tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post437652706407589588..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: Walkout? Contract rejection? N.C. teachers simmeringUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-370585058602092402013-10-04T20:28:26.159-04:002013-10-04T20:28:26.159-04:00The problem with the CMS system is that all the mo...The problem with the CMS system is that all the money for the county school system goes into one pot. The Superintendent and Administration (per instructions of the BOE) distributes the monies to the schools. Note, of course, that the best and most programs and monies go to the "elite" public schools while the remainder only get the "trickle down" monies and lesser programs. When the BOE members vote on major proposals, the "majority" votes are always in favor of what the individual BOE member wants for their particular favored school in the district they represent. I have been following the activities of the BOE since the 2010 rezoning. It's a sham. Each member has the power to make or break a school in their district because the majority of the BOE help each other. It's a win win situation for the "elite" public schools. Time for the encumbants to be voted out. This is why I do not support the current Bond proposal. In the end it will help those very schools that already get it all. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-29451436739034077102013-10-04T08:58:22.348-04:002013-10-04T08:58:22.348-04:007:26 They are whipping our butts because many of ...7:26 They are whipping our butts because many of those countries still have intact families.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-90522970549773330902013-10-03T07:46:00.106-04:002013-10-03T07:46:00.106-04:00Anon 9:20pm.
So, you are saying that in Finland k...Anon 9:20pm.<br /><br />So, you are saying that in Finland kids typically start school up to an hour BEFORE sunrise (@9:30am) in the darkest parts of winter. <br /><br />http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=101&month=1&year=2013&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1<br /><br />And go home just barely before dark again (@3:30pm).<br /><br />Remember, the winter "days" in Finland can be as short as 6 hours or so in Helsinki and less as you go further north.<br /><br />(They have plenty of time for midnight basketball, though)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-38919558997456850872013-10-03T07:26:51.319-04:002013-10-03T07:26:51.319-04:00My point is that we can learn from outside the US....My point is that we can learn from outside the US.<br /><br />Something that we, as a nation, are reluctant to do until some "foreigners" kick our butts.<br /><br />And if you don't like comparisons to Finland, then how about Poland or South Korea?<br /><br />Or any of the 20 or so countries who do better than us on various international tests.<br /><br />Yeah, we aren't THEM, either, but somehow THEY are whipping our tails in education.<br /><br />Even though we spend much more money per student than the vast majority of THEM.<br /><br />(And yes, they probably have smarter teachers, too, but that's not the only thing...)<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-83755005337018125162013-10-02T21:34:15.978-04:002013-10-02T21:34:15.978-04:0012:13 Your point? We don't live in Finland, a...12:13 Your point? We don't live in Finland, and our teens have quite different lives than their Finnish counterparts. <br /><br />Good friends of ours live in Switzerland. School starts at 8:30am there, and they go home (no buses) for lunch at 1pm, that is when their school day is over. Most students then go to private lessons and tutoring during the afternoon. <br /><br />You cannot compare apples to kumquats. High schools should absolutely start later. Who came up with a 7;15am start time and thought that was a good decision for teenage students? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-74256437250959342872013-10-02T21:20:02.052-04:002013-10-02T21:20:02.052-04:0012:13
The school day in Finland starts between 8 a...12:13<br />The school day in Finland starts between 8 and 9am in the morning and finishes between 1 and 2pm in the afternoon. Children spend much more time playing outside than in the US, all teachers must have masters degrees, and there are no standardized tests. 7:15 starts, countless tests, and undervalued teachers are not working here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-36201665343533320122013-10-02T20:28:08.632-04:002013-10-02T20:28:08.632-04:00I thought the average of 9.9 days per year teacher...I thought the average of 9.9 days per year teachers were absent meant many had already walked out?<br />Not too many employers would be willing to accept that level of absenteeism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-37116052041540723862013-10-02T12:13:23.415-04:002013-10-02T12:13:23.415-04:00Anon 8:54am.
