Education Reform Thread

[archibaldcrane]

Ksan is just tired of being bullied by her school's admins about having her students get good test scores, something she knows is nigh impossible given remote teaching, so she's taking it out on an admin who thinks we shouldn't be remote schooling or skip testing for a second straight year.

[NynJa]

You know what else would be cool? If they had the balls to hold kids back for failing their exams in the 2021 school year if they were fucking around all year.

[mahler05]

You know what else would be cool? If they had the balls to hold kids back for failing their exams in the 2021 school year if they were fucking around all year.

I remember back in middle school (7th grade) that if you failed you were held back... i saw 3 kids (the ones always asking for paper or a pen) get all Fs and then saw them in my classes the next year. I asked a teacher why they werent held back and she said schools dont do that anymore. Kinda killed the motivation outside of subjects i liked. The ones i thought of as non important i just did ok enough to pass. It did make school seem a joke with the threats of failing someone.


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[archibaldcrane]

"The important thing for 11 year olds is to give them life-altering consequences"

-morons ITT

[Salodin]

I'd argue their lack of effort is already negatively life altering

But I wouldn't hold kids back during these pandemic days. I'd be increasing resources and funding to get then back in the classes safely. The ship has sailed on that though, so I'm settling for everyone just doing their best and

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[Headspace]

Only the best people work in public education for three years and bail.

[Ksandra]

I just think it's wild how ksan sees 3 years teaching and thinks they just sucked as a teacher and is a red flag, but when I see a decade in only teaching and think "wow they have no higher goals? Can't cut it in leadership roles? No admin skills to help their school after being there for a decade? All you do is hang out with the kids all day?"

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.

This is a dumb take. So you tell emts and nurses they have no skill or drive and just hang out with sick people all day? Stupid.

Again, this is about experience. You need a lot more experience in the classroom than 3 years to be an admin who actually understands what teachers go through, and actually have strategies to help them. 3 year teachers to admins are obsessed with talking points and just throw stuff they find out online at teachers and expect it to work because they never even stayed long enough to make them work for themselves.

And this is a huge disappointment and slap in the face. We were told we’d get a school teacher, and the news everywhere are just calling him “long time teacher,” and while it’s technically true, it just a guy who dipped his toes in for a little bit. And he’s been a pretty vanilla admin at that, Otho has already shown he cares more about test scores than teachers.

It’s not what we were expecting. When Biden said he wanted a teacher it sounded like we were finally gonna get someone who would listen to us.

[Andalusian girls]

you have zero conception of whether he'll listen to teacher concerns or not you're judging this man almost entirely on the fact you think teaching for three years before moving to an administrative role isn't teachery enough

[Andalusian girls]

god even the military doesn't whine this much when a civilian gets put in charge of DoD

[kuronosan]

.

This is a dumb take. So you tell emts and nurses they have no skill or drive and just hang out with sick people all day? Stupid.

Again, this is about experience. You need a lot more experience in the classroom than 3 years to be an admin who actually understands what teachers go through, and actually have strategies to help them. 3 year teachers to admins are obsessed with talking points and just throw stuff they find out online at teachers and expect it to work because they never even stayed long enough to make them work for themselves.

And this is a huge disappointment and slap in the face. We were told we’d get a school teacher, and the news everywhere are just calling him “long time teacher,” and while it’s technically true, it just a guy who dipped his toes in for a little bit. And he’s been a pretty vanilla admin at that, Otho has already shown he cares more about test scores than teachers.

It’s not what we were expecting. When Biden said he wanted a teacher it sounded like we were finally gonna get someone who would listen to us.

You think because he didn't teach his entire career that he's not going to listen?

[Milkster]

Y'all need to go outside and talk a walk or take a nap.

[Andalusian girls]

no we don't

[Milkster]

no we don't

UwU

[Gredival]

.

This is a dumb take. So you tell emts and nurses they have no skill or drive and just hang out with sick people all day? Stupid.

