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Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 5:39:48 AM   
rhondabrwn


Posts: 2570
Joined: 9/29/2004
From: Snowflake, Arizona
Status: offline
I guess it's time for the official announcement.

June 3rd will be my last day as a teacher. I will be leaving Pinon, Navajo Nation, and moving down to Snowflake, Arizona where I am purchasing a 40 acre horse ranch for my slightly early retirement (I'll be 64 next October). One of my best and longest Navajo friends found it for me so I'd be close to her. It was a very lucky find... it's way out there, heavily wooded, and totally energy independent (wind and solar with propane powered backup generators) a well, and septic system. Still close enough to a major highway to get Verizon wi-fi for an internet connection so I'll still be in touch.

I'll be starting with the seller's three horses (I'll be taking care of them for at least a year) and my Navajo friend is bringing her horses over as well. I expect to have between 5 and 10 horses there within the first month. Going to work on having a goat herd and running a couple of steers. I'm taking my four dogs down to join the two already on the ranch so I'll have a healthy pack.

I may do some college level teaching (online courses), but will probably just focus for awhile on getting the ranch in order, learning as much as I can about horses (been a lifelong reader of horse books, but it's still all theory for me). Luckily I'll have my friends to help me out. I expect to finally find the time to actually master some of the games that I have been buying and may be looking for new PBEM buddies soon. I intend to cut back on new stuff though... except for World in Flames (at some future point)

I've enjoyed my teaching experiences on the rez, but I can no longer tolerate the increasing bureaucratic meddling and mandates that keep coming down on top of us. This last year, I tried to follow all their rules and teach the way the dictated and I felt it was a disaster for me and for my kids. This is the first year that I wasn't their favorite class.. instead... they were bored to tears with the forced curriculum I had to follow, mandated use of various academic theories, requirements for things like having to use a "graphic organizer" for each class and... well, I could go on ranting for hours. In essence, I no longer control what and how I teach, and have to deal with constant threats if I don't follow the program. Fortunately, I don't have to take it any longer because I have options... and I quit. Until this nation wises up and stops trying to make teachers the scapegoats for our social ills while cutting budgets to the bone I can't really recommend that anyone enter the teaching profession. Many of our young teachers are already regretting their decision, but have no options at the moment but to stick it out. At the High School, the entire English Department resigned in mass protest. I've lost track of how many departures there are... at least 20 officially resigned already. Lots of fresh meat applying though... the economy is just that bad for teachers at the moment.

End rant.. I had five great years and one disappointing and stressed out year... I can live with that. I've got great memories and am looking forward to my retirement

_____________________________

Love & Peace,

Far Dareis Mai

My old Piczo site seems to be gone, so no more Navajo Nation pics :(
Post #: 1
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 5:50:35 AM   
SLAAKMAN


Posts: 2725
Joined: 7/24/2002
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quote:

I've enjoyed my teaching experiences on the rez, but I can no longer tolerate the increasing bureaucratic meddling and mandates that keep coming down on top of us. This last year, I tried to follow all their rules and teach the way the dictated and I felt it was a disaster for me and for my kids. This is the first year that I wasn't their favorite class.. instead... they were bored to tears with the forced curriculum I had to follow, mandated use of various academic theories, requirements for things like having to use a "graphic organizer" for each class and... well, I could go on ranting for hours. In essence, I no longer control what and how I teach, and have to deal with constant threats if I don't follow the program. Fortunately, I don't have to take it any longer because I have options... and I quit. Until this nation wises up and stops trying to make teachers the scapegoats for our social ills while cutting budgets to the bone I can't really recommend that anyone enter the teaching profession. Many of our young teachers are already regretting their decision, but have no options at the moment but to stick it out. At the High School, the entire English Department resigned in mass protest. I've lost track of how many departures there are... at least 20 officially resigned already. Lots of fresh meat applying though... the economy is just that bad for teachers at the moment.

