Comments on: Getting on my Soapbox: Quality Teachers Needed

By: Making a Difference | Always A Lesson

Making a Difference | Always A Lesson — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:16:20 +0000

[…] good news is that this stress is what weeds out educators; only the strong remain.(See more here.) Those strong educators forge on and continue to make not only an impact in their very own […]

By: Improving Education: 300 Hours Added | Always A Lesson

Improving Education: 300 Hours Added | Always A Lesson — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 00:49:40 +0000

[…] fired up!!! It’s been a while since I stepped foot on my soapbox, but it’s about that time […]

By: New Teacher Coaches | Always A Lesson

New Teacher Coaches | Always A Lesson — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:18:19 +0000

[…] is not equipping teachers to step foot into a classroom and begin teaching [see an earlier post I wrote on this topic]. In addition to teacher prep, we also have to care for our teachers once […]

By: gschultek

gschultek — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 23:24:03 +0000

In reply to Ivett Levy. Ivett, love your comment! Good teachers must stick together as a support system and to motivate one another to hang in there with all the obstacles we educators face. I appreciate your perspective!

By: Ivett Levy

Ivett Levy — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:43:31 +0000

I work in an urban district & I have seen this for years. There are zero excuses for poor teaching!!! I must confess I have had my moments of doubt over the past 11 years. I can speak from personal experience as well as from observations. I work in a district where teachers have been attacked by both parents & students. I also work in a district where nepotism & political favors run rampant. Lastly, I work in a district where administration is so far removed from the educators they are supposed to lead, inspire, & guide, that there is just not the relationships & communication that would foster a healthy learning environment. Teachers are asked to teach in differentiated groupings along with working on assessments, teaching basically only to the test, all while have an average of 25- 35 students in one class. Another point is that new teachers are thrown into these situations without strong guidance & mentoring. Yes, on paper they are being helped but I know that the help is basically a weekly 30 minute meeting with a supervisor. It’s not enough!!! And, that’s when the deterioration of the new teachers enthusiasm and light begins to dim. When an educator is put in a position where they have no voice & where their opinion is not valued, then perhaps going through the motions is the only way to get through the challenges they face each day. When a teacher finally realizes that the only thing that matters to administration are the test scores then they become deflated. I understand that there are teachers who are better suited to deal with these challenges, but there must be a safety net for teachers who need more help & structure earlier in their careers. That being said, there are complacent teachers just because they don’t have the drive & love of & for teaching. And, yes these teachers either need to offered help or they should leave the profession. We should have a healthy level of tolerance for those teachers who need help & offer help, but very little tolerance if improvement is not demonstrated. This was a long comment but I really want to emphasize that I want all teachers around me to work as hard as I do, but I know I still struggle I want to offer a hand. We teachers get a lot of terrible criticisms from others ( sometimes warranted & sometimes not), I hope we can try to inspire those teachers who are in a rut. Thanks, for your post because you are shedding light on a very real situation that we all come in contact with. We must keep our kids motivated & gobbling up knowledge everyday. Thanks for your contribution.
Ivett

By: gschultek

gschultek — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:41:50 +0000

In reply to Karen. Karen, hang in there. We need you! :)

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:34:32 +0000

I completely agree!!! I ended up Subbing for over 4 years before I got my actual class. What I learned and practiced during those years was so helpful to me, I learned so much more from those 4 years than in a book. Especially since the quality of mentors or at least the ones I have experienced have not been much of anything. I am a 2nd year teacher going into my 3rd year , that is if I can land a job this year. Thank you for bringing up this important point.!
Karen

By: gschultek

gschultek — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:55:06 +0000

In reply to Dana Richliew. Dana, so happy to have you fighting for the same cause with the same passion!

By: Dana Richliew

Dana Richliew — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:49:53 +0000

Gretchen, this post is absolutely incredible! And you’re absolutely right! We shouldn’t take our jobs and the responsibility of these children lightly. I love your passion for helping both teachers and students!