But apparently only in the USA.
Oth...Anon 8:54am.<br /><br />But apparently only in the USA.<br /><br />Other kids in other countries seem to not have the same problem.<br /><br />I wonder why?<br /><br />Maybe you can explain how the kids in Finland make it through school in the darkest months of an Arctic winter.<br /><br />And still manage to have the highest achieving schools in the world.<br /><br />Maybe you need to look more closely at those studies (as many have). <br /><br />It's not like there ONLY ONE solution to the problem.<br /><br />The other is to get to bed on time, hint, hint...<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-50983628556655350502013-10-02T08:54:56.599-04:002013-10-02T08:54:56.599-04:00Considerable research confirms the relationship be...Considerable research confirms the relationship between school start times, sleep deprivation, and student performance, truancy, and absenteeism, as well as depression, mood swings, impulse control, tobacco and alcohol use, impaired cognitive function and decision-making, obesity, stimulant abuse, automobile accidents, and suicide. Mounting evidence about the biology of adolescent sleep, and about the impact of later start times, shows that starting school before 8 a.m. not only undermines academic achievement but endangers health and safety. Because logistical and financial issues prevent local school systems from establishing safe and educationally defensible hours, however, legislation mandating start times consistent with student health and educational well-being is essential.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-89367023130619850962013-10-02T08:39:06.351-04:002013-10-02T08:39:06.351-04:00I guess people just don't see it.
But I'm...I guess people just don't see it.<br /><br />But I'm looking at where we've been and where we're going.<br /><br />After WWII, we could proudly say we were NO. 1 in the world in many things.<br /><br />Because we were.<br /><br />For a brief while.<br /><br />It probably started with the transistor radio.<br /><br />But the Japanese came back first with small electronics, and then automobiles, steel, and other manufacturing. <br /><br />Using our OWN best thinking in quality control against us.<br /><br />But at least we were left with "high tech" and higher "value-added" manufacturing and software development.<br /><br />But now things like computers and software are done elsewhere just as well as or better than here(IBM PC is now Lenovo in China and there is much software development in India).<br /><br />But we were still the kings of business. <br /><br />And the world still respected our opinion when it came to the world of "business".<br /><br />Up until the economic meltdown of a few years back which left us with egg on our faces and a HUGE loss of credibility in the world.<br /><br /> No, it wasn't just Bush or Obama, but the near collapse of our entire financial world that kicked us down yet another notch.<br /><br />As it stands now, our military is just about the only thing we have left that is truly the best in the world.<br /><br /><br />And I find that just a bit sad.<br /><br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-87325541149448653742013-10-02T08:18:01.853-04:002013-10-02T08:18:01.853-04:00Again, this is the REAL crisis in education...
An...Again, this is the REAL crisis in education...<br /><br />And there is nothing "unions" can do about it. No one can depend on the "safe" jobs of the past. <br /><br />Not even for the simplest things.<br /><br />http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21583609-only-few-countries-are-teaching-children-how-think-best-and-brightest<br /><br />BAMA Companies has been making pies and biscuits in Oklahoma since the 1920s. <br /><br />But the company is struggling to find Okies with the skills to fill even its most basic factory jobs. <br /><br />Such posts require workers to think critically, yet graduates of local schools are often unable to read or do simple maths. <br /><br />This is why the company recently decided to open a new factory in Poland—its first in Europe. “We hear that educated people are plentiful,” explains Paula Marshall, Bama’s boss.<br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-36029938716560380232013-10-02T08:06:47.589-04:002013-10-02T08:06:47.589-04:00Anon 4:47.
