Teacher and Admins please share ideas to have merit based pay work

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do you realize that often there are elements involved that the person has absolutely no control over? There's really not that much special about teachers in that regard? But what is special about teachers is they have a captive audience, it's a lot harder for the people "consuming" a teacher's services to go elsewhere to help motivate the people who hire the teacher to let a bad teacher go or get a bad teacher training to make them a better teacher.

Parents leave public schools and go private all the time. Parents have that option.

Really? Any parents dissatisfied with public can just easy peasy send their kids to private school, and that's your solution for bad or merely inadequate teachers in public school?

You live in a dream world.

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

Most public schools in VA are really, really good. Sadly you drank the "teachers are horrible...teaching is a jobs program" koolaid. That shows you know NOTHING about what actually goes on in schools.

If you do not like the public school in your area, the best thing to do would be to move to an area with good schools. You'll notice that the "good schools" tend to have a student population that comes from homes with a higher SES and parents who value education. So there you have it. Clearly the issue is not "bad teachers" but poor parenting.

And if you don't like your public and can't afford to move or send your kid private, that's YOUR problem. Not the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

From what I understand, our new administration hopes to change this.

To the detriment of all public schools.

Most people who complain on here don't bother complaining to their school or school board. Start there and be the instrument for making the changes you want to see.

My children are in private school because the public school failed them. Complaining to the administration that the teacher was phoning in her teaching and lacked classroom management skills, choosing to humiliate "problem" children instead of providing a suitable environment for teaching was met with no change. They offered additional supervision for the teacher, nothing changed. They said it wasn't possible to change my child's classroom, that we should be willing to deal with a lost year educationally and for my child to see a powerful adult humiliate children regularly.

If children weren't a captive audience and parents weren't ignored, perhaps I might be sympathetic to someone worrying about public schools. I worry about the children left behind in families who don't have the option to send them to a place where they can get appropriate and effective education.

The majority of efforts to move money from public systems to private systems have failed children overall. This is documented now all over the US. Just read up on Betsy DeVos's resume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do you realize that often there are elements involved that the person has absolutely no control over? There's really not that much special about teachers in that regard? But what is special about teachers is they have a captive audience, it's a lot harder for the people "consuming" a teacher's services to go elsewhere to help motivate the people who hire the teacher to let a bad teacher go or get a bad teacher training to make them a better teacher.

Parents leave public schools and go private all the time. Parents have that option.

Really? Any parents dissatisfied with public can just easy peasy send their kids to private school, and that's your solution for bad or merely inadequate teachers in public school?

You live in a dream world.

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

Most public schools in VA are really, really good. Sadly you drank the "teachers are horrible...teaching is a jobs program" koolaid. That shows you know NOTHING about what actually goes on in schools.

If you do not like the public school in your area, the best thing to do would be to move to an area with good schools. You'll notice that the "good schools" tend to have a student population that comes from homes with a higher SES and parents who value education. So there you have it. Clearly the issue is not "bad teachers" but poor parenting.

And if you don't like your public and can't afford to move or send your kid private, that's YOUR problem. Not the schools.

Bad parenting has nothing to do what goes on at school. If teachers were so great, then why are so many kids struggling? They should be able to do everything in school without parental help. Parents can value education and not be happy with a teacher or how things are going or the curriculum. Its great if your kids are thriving in public but its not the case for everyone. It is the schools problem if they fail to meet the kids needs early on. If they do, they set up these kids on a long road of failure. If you don't have a SN kid or a child that may struggle in some areas and can learn easily, yes, public is fine, even great, but if you have a child who needs more support and the teacher will not provide it, its a huge problem. Many of us spend a fortune on private therapies so the cost of private on top is not reasonable. Plus, many will not take kids who struggle or with SN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One problem with scheduling meetings is they are scheduled in the middle of the work day and many parents work. Our teacher complained my husband did not attend the IEP meetings and I said he worked an hour away and he'd miss the entire day of work. So, they pretend to be flexible and schedule it at 10:30 instead of 1. That means he would not get into work till noon. If you want parent participate you need to be a bit more flexible.

Nah. If you care about your child, you will do what it takes to be there for them. There is NOTHING convenient about having children. Sometimes you've gotta take that day off of work when it's important enough. I'm sure you've both taken off for less before.

