All educators fired at underperforming RI school

[Radical Teacher]

As a teacher, I can't help but feel sad at this trend, but I have to say that expecting to be compensated for tutoring at $90.00 per hour is ridiculous. I've worked in an after-school program and sometimes work an after-hours program now and am paid $15.00 for the extra time--it isn't a huge sum, but considering the lack of funds for education, I'm happy to get it. I also heard (and have no idea how accurate this is) that the average number of days missed by these teachers is 23 days in a school year--if that's true, they deserve to lose their jobs. Teachers have to model what they expect! Having said that, why are the high school teachers the only ones to be fired--if those students came to high school reading at grade level and then regressed, it might make sense to place all the blame on the high school teacher, but I doubt that is the case. Why don't all teachers in the district share the blame?

[TRB-1005]

Radical Teacher wrote:

As a teacher, I can't help but feel sad at this trend, but I have to say that expecting to be compensated for tutoring at $90.00 per hour is ridiculous. I've worked in an after-school program and sometimes work an after-hours program now and am paid $15.00 for the extra time--it isn't a huge sum, but considering the lack of funds for education, I'm happy to get it. I also heard (and have no idea how accurate this is) that the average number of days missed by these teachers is 23 days in a school year--if that's true, they deserve to lose their jobs. Teachers have to model what they expect! Having said that, why are the high school teachers the only ones to be fired--if those students came to high school reading at grade level and then regressed, it might make sense to place all the blame on the high school teacher, but I doubt that is the case. Why don't all teachers in the district share the blame?

It's a very, very difficult task to teach children who simply don't want to learn, or have the desire to learn.

You can not fault, or fire, "all" teachers for not being able to teach students that are simply "unwilling" to apply themselves to get an education. School, today, is nothing more than a daily "social" event for many students, and a daily routine of baby sitting for the teachers, rather than a "teaching-learning" experience. Put some blame where it belongs, on the students themselves, and their parents. You just can't teach "stupid".

[Radical Teacher]

TRB-1005 wrote:

<quoted text>It's a very, very difficult task to teach children who simply don't want to learn, or have the desire to learn.
You can not fault, or fire, "all" teachers for not being able to teach students that are simply "unwilling" to apply themselves to get an education. School, today, is nothing more than a daily "social" event for many students, and a daily routine of baby sitting for the teachers, rather than a "teaching-learning" experience. Put some blame where it belongs, on the students themselves, and their parents. You just can't teach "stupid".

I agree with you. Part of the problem is the focus on testing rather than learning ever since the passing of NCLB and those standards are impossible to meet--all students all across the country are to be 100% proficient by the year 2014. All students. We are no longer allowed to discuss or mention IQ. If the kids can't learn, it is always the teacher's fault according to the current system.

[Panty Twist]

skeeno wrote:

<quoted text>
AND THE PARENTS? where does their responsibility lie. Administrators? where does their responsibility lie.

The Parents?

As part of the PTA fundraiser that resulted in California's TRUE STATE CHAMP Bay Concert Arts being "secretly officially" BANNED IN WATSONVILLE......(to this day)

We had all the parents and students organized behind HELPING TO FUND their own local education.

Why?

Because the PTA had asked "local nonprofits" to step up to the plate on behalf of our local kids....

... and BCA was the only "local nonprofit" standing ready and able to answer the bell.

So, we "had to be" destroyed by the government arts monopoly - or risk having the local Public experience GENUINE local 501(c)(3) Public Benefit activity.

[Saw it]

Rob wrote:

<quoted text>
Spare me the crocodile tears as to your long hours you put in at work! Talk to a Soldier, Policeman, or a firefighter and see how over worked and under paid they are. I don’t want to hear that we should continue to keep all those teachers that have failed the education system. I applaud the RI school district that finally said enough and fired all the teachers! I just wish that other school districts across the nation will follow the courageous step and start holding the nonperforming educators accountable and boot them out! Again if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

I bet you never blamed a police officer or firefighter for the crimes or fires set by the very same youth teachers deal with.

Is it a teacher's fault when the same students commit crimes outside of the school day?

Do you really believe that are different from 8 to 3?

The same violent, gun toting, disrespectful, drug dealing, drug using, alcohol drinking, crack smoking arsonists they deal with are the ones you blame the teachers for?

How does that make any sense to anyone?

One's personality is formed by age 3 so who exactly is the child's primary and lifelong influence?

[puzzled]

looking for solutions wrote:

<quoted text>I am a parent who has been VERY involved with my kids, and would always call the school if I was unsure if my youngest child was missing an assignment. This system worked well until she got to the high school.
The secretary would take a message for me (screen the calls) and I would hear back a WEEK later when the assignment was past due.
no one ever responded to emails...the school was like a fortress you could not penetrate. SO frustrating!!! Now I have my youngest child in a school 3 towns away and have to pay $8,000 a year just so she can get a basic high school education. My oldest child thank God graduated and is in college...I'm paying for that TOO!
The high school they went to was just TOO big. TOO many students and not enough teachers, and completely over run by drugs! The teachers have NO support from admin. The culture at the school was unbearable...SO much tension...It's SO sad. I wish we could pin point the problems...which came first...the chicken or the egg...perhaps a bit of both.

