For this blog entry I have been asked to read to following articles:
“Educating the Children of Katrina” by John C. Goodman
“Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters” by Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal, and Matt Moore
“Green Schools Don’t Make the Grade” by Todd Myers
“In Our Own Backyard: The Hidden Problem of Child Farmworkers in America” by the American Federation of Teachers
And
The Sesame Workshop Website
Then asked to reflect on the following: Think about your own experiences in schools. In what ways has the selected information directly impacted your school, your teaching, or your students.
First I will address the articles individually and write about the impacts I have felt when directly relating to the issues presented.
In “Educating the Children of Katrina” Goodman argues that schools should receive $7,500 for each student who had to leave Louisiana and Mississippi due to the hurricane and relocate to Texas. My first argument is what about all the students who were relocated elsewhere? Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, et cetera? And secondly should we really be making educating children a competition for money? It is not fair to place a monetary value on those students. They have a completely new set of needs that many educators may not be capable to handle. What these children need are professionals who will be able to help these students realize what has happened to them, and how to deal with that. The idea of Value Added ratings to schools and educators takes away from the real things that educators do in the class room. From what I have seen in a Value Added school situation that there is not much value placed on Value Added ratings by the teachers or administration, as they only place value on standardized tests. I value the fact that I am teaching students how to write essays that have NEVER written an essay before (this is the 8th grade). I place value on the fact that I expose my students to art and artists that interest them and make them more cultured and educated members of our society. I place value on the fact that my students trust me and rely on me to help them in their times of need. I do not place value on recruiting displaced children to my school or the test scores they receive. I place value on the fact that I have helped them, and that they are more well-rounded individuals when they leave my classroom.
I believe that what the article “Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters” by Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal, and Matt Moore is missing is HAZARD PAY, which is what we refer to teachers who receive higher pay for living in less than desirable areas. A teacher in Memphis, TN is paid more because they have to contest with students who bring guns to school, fighting and other dangers that teachers in Boise, Idaho do not. I believe that adjusting for the cost of living is great, and should happen, but the comparisons are way off. What they are not adjusting for is the dangers of working in Los Angeles, and Memphis as compared to Oklahoma City. They are not comparing the fact that there are still positions that are open in schools around Tennessee that have yet to be filled because of the lack of qualified teachers to fill them in high poverty, dangerous schools. Those are the real factors that are affecting teacher pay, which maybe no one wants to recognize.
The article “Green Schools Don’t Make the Grade” by Todd Myers the author addresses the fact that Green schools are not stacking up to the energy efficiency, nor absentee rate that was previously expected. But, I can say this WHO CARES!!??!! I love the environment and wish all schools were green, but the fact of the matter is the air conditioner in my school does NOT work. I do not really care about students in Washington who are trying to make their schools more energy efficient at this point. Right now, I care about my students being comfortable and able to learn. It is impossible to do activities in a room that is 85 degrees and all the kids are whining and the teacher is grouchy because it is so dang hot!! I honestly am all for the green movement, but I cannot address that until all students are in schools that are safe, with no mold growing on the walls and with HVAC units that actually work!
The article “In Our Own Backyard: The Hidden Problem of Child Farmworkers in America” by the American Federation of Teachers addresses the issues of child labor in the fields and the lack of protection of these children. Having worked in an area where schools were on a schedule designed to work with farming and crop schedules I am very familiar with the problems of this type of child labor. This is not only not fair to the students, who should not be working, but a reflection of how farmworkers have been treated for years. The issue is that farmworkers and their children and families are treated unfairly, are not paid proper wages, thus why the children are working.
After visiting the Sesame Workshop Website I was intrigued to see how the PNC Foundation has donated so much time, research and money to changing academic accomplishments of underprivileged students in the Chicago area. The information from the website presents a wonderful program for students in the involved schools. I personally have never benefited from such a wonderful program. In the school that I currently work in, the district only has a limited number of science and math kits for the entire district, so our school only receives the kits for a few weeks. This is totally unfair, and seems to me that maybe more money should be invested in those programs. The issue that saddens me about reading this article is that foundations have to donate research, time and money to our education system. Why? Shouldn’t the government be providing resources for teachers and schools? Shouldn’t schools and teachers have resources at our finger tips, not begging for grants?
After reading my blog I am sure many people may think I am a negative, jaded teacher. I am not. I love my job, and I love going there everyday, but I believe that there are so many things that our school systems in the United States are lacking, and I believe the resources to make the necessary changes are available, but are locked away by people who have never been in underprivileged schools. I will continue to fight for my students and their needs. I will continue to go against this system, until my students receive the same education that the rich kids less than 10 miles away receive. As far as I am concerned I am a good teacher, and I care greatly about my students, and I will always work in a school that needs help, never in one that does not.