Maybe mom is too exhausted from working overnight. Maybe mom is like me and has health issues that meds are ineffective or or maybe mom can't get to the doctor due to income/cost. Life isn't as simple as you want it to be. There are days if it were not for my husband my kids might miss a day or two because I can't drive them to school (no bus). In the past, one did miss school sometimes due to my health. School was 30 minutes away and if my husband left before I got up and I didn't know the night before, not much we could do about it.

None of this is the school/teacher's problem. It's (your) LIFE. Work it out. We all do.

On the other hand, I feel completely excluded from the classroom. I have no idea what goes on and when I ask the teacher refers me to the county website for the general information. I've ask for the name of the workbook she uses for homework assignments. She gave me the wrong one twice. (how hard is it to take a picture and send it). Or, better, why not send a weekly email to the parents letting them know what their kids learned and will learn the following week.

Maybe you feel excluded because you have health issues, ineffective meds, doctors appointments, and all the other stuff you mentioned that keeps you from being 100% involved with your children's education.

If/When you go to open house, they give you that information and show you the textbooks. And you're probably asking questions that you should know the answers to. The fact that you're directed to the county website suggests this. You can't fail to be there for your children due to all of the excuses you gave, but then expect the teacher to go out of her way to accommodate your lack of involvement.

You are nasty. I have been to every meeting and appointment and am highly involved, probably more than you. Not everyone, like my husband can take off mid day at a teacher's demand for a meeting that is pointless. We go to open house, we reach out by email and we don't know anything more than what is on the county website as that is where the teacher directs us. My child is thriving because of what we are doing, not the schools, sadly. We'd go to private if we could. We were in private but my child aged out and we could not find one for equal cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do you realize that often there are elements involved that the person has absolutely no control over? There's really not that much special about teachers in that regard? But what is special about teachers is they have a captive audience, it's a lot harder for the people "consuming" a teacher's services to go elsewhere to help motivate the people who hire the teacher to let a bad teacher go or get a bad teacher training to make them a better teacher.

Parents leave public schools and go private all the time. Parents have that option.

Really? Any parents dissatisfied with public can just easy peasy send their kids to private school, and that's your solution for bad or merely inadequate teachers in public school?

You live in a dream world.

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

Most public schools in VA are really, really good. Sadly you drank the "teachers are horrible...teaching is a jobs program" koolaid. That shows you know NOTHING about what actually goes on in schools.

If you do not like the public school in your area, the best thing to do would be to move to an area with good schools. You'll notice that the "good schools" tend to have a student population that comes from homes with a higher SES and parents who value education. So there you have it. Clearly the issue is not "bad teachers" but poor parenting.

And if you don't like your public and can't afford to move or send your kid private, that's YOUR problem. Not the schools.

Bad parenting has nothing to do what goes on at school. If teachers were so great, then why are so many kids struggling? They should be able to do everything in school without parental help. Parents can value education and not be happy with a teacher or how things are going or the curriculum. Its great if your kids are thriving in public but its not the case for everyone. It is the schools problem if they fail to meet the kids needs early on. If they do, they set up these kids on a long road of failure. If you don't have a SN kid or a child that may struggle in some areas and can learn easily, yes, public is fine, even great, but if you have a child who needs more support and the teacher will not provide it, its a huge problem. Many of us spend a fortune on private therapies so the cost of private on top is not reasonable. Plus, many will not take kids who struggle or with SN.

Bad parenting has nothing to do with what goes on in school????? (Bad) PARENTING HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT GOES ON IN SCHOOL.

If teachers are so great, why are so many kids struggling?????? I suspect most students are NOT struggling. Those who do are in the minority. And you've already indicated there ARE students with SN. That would cause a kid to struggle! Add to that 'parents' who don't think that parenting matters and that explains why others struggle. That has NOTHING to do with teaching!

They should be able to do everything without parental help??????? That's a huge part of the reason a child struggles. Some 'parents' would rather abdicate their responsibilities to the state and hold everyone else responsible for their child's problems besides themselves. Most teachers will see your child for a few hours a day for approx. 6 months of the year (180 days). Then they get passed off to another teacher. The one constant in their lives are their PARENTS.

I would NEVER place my child's well-being in the hands of anyone else. Much less the government.

You seem to ignore the "Parents are a child's first teacher" slogan in favor of the "It's the teachers fault. Schools should do everything."

