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Will Michelle Rhee really fire a lot of DC teachers?
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Anonymous
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401534.html
Will so many teachers really be out of a job in the next few years? I'm womdering for a personal purpose. I live in Prince George's County and am a teacher but have been out of the workforce for many years. I'm ready to go back to work -- but there is a hiring freeze at the moment. Do you think there might be more opportunities in DC next year? Or will they also experience budget problems, and not be hiring anyone, either? |
Anonymous
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At this point, I'd avoid the district. There are too many changes and too many new initiatives. What they've done, for the most part, is modeled after some of the programs MCPS has adopted. But they've gone way overboard in terms of time lines.
Where are you in proximity to surrounding counties? I'd do more research on other counties. Howard is number one in my book b/c it never caves to ridiculous trends. Plus, it's smaller so there's more quality control. The Eastern section is also more diverse and urban. Anne Arundel recently hired a friend in ESOL. Montgomery is frozen. So that's a definite no. And there's Calvert - which isn't too bad in terms of pay. Population is a different story - not very diverse. I know nothing about Charles, but it might be interesting to do some research. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Yesterday NPR had an interesting story about urban education reform. Chancellor Rhee and Washington Teachers Union president Parker were both interviewed for the story. Tossing out the tenure system that protects the bad, poorly performing teachers is critical for the tranformation. One comment Rhee made that really resonated with me had to do with the impact that one year with a terrible teacher could have on a child. One year is a huge amount of time when we're talking about the life and education of a child. Moreover, Ms. Rhee and other like-minded reformers believe education quality is an economic issue; that is, the health of the U.S. economy is intrinsically tied into the quality of our public schools. I hope Mr. Parker and the AFT find the courage to put the interests of DC's children above the interests of ineffective teachers. |
Anonymous
Many teachers are discouraged because of unacceptable working conditions - few supplies (or paying out of pocket for supplies and never being reimbursed), transient population, truancy, inept administrators, children living in poverty/fear, gangs - the list goes on. Rather than blaming teachers for the ills of society, consider some of the societal problems teachers have to tackle IN ADDITION to handling academics. It's not a one-sided deal. Teachers don't enter a classroom to target kids. So before you point fingers, why don't you shadow a DC teacher first? I bet you wouldn't last the day. |
Anonymous
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Yes PP, you are absolutely right that I would not last one day as a DC public school teacher!!! The myriad and severity of problems you cite that DC teachers face each and every day only underscores the urgency for a radical overhaul. Protecting poorly performing teachers, when what DC and other urban school systems desparately need are truly outstanding, stellar teachers committed to taking on these and other immense challenges, has to stop if change is going to happen. The WTU should seize this opportunity; it would be more prudent to be a partner in this endeavor than a bystander.
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Anonymous
Bravo. A child has a fundamental civil right to receive a good education. No adult has a right to keep a job that she's not doing well. Yes, teachers face challenges-- and Rhee is working to address them with reforms that go beyond simply firing. But there are effective teachers everywhere, and every child is entitled to the very best. Schools aren't for teachers; they're for children. |
Anonymous
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PP - I agree...why doesn't the union want to be a part of GROWTH and CHANGE? Why are they protecting the unproductive teachers to the detriment of the producing teachers and the children? I actually have gotten the impression that the Union Head is ok with Rhee's suggestion, but he would be skinned alive if he supports change. The union's protection of fair pay is a-ok, but why do unions protect sub-performers and herald mediocrity? By nature of union design, there is absolutely no reward for excelling. Rhee is suggesting that WDC teachers actually earn more for producing more! This is how the majority of us live - why not them? What I find interesting is the union's refusal to change to Rhee's suggestion. If the teachers are "all ok", then they have nothing to be nervous about. They would earn their incentives. Are there really that many sub-performing teachers that the union is protecting them all at this time?
None of this negates the PARENT'S responsibility to their children. Teachers are not to be held accountable for truancy in the schools. They should not be held accountable for the unacceptable language used, weapons, dangerous atmospheres, etc. Parents teach their children earlier than the teachers do. |
Anonymous
Do you think if those same poor DCPS teachers were put right into say, Sidwell (where kids show up with a desire to learn...), that they would miraculously pull themselves together? |
Anonymous
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First of all, nobody wants to protect ineffective teachers. Not the union, not other teachers, not parents, not administrators. Veteran DC teachers aren't trying to hang onto their jobs because they are cushy, believe me. Folks get into teaching because they want to do something that matters. But great teachers who stick around long enough to make an impact are not born, and a teacher's best working isn't going to happen in year one or two in the classroom. They need support, and training, and professional development. And a revolving door on their bosses' offices (principals, other admins) doesn't help.
