Well readers... what do you think about Merit Pay for Teachers?
As a retired educator I have some really mixed feelings about the merit pay concept. At first look it seems like a easy fix and a great idea!
But what is the evaluation process for choosing who receives the pay? Teachers whose students have the best scores on standardized tests? That begs the question, are they only going to "teach to the test" and forgo what I feel is real learning?Can they do both? I don't think so . Most standardized tests are machine scored, so that means all answers need to have rather concrete responses. Fits well with Math. Allows for no scoring of creativity or problem solving in the abstract. No answer here, much to "plastic".
Are the administrators going to choose who gets the pay? Well, no matter how we try, we all wind up with "favorites" at some level. No answer here, much to political.
How about colleagues making the choice? Better approach, but still could be very political. Not so great for an answer either.
Parents? Students? They could choose. This would be very political. Most coaches would win each year, parents love coaches.
As a teacher who worked hard and sometimes not recognized for accomplishments or the accomplishments of my students a little extra $ for a job well done would have been great! But for the most part I would have enjoyed public acclaim just as much!
Yes, teachers should make more money they are not paid enough for the work they do or for the workload and responsibility they carry. Think of it this way: a "supervisor" who oversees 200 employees gets paid a good salary and are looked upon as a kind of "boss". Well, my last years teaching I saw 200 students a day, had to know where each one was during my classes, not only physically, but academically and emotionally as well. I was not only responsible for their learning of a subject matter, but for their safety. If a student was sick I had to be sure they did not "infect" others with body fluids, and get them help if needed. I had to be sure students were accounted for if there was an earthquake or natural disaster and watch them before my own family. During evacuation drills or bomb threats I had to be sure they weren't too frightened or frustrated by being sequestered. I also had to be sure they didn't hurt each other and treated everyone with respect.
A big job. In the end ~ the idea of merit pay is nice, but I don't think it will work, it will just be another political football thrown in the arena. Best choice, get politics out of education as much as possible. Pay the teachers a comparable wage for their responsibility level to others in industry, give them paid vacations, clerical help, things that could make life better for the students. The teachers are professionals, let them do their job and quit making decisions about things that hinder them from meeting their goals.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
California Lottery $ and Education
Did you know that a portion of the lottery money spent in California goes "directly" to education? In the past the State of California promoted on how the lottery money was enhancing education...
It did happen that way, as I recall as a classroom teacher... once or twice. When the lottery first began money was collected and dispersed to each school district and in turn the districts dispersed a portion of the funds to each classroom directly. I remember the first time, I was notified I would have an additional $800 to spend on my classroom. I could buy books, equipment, anything that would be permanent! It was wonderful. I was able to do things I was never able to do before for my students ~ new books, some supplies that were sorely needed, etc. It was in the early 1980's when this happened. Seems to me we got money a second time but it went to "departments" instead of a portion to each classroom.
What has happened to all that "extra" money? Well, shortly following the first couple of years the district administrations figured out they could reroute the money into the general funds... never to be seen directly by a classroom again! Now a great deal of what the taxpayers think their money is going for.... isn't. Very sad. The lottery money now simply goes to replace other monies that should be going into the coffers... and who knows how it ever filters down to the students.
It amazes me that so many administrations, legislatures, etc. know "exactly" what funds a particular classroom needs! Teachers should be in charge of their own budgets...they need to be responsible and have accountability for the money, along with transparency. It would be a far cry better than the budget-shifting that goes on at the district levels.
It did happen that way, as I recall as a classroom teacher... once or twice. When the lottery first began money was collected and dispersed to each school district and in turn the districts dispersed a portion of the funds to each classroom directly. I remember the first time, I was notified I would have an additional $800 to spend on my classroom. I could buy books, equipment, anything that would be permanent! It was wonderful. I was able to do things I was never able to do before for my students ~ new books, some supplies that were sorely needed, etc. It was in the early 1980's when this happened. Seems to me we got money a second time but it went to "departments" instead of a portion to each classroom.