Please!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One problem with scheduling meetings is they are scheduled in the middle of the work day and many parents work. Our teacher complained my husband did not attend the IEP meetings and I said he worked an hour away and he'd miss the entire day of work. So, they pretend to be flexible and schedule it at 10:30 instead of 1. That means he would not get into work till noon. If you want parent participate you need to be a bit more flexible.

Nah. If you care about your child, you will do what it takes to be there for them. There is NOTHING convenient about having children. Sometimes you've gotta take that day off of work when it's important enough. I'm sure you've both taken off for less before.

Maybe mom is too exhausted from working overnight. Maybe mom is like me and has health issues that meds are ineffective or or maybe mom can't get to the doctor due to income/cost. Life isn't as simple as you want it to be. There are days if it were not for my husband my kids might miss a day or two because I can't drive them to school (no bus). In the past, one did miss school sometimes due to my health. School was 30 minutes away and if my husband left before I got up and I didn't know the night before, not much we could do about it.

None of this is the school/teacher's problem. It's (your) LIFE. Work it out. We all do.

On the other hand, I feel completely excluded from the classroom. I have no idea what goes on and when I ask the teacher refers me to the county website for the general information. I've ask for the name of the workbook she uses for homework assignments. She gave me the wrong one twice. (how hard is it to take a picture and send it). Or, better, why not send a weekly email to the parents letting them know what their kids learned and will learn the following week.

Maybe you feel excluded because you have health issues, ineffective meds, doctors appointments, and all the other stuff you mentioned that keeps you from being 100% involved with your children's education.

If/When you go to open house, they give you that information and show you the textbooks. And you're probably asking questions that you should know the answers to. The fact that you're directed to the county website suggests this. You can't fail to be there for your children due to all of the excuses you gave, but then expect the teacher to go out of her way to accommodate your lack of involvement.

You are nasty. I have been to every meeting and appointment and am highly involved, probably more than you. Not everyone, like my husband can take off mid day at a teacher's demand for a meeting that is pointless. We go to open house, we reach out by email and we don't know anything more than what is on the county website as that is where the teacher directs us. My child is thriving because of what we are doing, not the schools, sadly. We'd go to private if we could. We were in private but my child aged out and we could not find one for equal cost.

If you've been to every meeting and are highly involved, what's the issue?

And if you're at every open house, why are you emailing after the fact asking about textbooks?

And your child SHOULD be thriving because of YOU. That's how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

From what I understand, our new administration hopes to change this.

To the detriment of all public schools.

Most people who complain on here don't bother complaining to their school or school board. Start there and be the instrument for making the changes you want to see.

My children are in private school because the public school failed them. Complaining to the administration that the teacher was phoning in her teaching and lacked classroom management skills, choosing to humiliate "problem" children instead of providing a suitable environment for teaching was met with no change. They offered additional supervision for the teacher, nothing changed. They said it wasn't possible to change my child's classroom, that we should be willing to deal with a lost year educationally and for my child to see a powerful adult humiliate children regularly.

If children weren't a captive audience and parents weren't ignored, perhaps I might be sympathetic to someone worrying about public schools. I worry about the children left behind in families who don't have the option to send them to a place where they can get appropriate and effective education.

Please understand that you represent just ONE side of an issue while administrators see ALL sides. Parents are in no position to know who's 'phoning it in' and who lacks classroom management skills. That is why you don't always get the outcome you want when complaining about a teacher. You're not in the classroom to really know what's going on. You only have your child's side of the story. It is possible that your child is a problem child that the teacher is handling in the best way she can with nothing but complaints from you instead of support. You were not ignored. You were able to voice your concerns. The admin-who sees all sides of the issue--did not agree with you or give you what you wanted.

But it's a great thing you were able to go private. My advice to you would be to worry about YOUR child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

From what I understand, our new administration hopes to change this.

To the detriment of all public schools.

Most people who complain on here don't bother complaining to their school or school board. Start there and be the instrument for making the changes you want to see.

My children are in private school because the public school failed them. Complaining to the administration that the teacher was phoning in her teaching and lacked classroom management skills, choosing to humiliate "problem" children instead of providing a suitable environment for teaching was met with no change. They offered additional supervision for the teacher, nothing changed. They said it wasn't possible to change my child's classroom, that we should be willing to deal with a lost year educationally and for my child to see a powerful adult humiliate children regularly.

If children weren't a captive audience and parents weren't ignored, perhaps I might be sympathetic to someone worrying about public schools. I worry about the children left behind in families who don't have the option to send them to a place where they can get appropriate and effective education.

