping in other classes.  She answered, "My dad works shift work and comes in late.  He goes by the bar and has a couple of drinks with his buddies.  When he comes home, mom is waiting for him, and she lays into him.  They fight and yell and cuss until about 3-4am.  There ain't nobody sleeping around my house when all this is going on.  We don't go to bed until about 10  o'clock."

Another case in point.  I volunteered as part of a fire and rescue team in another county in Florida.  We get a call to a drug overdose at a home.  We go in and there is the mother of one of my students naked, laying on the bed.  The boy went over and covered his mother up and looked at me and said, "I'm sorry."   I think I was more devastated than he was.  Here was a 14 year old boy being the parent and taking care of his mother and ashamed of his mother.

I don't want to blame all the ills of the world on parents, but they certainly are the cause of quite a few problems with students today.

Now, let's get to teachers.  In 35 years, I have seen two teachers taken from school in handcuffs for having sex with their students, and a couple more fired for battery against students.  Parents assume their children are safe in schools, but they aren't completely safe.  The same issues with society today spill over into the faculties of schools everywhere.  I think that teachers, preachers, law enforcement officers and elected officials should be held to a higher standard than other individuals.  We owe that to society.  If I were a judge, I would be a "hanging" judge, when dealing with those individuals.

Schools spend most of their time dealing with about 10% of their student body.  I think the 10% rule applies to most problems we have in society today.  About 10% of the people cause 90% of our problems, so why would our children be any different.

An optimum day would be getting a good parking space, not having a mad parent voice mail or email, waiting for me and students who were eager to learn.  Oops, almost forgot, a wonderfully planned lesson.  Those days do happen quite frequently for most of us. 

The wife asked me if I was writing an epistle, so I need to post this and catch up on the honey do's.  Now for those of you who want to correct any grammar in this post, have at it.  Teachers are just like their students, imperfect.

- The Islander 

Key, what a great question.  I love the magic wand or king of the world question.

And Islander - way to swing for the fence.  I think 99% of us agree with your "parents" answer.  In an earlier comment I referred to personal responsibility.  If parents would take their responsibility more seriously, and try a little tough love instead of spoiling love, I think your work day would improve.

I can't know for sure, but I imagine the minority of kids create the majority of your problems.  In business it's called the 80-20 Rule.  20% of the sales people produce 80% of the sales.  Probably similar in school - 20% of the kids create 80% of the problems.  Am I right when I say the majority are rule(law) abiding kids who are just trying to survive the experience?

I enjoyed reading your response, and hope some of your comments get read by someone who is in a position to do something about it.

You mean teachers don't get reserved parking spaces?  That ain't right, as my friend likes to say.

Making things perfect is a tall task for any profession, outside of maybe lobbyist.  But wouldn't a good start being letting the teachers really educate instead of train their students for tests?

Granted, there are criminal and incompetent teachers, just like in every other profession.  I don't know how that can be avoided.  But I think the best decisions about how to educate a classroom full of kids is made inside the very classroom.  And the farther away from the classroom you get, no matter how well intentioned, the least likely that decision is to benefit the kids trying to learn.

FCAT, I heard, is a vulgar acronym that ends in "Children and Teachers."  And No Child Left Behind was designed on the wonderful concept of bringing the least forward, but the reality is that the only way to not leave anyone behind is to slow everyone else down to their pace.

Teachers should be given guidelines and minimum standards based on real life to achieve, then turned loose in their classrooms - encouraged to summon whatever it was inside them that drove them to the teaching profession to the surface.  To teach something off the lesson plan, because some child asked and it's a good lesson to learn even if it's not on the test.  To inspire students with the joys of their jobs, not frustrated enough to go work at Target.

No matter what all the layers and layers of bureaucratic BS tell us, education is still stomething that happens between teacher and student.

Michael S. Mann

islander,

Admittedly, it was a tall order. Reforming the state's school system is a tall order. Your response was great, islander.

And Bax, I find when I ask a veteran professional in his field an open-ended question I usually get back the answer which is staring everyone in the face. It's the 800-pound gorilla that's sitting in the middle of the room that no one wants to admit is there.

In this case, it's irresponsible parents. Yes, they can pay their taxes but they lack the discipline to ensure they're child's success. It is the law they send their children to school.

If it's the law to send your children to school and students (who by and large are the 20 of the 80-20 percent rule), then I firmly believe there should be stiff fines imposed on parents because the public schools cannot teach your child if your child is not there.

It could work along the lines of code enforcement or a special magistrate.

Yes, the school district has the authority to pull parents into court but it is a long and involved process.

I believe the only way to change the culture of apathy is to affect what matters most to people: their pocketbook.

If there were stiff fees and fines associated with the number of tardies and absences of their children, I believe we'd see a different cultural landscape in our schools. People don't want liens on their homes. They don't want to get "school" citations in the mail.

[Just to demonstrate the problem, there are students missing 20 or more days per grading period expecting to make up the work and pass. The policy is a student must make up all work within two days of an absence. Whether it's enforced at every school, I don't know. I only know about the schools in southwest Clay County and the answer is "no."]

This is a controversial idea: If school vouchers were in play, what if it could be used both ways? What if a parent could take a voucher to any school of choice? What if a truant student (after extensive documentation) was given a school voucher ($5,124 FTE) and asked to find an alternate education option. What would the public school system look like then?

Yes, everyone deserves a public education paid for by our taxes but I believe in a strong set of consequences when the taxpayer doesn't keep his/her promise to the school district. It works both ways - only right now - it doesn't really work both ways.

Is it a hardline? Yeah, probably so. But the stakes are huge. The ramifications of a poorly educated generation have the potential to be socially and economically devastating. Schools live and die on the results of measured learning gains. Not having a mechanism to change the tide (in favor of teachers) is criminal.

I feel your pain, islander. I'm not sure how to solve your pain. But I think about it.

The acronyms for those are

FCAT - Florida Child Abuse Test

NCLB - No Cash Left Behind, but that's okay, the NQLB's will furnish the cash (see below)

What do you do with a child who has passed their classes, and has the minimum GPA but doesn't pass FCAT because they just don't test well?     You produce a dropout. 

What about the children left behind because we spend so much time/money making sure our non-academic students aren't left behind?  We produce NQLB's.

NQLB - Not Quite Left Behind.  These people are the rock salt of the earth.  They are productive, wonderful, hard working and honest people.  The good old average American - something we seem to have lost appreciation for today.