Again, this is about experience. You need a lot more experience in the classroom than 3 years to be an admin who actually understands what teachers go through, and actually have strategies to help them. 3 year teachers to admins are obsessed with talking points and just throw stuff they find out online at teachers and expect it to work because they never even stayed long enough to make them work for themselves.

And this is a huge disappointment and slap in the face. We were told we’d get a school teacher, and the news everywhere are just calling him “long time teacher,” and while it’s technically true, it just a guy who dipped his toes in for a little bit. And he’s been a pretty vanilla admin at that, Otho has already shown he cares more about test scores than teachers.

It’s not what we were expecting. When Biden said he wanted a teacher it sounded like we were finally gonna get someone who would listen to us.

You are making your assessment completely based off your (over)valuation of in-classroom experience, and specifically in-classroom experience with disadvantaged students and underfunded schools. For you this makes sense because it's what you live with so it is where you want to see improvement and you feel like you aren't ever heard or being given the resources or assistance to succeed.

This guy doesn't need to be a good teacher to do a good job.

It takes a certain type to stay in the classroom for decades, and it gives you insight that others who don't do that will never have. But as unqualified as you think this guy is at teaching, someone who is "just" a teacher is probably doubly, if not triply, unqualified to do the administrative and bureaucratical functions that are far more essential to being the ED Sec. Being a good teacher doesn't make you a good, or even passable, administrator.

Management itself is a skill and excellent management is important to the success of lower level workers in every field. I'm sure you know yourself that the smartest student in the class isn't necessarily the best tutor for their peers, and the best teacher/professor might not have been the brightest student in grad school. Understanding the material is different from teaching it; understanding is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition.

There is no indication he is a bad administrator/manager. As AG has pointed out, you are making this judgment entirely based on his experience as a teacher which is frankly irrelevant.

Like I said previously:

your problem with him is that he wasn't a trench fighter like you. But that doesn't mean he couldn't have been one or that he wasn't cut out for it. There is also the possibility he's just self interested and wanted a better quality of life. Administrators make more. They deal with less headaches, especially in public and low income schools. Yes administration often has different interests than the teaching staff, but at least he's aligned with public school interests and not charters and for-profits.

Cuz sometimes people are where they are not just because it's where they want to be, but because they have reached the maximum extension of their tether.

I'd say the fact he had that path out and open to him says something. You can tell me how the job itself is sacrificial everyone does it for the kids, but I bet you that 95% of public teachers in LAUSD would take an offer to work at Marlborough or Harvard Westlake in a heartbeat.

[Andalusian girls]

that may be the most empathy you've ever shown

[Gredival]

Well people with depression tend to get emotional this time of year.

[NotGreyheim]

https://www.theguardian.com/educatio...-than-in-print

Higher education is a racket. In other news, the sun continues to rise in the east and set in the west.

[Garaku]

It's why I never require books for my courses. Fuck that scam.

[Ksandra]

Boss asked me to take the test to become an admin. Before anyone shouts hypocrite, I haven’t said yes, and I am leaning towards no. I only have 6 years experience, min requirement in CA is 5. I am torn because I came in the field to teach, not admin, but at my school I already do a lot of admin work already. I am usually pulled out of the classroom a couple times a month to write reports for the school, and I am on like all the committees. This may actually make me work less hours for more money. My mom also reminded me of how many people we know who went fro teacher to admin back to teaching, so if I do it, it doesn’t mean I can’t go back.

But really, I feel like I don’t have enough teaching experience and I would really miss the kid-mentor interaction. My husband is encouraging me to do it as that is good college fund money for the kids, even if I only do admin for 2-3. Idk guys, idk.

Friday night I got a panic email from a student about dealing with biology class (tech issues accessing the programs). Got on zoom with her and her mom, helped her out with having a great talk with the two of them. I would miss that kind of interaction so much.

I’m hitting some ex students up on Instagram to give an outside perspective since they’ve had me as a teacher. Not going to go off their advice only, but I am trying to get feedback from many difference sources as I think on it.

[Byrthnoth]

Ya, as we all said when you were on the other side of this, TAKE THE PROMOTION