I don't think you can say that Rea...Anon 4:47.<br /><br />I don't think you can say that Reagan single-handedly destroyed the middle class.<br /><br />Global competition is doing that.<br /><br />And while unions may have "fought" for employees, in many cases they also made it difficult for companies to compete and gave people a false sense of security since companies had to compete globally.<br /><br />People who are co-dependent often "fight" for each other, even though the end result is a death spiral for both.<br /><br />Some unions worked a lot like that.<br /><br />I can just remember the attitude that so many of my fellow HS students had in the 1970's.<br /><br />Their attitude was that they didn't need to study in school because they could ALWAYS get a job at the local plant.<br /><br />And they used to say that in class when the teacher would suggest that they needed to study harder.<br /><br />But even in the 1970's people were being warned that global competition was getting tough (remember the JAPANESE auto "invasion"?) and that we would not cruise by forever based on winning WWII.<br /><br />Those who listened survived, those who didn't are MUCH worse off today.<br /><br />Something similar to what happened to automobiles in the 1970's is happening in education today.<br /><br />We AREN'T the best and we need to pay more attention to those who are before they eat our lunch.<br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-66087666752859943402013-10-02T07:51:46.768-04:002013-10-02T07:51:46.768-04:00Anon 5:39.
Thanks for the info. I wasn't com...Anon 5:39.<br /><br />Thanks for the info. I wasn't completely aware of the current regulations, but knew that most Teachers' Masters degrees were in Education, not the subjects being taught.<br /><br />So thought the argument that we would no longer have teachers with Masters in Math, Science, or English was a bit specious.<br /><br />My view on this is that a Masters in ANY subject shouldn't result in an AUTOMATIC pay raise, so in some ways I can agree with the idea of not making that as automatic as it now seems to be.<br /><br />Education seems more focused on "credentials" than is probably necessary with the result that a lot of people have advanced degrees that probably don't make much difference in their teaching.<br /><br />I've never worked anywhere where you could get raises or promotions by adding degrees to your resume, so I don't think that's such a huge problem.<br /><br />A teacher with a Bachelors degree can be just as effective as one with higher degrees, though that may not be ideal for most.<br /><br />I personally think a Bachelors in a subject to teach followed by graduate work in Education makes the most sense and raises the bar a bit for teachers as well as making it more like other "professionals" (such as the lawyers and doctors that teachers like to compare themselves with.)<br /><br />I think what's happening is an attempt to change from a credential based reward system to more of a performance based reward system.<br /><br />Which is what most of the rest of the world has to follow as well.<br /><br />I think this may result in fewer unwarranted advanced degrees, but will not necessarily stop people who REALLY think an advanced degree will improve their teaching performance.<br /><br />While I might not do it that way, I think that is probably what they're trying to accomplish.<br /><br />I also don't think that tenured teachers are "horrible". <br /><br />But I can't think of any other job in which "tenure" occurs on a regular basis, so it seems just a bit outdated, and I can see how it can be abused when it is automatic based on a time schedule. <br /><br />Especially one as short as five years.<br /><br />To me, a four-year contract is nothing to sneeze at. It's more of a "guarantee" that most people have in their jobs.<br /><br />As for the future, well, I don't think it looks that bright in education unless we do something ENTIRELY different (such as other countries have done) to turn around their education systems.<br /><br />We weren't exactly on top of the world or headed that direction anyway.<br /><br /><br /><br />Shamashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886687970259841873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-62754845232874664782013-10-02T05:39:39.455-04:002013-10-02T05:39:39.455-04:00Shamash,
