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Post by oreobitsy on Mar 8, 2023 19:16:41 GMT -6
cnf I’m sorry you had a rough day. The amount of pressure teachers are under (and have been for a long time) isn’t ok. I sit on different committees for our district and some have illuminated my understanding on how difficult it is for teachers right now. I see these innovative teachers have the potential to bring forth positive, thought-provoking experiences for kids but they are handcuffed by pressures and external forces.
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Post by bunnyfungo on Mar 8, 2023 22:26:50 GMT -6
Woof. What a shitty take on public schools. That is the garbage that is spewed by the conservative evangelicals in the homeschooling groups I was a part of. Listen, I did the homeschool thing for 4 years because it worked for our family, which was in *incredible* privilege. But my kids are back in public school and absolutely thriving. I also now work in a school, and while I’m not a teacher, I get pulled into classrooms a lot as an extra set of hands for our students that need one-to-one support. The teachers I work with are not training worker bees. They are passionate educators that care for their students deeply. You can think that the system is broken, but throw away comments like that ignores the hard work that teachers are doing every day to do the best for their students within the constraints they are given. Honestly, a blanket statement like that from a therapist would have me head tilting. Like….what.
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elle
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Post by elle on Mar 8, 2023 23:57:02 GMT -6
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klw
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Post by klw on Mar 9, 2023 5:37:51 GMT -6
Teacher burnout is so real. I don’t remember getting as many mid year emails about job postings as I’ve received this the past 2 months. I am a para and all my principal had to say was “Have you ever considered “ before I said no. She laughed since I knew what she was going to ask. But I am happy with my para life. Just helping my teacher with her data collection, IEP writing and meetings is enough for me.
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mc13
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Post by mc13 on Mar 9, 2023 6:14:31 GMT -6
Teacher burnout is so real. I don’t remember getting as many mid year emails about job postings as I’ve received this the past 2 months. I am a para and all my principal had to say was “Have you ever considered “ before I said no. She laughed since I knew what she was going to ask. But I am happy with my para life. Just helping my teacher with her data collection, IEP writing and meetings is enough for me. I’m our PTA President and last week the superintendent asked ME the same thing and if I had a Ed degree (I do not 😂) So many openings.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 9, 2023 6:43:56 GMT -6
Teacher burnout is so real. I don’t remember getting as many mid year emails about job postings as I’ve received this the past 2 months. I am a para and all my principal had to say was “Have you ever considered “ before I said no. She laughed since I knew what she was going to ask. But I am happy with my para life. Just helping my teacher with her data collection, IEP writing and meetings is enough for me. I’m out PTA President and last week the superintendent asked ME the same thing and if I had a Ed degree (I do not 😂) So many openings. I've got people trying to get me to run for school board and I noped so fast. Fox News is obsessed with our school district, not touching that with a 500 foot pole.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 9, 2023 6:44:21 GMT -6
Mitch McConnell apparently fell and is in the hospital
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 9, 2023 6:57:40 GMT -6
Well this is special
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cnf
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Post by cnf on Mar 9, 2023 7:02:05 GMT -6
Teacher burnout is so real. I don’t remember getting as many mid year emails about job postings as I’ve received this the past 2 months. I am a para and all my principal had to say was “Have you ever considered “ before I said no. She laughed since I knew what she was going to ask. But I am happy with my para life. Just helping my teacher with her data collection, IEP writing and meetings is enough for me. The burnout is going to cripple an already crumbling system. The lack of teachers that will be available to fill the rolls as others drop will be a glaring spotlight, but people still won't care. DeSantis will still put any warm body inside a classroom. And the career of educators will be further devalued. Want to know partially why we're so fucked? My kids district had a vote on two propositions this week. Prop two failed miserably, as expected, because it raised taxes by $20, God forbid. Prop one, with ZERO cost to tax payers, only passed by a 2/3rds majority. Over a 1000 people voted no to prop one, which cost them literally nothing. Prop one included new windows, roofs, HVAC updates, some classroom renovations, etc. Things needed to keep the building from literally turning to shit. And people voted no. Then people wonder why teachers are so frustrated and burnt out. People don't even want us in safe buildings let alone allow us to do our jobs. Unless something gives, public education is going to continue a downward spiral that won't be good for anyone.
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Post by Sweetjane on Mar 9, 2023 7:35:52 GMT -6
Mitch McConnell apparently fell and is in the hospital Bad time to be out. Is going to be negotiating from his hospital bed?
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Post by blurnette989 on Mar 9, 2023 8:00:43 GMT -6
I hope he broke his hip.
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Post by Sweetjane on Mar 9, 2023 8:07:01 GMT -6
Apparently DiFi is still out too. I know she had Covid a while ago, are they going to Weekend at Bernie's her? Where is she?
