Our school district is in bad shape also. The superintendant has proposed sweeping changes including closing many schools, turning some over to charter schools, creating a newcomers school for immigrant students of those who speak little english, specialty schools that teach technology, and making all high schools small academies, some single sex and keeping ninth graders seperate from upperclassmen (which I applaud).
Some of the ideas I agree with and some I believe are downright stupid.
For example, one of our most successful high schools is Ginn Academy, an all boys high school for at risk boys headed by Ted Ginn (father of Ted Ginn Jr from Ohio State and Miami Dolphins). He is a no nonsense guy who demands a great deal from his students and parents. This man is not a teacher, but he is an expert at helping at risk teens succeed in life and has been solely responsible for many young men going to college who otherwise woud not have had the opportunity. The bulding that houses this school underwent a $775,000 renovation last year to improve the facilities. The superintendant decided he wanted to close this school and combine it with a current inner city high school and have one half be all boy sand the other half be all girls. The community was in an uproar. How can you take one of the biggest bright spots in our school system and do that. Thank goodness enough community memebrs yelled and he backed off. Mr. Ginn demands every parent sign a contract at the beginning of each school year pledging their support. They are required to do many things including volunteer so many hours. Of their child does not come to school, a teacher drives out to their house to pick them up. There is total communication between the school and home, the kids get away with nothing. They wear uniforms and are expected to be respectful at all times, in and out of school. If and when they act up int he community, the school gets involved.
I feel bad for my easy child. She is graduating in May with a degree in elementary education. There are no jobs. When I hear people complain about how much teachers make and how little they work I want to scream. The starting salary here is about $28,000. All teachers are required to obtain their masters within 5 years to keep their certification. The first five years of summer vacations are spent going to school to complete masters degree programs. Unlike many other professions, the teacher pays for her own continuing ed classes. The preparation she goes through every day just to teach every day is exhausting. The money she spends from her(our) own pocket is breaking us. It use to be that our society looked up to teachers. Many people now complain bitterly that they are overpaid and underworked. If they only knew.
We all know some bad teachers, just like we know some bad doctors and bankers and engineers and insurance executives and financial brokers, etc. But for some reason we think teachers are fair game for our pent up frustrations. We need to find a different way to finance our schools so that teachers are not blamed when taxes go up. Maybe the answer is to charge tuition to every student. Those that can afford it get educated and those that can't don't. We can't have it both ways. We can't have free education and not have it cost us somewhere.
I agree that teachers who are not performing should be terminated, but we need to create an environemtn where the teacher can perform and are recognized for it. We need parents to become more involved in their children's education. easy child tells me stories that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up about some parents who are totally uninvolved in their children's lives and some of the conditions these kids live under are horrendous.
Nancy