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Susan in Felton
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What is it with Scotts Valley and their schools? Once again they are in the headlines because they can't get along with the people they hire to run their schools. Are there a lot of spoiled brats living there?--and I don't mean the kids.
Sounds like some people should shut up and let the woman (Ms. Sliver) do her job.
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disabuser
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"[Codd] said "teachers feel demeaned" by Silver's edicts, including a mandate that they use weekly planning time to fill out forms designed to create student achievement data.
Kellie Finn, a 12-year district veteran who teaches second grade at Brook Knoll Elementary School, said Silver's decision to take away teachers' choices about how to spend their planning time "makes you disheartened and kind of feel powerless. All our creativity, drive and desire has sort of been squashed.""
Because after all, the most import thing to consider in spending taxpayer's dollars is how the adult government education industry employees in that system feel. Unlike private sector employees, what their employer and the customer (the taxpayers) wants are irrelevant.
If you look at school improvement efforts that are succeeding, you will find the effective use of data as being crucial. How does Scotts Valley efforts in this regard compare to other districts who have done well at improving educational outcomes?
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MoFo
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There is data, it is called grades, tests, homework and STAR tests. All these additional layers of data that these bogus administrators impose on underpaid teachers does nothing but infuriate teachers. Teachers are professionals and deserve to teach and evaluate class how they see fit. To have some person sit up on their pedestal and making all of these demands is not the way to manage teachers.
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RobtA
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A vote of no confidence by a teachers' union, regarding salaries, is a badge of honor.
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Anayeli
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MoFo wrote: There is data, it is called grades, tests, homework and STAR tests. All these additional layers of data that these bogus administrators impose on underpaid teachers does nothing but infuriate teachers. Teachers are professionals and deserve to teach and evaluate class how they see fit. To have some person sit up on their pedestal and making all of these demands is not the way to manage teachers. OK professionals, doctors, lawyers etc. can be sued for non performance, are you down with that? The reaction by teachers to LEARNING how to use data to drive instruction is stubborn and infantile. Even brand new graduates from UCSC and Monterey Bay seem oblivious or, worse, hostile to this important and necessary process for teaching ALL students.
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kevin
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The teachers have very little planning time. If it is to be spent filling out bureaucratic forms, when will they plan their teaching?
It sounds like Ms. Silver has lost site of the goal in an attempt to collect more data.
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davey
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Why would you be a teacher for 35,000 a year when you can be a bus driver for 60,000 a year or a chp for 93,000?
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MoFo
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Might as well just give students nothing but practice STAR tests all year long so that by administrators and state standards students are getting real learning in. A real teacher does not need these check lists to teach effectively, their in class assessments are enough. Please stop breathing down teacher's necks, it is a tough job and they are horribly underpaid for the amount of work they put in.
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Impressive journalism
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Opinions on Silver vs. Codd aside, Mr. Brown deserves strong credit for writing a very balanced article on a subject that has become very touchy in the community. Kudos to him for giving readers several perspectives to consider.
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wildman
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My management style is different from what was in the district before," Silver said. "They're having to do things differently, and some are not on board with the program."
Sounds like to me that the union was running amok over the years and now someone new comes in and holds them accountable for their actions. If u wanna leave, then leave! The school board and Ms. Silver run the district, not the union so get over. Quit waking up in the morning creating problems by whining and making it worse. Nothing she has asked the teachers to do is out of the industry norm and is simply trying to raise the bar for the district, etc.....
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Samantha
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Might as well just give students nothing but practice STAR tests all year long so that by administrators and state standards students are getting real learning in. A real teacher does not need these check lists to teach effectively, their in class assessments are enough. Please stop breathing down teacher's necks, it is a tough job and they are horribly underpaid for the amount of work they put in.
Perfectly Stated...
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RobtA
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Davy is right! Now, let's cut the pay for bus drivers and CHP.
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Pajaroite
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Scotts Valley seems to have a penchant for hiring and overpaying bureaucrats. Case in point. You Scotts hired Charles McNeish to run your local water district. This is the same joker that ran the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency into near(Actual bankruptcy coming soon.) bankruptcy.
You folks seem a bit masochistic !!
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Local
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MoFo wrote: Might as well just give students nothing but practice STAR tests all year long so that by administrators and state standards students are getting real learning in. A real teacher does not need these check lists to teach effectively, their in class assessments are enough. Please stop breathing down teacher's necks, it is a tough job and they are horribly underpaid for the amount of work they put in. Sorry to say, I think that is their plan! The district does need to keep an eye on things, but at the same time, the district needs to step back and let the teachers TEACH. Every administrator LIVES for those stupid STAR tests.
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Citizen
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Doggie Camando Chick wrote: All I have to say is Ms. Silver is kinda cute. Ewwww!
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teacher
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Well Scotts Valley, welcome to the world of No Child Left Behind and what happens when you don't meet the continually shrinking target, which by the way, is statistically impossible (you can not have 100% of all students in the US testing proficient by 2012 or is it 2014?). Each year more schools become "program improvement" and with this comes the thumbscrews. This is what teachers in PVUSD have been dealing with since NCLB started, so stop whining! You're lucky you English speaking students kept you from this as long as they did!
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ex SVHS teacher
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i taught at SVHS for several years and left to take a MUCH better job over the hill. by much better i mean:$16,000 more PER YEAR, respect from students and parents, all the (realistic) supplies i needed, smaller classes, more planning time, a better work calendar, and support from admin. at all levels.
when i was at SVHS, i thought i didn't like teaching... but then i left and realized that teaching is GREAT, but you need support.
SV doesn't support it's teachers. and that's sad. the staff is- or at least was- the brightest, most dedicated educators i've ever know. but now they're my carpool buddies over the hill!!!
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SV FURIOUS RESIDENT
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Everyone that is not part of the SV school district, doesn't know what they are talking about and mind their own business. The Board made the mistake to highering Silver, and we all, especially the teachers are paying a heavy price. You would witness the decline in morale of the teachers and witness the best of the best still strugling with their working environment for the sake of the students.
Silver blaming the teachers for Measure Q failure is totally uncalled for.(she yelled at them, and verbally abused them) If they had been "free" to speak out and say NO, the Measure would have failed much worse. They knew like the other half of SV that it was a disaster of a bond, and had to loose to create a poper bond. Silver is a very intimidating and arrogant person, and puts fear in all the teachers. They were NOT allowed to express a NO opinion on Measure Q without reprimand. No one should be working in those conditions. The Board keeps sticking up for her. Who do they work for again? Oh yeah, THE PUBLIC, NOT SUSAN. Fix the Super's problem not the teachers!!!!
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attitude
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Susan, the attitude of the district will not change unless you change, so just leave now and protect the students we have and the teachers that are still left. The board and yourself cannot be honest and hold yourselves accountable for any wrong doing, but can only blame others. Grow up!
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sv ex tchr
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Oh the change from being a board candidate to being a board member. I vividly recall thinking Sue Roth would be such a breath of fresh air as she stood in the SV Multipurpose Room as a candidate and said SV teachers were the best, the brightest and she would do all she could for them. Now they(we)are indicted for not wanthing to change or be EDUCATED! We were told that we would get new leadership...that exemplified qualities of leadership...and what did we get...someone that is the antithesis of leadership...someone that revels in creating a climate and culture of fear, intimidation, blame blame blame. Teachers welcome accountability...we have never been fearful of it...and the quality and ethics of a leader are not embodied in the bullying tactics of the superintendent or the head in the sand mentality of the board. What happened to you Sue? We so believed in you.
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