Please understand that you represent just ONE side of an issue while administrators see ALL sides. Parents are in no position to know who's 'phoning it in' and who lacks classroom management skills. That is why you don't always get the outcome you want when complaining about a teacher. You're not in the classroom to really know what's going on. You only have your child's side of the story. It is possible that your child is a problem child that the teacher is handling in the best way she can with nothing but complaints from you instead of support. You were not ignored. You were able to voice your concerns. The admin-who sees all sides of the issue--did not agree with you or give you what you wanted.

But it's a great thing you were able to go private. My advice to you would be to worry about YOUR child.

You do realize not all teachers allow parents in the classroom, which makes wonder what they have to hide. You know when your child is thriving in class. Your child can tell you what the teacher is like and how they feel about the teacher. If your child isn't very verbal, you can tell by their behavior. Are they upset to go to school or are they excited, for example. If my child likes teacher they go on and on about the teacher and their day. If the teacher is fine, but not a connection, then nothing. If the teacher is terrible, we hear about all the screaming and how my child is scared of the teacher. Often Admin cannot do anything about it, so the kids suffer. That poster was ignored and lucky private was an option. Not all of us have that luxury. Not all teaching styles work for all kids. Not all classroom settings work for all kids. It may not be wrong but it may not be right for that child. And, that warrants a change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One problem with scheduling meetings is they are scheduled in the middle of the work day and many parents work. Our teacher complained my husband did not attend the IEP meetings and I said he worked an hour away and he'd miss the entire day of work. So, they pretend to be flexible and schedule it at 10:30 instead of 1. That means he would not get into work till noon. If you want parent participate you need to be a bit more flexible.

Nah. If you care about your child, you will do what it takes to be there for them. There is NOTHING convenient about having children. Sometimes you've gotta take that day off of work when it's important enough. I'm sure you've both taken off for less before.

Maybe mom is too exhausted from working overnight. Maybe mom is like me and has health issues that meds are ineffective or or maybe mom can't get to the doctor due to income/cost. Life isn't as simple as you want it to be. There are days if it were not for my husband my kids might miss a day or two because I can't drive them to school (no bus). In the past, one did miss school sometimes due to my health. School was 30 minutes away and if my husband left before I got up and I didn't know the night before, not much we could do about it.

None of this is the school/teacher's problem. It's (your) LIFE. Work it out. We all do.

On the other hand, I feel completely excluded from the classroom. I have no idea what goes on and when I ask the teacher refers me to the county website for the general information. I've ask for the name of the workbook she uses for homework assignments. She gave me the wrong one twice. (how hard is it to take a picture and send it). Or, better, why not send a weekly email to the parents letting them know what their kids learned and will learn the following week.

Maybe you feel excluded because you have health issues, ineffective meds, doctors appointments, and all the other stuff you mentioned that keeps you from being 100% involved with your children's education.

If/When you go to open house, they give you that information and show you the textbooks. And you're probably asking questions that you should know the answers to. The fact that you're directed to the county website suggests this. You can't fail to be there for your children due to all of the excuses you gave, but then expect the teacher to go out of her way to accommodate your lack of involvement.

You are nasty. I have been to every meeting and appointment and am highly involved, probably more than you. Not everyone, like my husband can take off mid day at a teacher's demand for a meeting that is pointless. We go to open house, we reach out by email and we don't know anything more than what is on the county website as that is where the teacher directs us. My child is thriving because of what we are doing, not the schools, sadly. We'd go to private if we could. We were in private but my child aged out and we could not find one for equal cost.

If you've been to every meeting and are highly involved, what's the issue?

And if you're at every open house, why are you emailing after the fact asking about textbooks?

And your child SHOULD be thriving because of YOU. That's how it works.

I am highly involved and we supplement at home and have outside services. We go to the meetings and but our input is not asked and when we try to speak up it gets shut down. They will not give us the IEP in advanced and tell us we have to sign it. At this point, the IEP is a joke so we just sign it as its not worth fighting over.

The we had one open house and the teacher did not explain anything. She did a 10 minute about her and her background and went on and on about her training in one area. We asked about what books would be used and she did not provide any. So, when she sent stuff home that looked like it came from a workbook we asked for the name. She gave us the wrong one twice. We didn't understand the math so it made sense to buy the book so we could learn it to teach our child. It was not anything related to the curriculum but something she choose. It helps if we work ahead with our child given the lack of teaching in the classroom. Is it that hard to tell a parent what sources you are using?