“Educating the Children of Katrina” by John C. Goodman
“Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters” by Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal, and Matt Moore
“Green Schools Don’t Make the Grade” by Todd Myers
“In Our Own Backyard: The Hidden Problem of Child Farmworkers in America” by the American Federation of Teachers
And
The Sesame Workshop Website
Then asked to reflect on the following: Think about your own experiences in schools. In what ways has the selected information directly impacted your school, your teaching, or your students.
First I will address the articles individually and write about the impacts I have felt when directly relating to the issues presented.
In “Educating the Children of Katrina” Goodman argues that schools should receive $7,500 for each student who had to leave Louisiana and Mississippi due to the hurricane and relocate to Texas. My first argument is what about all the students who were relocated elsewhere? Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, et cetera? And secondly should we really be making educating children a competition for money? It is not fair to place a monetary value on those students. They have a completely new set of needs that many educators may not be capable to handle. What these children need are professionals who will be able to help these students realize what has happened to them, and how to deal with that. The idea of Value Added ratings to schools and educators takes away from the real things that educators do in the class room. From what I have seen in a Value Added school situation that there is not much value placed on Value Added ratings by the teachers or administration, as they only place value on standardized tests. I value the fact that I am teaching students how to write essays that have NEVER written an essay before (this is the 8th grade). I place value on the fact that I expose my students to art and artists that interest them and make them more cultured and educated members of our society. I place value on the fact that my students trust me and rely on me to help them in their times of need. I do not place value on recruiting displaced children to my school or the test scores they receive. I place value on the fact that I have helped them, and that they are more well-rounded individuals when they leave my classroom.
I believe that what the article “Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters” by Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal, and Matt Moore is missing is HAZARD PAY, which is what we refer to teachers who receive higher pay for living in less than desirable areas. A teacher in Memphis, TN is paid more because they have to contest with students who bring guns to school, fighting and other dangers that teachers in Boise, Idaho do not. I believe that adjusting for the cost of living is great, and should happen, but the comparisons are way off. What they are not adjusting for is the dangers of working in Los Angeles, and Memphis as compared to Oklahoma City. They are not comparing the fact that there are still positions that are open in schools around Tennessee that have yet to be filled because of the lack of qualified teachers to fill them in high poverty, dangerous schools. Those are the real factors that are affecting teacher pay, which maybe no one wants to recognize.
The article “Green Schools Don’t Make the Grade” by Todd Myers the author addresses the fact that Green schools are not stacking up to the energy efficiency, nor absentee rate that was previously expected. But, I can say this WHO CARES!!??!! I love the environment and wish all schools were green, but the fact of the matter is the air conditioner in my school does NOT work. I do not really care about students in Washington who are trying to make their schools more energy efficient at this point. Right now, I care about my students being comfortable and able to learn. It is impossible to do activities in a room that is 85 degrees and all the kids are whining and the teacher is grouchy because it is so dang hot!! I honestly am all for the green movement, but I cannot address that until all students are in schools that are safe, with no mold growing on the walls and with HVAC units that actually work!
The article “In Our Own Backyard: The Hidden Problem of Child Farmworkers in America” by the American Federation of Teachers addresses the issues of child labor in the fields and the lack of protection of these children. Having worked in an area where schools were on a schedule designed to work with farming and crop schedules I am very familiar with the problems of this type of child labor. This is not only not fair to the students, who should not be working, but a reflection of how farmworkers have been treated for years. The issue is that farmworkers and their children and families are treated unfairly, are not paid proper wages, thus why the children are working.
After visiting the Sesame Workshop Website I was intrigued to see how the PNC Foundation has donated so much time, research and money to changing academic accomplishments of underprivileged students in the Chicago area. The information from the website presents a wonderful program for students in the involved schools. I personally have never benefited from such a wonderful program. In the school that I currently work in, the district only has a limited number of science and math kits for the entire district, so our school only receives the kits for a few weeks. This is totally unfair, and seems to me that maybe more money should be invested in those programs. The issue that saddens me about reading this article is that foundations have to donate research, time and money to our education system. Why? Shouldn’t the government be providing resources for teachers and schools? Shouldn’t schools and teachers have resources at our finger tips, not begging for grants?
After reading my blog I am sure many people may think I am a negative, jaded teacher. I am not. I love my job, and I love going there everyday, but I believe that there are so many things that our school systems in the United States are lacking, and I believe the resources to make the necessary changes are available, but are locked away by people who have never been in underprivileged schools. I will continue to fight for my students and their needs. I will continue to go against this system, until my students receive the same education that the rich kids less than 10 miles away receive. As far as I am concerned I am a good teacher, and I care greatly about my students, and I will always work in a school that needs help, never in one that does not.
Well done. You may be interested to read a little by Maxine Greene. She wrote extensively on art in education.
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