Wow. I think my daughter who is in 8th grade is experiencing this kind of frustration as well. She resents being pushed too hard.
Good luck with your decision.

_____________________________

Germany's unforgivable crime before the Second World War was her attempt to extricate her economy from the world's trading system and to create her own exchange mechanism which would deny world finance its opportunity to profit.
— Winston Churchill

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RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 5:59:31 AM   
junk2drive


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From: Arizona West Coast
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Thank you for your service to our country shaping young minds for the future. I hope you enjoy your new pastime. I also hope you can find a way to teach something, maybe to do with horses.

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RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 6:07:41 AM   
David Heath


Posts: 3274
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From: Staten Island NY
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Hey I am sorry to hear about the crap you have had to deal with and God Bless you on your new plan.

David


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Post #: 4
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 6:08:54 AM   
jwarrenw13

 

Posts: 1897
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From: Louisiana, USA
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Hi.  I'm in my 19th year of teaching after a military career, and it is becoming harder and harder for me.  I want to teach for 25 years, but I think I'll settle for 20 as things continue to change.  In Louisiana we're adding "value added assessment," meaning an arcane formula will be used to measure my effectiveness as a teacher based on how my students do on one state-mandated test at the end of the school year.  The formula can 'predict' what each student should score on the standardized test based on a variety of factors, and I'll be evaluated based on whether my students meet the projected scores or not.  And since the district, the school, the students, and the teachers are assessed primarily on that one test, everything will be structured, even more than ever, to focus on the test.    I teach high school English, and the joy of teaching American and British lit are just being sucked out of the courses because of the focus on standardized testing.   I know many more good veteran teachers who are leaving the field because they feel like they are considered the enemy by the state and the public.  And I know young teachers who are wondering what they have stepped into and thinking of leaving the profession.  As one example, I can no longer find a logical reason for teaching any novels to my students, because everything on the standardized test is based on analyzing short reading selections. I could go on and on, but I won't.  Good luck in your new endeavor.

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Post #: 5
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 6:10:51 AM   
parusski


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From: Jackson Tn
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I too thank you for your long service in a difficult job. Good luck.

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Post #: 6
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 8:01:54 AM   
Phatguy

 

Posts: 1348
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From: Buffalo,ny
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Its just as bad up here in New York.......... They are happy as clams to consider "See Spot Run" as a great classic because this is pretty much what they think these kids are capable of mentally. In 6th grade... My daughter in 9th grade was so bored of the regurtitated pap she was forced to endure we switched her to a charter school...Don't really blame the teachers on this but looking at the materials she has to work with now compared to my books from the past makes me cry....America is doomed

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Post #: 7
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 8:43:55 AM   
Zap


Posts: 3639
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From: LAS VEGAS TAKE A CHANCE
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Well, Rhonda enjoy the new life. Though horses (particularly) will occupy much of your time. Being an animal lover I'm sure wil will relish your new duties as a rancher.
I'd have trouble with the clean up involved with that many horses. I look forward to doing as little as possible when I retire.

Your ready for the bills that will come with feeding hoarses? they do cost a lot to maintain.

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Post #: 8
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 7:10:04 PM   
freeboy

 

Posts: 9088
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From: Colorado
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Good luck and blessings on your new venture... Teaching is a challenge, teaching with a straight jacket on is beyond the challenge, its often an endurance contest. While I am saddened to hear, I am not suprised, the trends to not teach kids how to learn, but some sort of standard information goes hand in hand with your top down idiocy in charge rant... again, I am saddened. As for the ranch I assume you have had ranching and horse work experience? If not lean heavily on the friends, horses are fantastic and your situation with a self sufficient ranch sounds ideal.. other than you are in AZ. lol that was a friendly dig from somene stuck in CO...

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Post #: 9
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 7:25:21 PM   
JudgeDredd


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From: Scotland
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Good luck Rhonda. Enjoy your retirement.

