The Teacher Thread

[audiophilia]

Great thread, NYR. Easily derailed by contrarians, but your good nature and obvious pride in your students and profession is admirable. Ignore the noise.

Some questions for you.

Band and/or vocal program?
30% leave the profession before three years like Canada?
'No Child Left Behind'. Your thoughts?

Cheers, a

 

[dah328]

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

Why is it ridiclous to think that the wealthiest Amricans SHOULD pay more so ALL Americans (even the dirty poor) can benefit so maybe we can evolve as a society? My point is that this is a career forum, and the comment I made was a comment on HOW the product of PUBLIC EDUCATION (which is serviced by the career we're discussing) could be improved if people who could afford it paid more. Taking that and twisting into a political "liberal vs conservative" debate is for the CE thread, NOT HERE. You're not an idiot, an I think you should be able to separate the two. Conservatives surely aren't that insecure, or is it a guilty conscience that forces you to argue this in the wrong place.

Thats all I'm going to say here on this matter.
I applaud your genuine concern for your students, but your post is shot through with blatant political and sociological dogma. You cannot now unhypocritically demand that others refrain from the political and sociological comments.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

Why is it ridiclous to think that the wealthiest Amricans SHOULD pay more so ALL Americans (even the dirty poor) can benefit so maybe we can evolve as a society? My point is that this is a career forum, and the comment I made was a comment on HOW the product of PUBLIC EDUCATION (which is serviced by the career we're discussing) could be improved if people who could afford it paid more. Taking that and twisting into a political "liberal vs conservative" debate is for the CE thread, NOT HERE. You're not an idiot, an I think you should be able to separate the two. Conservatives surely aren't that insecure, or is it a guilty conscience that forces you to argue this in the wrong place.

Thats all I'm going to say here on this matter.
Your statement was ridiculous on its face, not because of the sentiment it expressed. Now, spare me the sermon, Teach, and live with that which you created, and before you start in with your bad, bad, dirty conscience conservative bullshit who knows nothing about public schools and the poor teachers while you are the great expert, know a bit about the people with whom you are discussing the issue.

 

[Rambo]

Enough. Teaching and teacher/student related questions only. No politics. I'm trying to get away from CE.

 

[ryoneo]

Originally Posted by CBrown85

Shifting gears, how has the web changed your teaching in the last few years or if you're a new teacher, how do you incorporate the internet into your classroom?


Good question. And the answer to that is a lot! When I started teaching 1st grade students in North Philadelphia, I was lucky if the computer could start in a 5-10 minute span. So many lessons had to be hands-on or printed out in advance and blown-up in size. Now, I teach English in South Korea and everything is connected at ridiculous high speeds. The visual aid helps a lot and keeps the students interested and connected with other cultures. But the only draw back is that a new teacher might rely on technology/internet too much. You have to find a right balance.

 

[Rugger]

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

Why is it ridiclous to think that the wealthiest Amricans SHOULD pay more so ALL Americans (even the dirty poor) can benefit so maybe we can evolve as a society? My point is that this is a career forum, and the comment I made was a comment on HOW the product of PUBLIC EDUCATION (which is serviced by the career we're discussing) could be improved if people who could afford it paid more. Taking that and twisting into a political "liberal vs conservative" debate is for the CE thread, NOT HERE. You're not an idiot, an I think you should be able to separate the two. Conservatives surely aren't that insecure, or is it a guilty conscience that forces you to argue this in the wrong place. Thats all I'm going to say here on this matter.
They do pay more. They pretty much pay for everything. This is what pisses me off, people(not you) so ******* ungrateful and oblivious for what the wealthy already do and they're vilified for being wealthy even though they pay for everything already. You never hear thank you, never even an acknowledgement. Never - "Hey, thanks for remodeling my school with your income tax last year." Instead its "give me more you goddam selfish prick, what...you hate kids?" Absolutely sickening how entitled people have become.

 

[stillerfan07]

 

[milosz]

I was seriously considering finishing my BA in history and getting my certification... but I don't know. Local districts are all slashing their budgets (one is firing all probationary teachers - everyone with less than three years experience) and upping class loads, most of my teacher friends are starting to burn out from the kids and the bureaucracy and I'm getting the dark side stories.

 

[pvrhye]

Unraveling education from politics is outrageously hard. Anyway... I'm not a "real" teacher even thought my job title says so. I teach in the public schools in korea. I don't grade anything since that's the purview of my co-teacher. Mainly I just have to give a good lecture and try to keep students engaged. The hard part is that people don't think of foreign language classes as being "real" classes like they do math or science.

 

[rjakapeanut]

i'm on the path to law school so i'll likely never get the opportunity to teach middle school history or anything awesome like that i still kind of fantasize about being a teacher.

what are the basic requirements to get a job as a middle school teacher, for example? what would your major be in college, what other postgrad stuff is required if any, and what other certifications one must acquire?

just curious.

 

[CBrown85]

Originally Posted by rjakapeanut

i'm on the path to law school so i'll likely never get the opportunity to teach middle school history or anything awesome like that i still kind of fanticize about being a teacher.

what are the basic requirements to get a job as a middle school teacher, for example? what would your major be in college, what other postgrad stuff is required if any, and what other certifications one must acquire?

just curious.