You seem to be on a bit of a tangent reg...Shamash,<br /><br />You seem to be on a bit of a tangent regarding the generic "Masters in Education". While I can agree with some of what you are saying, you should have all the facts. NC instituted policy a few years ago that they would no longer pay the Master's salary increase unless your Master's Degree was held in the specific content area you teach. Are/were teachers grandfathered in under the old master's degree policy? Absolutely. See from the DPI...<br /><br />Salary can be authorized at the graduate level only when the teacher's assignment for the majority of the day (fifty percent or more) is in the area to which the graduate degree applies.<br /><br />The fact of the matter is that this argument is irrelevant. Because NC has done away with any incentive for continuing education, in 2 years there will be no teachers in the state of NC getting a master's degree in ANYTHING. So when we think about those awful, horrible, tenured teachers...just remember they are the last "generation" of NC teachers to hold any sort of advanced training and education. As another post mentioned, it will be very interesting to see what will be the fallout across the state over the next 5-10 years.<br /><br />Right or wrong, agree or disagree...there will be no reason to continue many graduate programs in the state of NC. If I teach art and I had wanted to make master's money teaching art, my master's degree would have to be in art per the NC guidelines implemented a few years ago; same with science, math...get the point?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-85271479914553451592013-10-01T23:03:25.996-04:002013-10-01T23:03:25.996-04:00Do it. Stand up do something that people notice. ...Do it. Stand up do something that people notice. If you want your fellow taxpayers to pay attention: walk out. Put your money where your mouth is.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08489717370462567715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-74595547356462078002013-10-01T23:01:43.413-04:002013-10-01T23:01:43.413-04:00You are right Keith. CMS needs to support the tea...You are right Keith. CMS needs to support the teachers. In addition to lobbying Raleigh, they can make an immediate impact on morale by eliminating the 4:15 bell and giving elementary teachers back their 45 minutes of planning time!Susan Plazahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04261919913997483121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-75983648551761213352013-10-01T21:00:45.452-04:002013-10-01T21:00:45.452-04:00As a teacher, I also do not feel that a masters in...As a teacher, I also do not feel that a masters in Education (especially administration-related) necessarily translates to better teaching. It would seem those degrees are more suited to those who aspire toward administration, and one would hope the extra pay there would make up for it. There are a few Education masters that certainly can enhance one's skills, though. As for me, having a masters in the subject I teach does make me a better teacher. I simply have more knowledge in my field than others doing the same job.CMS SciTeacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07315673904371774484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-80451693273677141502013-10-01T20:28:41.125-04:002013-10-01T20:28:41.125-04:00Vote no on bonds.
Vote out incumbents on School B...Vote no on bonds.<br /><br />Vote out incumbents on School Board. <br /><br />How about on Nov. 4 teachers don't walk out, but community members walk in? Volunteer on Nov. 4. Show your support for teachers and students. <br /><br />Walk a mile in someone else's shoes. <br /><br />Or just keep posting here, shouting at the rain.<br /><br />I'll be in my classroom...I dare you to be in one too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-79718220267169065612013-10-01T18:10:42.488-04:002013-10-01T18:10:42.488-04:00Teacher here...when I was in high school, I had an...Teacher here...when I was in high school, I had an Algebra II teacher who just graduated from Princeton. So she was smart, right? Maybe so, but not even she could teach a lick. I passed because she was giving extra credit for bringing in Kroger receipts that were used similar to the Box Tops program. Guess where I worked for my part-time job in high school? You guessed it...Kroger. Obviously I had easy access to many receipts.<br /><br />The good news is I never had any desire to use Algebra in any way, form, or fashion as part of my career, so I didn't feel bad about how I passed. Before you ask..."No", I don't teach math now, but computer and business education. I still haven't had to use those skills not gained because of a very intelligent teacher with a Princeton degree who couldn't teach worth diddly. <br /><br />There's a combination of content knowledge and teaching skill that is required to be an effective teacher. So to everyone who dismisses the value of a masters degrees and/or educational degrees, you need to think again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-85993042543258133252013-10-01T18:08:27.856-04:002013-10-01T18:08:27.856-04:00Heath and BOE along with county leaders may I sugg...Heath and BOE along with county leaders may I suggest you start supporting your teachers. That means lobbying Raleigh to wake up and at this juncture do it soon. This has reached a tipping point and your can no longer treat your staff this way without losing top talent. STAND up to the BULLY in Raleigh and do it NOW!!! Keith W. HurleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-26033594892783681162013-10-01T17:42:32.372-04:002013-10-01T17:42:32.372-04:00I am a teacher and while I am not happy at all abo...I am a teacher and while I am not happy at all about the current state of events, I feel that a walk-out or a "sick-out" would be counter-productive. I am thinking about the parents of my students. They are people who work hard to pay my salary and are very sympathetic. If enough of us were to be out, this would cause a major disruption in their lives and a terrible inconvenience trying to figure out what to do with their children. Some would lose vacation days. Some would lose pay. It wouldn't hurt the General Assembly but it would hurt so many others.