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Post #: 10
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 7:45:51 PM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline
Good Luck Rhonda.

I have 5 more years to go, and yes it's getting ridiculous in education.

They don't want teachers, they want monkeys who can jump through the hoop. I agree with you, I steer everyone away from being a teacher. The rewards are just not there anymore, but like you said there is always fresh meat for the government grinder.

Since you live in a right to work state I didn't have to include the union garbage that we get in Caliwearebrokefornia.

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Post #: 11
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 9:58:56 PM   
Joe D.


Posts: 4004
Joined: 8/31/2005
From: Stratford, Connecticut
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

... I had five great years and one disappointing and stressed out year... I can live with that. I've got great memories and am looking forward to my retirement


Now you can really get into gaming.

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"The Angel of Okinawa"

Home of the Chance-Vought Corsair, F4U
The best fighter-bomber of World War II

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Post #: 12
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/22/2011 10:59:16 PM   
Titanwarrior89


Posts: 3283
Joined: 8/28/2003
From: arkansas
Status: offline
I spent alot of time in Farmington New Mexico in recruiting. The Rez was part of my area in and around northern NM and Arizona. Enjoyed the people and the area(Shiprock). Good luck with your change.

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Post #: 13
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/23/2011 1:40:28 AM   
planner 3

 

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Good Luck in your new venture, horses are much smarter than bureaucrats. Just for giggles keep watching the teaching situation in my state of Florida, i'm sure you'll notice many parallels (sp?)with the Rez.  Good Luck, Smooth sailing.

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Post #: 14
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/23/2011 8:42:28 PM   
michael1776


Posts: 132
Joined: 2/3/2008
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I am truly sorry to hear you have to leave teaching. Although it does sound like you have chosen a very rewarding working retirement. I can sympathize with your choice, however. I too had to quit teaching a few years back. I came out of college with an MS in history, a BA in secondary education and a superabundance of drive to teach kids. After five years trying to work in the New York State Regents system my drive was completely gone, my marriage was a wreck due to long hours away from home, and no matter what I did and how hard I worked those kids just didn't care. A few did. But I could no longer continue to sacrifice so that 2 out of every 80 kids I taught actually learned, and enjoyed it. It's a shame what government has done to education in this country. Until someone realizes that standardized education cannot, and will not work it isn't going to get any better.

Congratulations, I think you will find that you are going to be much better off. And working with the horses will probably be a much more rewarding experience for you.

-MJ


(in reply to rhondabrwn)
Post #: 15
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/24/2011 12:50:28 AM   
Perturabo


Posts: 2614
Joined: 11/17/2007
Status: offline
Fun fact:
While I'm perfectly able to read novels, participate in internet discussions and read military stuff, I have great problems with reading stuff for school.
When I read the school stuff, I usually forget what I'm reading very fast (usually before finishing a sentence) and I often have to re-read the sentence several times to realise what I'm reading. And I often forget it all just after reading anyway.
Since I'm learning technical stuff (Computer Science), I have great difficulties with doing assignments as I have to read assignments many times to understand them, I need to read instructions many times to do anything. It makes learning for school not only exceedingly difficult but also extremely unappealing.

On the other hand I don't have any difficulty when for example working on a mod or reading military history or about military technology and I automatically hyperfocus on stuff like that.

_____________________________

People shouldn't ask themselves why schools get shoot up.
They should ask themselves why people who finish schools burned out due to mobbing aren't receiving high enough compensations to not seek vengeance.

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Post #: 16
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/24/2011 7:43:06 PM   
SlickWilhelm


Posts: 1854
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From: Rochester, MN
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I commend you for being able to stick it out in that profession for as long as you did, Rhonda. I lasted a mere 5 years as a public school teacher before I got burned out and disillusioned. In 1995 I resigned at the end of my 5th year, made a sharp left turn into the IT field, and have never looked back.