Second of all, from the Post: Rhee, "... dropped the school system's direct support for instructors seeking certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a rigorous one- to three-year teacher development program, citing a lack of evidence that the training improves student achievement." Did everyone read that? Did I read that correctly? We are supposed to be getting teachers certified under NCLB, are we not? We got any hard evidence that the program from Mass she's talking about importing is going to help? Please, someone, find it and quell my suspisions. |
Anonymous
This is my guess - http://www.rbteach.com/rbteach/index.htm Research for Better Teaching is what is used in the MCPS system. It is a fairly solid training program that focuses on the student and builds from there, giving teachers valuable strategies in dealing with many issues that present themselves in the classroom. There are two layers - one for teachers, another for resource teachers/administrators. Teachers learn strategies. RTs and administrators learn how to observe and evaluate teachers based upon several components. I have taken Studying Skillful Teaching I and II, and my husband, who's in an administrative capacity, has taken Observing and Analyzing Teaching. FWIW, I am the poster who defended the teachers in DC and who was shot down by several posters who, I believe, have very little experience with the public school system. So, before you flame others, consider that perhaps those of us who post controversial items aren't afraid of speaking the truth b/c of our training and experience in a field. So I'd like to thank you, PP, for acknowledging several things: that teachers are made and not born, that they don't enter the profession for fame and fortune, and that burn out is extremely high (New teachers leave w/in the first 5 years). Entering a system as a ball buster is not an effective way to make change. Any course work in leadership will tell you that. While I understand Rhee's desire to clean house, with these initiatives she's implementing, she's likely to create more burnout among good teachers who are already giving of themselves financially and emotionally. The general public can't even begin to imagine how draining this profession is. Imagine working in a DC school where kids die, drop out, get pregnant, join gangs, and can't read. |
Anonymous
Yes, teachers do face difficult conditions in urban schools such as poverty, gangs, parents who have to work so much to support the family that they can't be involved in the child's education, etc. But, IMO, if a teacher believes that these conditions mean that a teacher can't make a difference, that such a child can't be taught or can't learn, then IMO, that teacher should be fired or should quit and find a new profession. |
Anonymous
It's more than a belief system. (Read what I posted above.) If you worked in an office, and you faced the following conditions each day - boss harassing you, leaking ceiling, non-working equipment (copier, for example, or fax), no computer - would you stay? You can LOVE what you do and you can have all the faith in the world that you're making a difference, but if the conditions surrounding you are so bad, I doubt you'd have the stamina to stay. As I said earlier, teachers (most) don't enter this profession for the money or for summers off. They want to make a difference. But if there is no support given to them - if they're belittled or controlled or expected to teach every child in a grade 9 class to read on level even if they're reading at a 3rd grade level - and they're facing hardships each day b/c of a difficult population, how can you blame them for being ineffective at their jobs? We're not saying we don't want to do it or that we don't care. We're saying that we CAN'T do our jobs effectively under certain conditions. And after facing hardships each day, there's planning to do at night and grading. How can a "leader" who was only in the classroom for THREE years take charge of a system that's completely dysfunctional? I'll repeat what I said - change is a slow process. I am not being disrespectful to you. But after hearing so much teacher bashing over the years by people who don't have a clue about what our jobs entail, it gets tiring. No wonder so many teachers leave. There's only so much you can give of yourself. |
Anonymous
| Well, I have had 2 children at one of the better DCPS elementary schools, and even there (though it's a great school) there were a couple of veteran teachers who were just awful, but who had seniority and were just phoning it in until they could retire. And I've seen written materials (letter, instuction sheets) from teachers that were mispelled with awful grammar. There are some teachers in the system who just aren't up to par. They may be nice people, they may have the best intentions, but they're not very good. And they should go. And the great ones (and I've been lucky to have met several) should be rewarded. |
Anonymous
No on is disputing what you're saying, PP, but with all the BS in the system, the good ones leave. It's becoming harder to keep effective teachers. What will happen when the systems are left with no one to teach? Or if turnover is so high, there's no consistency in instruction? I could say the same thing for lawyers, CPAs, hair stylists, grocery store checkers, etc. There are good ones; there are bad ones. But when you place good teachers in bad situations, you do more damage b/c teachers deal with kids - not numbers, not groceries, not hair. And to be fair to you, PP, I've seen bad teachers in action - deadly. And then how do you reward the "good ones?" I can work around the clock to create the most dynamic lessons, stay late after school for extra help, give immediate feedback b/c I've been a grading machine, and some kids will STILL not pass a standardized test in order to graduate b/c they're still 2 grade levels behind. Nonetheless, shouldn't I be rewarded for my hard work and dedication? It's not that simple. Again - no disrespect . . . just some information to share based upon experience |
Anonymous
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Any teacher should be rewarded for their hard work and dedication just as other industries are rewarded. The "hard working and dedicated" unionized teachers should not be afraid of losing their job and should be actually lobbying their union for this change. They can potentially make a lot more money! My issue is the union not altering their method of operation over multiple multiple years. While the teaching environment and student has changed in DCPS (as in every school system) has the Teachers union changed with it?
Any organization / work environment / community must change with times or they become ineffective. This seems to account for PART of the issue with DCPS. Why shouldn't the union change? |