Thanks for being an interested parent. Myriad problems exist.

When a school is too big, too many students, not enough teachers and drugs.....

The planners should never have allowed such population density in the district

Planners cannot discern how many students will move into an apartment or home...

Deadbeats are very mobile, rent, don't pay, leave, rent, don't pay, leave.....etc. new district 2 or 3 times a year

All states have gang problems, disrupting education/classes every minute..not there to learn

Gang members are mandated to recruit sometimes 20 members each in addition to selling their drugs and getting your children hooked. They first give them out as free samples at school or parties but once addicted, your children must steal, prostitute, whatever to buy them. They also pressure the girls for sex.

Teachers in high schools are dealing minute by minute with untold numbers of issues regarding teens from all avenues.They prevent fights, get hit, slapped, hit, pushed, shoved, go to ers daily in the US. They have violent gang members in their room aside of innocent and wonderful students.

Imagine controlling that environment while attempting to teach.
Pretend you are tryin to work at home or in an office with this population....the wonderfully interested, the violently dangerous, the high IQ, the low IQ, the motivated, the ill, the deaf, the incontinent, etc....all needing your attention...and you are supposed to teacher them

sounds like your children are blessed with an intelligent parent
at home. They are very fortunate

Some positive ideas:

Have them learn their morals and values at home

Take them to museums, expose them to the history and beauty of the country and world

Inform them of the dangers in society

Communicate your nsupport and trust in them

Keep them close to you and each other

I am familiar with the fact that schools daily have police who remove and arrest murderers, rapists, burglars, home invaders, robbers, arsonists from classes in this country. Until they were handcuffed, they were sitting next to someone's child.

[Cornwall Resident]

puzzled wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks for being an interested parent. Myriad problems exist.
When a school is too big, too many students, not enough teachers and drugs.....
The planners should never have allowed such population density in the district
Planners cannot discern how many students will move into an apartment or home...
Deadbeats are very mobile, rent, don't pay, leave, rent, don't pay, leave.....etc. new district 2 or 3 times a year
All states have gang problems, disrupting education/classes every minute..not there to learn
Gang members are mandated to recruit sometimes 20 members each in addition to selling their drugs and getting your children hooked. They first give them out as free samples at school or parties but once addicted, your children must steal, prostitute, whatever to buy them. They also pressure the girls for sex.
Teachers in high schools are dealing minute by minute with untold numbers of issues regarding teens from all avenues.They prevent fights, get hit, slapped, hit, pushed, shoved, go to ers daily in the US. They have violent gang members in their room aside of innocent and wonderful students.
Imagine controlling that environment while attempting to teach.
Pretend you are tryin to work at home or in an office with this population....the wonderfully interested, the violently dangerous, the high IQ, the low IQ, the motivated, the ill, the deaf, the incontinent, etc....all needing your attention...and you are supposed to teacher them
sounds like your children are blessed with an intelligent parent
at home. They are very fortunate
Some positive ideas:
Have them learn their morals and values at home
Take them to museums, expose them to the history and beauty of the country and world
Inform them of the dangers in society
Communicate your nsupport and trust in them
Keep them close to you and each other
I am familiar with the fact that schools daily have police who remove and arrest murderers, rapists, burglars, home invaders, robbers, arsonists from classes in this country. Until they were handcuffed, they were sitting next to someone's child.

Great post. Good points. Good ideas.

The same liberals who demand the rights of criminals be protected are the same liberals who are running the Dept. of Education who are the same liberals who won't allow corporal punishment in schools who are the same liberals who promote children suing their parents if they discipline the kids who are the same liberals who elect judges who allow gang members and drug dealers to get out of convictions due to technicalities who are the same liberals who promote individual privacy and freedom of expression to allow tattoos, body piercings, and inappropriate clothing who are the same liberals who demand that God and Country and morals be removed from our schools. Hey all you liberals out there - the chickens have come home to roost and IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT. You have ruined our country.

[teachers]

I guess a couple questions I have for those who want to fire all teachers:

1. If firing bad teachers is the solution, how do we determine what a bad teacher is?
2. Since students who takes tests like PSSA's are broken down by grade, what if you have 2 bad teachers and 2 really good ones teaching the same subject. Do the 2 good ones get fired because of the bad ones?
3. If we are only aiming at bad teachers, what happens when you have to hire someone new because you fired the bad teacher? Typically new teachers are some of the worst teachers, not because they have no ability, but because they are just new and it takes an average of 5 years to be considered a Master teacher. Do you gut it out those 5 years? 4. What happens after a few years of hiring the new teachers and you find out they are bad teachers as as well?
5. Do the colleges who spend more course work on educational theory and contemporary issues in education bear some of the brunt for these failures as well? Colleges never teach you how to deal with a kid who's been molested, or is on drugs, or who's parents abuse them. Shouldn't they start.

Again, just a few major issues that need to be considered and addressed by EVERYONE who has an interest in this discussion. Personally, if I were a teacher right now, I'd look to get out again.