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RajahMD
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Post by RajahMD on Mar 9, 2023 8:12:48 GMT -6
Not gonna lie, my first thought was that a fall can be really risky for the elderly, and hoping he broke a hip or busted his head.
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notblanche
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Post by notblanche on Mar 9, 2023 8:40:32 GMT -6
Bad time to be out. Is going to be negotiating from his hospital bed? Sen. Fetterman has been working from the hospital. I bet Mit.ch will too
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notblanche
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Post by notblanche on Mar 9, 2023 8:45:57 GMT -6
My work is education adjacent, and the lengths they have to go to recruit new teachers are a lot. Doesn't matter if you have teaching experience. If you have relevant experience, you're in. Then you have all these second career teachers getting very little support. Then they leave. It's a fucked up cycle.
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Mar 9, 2023 8:47:42 GMT -6
Apparently DiFi is still out too. I know she had Covid a while ago, are they going to Weekend at Bernie's her? Where is she? She had shingles. Which is tough at any age but I can’t imagine at hers.
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Post by imapenguin on Mar 9, 2023 8:57:22 GMT -6
My work is education adjacent, and the lengths they have to go to recruit new teachers are a lot. Doesn't matter if you have teaching experience. If you have relevant experience, you're in. Then you have all these second career teachers getting very little support. Then they leave. It's a fucked up cycle. My neighbor is a retired teacher who went back to work this year after being begged by one of her former principals and she has said this is not the profession she left and didn’t renew her contract for next year. And she retired in 2015, so really not that long ago and the environment is so hostile toward educators that a teacher with decades of experience doesn’t feel equipped to handle a classroom today. It feels like new teachers don’t really stand a chance.
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leahcar
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Post by leahcar on Mar 9, 2023 9:16:09 GMT -6
MH started teaching in January after getting his alternative certification. (He had a Bachelor's degree, but not in Education) It's...horrifying? His kids had not had a permanent math or science teacher for the entire first semester. Understandably- they are/were quite behind and also are having behavior issues from the lack of consistency.
He LOVES the kids themselves. But our household is struggling because he's working unless he's sleeping. He has his regular time in the classroom, extra classes because of his alternative certification (150 hours required this semester), extra mandatory tutoring hours (which at least are more $) because of his school's test scores, grading and lesson planning. Oh- and got COVID not even a month into the job because why not. And he gets to do all this for the privilege of earning less than half of my private sector salary.
He does have plenty of experience with kids and even some classroom management from his time in nonprofit world. If he's struggling this much, I can't fathom how hard this would be for someone with NO experience at all. He had to commit for two years in exchange for the district helping with his alternative certification. Every friend he's made in his classes are all plotting leaving the classroom and they've been at this for MONTHS. Not years. The burnout is so, so concerning for society at large.
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byjove
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Post by byjove on Mar 9, 2023 9:57:34 GMT -6
The institution of public school isn't adapting fast enough to the current world if both students and teachers are struggling so much. Who do we put the pressure on- school boards? Higher up? What do we think needs to change?
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Post by Sweetjane on Mar 9, 2023 10:08:09 GMT -6
Apparently DiFi is still out too. I know she had Covid a while ago, are they going to Weekend at Bernie's her? Where is she? She had shingles. Which is tough at any age but I can’t imagine at hers. You're right it was shingles. It's horrible, I had a mild case and it was brutal. My mom just had it too and it took her 3 months to recover and she's only 73. My mom had brain fog too, DF may just continue to decline at her age.
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Post by bugglesbee on Mar 9, 2023 10:33:29 GMT -6
cnf Our district went through something similar where people just decided to completely gut the schools because they didn’t feel it was their responsibility to pay. The rude, disrespectful comments people made about justifying salaries, programs such as art/music - I am not in the education field at all and I am still pissed years later. It’s unreal. Getting back to the grades, I will say that I think they actually mean less to me. I am really just trying to keep my kids OK (mentally, physically). As long as they are putting in effort, behaving appropriately, involved in something and comfortable at school, I am happy. It’s really tough right now. I have friends whose kids are struggling with big things. The college/tuition issue comes into play here also, we can’t afford the dream schools.
