Teachers can not make miracles happen without the support of their district and parents!
We can not even try to create a respectful classroom environment without being criticized by many.
What about the specialists every other district has such as: library, computer, art, gym, music, health???? Every other district I have looked into students are receiving this daily and NB children are getting it twice a month if they are lucky! Does this make for a well rounded curriculum or content students???
The children don't get a break, we overload them with testing, standards until they can't remember a thing because we have caused brain overload!!! I have grade 5 students who can't read /write cursive thanks to everyday rigor that has gone on too long! They can't remember simple parts of speech or strategies from one year to the next thanks to the fastpaced school day with a 10 minute recess if they are lucky enough to have recess!!! And yes other districts have all they need to teach in the 21st century and guess what? Our scores are being compared to districts who have ALL supports in place.
Planning time is crucial in today's teaching and we get almost none!!! We are expected to stay at work up to 3 hours after the end of the school day AND take home bookbags with work that takes us til midnight to get through! I have not watched a t.v. program in YEARS thanks to my dedication to my profession. I will have a personal life ONLY when I retire which will be at the age of 65 as long as I stay healthy enough to work!!!
15 comments:
I , too, teach grade5...the social studies books and science books are old...social studies is over 35 years old....All we hear is rigor and common core and nothing to support our teaching...technology that is antiquated or does not work. I even have a promethean board with no pen, speakers that are horrendous and can't even use it...it is hard to stay after school when the school closes at 3:30. I will be praying that things change for my colleagues and friends when I retire in July.
It is a sad day for New Bedford educators. Or should I say year? When we speak out about what we don't have we are considered to be whiners. When we don't speak out the mayor and his counterparts believe our morale is high? We are caught in a cycle and can't get out. How do we get ourselves heard and understood? We need to think about coming together as a whole. In unity there is strength. How much more will you take? We need to start attending school committee meetings. Not just a handful, but a high majority. We need to show the school committee that we are fed up with a lack of respect, lack of support, and lack of the tools necessary to do our jobs. Will you be there when the call for action comes through? We a union of over a thousand members. We are the union. Not just Lou. It is time to stand together. UNITE!!!
I agree with this last person who said we need to be heard, yes we do. We do need to start attending the school committee meetings and letting our needs be heard. It's time to come together or else we are done !!!!!!!
We should be at the special school committee meeti g being held at KMS On Monday at 4:30
If we do not show solidarity now, then when? Things will not get better if we hide from the facts that are obvious to all who teach, in this district and around the nation. Yes, it is time we UNITE!!!
If not for ourselves then for the children, who are our priority.
I totally agree with the comment above. We need to begin attending the School Committee meetings in full force and sign up to speak during the Public Comment section of the meeting to let the Mayor and members of the School Committee know what is missing or lacking in our classrooms. Embarrass them by mentioning about the outdated computer(s), lack of computers, outdated books, no internet access, etc. The general public also must be made aware of these things and issues.
Time to speak up and out during the meetings. Giving up one night a month to have your voice and complaints heard isn't asking much. All the writing on this blog means nothing to them, but maybe, just maybe, speaking out during a public meeting might.
Why don't they apply for unemployment if they don't get paid for the summer?
We can have our salary spread out over the calendar year....there are 3 options on how to receive your salary---#1 get it spread out over 52 weeks....#2 take a lump sum for the summer(took home less during the school year), #3 take home more during the school year and get NO check in the summer. Do you understand how it works? I hope so. Your comment is insulting.
Your comment is so insulting. Teachers are not looking for free handouts. Just respect and compensation for what we do!
Hey seriously, if I wanted a hand out I wouldn't be a teacher! In some cases, I buy my kids their school supplies because they are either too lazy or can't afford to get what they need. That's not my job but if I don't do it they won't have it. If I called home to these particular parents I'd be told "not my problem, he/she is yours for 6 hours a day!" I've actually been told that by several parents. I work very hard for an ounce of respect and clearly, I do not receive it. All I want as a teacher is a little bit of respect and maybe a little bit of funding so that I can stop spending about $6000 of my own money every year so that my kids can do the labs that will make them competitive for college. Is that really too much to ask? If it is I won't ask anymore but how many people in the corporate world fund the businesses they work for? Yes, I work September through June. I also spend my summers in classes so that I can get my professional license to continue teaching. Once that's over, I need to recertify every 5 years with 120 credit hours or PDPs as we call it in the teacher world. Overpaid and underworked? Not on your life! I spend hours at home every day, including weekends, doing lesson plans, grading, figuring out what I can do that can better myself as a teacher. I spend vacations worrying about what I'm doing when I come back and trying to help my kids pass MCAS. I am a fantastic teacher and my kids will tell you that before I can blink. My students and colleagues support me. Unfortunately, the community and city leaders think I'm worthless. How would you feel if every day you went to work and the paper portrayed your profession as worthless? Think about that next time you talk about teachers. Think about teachers in your own life. Think about the impact they've had and question yourself? Would I be who I am today without a teacher?
It's the BIG LIE. It's been around since I was a rookie teacher! Just keep repeating the lie over and over and over again and people will believe it's the truth. Hitler and the Nazis used it with great "success".
I am in the building 55-60 hours per week and still don't complete all of my work.
"But you get summers off--that makes it all fair!" say the masses.
The summer I had access to my classroom to clean and prepare for the new school year had me floored. Not only did I have close to 100 commercial garbage bags get hauled away, but the outdated junk was from the 60s. Teaching resources need to be current, relevant, high-interest, and competitive. I replaced all this with my own materials funded by none other than myself. It took 2 years for a few computers, one for an overhead projector, and four for a printer. I was not rigorous enough. Then, I got canned! Not fair to my students or myself... I am not happy!
Rigor-mortis! Shame on the mayor-he is so out of touch with reality-a fool with a suit.
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