You want to talk about a thankless job...

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Post #: 17
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/24/2011 9:54:57 PM   
Perturabo


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Wow. What makes people want to become teachers in primary/secondary/high schools anyway?

_____________________________

People shouldn't ask themselves why schools get shoot up.
They should ask themselves why people who finish schools burned out due to mobbing aren't receiving high enough compensations to not seek vengeance.

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Post #: 18
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/25/2011 7:24:54 AM   
rhondabrwn


Posts: 2570
Joined: 9/29/2004
From: Snowflake, Arizona
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Wow! Thanks for all the good thoughts guys :)

It seems I'm definitely not alone in my perception of the growing problems in American Education. Perturabo wanted to know why anyone would want to be a teacher... and other than a strong tendency for masochism, it's hard to come up with reasons these days. If you are truly wanting to make a difference in society (as most teachers do), you will find yourself ground down by the system.

I've just reached the point where I can no longer even fake enthusiasm for the latest mandate. I read academic literature just full of self-serving technical terms with no relevance to the actual situation in our school and I just get disgusted. They took a batch of our newer teachers over to Las Vegas for a three day retreat at UNLV and they returned with the same reaction I had when I went a few years back: college professors who haven't been in an actual classroom in years (if ever) lecturing you on research that is years out of date (like from their doctoral dissertation). Total waste of time and money, but the Dept of Education mandates that we have some kind of formal "School Improvement" scheme in place so we pay UNLV A couple of hundred thousand dollars a year for these consulting services. The same for a mandated "Teacher Evaluation System" so we pay much money for another packaged system that attempts to evaluate teaching with a complex rating system based on one or two classroom observations. That trend is occurring everywhere and is the principle focus of "Race to the Top" and other school improvement efforts... only these complex evaluation systems based on some theoretical model of teaching can save us. As was previously mentioned in this thread, now they are moving to tie your evaluation into how your kids do on a standardized test (again based on some committee's idea of what should be taught).

Well there we go... I ranted anyway

Anyway, it gives you an idea of the frustration levels felt by teachers these days. The system also encourages cheating - our 6th grade teachers got a big bonus last year based on their student's NWEA test results - then it was discovered that they had retested students as many as 7 times until they got the required level of improvement. That was blocked this year and they came in last, but they didn't take back their $4,000 bonuses from last year. Salary levels are reduced by the amount of bonus money we can earn under a state program, but we rarely see a payout due to the performance requirements that are impossible to meet without cheating. Remember, our kids come up from Elementary reading at a 2nd grade level on average, but we have to bring them up to 8th grade level to meet the required standards. They improve, but it's never enough to get 70% of all students caught up to grade level or to meet computer generated growth targets. Our 8th grade hit 69% for Language Arts and 57% on math so no bonus money for us again this year... for the 10th year in a row. No surprises... we knew the odds were stacked against us ever qualifying. When it affects students this is technically called "learned helplessness" - I think that's where most educators are headed if they don't actually quit the profession.

I'm so happy to be retiring :) I do expect the animals to fill my time though since I won't own any of the horses until I buy my own, the expense is going to be borne by the prior owners who will board with me and my friend who bring out hay for her horses and assist with their care. It won't be me trying to maintain 10 horses! I'll be able to gain experience before starting to build my own herd. From my reading, however, I can already tell that none of these horses that I'll be caring for are getting anything like the minimum care specified in the books (frequent vet visits, vaccinations, farrier care every month, worming, daily grooming and so much more). Horses out here tend to be fed some hay and left to graze on their own (and generally do fairly well except for the wild ones who pretty much starve during the winter). Currently we have at least three distinct herds running wild here in Pinon with as many as 20 horses each. I've never seen so many. I think people are turning their horses out because they can't afford to buy the hay to feed them. During the winter I see lots of people selling hay, but this Spring, hardly anyone is down on the road selling so I have to deduce that all these horses I am seeing have been turned out and no one is buying hay for them.