<br /><br />Honestly, would hurting those who support us help our cause or hurt it? I think the answer is self-evident.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-34507232499131768452013-10-01T17:06:35.283-04:002013-10-01T17:06:35.283-04:004:47 needs to know I could care less whether there...4:47 needs to know I could care less whether there is ONE union in the United States.<br /><br />Also, the air controllers got what they deserved. They called Reagan's bluff and they lost.<br /><br />I used to work for two former controllers in another field who acknowledged that fact.<br /><br />You might do well to see which states other than NC that have lost jobs to China, which include Massachusetts, New Hampshire, California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and so on, which are mostly blue states.<br /><br />Cheap labor overseas and automation here in the US have accelerated the decline of manufacturing jobs here(NAFTA ring a bell?).<br /><br />Also, I have no "party". I'm a registered Independent.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-10481175793875588072013-10-01T16:47:09.798-04:002013-10-01T16:47:09.798-04:00Wiley Coyote: "I might remind them of what Re...Wiley Coyote: "I might remind them of what Reagan did to the air traffic controllers in the 80's...."<br /><br />And I might remind Wiley what that did: It destroyed the American middle class. While there were solid union jobs, a person with a high-school education could work hard and make a decent living for his or her family - usually his, as a matter of gender. Reagan, the ultimate corporate lap dog, used the power of the federal government to destroy unions, just, as in the early 1900s, North Carolina called out the National Guard and slaughtered union members in Madison County and elsewhere, at the behest of textile barons. If Wiley, who seems immune to reason, history and common sense, will get off his blind partisanship and do some research, he will find that income disparity has risen in lockstep with declining union membership since the early 90s, and incomes, adjusted for inflation, have actually declined. He will also find a direct correlation between offshoring of jobs and weak unions, particularly in North Carolina. Once, unions could fight to keep jobs. No more. He will also, if he has a grain of common sense, realize that his party line that unions cost jobs is rubbish. How do explain, Wiley, that North Carolina has the nation's lowest union rate, and yet consistently one of its highest unemployment rates? Two factors: No unions to fight for their employees; and the fact that the state's low union rate and anti-union policies for the last century have attracted companies looking for cheap labor. When it's cheaper in Mexico, South America, the Pacific Rim, bingo - off they go. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-29920761603100055192013-10-01T16:26:34.798-04:002013-10-01T16:26:34.798-04:003:18--Funny, my son had just the opposite experien...3:18--Funny, my son had just the opposite experience of the one that you described. He graduated from a CMS high school in 2003; went to an Ivy League school. He was told by professors there that his writing and analytical skills surpassed those of many eastern prep school educated students. His first history paper was put online as an example of how a paper should be written. He received the university's award for top math student upon graduation. I thought most all of his CMS teachers were top notch. Some have retired but many are still teaching. So please, let's not put all of our teachers in the same boat. Yes, there are some bad ones and some mediocre ones out there, and I agree they need to be weeded out. But there are many excellent teachers who continue to do their job through hard economic times. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-53222758316743109952013-10-01T16:04:11.365-04:002013-10-01T16:04:11.365-04:00NCAE and Classroom Teachers Association
You all s...NCAE and Classroom Teachers Association<br /><br />You all should be the ones fired. Nothing but a loss of bonus money, salary and benefits over the last 5 years. The United States has been out of a recession since March 2009. What have you provided your memeberships for your dues?<br /><br />NOTHINGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com