At the basic path in BC, it would be to get a major and minor in a 'teachable'- ie. history, physical education, math, etc. It helps to have two teachable subjects for employability. Once you've got your undergrad, you take a 12 month degree in education, which is divided into three major cohorts and further divided into subject area. So if you wanted middle school, you'd be in the middle school cohort and in whatever 'groups' that you'd be teaching. Different universities have different setups but they all need to comply with the BC College of Teachers certification requirements in order be certified.

(There's a big debate on 'teacher qualification' happening right now, in that, there is a list of nine things that makes one qualified to be a teacher and they have no particular ranking, but to 'get there/hired' you need the degrees)

 

[Rambo]

Originally Posted by CBrown85

At the basic path in BC, it would be to get a major and minor in a 'teachable'- ie. history, physical education, math, etc. It helps to have two teachable subjects for employability. Once you've got your undergrad, you take a 12 month degree in education, which is divided into three major cohorts and further divided into subject area. So if you wanted middle school, you'd be in the middle school cohort and in whatever 'groups' that you'd be teaching. Different universities have different setups but they all need to comply with the BC College of Teachers certification requirements in order be certified. (There's a big debate on 'teacher qualification' happening right now, in that, there is a list of nine things that makes one qualified to be a teacher and they have no particular ranking, but to 'get there/hired' you need the degrees)
**** that's complicated. Here in Florida all you need is your teacher certification and then subject certification (which is basically a test on the subject you're teaching).

 

[NewYorkIslander]

Originally Posted by CBrown85

Shifting gears, how has the web changed your teaching in the last few years or if you're a new teacher, how do you incorporate the internet into your classroom?

I'm presenting at a district Pro-D day on friday about the uses of Web 2.0 and 3.0 in the classroom (super nervous) and am interested in everyone's experiences.

Welp, it helps if you're in a newer building. We have so many problems just because our building is so old. For example, Smart Boards falling off teh walls, dust getting into the computers (we have so much dust that in our laptop carts (which each floor has 3, filled with 35 computers each) about half are not usable.

The internet is great for lessons., though I don't really use lesson plans that way. Don't get me wrong, I have them, we have to, but I basically keep a book, and I ammend each unit as I see what works and what doesn't. The new "catch phrase" in NYC is differentiation, and the internet helps with that a TON. We're supposed to be teaching to each student at their level of learning, and with the incorporation of Special Ed into the classroom, its getting harder and harder. We used to have homogenous classes, not they're heterogeneous, which in practice makes this harder. Being able to pull up related images, video clips, and sound clips is a GREAT way to hit many learning modalities. Our report cards are now done online, although are gradebooks are not connected. Instead of filling out bubble sheets, which would take me HOURS, I am finished with report cards in 30 minutes.

The biggest help though is the communication with parents. Email is the fastest way to talk to them, and for them to get us. No more messagaes in our mailboxes and games of phone tag.

Originally Posted by audiophilia

Great thread, NYR. Easily derailed by contrarians, but your good nature and obvious pride in your students and profession is admirable. Ignore the noise.

Some questions for you.

Band and/or vocal program?
30% leave the profession before three years like Canada?
'No Child Left Behind'. Your thoughts?

Cheers, a

We have both, and I think Arts are necessary to have a well rounded student. So is Phys Ed.

People get into to teaching because they want to be Michelle Pfifer from Dangerous Minds. Its not like that. I honestly believe its not something you can learn or be taught how to do. You either have it or you don't. You have to be able to accept that you're not gonna reach, be liked by everyone. Just do the best you can, new teachers can't get past that. Many also think, becuase they are fresh out of college learning the bs, that they know better than their admins, and butt heads VERY often (this is by far the biggest concern for new teachers in my school). Its a game, and you just have to learn how to play it.

Good intentions, but put into practice, not so good. I think, and have seen it, encourage social promotion even more. Standardized tests have gotten much easier, and admins pressure teachers to pass kids that do no work. We've just been called out on this by a savvy parent in my school. But when teachers get "called in" to justify a failing grade, the message is clear, pass them, or we'll break your balls. "What have you done to differentiate for that student?" is a common question in that regard. For me, I offer so much extra credit thats always available, I get no argument when I fail kids.

Originally Posted by CBrown85

At the basic path in BC, it would be to get a major and minor in a 'teachable'- ie. history, physical education, math, etc. It helps to have two teachable subjects for employability. Once you've got your undergrad, you take a 12 month degree in education, which is divided into three major cohorts and further divided into subject area. So if you wanted middle school, you'd be in the middle school cohort and in whatever 'groups' that you'd be teaching. Different universities have different setups but they all need to comply with the BC College of Teachers certification requirements in order be certified.

(There's a big debate on 'teacher qualification' happening right now, in that, there is a list of nine things that makes one qualified to be a teacher and they have no particular ranking, but to 'get there/hired' you need the degrees)

Pretty much the same thing here, maybe slight variances.

 

[deveandepot1]

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

For me, I offer so much extra credit thats always available, I get no argument when I fail kids.

I was subbing in a history class last week. The students had more extra credit points than actual points. The students could literally get an A+ just doing the extra credit.
When I asked the students what they thought of their teacher:
"She is ssoooooo hard", "Too much tests!" and in the back of the class I hear somebody say "Shes a *****".

Edit-FWIW this was a US History High School Junior Class.

Edit 2- The average on the quiz I gave of them was a 3/10. This was a multiple choice test. A, B, C, or D.
A few students got a 0.

 

[deveandepot1]

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

The internet is great for lessons.
+1. The AP classes do well with them.