What Teachers Really Want To Tell Parents (maternity, method, natural)
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You never fail to input a criticism of someone's personal relationship or their reasons behind their thinking...
Nor do you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYMD67
...but I feel it is wrong that someone gets paid to make out Xmas cards or whatever it is they are doing that is not work related. I don't come from a career field that even allowed much downtime so I can't relate to that.
I just feel that it would bother me if I was a teacher ,that someone can come in and do PART of my job when they have no qualifications to be doing so. Especially if they are a long term sub.
I am not judging someone for being a sub, I never said that. I am saying that if I was a teacher it would bother me that someone can come in and do part of my job and not have the qualifications to do so. In Western NY there are no qualifications needed other than to pass a civil service test, period.
As lkb0714 already shared, subs are basically babysitters who are paid substantially less to compensate for their only doing part of the job.
I think it would cause more work for a teacher to arrange extra busy work for a sub to do.
Hopes, I also live in PA, so I know they do require subs to be certified teachers. I was not referring to my area at all. Only referring to facts I know from family members who live in Western NY who do not need any type of teaching certificate to sub...
Regarding the post I read about what teachers do while their class is at their special... Yes, teachers are probably checking their emails during that time, but I know many,many teachers who use that time for lesson planning and making calls to parents,etc... It is correct of course that a sub does not have this to do but I am almost certain that there are many admi istrative things that can be left for a sub to do while the class is not with them. I am sure that he office or the teacher ( if it wa a planned absence) has plenty of things that could be done, making copies things lime that...
NO WAYshould anyone be able to sit and get paid for making out their Xmas cards! I have a huge issue with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lkb0714
Subs do not do my job.
Even when I have a sub who is a certified teacher they may not be cert'ed in my field and they do not know what exactly we are covering. Their main job is to keep the class on task with whatever assignment I leave and to make sure the school rules are upheld.
They provide a worthwhile service and get paid a tiny fraction of money for it. In my district a certified teacher gets paid $75 for a day and only gets 30 mins for lunch. That is less than $10 an hour for a person with a bachelor's degree and a background clearance to watch children all day, hardly a ridiculous amount of money.
If the kids are under the supervision of the Specials teacher, and the regular teacher wouldn't be with them at that time anyway, I really don't care what the sub is doing at that time. See lkb's post. That is what the sub is there to do. Of all the issues I have with teachers, schools, school boards, subs, etc. 30 minutes of free time for the sub is just not on my radar.
Of course that is what it sounds like to you , Hopes. You never fail to input a criticism of someone's personal relationship or their reasons behind their thinking...
In any case, I happen to care for my family member ( a cousin, not sil) very much, but I feel it is wrong that someone gets paid to make out Xmas cards or whatever it is they are doing that is not work related. I don't come from a career field that even allowed much downtime so I can't relate to that.
I just feel that it would bother me if I was a teacher ,that someone can come in and do PART of my job when they have no qualifications to be doing so. Especially if they are a long term sub.
I am not judging someone for being a sub, I never said that. I am saying that if I was a teacher it would bother me that someone can come in and do part of my job and not have the qualifications to do so. In Western NY there are no qualifications needed other than to pass a civil service test, period.
Long term subs are not the same as regular subs. Even in NY state I am sure there are regulations for long term subs that there are not for regular subs. In NJ its 10 consecutive days in the same assignment and the sub must have a certification in the class being taught.
Well, I have to say - this might have been a wise decision on your part!
I did the board thing because I didn't have a lot of free time to be at the school every day.
Oh ~ the stories I could tell!!!
Welll....<scuffing toe in dirt>...unfortunately I didn't become wise until after my eldest finished third grade. I gather by the offer of stories it hasn't changed much since the late eighties.
Many of these responses prove the old teacher adage, "The nut doesn't fall far from the tree".
::shrug::
I'd be perfectly happy with that, though I think it's an oversimplification. I have two amazingly talented and competent adult children and two teens who are bright, funny, and well-behaved. Generally, I prefer to think their successes are all about them. I'll take credit for not screwing them up though.
I think the core problem is that parents view themselves as the client/customer.
In the normal business world, the client/customer's wishes take precedent, not so in education, nor should it be the norm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zimbochick
I think you are absolutely correct. That is what I was getting at with my armchair expert comment. I think each child's education plan must come from the school/teacher, with a huge amount of input from the parents, but many parents think it should be the other way around.
Hmm...I have to say that's exactly how I see it. Teachers are people with whom I make arrangements to teach my children that which I cannot or do not wish to teach myself. And, as when I was in management, mostly I make sure they have what they need to do a good job and then get the heck out of their way so they can do it. But if they don't have what they need (supplies, volunteer hours, information regarding my daughter's specific cocktail of disabilities), or the job doesn't get done, then yeah-- I will get involved, because ensuring my kids' successful journey toward/transition to adulthood is my job as a parent.
Let's step away from the rule thing for a moment. formercalifonian has said several times that she is highly involved and knowledgeable in the areas of test scores, reading levels (Lexile, ATOS) etc. She uses this information to collaborate with the teacher on her children's education. Sounds good, right? Well, I disagree. I think it's not good. These scores and testing are for professional educators' uses at school in a much different environment than home. I don't get the point of knowing my child's Lexile score and then going into the school to "collaborate" with teacher on it. That isn't my job. I think it's really overstepping boundaries.
I have no interest in a flame war. Instead, please allow me to clarify, which I think is in order at this point. I do not in any way tell my children's teachers how they should run their classrooms. Teachers are professionals, and I treat them as such. That said, last fall when my then eight-year-old third grader brought home an independent research assignment on a subject of his choice requiring a 15-20 minute oral presentation including visuals and typed report, a project he was clearly unprepared to complete on his own, I think it was reasonable for me to assume that I was expected to enter into a collaborative relationship with his teacher. When our school district invites parents to participate in an academic accountability committee, I think it is clear that they want me to attend and present a cogent opinion about such matters, which requires that I research both our state standards and our district's curriculum. Furthermore, when my children's teachers present CSAP, STAR, and MAP scores for discussion at our quarterly conferences, I think I can safely assume that I am not over-stepping any boundaries when I endeavor to understand what they indicate and how I can use the results to support my children's learning.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 09-10-2011 at 10:04 PM..
Welll....<scuffing toe in dirt>...unfortunately I didn't become wise until after my eldest finished third grade. I gather by the offer of stories it hasn't changed much since the late eighties.
Well let's see . . . backstabbing; knock-down drag outs about things such as the design for the . . . say, third grade t-shirt. Screaming; yelling; thrown-downs; gossping about ALL the teachers AND the other Mothers AND their kids. Endless arguments about fundraising - how much and then what to do with the funds . . . all the while the poor principal just sitting there wondering how to keep all these power players happy. Just one big basket of crazy.
Nah. I doubt it has changed at all.
Thank God I retained the presence of mind NOT to volunteer for President. Talk about a thankless job!
I was the box-top coordinator. Presented a quick accounting at every meeting and KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT.
Hmm...I have to say that's exactly how I see it. Teachers are people with whom I make arrangements to teach my children that which I cannot or do not wish to teach myself. And, as when I was in management, mostly I make sure they have what they need to do a good job and then get the heck out of their way so they can do it. But if they don't have what they need (supplies, volunteer hours, information regarding my daughter's specific cocktail of disabilities), or the job doesn't get done, then yeah-- I will get involved, because ensuring my kids' successful journey toward/transition to adulthood is my job as a parent.
I was mostly in the partnership realm. For the terrible teachers, I switched to the client realm big time.
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