It's going to be the last great adventure of my life!

< Message edited by rhondabrwn -- 5/25/2011 7:28:24 AM >


_____________________________

Love & Peace,

Far Dareis Mai

My old Piczo site seems to be gone, so no more Navajo Nation pics :(

(in reply to Perturabo)
Post #: 19
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/26/2011 1:42:18 PM   
pzgndr

 

Posts: 3170
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From: Maryland
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Unfortunately I see a lot of bureaucratic micromanagement requirements creeping into most all facets of our lives, not just education.  Nowadays there are ISO standards, training and certification requirements, performance metrics of all sorts, assessments and evaluations, etc. etc.  Sometimes I question if we should have so many experienced and talented folks providing oversight and "help", rather than providing the resources down where the "rubber meets the road" and getting things done.  And I speak from having been on both sides, as licensee and regulator.  We keep raising the bar with all these oppressive requirements to the point where nobody can seriously grasp the whole thing.  It's like the damn tax code; who can possibly understand it all?? 

I reflect back on my days as a light infantry rifle platoon leader and all the stuff I needed to know how to do.  Did I carry 5,000 pages of manuals and procedures in my rucksack?  Hell no.  I had a handful of things like a Call-For-Fire card and stuff like that and my head full of simple principles that I could remember at 0200 in the morning.  We make everything so complicated these days for fear of making any minor mistake.  IMHO, it's downright counter-productive in the long run.  And turning off a lot of folks who should otherwise be happy and productive professionals.  It's a shame.

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RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/26/2011 7:33:09 PM   
SeaMonkey

 

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As pzgndr has expressed, we have complicated our society to the nth degree with oppressive regulations.  Guess why your energy cost so much, specifically gasoline.  This has been my forte' for 40 years, how it has evolved goes beyond ludicrous, you would not believe what has transpired to take gasoline from 17.9 cents a gallon to today, a total calamity of regulation, most of it completely unnecessary.  But!!!!

Ah Ha!  The all important BUT?  So what do we do with 5.5 billion souls, how do we keep them busy, otherwise.....what will they get themselves into?  Can we really support that many humans with productive endeavors?  Or....do we need to create tiers of complications so that the "humans" will stay busy trying to decypher it all?  They used to call it "specialization", whatever, there's no doubt that the amount of knowledge available tends to overwhelm the normal individual who seeks a general intelligence level.

Just looking at it from both sides, but personally concluded that simple is better, adhering to KISS principles, now you know where the term "Good Ole Days" comes from!

< Message edited by SeaMonkey -- 5/26/2011 7:34:19 PM >

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Post #: 21
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/27/2011 3:31:15 PM   
junk2drive


Posts: 12907
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From: Arizona West Coast
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In other news, did you see that the Hopi code talkers are getting recognition?

_____________________________

Conflict of Heroes "Most games are like checkers or chess and some have dice and cards involved too. This game plays like checkers but you think like chess and the dice and cards can change everything in real time."

(in reply to SeaMonkey)
Post #: 22
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/28/2011 4:05:33 AM   
rhondabrwn


Posts: 2570
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From: Snowflake, Arizona
Status: offline
Yes, in fact 17 tribes were used as code talkers in World War I and II. The first were the Choctaw. No native American language code was ever broken. Good to see the Arizona Senate recognize the Hopi.

Note that the Navajo Nation fully supports recognition for ALL tribes and have so indicated.

_____________________________

Love & Peace,

Far Dareis Mai

My old Piczo site seems to be gone, so no more Navajo Nation pics :(

(in reply to junk2drive)
Post #: 23
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/28/2011 4:20:54 AM   
rhondabrwn


Posts: 2570
Joined: 9/29/2004
From: Snowflake, Arizona
Status: offline
Speaking of testing issues and school reform, give this a gander:

Panel Finds Few Gains from Testing Movement

Not that this blue ribbon panel has discovered anything that every teacher in America doesn't already know.