What has happened to all that "extra" money? Well, shortly following the first couple of years the district administrations figured out they could reroute the money into the general funds... never to be seen directly by a classroom again! Now a great deal of what the taxpayers think their money is going for.... isn't. Very sad. The lottery money now simply goes to replace other monies that should be going into the coffers... and who knows how it ever filters down to the students.
It amazes me that so many administrations, legislatures, etc. know "exactly" what funds a particular classroom needs! Teachers should be in charge of their own budgets...they need to be responsible and have accountability for the money, along with transparency. It would be a far cry better than the budget-shifting that goes on at the district levels.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Money, Money, Money!
Everyone's talking money this year, and for good reasons. Education, especially in California, has been grumbling about money since Prop 13 back in the late 1970's. I view it just like most households ~ we can always use more money! But I believe many times the "money issue" is rather a smoke screen for other culprits...
At least 15 years ago the California Teacher's Association distributed information about the ratios between students/teachers/and all other employees in school districts within the state as an average. I thought it was scary then ~ 125 "employees" to each 100 students in the State of California. Now, where they got that statistic and what is was all about, I do not remember. But, I do know that in my 30 years of teaching in California the administration departments all seemed to be able to "grow" even when the classrooms were bulging with students.
Education has turned into so much "administrivia" and so little classroom time. It is very sad. We are there for the students, at every level from K to 12 and beyond! Teachers seem to have to spend more time justifying to folks who can't possibly understand why they are teaching this or that and write this or that grant to keep the classroom current, fill out this attendance report, this health report, this lesson plan, etc., etc. I am not saying accountability is not important. But, hey, we are professionals and our professional opinion should count. Education is run by legislative demands, demands from folks who have certain political clout, demands from people all the way in Washington D. C. who have no idea what it is like "out West"... I could go on for pages here. If we don't trust our teachers, then why have them?
Why is it when one engages another professional, say your local CPA, folks pay handsomely for their advice and either follow it, or not. Just because someone was a student once, doesn't make them an expert in education and learning theory. We need to respect our teachers, hold them to high standards, and then let them alone to do their job. The young folks in the classrooms need every minute they can possibly have to be engaged with their instructors and to allow them to set the stage for learning.
When money gets tight, let "others" go by natural attrition and don't cut the teachers. Before education became such a huge organization there were students and teachers. The students and teachers came before school books, buildings, administrators, custodians, and all the unfunded mandates.
In my opinion there are three absolute necessities in education: a student, a teacher, and a parent/guardian. It takes all three for it to work well. Money, beautiful schools, technology, great secretaries, and all of those things are great ~ but the basics remain the basics.
At least 15 years ago the California Teacher's Association distributed information about the ratios between students/teachers/and all other employees in school districts within the state as an average. I thought it was scary then ~ 125 "employees" to each 100 students in the State of California. Now, where they got that statistic and what is was all about, I do not remember. But, I do know that in my 30 years of teaching in California the administration departments all seemed to be able to "grow" even when the classrooms were bulging with students.
Education has turned into so much "administrivia" and so little classroom time. It is very sad. We are there for the students, at every level from K to 12 and beyond! Teachers seem to have to spend more time justifying to folks who can't possibly understand why they are teaching this or that and write this or that grant to keep the classroom current, fill out this attendance report, this health report, this lesson plan, etc., etc. I am not saying accountability is not important. But, hey, we are professionals and our professional opinion should count. Education is run by legislative demands, demands from folks who have certain political clout, demands from people all the way in Washington D. C. who have no idea what it is like "out West"... I could go on for pages here. If we don't trust our teachers, then why have them?
Why is it when one engages another professional, say your local CPA, folks pay handsomely for their advice and either follow it, or not. Just because someone was a student once, doesn't make them an expert in education and learning theory. We need to respect our teachers, hold them to high standards, and then let them alone to do their job. The young folks in the classrooms need every minute they can possibly have to be engaged with their instructors and to allow them to set the stage for learning.