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origami
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Post by origami on Mar 9, 2023 10:52:11 GMT -6
The institution of public school isn't adapting fast enough to the current world if both students and teachers are struggling so much. Who do we put the pressure on- school boards? Higher up? What do we think needs to change? So as a backlash to Obama being elected president, the tea party basically took over a bunch of school boards. Coupled with folks who had been on school boards for like twenty or thirty years because they didnt do anything egregious enough to get booted and the fact that many school board elections have horrifically low voter turnout and here we are. I feel incredibly lucky that we had a bit of a school board mutiny in 2020 and have mostly former school staff (and not just teachers which is also necessary as schools are enormous organisms with a lot of moving parts) and the one who isn't and hasn't been an educator is a current parent. They were instrumental in some executive hiring that changed our paradigm. It's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction. All that to say, whether you have kids in schools or not, pay close attention to school board races and dig deep on who the candidates are and why they're running. There are systemic issues with education and funding nationwide but this problem is more likely to be solved at the hyper local and/or state level
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origami
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Post by origami on Mar 9, 2023 10:53:47 GMT -6
Also, lobby your state legislatures for more education funding. Pay attention to what bills come up in education and appropriation committees and show your support or disapproval for them.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease and focusing mostly on federal means the squeakiest at local and state level aren't always good actors.
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Post by ldubhawksfan on Mar 9, 2023 10:55:45 GMT -6
Teacher burnout is so real. I don’t remember getting as many mid year emails about job postings as I’ve received this the past 2 months. I am a para and all my principal had to say was “Have you ever considered “ before I said no. She laughed since I knew what she was going to ask. But I am happy with my para life. Just helping my teacher with her data collection, IEP writing and meetings is enough for me. The burnout is going to cripple an already crumbling system. The lack of teachers that will be available to fill the rolls as others drop will be a glaring spotlight, but people still won't care. DeSantis will still put any warm body inside a classroom. And the career of educators will be further devalued. Want to know partially why we're so fucked? My kids district had a vote on two propositions this week. Prop two failed miserably, as expected, because it raised taxes by $20, God forbid. Prop one, with ZERO cost to tax payers, only passed by a 2/3rds majority. Over a 1000 people voted no to prop one, which cost them literally nothing. Prop one included new windows, roofs, HVAC updates, some classroom renovations, etc. Things needed to keep the building from literally turning to shit. And people voted no. Then people wonder why teachers are so frustrated and burnt out. People don't even want us in safe buildings let alone allow us to do our jobs. Unless something gives, public education is going to continue a downward spiral that won't be good for anyone. Omg I get so heated every election when school props are on the ballot and the fucking olds that are paying 1970s property taxes can’t be bothered to have them increased a small amount to help the schools. Most are in shambles because they were built or improved last when their adult children where in school. But now they want to say it’s not their problem since it’s not their kids. I guess just fuck future generations. 🤬
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Rebel
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Post by Rebel on Mar 9, 2023 10:56:50 GMT -6
I’m teaching right now. A school reached out and desperately needed help. I’m not necessarily qualified (have a MEd but not any real background in music & theatre which is what they have me teaching).
I love it. I love the kids. I love my admin. I love the lessons we do.
But I spend 70% of my time dealing with behavior issues. It’s not all kids. Not even the majority. But the ones who are an issue, command the majority of my attention. Which isn’t fair to the rest. And in my situation, the worst outcome is they lose group project time because that’s most of what my class is, but in subjects like ELA, math, etc…..the entire class gets behind.
My own kids are in a different district than I teach in. One that has made the news a ton and is currently under multiple investigations. They are losing teachers left and right for a few reasons- 1. They are spending a fortune on attorney fees due to those investigations which is leading to a lack of funds to spend on staff, technology, even fixing building HVAC- which in TX is an absolutely necessary expense. Student and teacher school provided computers are slow and buggy and must be replaced, they are obsolete. Which makes teaching with them in the classroom next to impossible, even while the district is demanding everything be moved to computer based bc the state test is computer based. 2. Eliminating planning periods- they are moving from a scheduled planning period every day to every other day, for MS and HS teachers. This is how they plan to help address vacancies. More teachers will leave. This means they have to do more of their work on their own time. 3. Community members watching for and jumping on any believed “wokeness”. It’s terrifying. They have found what they believe are examples that violate their morals and beliefs and plastered teachers names and details all over community FB pages and groups and those teachers have been harassed. 4. The behavior issues. I think exacerbated by Covid- a conglomeration of trauma, learning loss and frustration, undiagnosed individuals due to unaffordable care and/or stigma, no real repercussions, and a lack of parent & administrator support.
Why the fuck would anyone want to deal with the above for $52,000 a year?
And hell, I haven’t even mentioned the gun violence issue which is a whole other can of worms, especially here where our district just voted to arm our educators.
Ugh. I’m feeling hopeless at the moment. There isn’t a chance my youngest makes it through before public ed collapses.
