Charles Schultz was a wise man whose cartoon -character children presented his wisdom in ways that adults could accept. Like today’s Thursday Thought:
Tag Archive for teacher
Those Overpaid, Under-worked Teachers are At it Again
Teacher-strikes are prominent in the news right now. As always happens, people hear about them and lash out with “facts” as to why teachers should not be striking, how they’re being selfish and greedy and should be in the classroom babysitting, er, I mean teaching, our kids. Following is a list of 21 myths, meaning perceptions about teachers that are NOT true. See how many you’ve heard recently, then speak up next time you hear one. For an explanation of each, go to https://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/21-myths-about-teaching.
Myth #1: Teachers get three months off every summer.
Myth #2: Teachers work from 8am to 3pm and never work weekends.
Myth #3: Teachers get paid vacations.
Myth #4: Teachers sit behind a desk all day.
Myth #5: Teaching is easy.
Myth #6: Teachers build up a tolerance for every germ and virus and do not get sick after teaching a few years.
Myth #7: Teachers do nothing except play with the students all day.
Myth #8: Anyone can be a teacher.
Myth #9: Teachers do not have to go back to school after they have their teaching degree.
Myth #10: All Kindergarten teachers do is color and nap.
Myth #11: Those who can – do. Those who can’t – teach.
Myth #12: Teachers are overpaid.
Myth #13: Teachers can do everything.
Myth #14: There are always a lot of teaching jobs available.
Myth #15: Teachers collect unemployment over the summer.
Myth #16: Teachers have a lot of extra time during the day.
Myth #17: Students always behave.
Myth #18: Students always master things the first time you teach them.
Myth #19: There is no need to plan – especially if you teach Kindergarten.
Myth #20: Everything teachers need to teach is provided for them. They have no out-of-pocket expenses.
Myth #21: All teachers have loads of patience.
How to Hurt a Vulnerable Child
An 8th grade girl in Rockdale Co., Georgia, received a trophy. Her classmates voted her “most likely to ask a question that has already been answered,” and the school included in its class trophies one for her saying “most likely ‘to not pay attention’.” All the trophies, including this one, were presented to the students at a school assembly.
Two teachers will not return to work there next year because of it. The girl’s mother was incensed. Any parent or friend of a vulnerable child would be horrified. Why? Because the girl has ADHD.
This was not just insensitive but also cruel. I hope the replacement teachers take the time to understand ADHD and that the school adopts a policy to educate its students and staff on all disabilities.
A Day for Thanks and Appreciation
Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day. It’s a day to remember that teachers care for our kids a large portion of the day, keeping them safe and helping mold them into good, productive, caring adults. To remember that their day doesn’t end at 3:00 and their work year isn’t just 9 months, because they spend so much outside-school-building time on such things as lesson plans, grading homework, creating projects and activities, working individually with students who need extra help, conversing with parents in person or on the phone, attending classes and in-services to improve their teaching, serving on school-improvement committees, planning open-houses/back-to-school nights, completing applications for government grants, then paperwork in compliance with those grants, preparing for accreditation, and shopping for supplies for their students. And the money for those supplies comes out of their own pockets.
Today, remind teachers that they are appreciated. Send a thank-you note with your child. Bring a treat to the faculty room. Call the principal to say how much a certain teacher has helped your child. Use #TeacherAppreciationDay to post on social media. I’m sure you can think of something special to do today.
Suspend that Kid!
If a kid breaks a school rule, suspend him! This is a bit of wisdom I’ve never quite understood, especially when I was teaching.
Let me get this straight. We believe that an education is the primary vehicle for success and that all kids should have access to it. In fact, studies show that education is the most sure way to lift a child out of poverty in his adulthood and make it more likely that his children will not have to grow up in poverty. We also know that kids who have pressures on them like poverty are the most likely to act out and earn detention.
Once off detention, a kid faces school staff who have labeled him a “troublemaker,” and he has work he must make up, taking time from already overburdened teachers. Some teachers or schools have policies that say that a kid may NOT make up any tests, homework, or other schoolwork missed while on suspension, which leaves a gap in skill/concept mastery that interferes with later mastery which is built on what he missed. His detention, then, has put him behind.
Sure, he might “learn his lesson” and not re-offend…maybe. But how many kids with behavior problems realize what they have missed and its importance?
Tell me again how suspension from school benefits a kid or the society he will live in as an adult?
Shoot, Teachers—KNOW YOUR JOB!
Hire better teachers by giving them a more thorough interview. Ask prospective teachers about their education, experience, educational philosophy, attitudes toward children and learning. Then take them to the firing range to see how they handle a gun. If they pass all of your expectations, you have a winner. If they pass only the first part but want nothing to do with firearms, they’re out. Those who are just bum shots—you’ll have to decide how much it will cost to train them to hit the tall people instead of the short ones.
I got this idea from the Arkansas Christian school (note that public schools all over are considering following suit) whose principal pointed out that it’s their “right as American citizens and Christians to protect [their] children.” So, they’ve armed their teachers and have armed people at their church services, as well, so that God doesn’t have to work overtime to protect the flock while He’s being worshiped.
Gives new meaning to the old saying, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”
Where’s the Money?
Here’s an interesting set of figures for our topsy-turvy world:
Just TEN Americans made a total of FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS in one year.
That’s enough to pay the salaries of over a million nurses or teachers or emergency responders.
That’s enough, according to 2008 estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN’s World Food Program, to feed the 870 million people in the world who are lacking sufficient food.*
*[Paul Buchheit, Common Dreams, 11/19/12]