When money gets tight, let "others" go by natural attrition and don't cut the teachers. Before education became such a huge organization there were students and teachers. The students and teachers came before school books, buildings, administrators, custodians, and all the unfunded mandates.
In my opinion there are three absolute necessities in education: a student, a teacher, and a parent/guardian. It takes all three for it to work well. Money, beautiful schools, technology, great secretaries, and all of those things are great ~ but the basics remain the basics.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Time off for Teachers!
Here is a clarification for anyone who may read this little blog who is not in education... and looking to see if others who are in education have suffered the same fate!
While teaching I often had folks exclaim about all the great time I got off in the summer and for holidays! I mean, wow, nobody else gets all those holidays! Here is the rub. For the 30 years I taught I NEVER received a single day or single hour of paid vacation! Those summers "off"... were actually times of unemployment. No paycheck earned there! Christmas vacation... no paycheck there either! I simply received pay for my total number of work days per year which over my career went between 180 - 200 days of work. My pay was chopped up into either 10 or 12 payments, which ever I chose or the district decided. Teachers deserve a paid vacation... at least 2 weeks a year like most everyone else who is under contract! What gives here? The administrators all get paid vacation. So do the secretaries, janitors, bus drivers, and any other workers at the school.
In addition to all this "time off" without earning any pay... I was expected to enroll in graduate courses (at my own expense) update my skills, stay current with learning theories, and ultimately enhance my abilities. This usually ate into my "free" time! I was also expected to write grants, prepare curriculum for the following year, prepare budgets, and prepare my classroom prior to school opening to make it welcome for the students. My budget for my classroom teacher supplies was a whopping $100 a year.
I calculated that I usually spent about $2,000 - $3,000 out of pocket each year for classroom supplies, meeting requirements of the district for various things including travel to and from school events, paying babysitters so I could supervise homecoming events until 2:00 a.m. and all sorts of other obligations and duties "as assigned".
How about you? What do those of you currently teaching have to fork out of pocket so your students have the minimum of what they need? Anyone out there in the "real" business world? What extra expenses do you have? I'd really like to hear your comments and thoughts!
Thanks for "listening" today!
While teaching I often had folks exclaim about all the great time I got off in the summer and for holidays! I mean, wow, nobody else gets all those holidays! Here is the rub. For the 30 years I taught I NEVER received a single day or single hour of paid vacation! Those summers "off"... were actually times of unemployment. No paycheck earned there! Christmas vacation... no paycheck there either! I simply received pay for my total number of work days per year which over my career went between 180 - 200 days of work. My pay was chopped up into either 10 or 12 payments, which ever I chose or the district decided. Teachers deserve a paid vacation... at least 2 weeks a year like most everyone else who is under contract! What gives here? The administrators all get paid vacation. So do the secretaries, janitors, bus drivers, and any other workers at the school.
In addition to all this "time off" without earning any pay... I was expected to enroll in graduate courses (at my own expense) update my skills, stay current with learning theories, and ultimately enhance my abilities. This usually ate into my "free" time! I was also expected to write grants, prepare curriculum for the following year, prepare budgets, and prepare my classroom prior to school opening to make it welcome for the students. My budget for my classroom teacher supplies was a whopping $100 a year.
I calculated that I usually spent about $2,000 - $3,000 out of pocket each year for classroom supplies, meeting requirements of the district for various things including travel to and from school events, paying babysitters so I could supervise homecoming events until 2:00 a.m. and all sorts of other obligations and duties "as assigned".
How about you? What do those of you currently teaching have to fork out of pocket so your students have the minimum of what they need? Anyone out there in the "real" business world? What extra expenses do you have? I'd really like to hear your comments and thoughts!
Thanks for "listening" today!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Extra Curricular...
I know for many high school students the extra curricular activities are THE REASON they attend school. This is completely understood. I believe there are lots of good things that happen in the entire extra curricular scope... and sports is the "sacred cow" of high school.