No, a child's needs should be met in school. Anything extra we do outside is a bonus. From what you are saying the school is basically a glorified day care. I have no need for day care so that's not a good use of my child's time. I send my child to school to get educated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
[b]

Bad parenting has nothing to do what goes on at school. If teachers were so great, then why are so many kids struggling? They should be able to do everything in school without parental help. Parents can value education and not be happy with a teacher or how things are going or the curriculum. Its great if your kids are thriving in public but its not the case for everyone. It is the schools problem if they fail to meet the kids needs early on. If they do, they set up these kids on a long road of failure. If you don't have a SN kid or a child that may struggle in some areas and can learn easily, yes, public is fine, even great, but if you have a child who needs more support and the teacher will not provide it, its a huge problem. Many of us spend a fortune on private therapies so the cost of private on top is not reasonable. Plus, many will not take kids who struggle or with SN.

Bad parenting has nothing to do with what goes on in school????? (Bad) PARENTING HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT GOES ON IN SCHOOL.

If teachers are so great, why are so many kids struggling?????? I suspect most students are NOT struggling. Those who do are in the minority. And you've already indicated there ARE students with SN. That would cause a kid to struggle! Add to that 'parents' who don't think that parenting matters and that explains why others struggle. That has NOTHING to do with teaching!

They should be able to do everything without parental help??????? That's a huge part of the reason a child struggles. Some 'parents' would rather abdicate their responsibilities to the state and hold everyone else responsible for their child's problems besides themselves. Most teachers will see your child for a few hours a day for approx. 6 months of the year (180 days). Then they get passed off to another teacher. The one constant in their lives are their PARENTS.

I would NEVER place my child's well-being in the hands of anyone else. Much less the government.

You seem to ignore the "Parents are a child's first teacher" slogan in favor of the "It's the teachers fault. Schools should do everything."

Please!

Parenting and teaching are separate issues. You can have great parents who are highly involved, help with homework, supplement but because of the school set up, lack of teaching and bad curriculum, very much struggle at school. At school, yes schools should do everything. But, they don't so many of us spend thousands on private therapies and tutors to get our kids where they need to be. Do you have any idea what these things cost? Not to mention with multiple therapies and supporting your kids, often it makes it impossible to work, which creates financial issues within families. Can you afford an extra $1000-2000 a month on therapies for your child comfortably? Schools say they provide, but in reality they don't which is why so many kids struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

From what I understand, our new administration hopes to change this.

To the detriment of all public schools.

Most people who complain on here don't bother complaining to their school or school board. Start there and be the instrument for making the changes you want to see.

My children are in private school because the public school failed them. Complaining to the administration that the teacher was phoning in her teaching and lacked classroom management skills, choosing to humiliate "problem" children instead of providing a suitable environment for teaching was met with no change. They offered additional supervision for the teacher, nothing changed. They said it wasn't possible to change my child's classroom, that we should be willing to deal with a lost year educationally and for my child to see a powerful adult humiliate children regularly.

If children weren't a captive audience and parents weren't ignored, perhaps I might be sympathetic to someone worrying about public schools. I worry about the children left behind in families who don't have the option to send them to a place where they can get appropriate and effective education.

Please understand that you represent just ONE side of an issue while administrators see ALL sides. Parents are in no position to know who's 'phoning it in' and who lacks classroom management skills. That is why you don't always get the outcome you want when complaining about a teacher. You're not in the classroom to really know what's going on. You only have your child's side of the story. It is possible that your child is a problem child that the teacher is handling in the best way she can with nothing but complaints from you instead of support. You were not ignored. You were able to voice your concerns. The admin-who sees all sides of the issue--did not agree with you or give you what you wanted.

But it's a great thing you were able to go private. My advice to you would be to worry about YOUR child.

You do realize not all teachers allow parents in the classroom, which makes wonder what they have to hide. You know when your child is thriving in class. Your child can tell you what the teacher is like and how they feel about the teacher. If your child isn't very verbal, you can tell by their behavior. Are they upset to go to school or are they excited, for example. If my child likes teacher they go on and on about the teacher and their day. If the teacher is fine, but not a connection, then nothing. If the teacher is terrible, we hear about all the screaming and how my child is scared of the teacher. Often Admin cannot do anything about it, so the kids suffer. That poster was ignored and lucky private was an option. Not all of us have that luxury. Not all teaching styles work for all kids. Not all classroom settings work for all kids. It may not be wrong but it may not be right for that child. And, that warrants a change.