Depressing how we can commit educational suicide, isn't it?

BTW... we just got our AIMS test scores back for our District and scores DROPPED this year by about 50% after all the mandates and forced lesson planning and two weeks of pre-test "Boot camp" and extensive computer test practice (Study Island) for at least 20% of all class time.... so much for the brilliant educational theories and reforms being forced down our throats. If they keep it up, I'm not going to be surprised if scores drop even more next year. Especially considering how many teachers are quitting. I personally don't feel like I was able to effectively teach this year under the new regime. The test prep alone pretty much blew away the whole 4th quarter for any meaningful educational efforts. We spent four full weeks on various tests (AIMS or NWEA) plus all the prep time plus the many, many "mini-assessments" in Study Island that had to be given and reported on every week to District.

I'll be interested in the administration's response to these results. Probably that it's all the teacher's fault and the next batch of "raw meat" for the grinder will be better (this has gone on for over ten years of staff turnover). Have I mentioned that 20 new teachers came in with me four years ago and I'm the very last survivor of that group? That's depressing as well.

If you read the linked article and the comments associated with it, you will see that poverty has a huge correlation to test results. We have 99.4% of our students on the free lunch program because they are at or below the poverty line. That fact, however, is officially deemed "irrelevant" and is just a "poor excuse" for "bad teaching". Widespread gang activity and drug abuse around here is also deemed "irrelevant" to our poor results on the tests. Sadly, this isn't just Pinon, this is happening all over our nation. We need to consider social issues when trying to fix our educational system, but we don't...just blame the teachers for everything.

Rant Rant Rant



_____________________________

Love & Peace,

Far Dareis Mai

My old Piczo site seems to be gone, so no more Navajo Nation pics :(

(in reply to rhondabrwn)
Post #: 24
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/28/2011 4:41:15 AM   
jwarrenw13

 

Posts: 1897
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From: Louisiana, USA
Status: offline
thanks for that link, rhondabrwn.  Fascinating and totally expected.

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Post #: 25
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/28/2011 8:41:13 AM   
ilovestrategy


Posts: 3611
Joined: 6/11/2005
From: San Diego
Status: offline
Being a school custodian, I hear heartbreaking stories from teachers everyday. They also have to work in unclean environments because of the manpower cuts in custodial. Instead of cleaning everyday, we clean classrooms every 3 days and sometimes once a week because no sub coverage available if one of my custodians is sick.

They come in 2 hours before school opens, stay one or two hours after school is out and they take paper work home to finish at night. They come in on the weekends without pay to get caught up to be ready Monday.

Due to child protection laws they cannot discipline kids. We have one little boy that runs all over the campus and no one is allowed to run after him and nab him for fear of being sued or lose their job.

There is no way in Hell I would ever be a teacher.


_____________________________

After 16 years, Civ II still has me in it's clutches LOL!!!
Now CIV IV has me in it's evil clutches!

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Post #: 26
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/28/2011 11:23:47 AM   
Perturabo


Posts: 2614
Joined: 11/17/2007
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

Speaking of testing issues and school reform, give this a gander:

Panel Finds Few Gains from Testing Movement

Not that this blue ribbon panel has discovered anything that every teacher in America doesn't already know.

Depressing how we can commit educational suicide, isn't it?

BTW... we just got our AIMS test scores back for our District and scores DROPPED this year by about 50% after all the mandates and forced lesson planning and two weeks of pre-test "Boot camp" and extensive computer test practice (Study Island) for at least 20% of all class time.... so much for the brilliant educational theories and reforms being forced down our throats. If they keep it up, I'm not going to be surprised if scores drop even more next year. Especially considering how many teachers are quitting. I personally don't feel like I was able to effectively teach this year under the new regime. The test prep alone pretty much blew away the whole 4th quarter for any meaningful educational efforts. We spent four full weeks on various tests (AIMS or NWEA) plus all the prep time plus the many, many "mini-assessments" in Study Island that had to be given and reported on every week to District.