My wish --- that sports would be "extra" above and beyond the school day. During some sporting seasons I would have students miss as much as 2 or 3 classes per week. Then I was expected to fill them in on what they missed. More work for me... not to mention the valuable discussions and practice the students missed while not in class riding on some bus to attend some game. When I was in school (a million years ago...) students were not released early from class to attend games, they happened AFTER school. That way parents could attend along with other student body members. Students didn't miss their lessons and weren't always playing catch-up.
Are there any solutions for this? What do your schools do? Some coaches I have worked with have been great, and if their team member student needed to tow the line, or make up work ~ it got done! Others, "ho hum".
The other gripe I have about sports in general, was that in the school I taught at THE ENTIRE BUDGET for field trips was used up in transportation costs for sports. I felt that was really unfair to the majority of the student body. Year after year, I would carefully calculate the % of students that actually participated in sports. It was always around 25%. That left out 75% of the students!
Maybe other areas are more balanced than where I taught. Would love to hear your side of the story! Comment away!
My wish --- that sports would be "extra" above and beyond the school day. During some sporting seasons I would have students miss as much as 2 or 3 classes per week. Then I was expected to fill them in on what they missed. More work for me... not to mention the valuable discussions and practice the students missed while not in class riding on some bus to attend some game. When I was in school (a million years ago...) students were not released early from class to attend games, they happened AFTER school. That way parents could attend along with other student body members. Students didn't miss their lessons and weren't always playing catch-up.
Are there any solutions for this? What do your schools do? Some coaches I have worked with have been great, and if their team member student needed to tow the line, or make up work ~ it got done! Others, "ho hum".
The other gripe I have about sports in general, was that in the school I taught at THE ENTIRE BUDGET for field trips was used up in transportation costs for sports. I felt that was really unfair to the majority of the student body. Year after year, I would carefully calculate the % of students that actually participated in sports. It was always around 25%. That left out 75% of the students!
Maybe other areas are more balanced than where I taught. Would love to hear your side of the story! Comment away!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Extra Credit ~ Friend or Foe?
Once upon a time, in a land far away, extra credit was something a few students might be given to have an opportunity to earn if they were finished with their regular work, completed it in a satisfactory manner, and were ready to enhance what they already knew!
Somewhere along the way "extra credit" for many classrooms has become a way for students to "earn points" or improve their grade (usually for the benefit of actually passing) with this technique. In a perfect world this whole extra credit thing would be banished from the kingdom!
In my experience, too many students either chose not to complete assignments, study for their test, or didn't do a major project and then ask for "extra credit". In other words, they wanted to make up for past sins. I must confess, I have allowed some students to either talk me into this, and a few to even "con" me into this... but on the whole, if I gave "extra credit" for anything ~ the point or percentage value would never be enough to change their grade, unless they were oh, so close to that A-, etc.
Interesting to note that, many times, parents would ask on behalf of their students. If only the parents had paid attention to the notes, phone calls, grade cards, looked at homework and tests returned before the end of the grading term! Extra credit boils down to more work for the teacher (prepare assignements for extra credit that actually deals with the course at hand, grade the material and recalculate grades...)
Any opinions out there? What do you think about extra credit? What about those teachers who give "extra credit" for their grade by activities that are not academic? (like selling the most widgets to parents for class fundraisers, etc.)
Would love to hear your views!
Somewhere along the way "extra credit" for many classrooms has become a way for students to "earn points" or improve their grade (usually for the benefit of actually passing) with this technique. In a perfect world this whole extra credit thing would be banished from the kingdom!
In my experience, too many students either chose not to complete assignments, study for their test, or didn't do a major project and then ask for "extra credit". In other words, they wanted to make up for past sins. I must confess, I have allowed some students to either talk me into this, and a few to even "con" me into this... but on the whole, if I gave "extra credit" for anything ~ the point or percentage value would never be enough to change their grade, unless they were oh, so close to that A-, etc.