I agree with the bolded. Just not sure how much change can/will be made. Public schools must take all-comers, the good fits and the not so good fits. It's tough, but somehow families have dealt with it for centuries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do you realize that often there are elements involved that the person has absolutely no control over? There's really not that much special about teachers in that regard? But what is special about teachers is they have a captive audience, it's a lot harder for the people "consuming" a teacher's services to go elsewhere to help motivate the people who hire the teacher to let a bad teacher go or get a bad teacher training to make them a better teacher.

Parents leave public schools and go private all the time. Parents have that option.

Really? Any parents dissatisfied with public can just easy peasy send their kids to private school, and that's your solution for bad or merely inadequate teachers in public school?

You live in a dream world.

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

Most public schools in VA are really, really good. Sadly you drank the "teachers are horrible...teaching is a jobs program" koolaid. That shows you know NOTHING about what actually goes on in schools.

If you do not like the public school in your area, the best thing to do would be to move to an area with good schools. You'll notice that the "good schools" tend to have a student population that comes from homes with a higher SES and parents who value education. So there you have it. Clearly the issue is not "bad teachers" but poor parenting.

And if you don't like your public and can't afford to move or send your kid private, that's YOUR problem. Not the schools.

Then we can just fire all the teachers since they're clearly irrelevent. If they don't get children from well educated families, they're incapable of teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My neighborhood is full of people who would love to have options other than the zoned public school for their children, but they don't have the money to make private work (assuming there were enough private schools to accept the kids). But I love how you have no problem at all sacrificing children for a jobs program for teachers. Kids don't need to learn. We just need to make sure we don't do anything to disrupt teachers getting paid!

From what I understand, our new administration hopes to change this.

To the detriment of all public schools.

Most people who complain on here don't bother complaining to their school or school board. Start there and be the instrument for making the changes you want to see.

My children are in private school because the public school failed them. Complaining to the administration that the teacher was phoning in her teaching and lacked classroom management skills, choosing to humiliate "problem" children instead of providing a suitable environment for teaching was met with no change. They offered additional supervision for the teacher, nothing changed. They said it wasn't possible to change my child's classroom, that we should be willing to deal with a lost year educationally and for my child to see a powerful adult humiliate children regularly.

If children weren't a captive audience and parents weren't ignored, perhaps I might be sympathetic to someone worrying about public schools. I worry about the children left behind in families who don't have the option to send them to a place where they can get appropriate and effective education.

Please understand that you represent just ONE side of an issue while administrators see ALL sides. Parents are in no position to know who's 'phoning it in' and who lacks classroom management skills. That is why you don't always get the outcome you want when complaining about a teacher. You're not in the classroom to really know what's going on. You only have your child's side of the story. It is possible that your child is a problem child that the teacher is handling in the best way she can with nothing but complaints from you instead of support. You were not ignored. You were able to voice your concerns. The admin-who sees all sides of the issue--did not agree with you or give you what you wanted.

But it's a great thing you were able to go private. My advice to you would be to worry about YOUR child.

And this is why the public educational system is failing. Because parents like me pull my children out of the system and go to private, where my children don't encounter bad or subpar teachers, and where my concerns are met with actual action (and no, not always things I want, but always with things that make sense). Only in public have I encountered the idea that I should be ok with my children having a wasted year educationally because a teacher's have a difficult year for whatever reason.

What's left in public education? Parents who can't afford to move or send their children to private. The children who are already most at risk, and the families least able to agitate for approproriate and effective education environments.

And we claim to care, as a society, about children's education. No, we care about making sure teachers get a paycheck.

[Anonymous]

Sorry lady, but the public schools are just fine without you and your kids. In fact...
Thanks for paying taxes and not sending your kids. More resources for the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry lady, but the public schools are just fine without you and your kids. In fact...
Thanks for paying taxes and not sending your kids. More resources for the rest of us.

+1. As a parent and a former teacher, I can say that, while I don't agree with everything the teachers do, none have been terrible---well, one was, but she was fired for cause--at least, I assume she was fired--she left and she needed to leave. There have been one or two that I didn't care for--but, that's life. Hope PP's kids find a boss who meets Mom's standards.