I'll be interested in the administration's response to these results. Probably that it's all the teacher's fault and the next batch of "raw meat" for the grinder will be better (this has gone on for over ten years of staff turnover). Have I mentioned that 20 new teachers came in with me four years ago and I'm the very last survivor of that group? That's depressing as well.

Wow. It sounds like an extremely toxic environment to work in. I have never imagined that school may be even more miserable experience for teachers than it's for students.

I don't think any tests can eliminate bad teachers, as usually bad teachers are simply abusive, neglecting or horribly boring (like in just talking about the subject for the whole lesson without any pause, change of tone, etc.). There is very few such teachers but somehow I've never seen them getting kicked out for their incompetence.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

If you read the linked article and the comments associated with it, you will see that poverty has a huge correlation to test results. We have 99.4% of our students on the free lunch program because they are at or below the poverty line. That fact, however, is officially deemed "irrelevant" and is just a "poor excuse" for "bad teaching". Widespread gang activity and drug abuse around here is also deemed "irrelevant" to our poor results on the tests. Sadly, this isn't just Pinon, this is happening all over our nation. We need to consider social issues when trying to fix our educational system, but we don't...just blame the teachers for everything.

The problem is that their plan to fix the social issues is probably to educate people so that they could get better/any jobs. If poverty and decay of society creates conditions where it's exceedingly hard to bring up kids to be good students and it's exceedingly hard for kids to learn, then their plan can't work as it's a vicious circle, so they probably conveniently ignore any information that suggests that it's impossible to make these kids learn just by being a good teacher because it could turn out that they are completely helpless or have to implement some gigantic welfare programs. And now they can just say, "Look, we're trying to give these kids a fishing rods but these horrible teachers don't teach them right."

quote:

ORIGINAL: pzgndr

Unfortunately I see a lot of bureaucratic micromanagement requirements creeping into most all facets of our lives, not just education. Nowadays there are ISO standards, training and certification requirements, performance metrics of all sorts, assessments and evaluations, etc. etc. Sometimes I question if we should have so many experienced and talented folks providing oversight and "help", rather than providing the resources down where the "rubber meets the road" and getting things done. And I speak from having been on both sides, as licensee and regulator. We keep raising the bar with all these oppressive requirements to the point where nobody can seriously grasp the whole thing. It's like the damn tax code; who can possibly understand it all??

Regulation and standardisation has two sides.

For example, I don't understand how it's possible that people in different schools or even different classes in the same school can learn different things just because there's a different teacher.
It creates a lot of problems with inter-changeability.
As a student, I think I should be able to grab info from any textbook or any school website on specific subject and be able to pass exams/get good grades in my school and obtain useful knowledge.
Similarly, I should be able to quit my school (for example because I can't afford it any more) and go to another school that has the same subject and be able to smoothly transit.

But no. To learn anything useful for that specific school one has to have special notes from the special classes done by that specific teacher because everyone has to teach and demand something different. Or be unable to transfer to another school because it turns out that they had to do subjects in different order.

And the textbooks...
I wonder who writes the, because I'm pretty certain that they aren't written by teachers. Stuff that is perfectly explained on 2 pages of school notes will usually take up 20 pages of study-book which will usually fail at clearly explaining stuff. It's ridiculous.
I have much absences due to poor health and I usually have trouble with finding good learning materials because of lack of standardisation and because of ridiculously poor quality of textbooks.
Why not have public domain books that could be downloaded and printed by anyone that would have clarity and brevity of lesson notes?

Then there are different levels of requirements, again depending on specific teachers. So, a student with the same knowledge will pass with one teacher and fail with another.
So, the schools create incompetent graduates or have unreasonable requirements depending on a teacher, either way it wastes time and money of students, parents and employers and makes scores and degrees meaningless.