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origami
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Post by origami on Mar 9, 2023 10:58:51 GMT -6
cnf Our district went through something similar where people just decided to completely gut the schools because they didn’t feel it was their responsibility to pay. The rude, disrespectful comments people made about justifying salaries, programs such as art/music - I am not in the education field at all and I am still pissed years later. It’s unreal. Getting back to the grades, I will say that I think they actually mean less to me. I am really just trying to keep my kids OK (mentally, physically). As long as they are putting in effort, behaving appropriately, involved in something and comfortable at school, I am happy. It’s really tough right now. I have friends whose kids are struggling with big things. The college/tuition issue comes into play here also, we can’t afford the dream schools. Working in education and going to school for policy I've met so many very smart people that blew their k12 grades but still went thru college into advanced degrees and high powered positions in politics because of lived experience and grit. We can absolutely encourage our kids to do well and also decide that maybe this metric we hang over heads just doesn't matter as much as we want to think it does. In my experience, community colleges have some of the best teaching staff I've encountered and they'll take high school drop outs and still "churn out" scholars.
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cnf
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Post by cnf on Mar 9, 2023 11:04:18 GMT -6
The institution of public school isn't adapting fast enough to the current world if both students and teachers are struggling so much. Who do we put the pressure on- school boards? Higher up? What do we think needs to change? The problem is so ingrained and systemic at this point, I can't even begin to consider a solution. Unfortunately, the kids will suffer which in turn will strain the workforce and the economy. At that point people will either realize the failing and try to fix it, or chastise education even more and continue to gut it and devalue it. I don't know.
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Rebel
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Post by Rebel on Mar 9, 2023 11:06:07 GMT -6
Oh and we are gearing up for a horrifically nasty school board race. We found 2 people to run for the available seats and I’m helping with campaign social media and it’s already disheartening. They are already labeling these great pro-education candidates as p3d0s and gr0om3rs (sorry, didn’t want to run into censor or be searchable), and people in the community just….believe it. These people who have poured their lives into education and the community and are amazing individuals. Being publicly denounced online as a sexual pr3dator. Because these candidates dare believe our libraries should be full of books that accurately represent our population.
Our plan to fight this is by serious block walking and conversations with neighbors. But….I don’t know. This is really hard to combat. We tried last May and lost badly. These are the last 2 seats that don’t belong to the extremists. This is the last chance I’m giving this district. We’ve been here for 11 years, and will move if we lose.
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on Mar 9, 2023 11:08:32 GMT -6
The institution of public school isn't adapting fast enough to the current world if both students and teachers are struggling so much. Who do we put the pressure on- school boards? Higher up? What do we think needs to change? I think a lot of it comes down to the financial and emotional investments that we make in our schools. We need to focus on quality rather than efficiency in our schools. Schools are not businesses and children are not products, so let’s avoid treating them that way. Most schools need better funding, especially to hire and retain enough staff to keep class sizes small. Teachers need to feel supported and have manageable jobs. Fewer students per teacher, more planning periods, more resources to use in lessons, and more funding for professional development will go a long way to making teaching a more desirable profession. And of course, salaries need to reflect the education, experience, and incredible responsibility we are asking of our teachers. Schools with strong community ties are going to meet students’ needs more easily. They are also going to be able to rally support for funding initiatives at the ballot. It’s hard during an era of school shootings, but the more that schools can bring the community in by providing space for community events, resources for community recreational leisure activities (track, gym, fields, pools), meals or festivals to bring people together, performances for entertainment, and resources like night classes for adults to continue expanding their horizons, the more people will be willing to invest in them. Similarly, schools should be partnering with communities to involve students in community service and local internships and utilizing local resources like library systems, museums, and parks. A lot of those initiatives need to be spearheaded by school administrators, PTAs, and school boards. Right now, they have politicians breathing down their asses to improve test scores (and funding tied to those test scores) and screaming at them to do more with too little funding, so community involvement gets thrown to the back burner. In the immediate moment, kids need intensive investment in both school support networks (advising groups, counseling, access to safe spaces to do school work and recreate after school) and services to compensate for the learning they missed during the pandemic. We need to meet kids where they are academically and fill in the missing pieces. Of course, the only way that will happen is with a lot of money and effort directed at education, especially in underfunded and underserved areas. Which never ends up happening to the degree it needs to because taxes. Ugh. I’m rambling. And I know this is all pie in the sky. The frustrating thing is that there are so many amazing, inspired educators out there in every community. But they end up hamstrung by lack of resources and a focus on test scores rather than quality education. And I do think that most kids want to learn too. But they have had so much to cope with over the past three years that I understand why it is hard for many to focus simply on getting good grades.
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origami
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Post by origami on Mar 9, 2023 11:15:24 GMT -6
I second everything @minerva says too.
Look into full service community schools and see if there are any in your state and if not find out if any are striving towards it. The idea is that the school is a hub of the neighborhood and that creates incredible buy in.
There are amazing things happening at schools across the country and a lot of grant money for community schools as a strategy.
Google: coalition for community schools Communities in schools Strive together Institute for educational leadership National family support network Promise neighborhoods
I promise we are out here trying to change the game, but we need more folks demanding this strategy not just in their schools but in their communities
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