Question For Teachers

I'm curious about Obama's plan to help America catch up, academically, with other countries in the world. Apparently, more money will be poured into the school system, teachers will be on a reward system etc. etc.

My sister-in-law is a teacher, and her school just laid off every teacher in her middle school who was there for less than two years. The classrooms now have more students per teacher. I'm trying to understand how that could possibly be beneficial in improving that school's progress.

Would anyone here know about any major changes that will be taking place in schools, such as longer weeks, summers, etc? Anything at all.
I'm trying very hard to understand how the lay-off is fitting in with the plans to improve student overall progress.

It would be helpful to get teacher responces, but anyone with more knowledge than the usual disinfo agents would be most appreciated. Thank you.

My Mother is a Special Education Teacher with my local County School System (Public Education). This system happens to be one of the largest in the Country.

First, look at it this way. The area in which I live is supposed to be "Very Affluent", yet our Teachers start out with pay lower than that of a Garbage Man. I have nothing against the Sanitation Workers, their job is crucial indeed, but the concept is completely ludicrous and demeaning in nature. Teaching is a PROFESSION, they need to attend at least Four Years at an accredited University/College, earning a Degree in a relevant Subject Matter, and over the course of their careers, they need to CONTINUOUSLY re-certify themselves through the advancement of more College Level Courses. My Mother has actually gone past the Masters Degree Level in a Particular Major (And Beyond in other Subject Areas), yet she was denied the Degree because a stupid Prof. was mad that she had taken his rival's course the previous semester. I swear, Teachers receive NO LOVE, not even from snooty Professors (Professional Courtesy anyone?).



My Mother has taught in Inner-cities ranging from Norfolk, VA, to Yonkers, NY, as well as in Affluent areas such as Garden City, NY (Long Island), and McLean, VA, in everything from Kindergarten (Her Favorite), on up to Middle School (As of now). Yet, guess what? She has been working within this career field for 20 + years, but her Income is still bested by your average IT Geek just graduating at 22 Years Old with a B.A. ! She even told me that she brought in FAR more Income teaching Part-time in Garden City, NY, than she does Teaching Full-time in the Washington, D.C. Region (Even when the Standard of Living Cost differences are taken into account).


I remember for most of Last Spring (2008), My Mother never even made it home until 2100 HRS EDT, while she wakes up at 0500, and is out the door on the way to Work by no later than 0630. She Tutors after school to supplement her income, and stays late to help kids often. I have even been staying up all Night lately so that I can help her with the Dogs in the Morning, since I can afford to sleep later (My Old Man helps a lot too). I feel like she is a County Slave on Autopilot, but I know that she loves helping the kids, and her job is very important.


NOW, thank you for allowing me to vent just a little (For my Mom's sake).



I discussed the plan which President Obama is planning to implement in regards to Education, and she told me that it sounds ridiculous. Here are some of the concepts and facts which I learned about from her:

First of all, Teachers such as my mother cannot afford to have their class loads increased. Since last year alone, they have already increased the Special Education class size for my Mother by roughly 25% I believe.

Second, regardless of what everyone has recently been hyping in regards to Political Partisanship, President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" Program has actually WORKED! The District of Columbia Board of Education even affirmed such, and they are a highly Liberal leaning organization, yet even they could not argue with the facts.

Third, I overheard President Obama discussing Teacher's needing to "Bear heavier Weights", and "Stay Later", and so forth. Well, did I not already just describe to you how a Special Ed. Educator, such as my Mom, can go for an entire Quarter without being home during Daylight Hours as is? (This is not Alaska, this is the Mid-Atlantic!).

Fourth, My Mother, and ALL of the Teachers working hard like her, NEED, ABSOLUTELY NEED their Summer Breaks, Seasonal Vacation Periods, and Elongated Weekends. If anything, there should be a Three Day weekend every other week where I live. Teachers are asked to do so much as is, the last thing we can ever afford to do is cram their free time with more work.



I also dislike the notion which President Obama is currently putting forth that Teachers do not already bear a heavy burden as is. I find it easy for anyone to say such, when they have no experience with Teaching, or they lack a close relationship with a Teacher. At least the previous First Lady Mrs. Bush (Laura) was a school Librarian, and Teacher, so she had an idea of what Public School Educators go through on a daily basis. Whether her Politics were yours or not, she was an amazing advocate for Public Education.



I hope to not turn this into a Partisan Shouting Match, because I believe that this issue transcends Politics, and instead involves the concerns of a Particular Job Field, as well as an Extremely Important Aspect of Society by-in-large.

reply to post by TheAgentNineteen


I completely agree about the work load increase. If anything, it's the way the children are being taught. Something is clearly being done wrong, if other countries are doing so much better than we are, and I don't think it's the workload.

source

Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. They will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama and Biden will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

Support High-Quality Schools and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools. The Obama-Biden administration will provide this expanded charter school funding only to states that improve accountability for charter schools, allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools. Obama and Biden will also prioritize supporting states that help the most successful charter schools to expand to serve more students.

Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama and Biden will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.

Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school -- strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.

Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.

Support College Outreach Programs: Obama and Biden support outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.

Support College Credit Initiatives: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will create a national "Make College A Reality" initiative that has a bold goal to increase students taking AP or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016, and will build on Obama's bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Senate to provide grants for students seeking college level credit at community colleges if their school does not provide those resources.

Support English Language Learners: Obama and Biden support transitional bilingual education and will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these students complete school.

Recruit Teachers: Obama and Biden will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.

Prepare Teachers: Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited. Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively.

Obama and Biden will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.

Retain Teachers: To support our teachers, the Obama-Biden plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.

Reward Teachers: Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward with a salary increase accomplished educators who serve as a mentors to new teachers. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

Perhaps the teachers were layed off because they didn't have the proper training?