< Message edited by Perturabo -- 5/28/2011 11:25:52 AM >


_____________________________

People shouldn't ask themselves why schools get shoot up.
They should ask themselves why people who finish schools burned out due to mobbing aren't receiving high enough compensations to not seek vengeance.

(in reply to rhondabrwn)
Post #: 27
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/28/2011 5:51:09 PM   
SLAAKMAN


Posts: 2725
Joined: 7/24/2002
Status: offline
quote:

If you read the linked article and the comments associated with it, you will see that poverty has a huge correlation to test results. We have 99.4% of our students on the free lunch program because they are at or below the poverty line. That fact, however, is officially deemed "irrelevant" and is just a "poor excuse" for "bad teaching". Widespread gang activity and drug abuse around here is also deemed "irrelevant" to our poor results on the tests. Sadly, this isn't just Pinon, this is happening all over our nation. We need to consider social issues when trying to fix our educational system, but we don't...just blame the teachers for everything.

Sounds like the same over-regulation & thought control used by the former Soviet Union. Damn shame we cant seem to shake our fascination with the Nanny State.

_____________________________

Germany's unforgivable crime before the Second World War was her attempt to extricate her economy from the world's trading system and to create her own exchange mechanism which would deny world finance its opportunity to profit.
— Winston Churchill

(in reply to rhondabrwn)
Post #: 28
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/30/2011 9:06:29 AM   
rhondabrwn


Posts: 2570
Joined: 9/29/2004
From: Snowflake, Arizona
Status: offline
We had a nice teacher get-together this afternoon. Plenty of food and tons of griping... no one is happy, but are afraid to go elsewhere because of the poor job market and massive teacher lay-offs around the nation. Next year's new level of regulation doesn't inspire confidence in anybody.

On a positive note, I'm driving down to Snowflake tomorrow to sign the lease/purchase agreement on my ranch. Time to lock it down :) Looking forward to my upcoming move, but despairing over the amount of packing up I have to do. My boardgame collection alone took up 8 medium boxes and I'm still not done! Five more boxes for my DVD collection, and I still have tons of old S&T's, Moves, Fire & Movement, AH General, plus other old gaming magazines. Hope to sell most of this stuff in the coming year.

There were a few teary moments though... I opened Tactics II... remembered the "good ole days"... smelled the musty aroma of the counters.. and proceeded to sneeze my head off That was one of my first wargames... THE first was the hex Gettysburg version, followed by D-Day, Tactics II, Dispatcher, and then original Chancellorsville. Found them all for $2.77 in a drug store toy section of all places... no idea how AH wargames ended up in a Haag's Drugs in Kokomo, Indiana... but it sure changed my life towards following my big brother into Military History! I bought out the store over the next year with a 50 cent a week allowance that I saved religiously for the next game. After the first war titles came Air Empire, Le Mans, U-Boat, and even Civil War (with the plastic pawns for units). Seems like Africa Corps was the next published, that cost $4.95 in those days (that's a lot of allowances).

Don't you just love moving... it's so cathartic

_____________________________

Love & Peace,

Far Dareis Mai

My old Piczo site seems to be gone, so no more Navajo Nation pics :(

(in reply to SLAAKMAN)
Post #: 29
RE: Leaving the Rez! - 5/30/2011 7:41:40 PM   
SLAAKMAN


Posts: 2725
Joined: 7/24/2002
Status: offline
Youre a woman after my own heart Rhonda. I bought all those & then some on a lawnmowing allowance that started back in 1971 when I was 12 years old. Avalon Hill & SPI will never die. O The Good Ol' Days!


_____________________________

Germany's unforgivable crime before the Second World War was her attempt to extricate her economy from the world's trading system and to create her own exchange mechanism which would deny world finance its opportunity to profit.
— Winston Churchill

(in reply to rhondabrwn)
Post #: 30
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