Interesting to note that, many times, parents would ask on behalf of their students. If only the parents had paid attention to the notes, phone calls, grade cards, looked at homework and tests returned before the end of the grading term! Extra credit boils down to more work for the teacher (prepare assignements for extra credit that actually deals with the course at hand, grade the material and recalculate grades...)
Any opinions out there? What do you think about extra credit? What about those teachers who give "extra credit" for their grade by activities that are not academic? (like selling the most widgets to parents for class fundraisers, etc.)
Would love to hear your views!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Homework Dilemma!
Well here it is... the homework dilemma. Teachers give homework, most parents want their students to have homework, generally students would rather be without homework!
Lots of opinions about homework. Sometimes teachers give homework as a way to allow students to complete work they did not finish in class, sometimes it is for extra practice, and other times it is to allow students to utilize information, places, etc. they cannot do inside the four walls of a classroom (i.e., enrichment).
Then there are the "overcrowded classroom" or in some cases, "lazy teacher" reasons.
What are these reasons? My experience has been in California public schools, mostly at the secondary (high school) level. California has crowded classrooms and the curriculum (stuff required to study) is mandated by the state and feds, etc. Each classroom may have students of all abilities ~ from off-the-wall brilliant, to room temp IQ's and beyond. Education has found that because of the wide variety of students as well as coping with a multitude of languages, backgrounds, discipline expectations, cultures, etc. ~ if they seem to have a lack of time to get learning accomplished while in the classroom... hummm... they can send it home with the kids if it doesn't happen in class and call it homework!
As a teacher I have given homework, sometimes on a fairly regular basis (but not weekends), sometimes never, and sometimes to allow students to complete the work if I think they have grasped the basic ideas. It was always my feelings that homework needed to be adjusted to each situation. But I have never been a true " have to give homework" fan.
As a parent I loathed homework. Kids often had hours of homework each night... "must prepare them for college"... I felt one or two hours for high school students was more than plenty. Sometimes I would get angry at my colleagues if too much homework was given. What about family time and chores? How does a teacher who is a parent balance requirements for family obligations with doing homework ~ especially if it takes 5+ hours a night. This doesn't fit any time for fun, community activities, or cleaning their rooms!
Have any of you faced this dilemma? I always expected my own to perform as well as they could in school, but if a choice had to be made ~ family came first.
How do you see homework? Please let me know in a comment!
Lots of opinions about homework. Sometimes teachers give homework as a way to allow students to complete work they did not finish in class, sometimes it is for extra practice, and other times it is to allow students to utilize information, places, etc. they cannot do inside the four walls of a classroom (i.e., enrichment).
Then there are the "overcrowded classroom" or in some cases, "lazy teacher" reasons.
What are these reasons? My experience has been in California public schools, mostly at the secondary (high school) level. California has crowded classrooms and the curriculum (stuff required to study) is mandated by the state and feds, etc. Each classroom may have students of all abilities ~ from off-the-wall brilliant, to room temp IQ's and beyond. Education has found that because of the wide variety of students as well as coping with a multitude of languages, backgrounds, discipline expectations, cultures, etc. ~ if they seem to have a lack of time to get learning accomplished while in the classroom... hummm... they can send it home with the kids if it doesn't happen in class and call it homework!
As a teacher I have given homework, sometimes on a fairly regular basis (but not weekends), sometimes never, and sometimes to allow students to complete the work if I think they have grasped the basic ideas. It was always my feelings that homework needed to be adjusted to each situation. But I have never been a true " have to give homework" fan.
As a parent I loathed homework. Kids often had hours of homework each night... "must prepare them for college"... I felt one or two hours for high school students was more than plenty. Sometimes I would get angry at my colleagues if too much homework was given. What about family time and chores? How does a teacher who is a parent balance requirements for family obligations with doing homework ~ especially if it takes 5+ hours a night. This doesn't fit any time for fun, community activities, or cleaning their rooms!
Have any of you faced this dilemma? I always expected my own to perform as well as they could in school, but if a choice had to be made ~ family came first.
How do you see homework? Please let me know in a comment!
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