Comments on: Posted: Oakland’s new high school teaching positions

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:48:37 +0000

Seenit,
I forgot to post the relevant facts, the male teacher(in which 95% of students are lost) is a 20+ year veteran. I talked to parents with kids in his class and siblings that had been in his class, and he has a long history of the same lack of properly explaining concepts. The other teacher is a six year teacher who explains concepts clearly(I sat in and even I could understand it, and I’m not a math whiz)and she has a history of students performing very well. What really upsets me the male teacher makes twice as much when she is clearly better and has the trachk record to back it up.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:37:02 +0000

Seenit,
I guess when it comes down to it you really have no skin in the game, and you won’t be hurt so why knock yourself out? All the kids could fail(right now its 50%), and nothing would ever change if the unions had their way. After all it’s the kids fault, and that’s what a particular math teacher has said when 95% of his class is lost in algebra. The teacher next door runs intervention, and strangely enough she has those kids understanding the concepts. Imagine that!

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:27:42 +0000

Seenit,
Is that your final cop-out? The children are reflections of their parents, and they do not learn by osmosis. Children must be taught by competent parents and teachers. If kids are not learning, someone is not doing their job. You may think that all that’s necessary is to hand out work, grade papers and so forth, but if you are a professional you better know how to explain concepts, assess and reteach if necessary. If you can’t teach effectively then you are putting up to thirty children behind even more when they are pushed to the next grade. Are you a professional, or are you a laborer?

“Bottom ine… the students who work hard, pay attention, show respect and do what they are supposed to do in school…will succeed. The ones who do not…will fail. THAT is the reality of life, my friend”.

You know, it is possible to replace the word student with teacher, the only difference being that the student will pay a dear price for his/her mistakes or lack of effort, but conversely the teacher is almost completely protected from any consequences.

Go figure………

By: Seenitbefore

Seenitbefore — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:04:00 +0000

J.R. clearly you have your opinions, and professional educators have our own.

The dismal state of public education has been manufactured by well-meaning social reformers who refuse to accept that individuals are ultimately responsible for the consequences of their actions. They always want to blame someone else.

Bottom ine… the students who work hard, pay attention, show respect and do what they are supposed to do in school…will succeed. The ones who do not…will fail. THAT is the reality of life, my friend.

The responsibility does not lie with the parents…or the teachers….or society…or that kid who keeps saying crap about your mama….

“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that a son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
Nelson Mandela

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:22:02 +0000

Trish,
The objective numbers tell a different story.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18626604

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/devil_in_details.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teachers3-2009may03,0,5765040,full.story

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2010/07/layoffs_seniority_vs_effective.html

By: Trish Gorham

Trish Gorham — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 01:32:03 +0000

NOT nearly untouchable.
SIMPLY merely justifiable.
Due process: that which makes an underpaid and under appreciated job a viable career choice.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:58:53 +0000

Seenit,
There are good teachers, no doubt about it. This author is dealing in hyperbole. To be honest there are teachers that people admire and then there are the ones that for many different reasons do not strive(or are just not capable) of teaching in a way that helps their students learn,master, and progress and improve. For instance teachers have the choice to “teach to the test” or “teach the concepts & material” and that will achieve even more. Believe it or not, the world isn’t easy either, just figuring a way to please people so that you can get paid and survive day to day. Count yourself lucky that you don’t worry about that(IT is pretty cut-throat these days). I would love to be nearly untouchable irregardless of what I do or fail to do, but I’ll never see that day.

By: Seenitbefore

Seenitbefore — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:31:36 +0000

this guy pretty much sums it up.

http://www.examiner.com/k-12-in-topeka/in-what-other-profession

By: Peach

Peach — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:06:43 +0000

Of course, students learn mostly from our actions.

By: Peach

Peach — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:01:29 +0000

Del,
It is heartening to hear that there is greater stability in middle school leadership (although the 3 year claim may not apply to an important minority of schools), and that teachers in all schools are working collegially on academics.

One hopes that the adult planning results in strong content and instruction, and that the consistent good teaching and class activities reach the vast majority of students.

We all look forward to seeing students at West Oakland Middle, Madison, Elmhurst, Simmons, and Frick produce wonderful essays, critiques of literature, mathematical explorations/problem solving, and artistic creations as mandated by the old and new standards. And these are the same activities that people were taught and learned before high school throughout the twentieth century.

We all know that adolescents of color, those with families that may be in crisis, and those who suffer from the results of poverty and violence can learn well and at high levels. We know this because millions of inner city and rural students were successful during the 60′s and 70′s when there was concerted effort toward that end.

It’s not easy or simple. Teens’ education calls for committed, professional adults, orderly and safe schools, and every academic and social resource that will aid their efforts. It is our responsibility to give young people instruction that they feel is worth interrupting their social lives for. Educators, along with parents, can help them substitute interest, motivation, goal setting, and effort for angst and discouragement.

Yes, teenagers have issues with compliance, perserverance, and good judgment. It’s our job as adults to get them to adulthood with those qualities, as well as with a large portion of their innate skepticism and creativity intact.