Rethinking Evaluations When Almost Every Teacher Gets an ‘A’

[one...two...tree 2,762]

How sad. Generalizing from one district to stereotype a whole profession. A job which most people like to point fingers at but wouldn't dare try spending one year doing it themselves in the hardest of conditions.

Unfortunately, many Right Wingers in this country have a general distrust of public education and the people who dedicate their lives to it....with all them fancy books, big words and open mindedness.

[B_J 2,752]

And, in case people didn't know, things are different everywhere. In Texas, we don't have unions, we don't have collective bargaining, we don't have tenure. I watched 7 teachers get released last year.

[J and S 38]

Thanks for the important work you do.

In your opinion, why is tenure even needed within the teaching field..... and do you agree it often covers or shields some second class teachers?

Thank you for the kind words

I don't tenure is really needed. It's originally something for Professors at the Uni level. Perhaps it's needed there. I'm not entirely sure. At the secondary level (high school), which is where I work...I don't find it necessary. I get evaluated every year and am sent to professional development workshops all the time as well. But again, my district is very proactive about creating and hosting good teachers.

I don't think tenure necessarily shields second class teachers. It's more of a matter of how much a person's Union Rep will do for them. I've seen teachers fired tenured or not, and some kept who shouldn't be tenured or not.

[J and S 38]

don't even understand why this is an issue. IMO, it doesn't take a lot to be an effective teacher, and there are plenty of effective teachers who have the charisma of a doorknob. When students think back of their best teachers, they think of the teachers who were charismatic, which is something you can't really train a teacher to be.

Because, people want to blame teachers first and use myths for facts. How dare anyone ever suggest it might be something at home OR the kids themselves! :/

Unfortunately, many Right Wingers in this country have a general distrust of public education and the people who dedicate their lives to it....with all them fancy books, big words and open mindedness.

So sad. I've seen some people who could grow to be great teachers leave the field because of this kind of hateful discourse.

And, in case people didn't know, things are different everywhere. In Texas, we don't have unions, we don't have collective bargaining, we don't have tenure. I watched 7 teachers get released last year.

Yep. That's what I'm trying to say. Everywhere is different. Some people don't want to hear that though.

I don't mind having the Union. They've done some good things for us in my district, like making sure I don't have 40 kids in a classroom. haha. Tenure, we could get rid of. It's just a word with no meaning in my district too. But yep...tenured or not...I've seen teachers fired. ... ... Every other state is better than CA though. Our Ed code is just ridiculous.

Edited January 28, 2011 by J and S

[Danno 1,228]

Unfortunately, many Right Wingers in this country have a general distrust of public education and the people who dedicate their lives to it....with all them fancy books, big words and open mindedness.

Imagine that, Danno didn't realize this was a political thing.

I am sure when most Right wingers go to their local school and meet with their childs teacher they have confidence in the teacher,

it is the "system" they lack confidence in and yes, there is an element of "distrust"... that the amounts of money spent.... and the results produced, are appalling in some cases.

In fact, many kids who graduate, have no interest in "fancy books" because they can't pronounce the "big words"..... however they often are "open minded"... as there is lots of room in there.

[DEDixon 39]

i'm not saying teaching is easy. i don't think it is easy. i had a GF once who was a teacher and if you care, creating lesson plans and keeping up with new teaching methods isn't easy. schools are always buying into new teaching methods too and constant changes from administrators is a pain in the a##. students aren't doing well, from the top, it as constant let's try this, ooops that didn't work, now let's try this, ooops that didn't work. from what i remember (that GF was many years ago), school districts actually have to buy the rights to use new teaching methods.

some parents can really raise a stink causing the teacher, principal, vice principal, district lawyers along with the parent(s) and the parent's lawyers all to officially meet to state their case. the list of people i mentioned, i know isn't complete, it is easy for many more to be involved (a variety of specialist are often included).

for the record, i'm not blaming teachers for anything. i place ALL of the blame on parents and our society as a whole. when both parents work there is a price to pay. our society places a lot of stress on parents and kids in many ways.

i simply think there should be a much better review process to weed out bad teachers. as it is now, there may as well not be a review process at all so that means there is a lot of room to improve the current system. i have been referring to districts in the BAY AREA, however teacher's unions all over the US, as part of basic policy for their members, are against changing the current review process. there are reasons they resist change, however i still think change is long overdue.

[B_J 2,752]

i'm not saying teaching is easy. i don't think it is easy. i had a GF once who was a teacher and if you care, creating lesson plans and keeping up with new teaching methods isn't easy. schools are always buying into new teaching methods too and constant changes from administrators is a pain in the a##. students aren't doing well, from the top, it as constant let's try this, ooops that didn't work, now let's try this, ooops that didn't work. from what i remember (that GF was many years ago), school districts actually have to buy the rights to use new teaching methods.

some parents can really raise a stink causing the teacher, principal, vice principal, district lawyers along with the parent(s) and the parent's lawyers all to officially meet to state their case. the list of people i mentioned, i know isn't complete, it is easy for many more to be involved (a variety of specialist are often included).

for the record, i'm not blaming teachers for anything. i place ALL of the blame on parents and our society as a whole. when both parents work there is a price to pay. our society places a lot of stress on parents and kids in many ways.

i simply think there should be a much better review process to weed out bad teachers. as it is now, there may as well not be a review process at all so that means there is a lot of room to improve the current system. i have been referring to districts in the BAY AREA, however teacher's unions all over the US, as part of basic policy for their members, are against changing the current review process. there are reasons they resist change, however i still think change is long overdue.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i simply think there should be a much better review process to weed out bad teachers. as it is now, there may as well not be a review process at all so that means there is a lot of room to improve the current system. i have been referring to districts in the BAY AREA, however teacher's unions all over the US, as part of basic policy for their members, are against changing the current review process. there are reasons they resist change, however i still think change is long overdue.

Every school district is different with different dynamics. For a school district in LA, they may have a 40% dropout rate. For those teachers, do you think it would be wrong to lower their expectations on those students? There are no blanket solutions to the problems of students failing, but if these children don't have the kind of support they need at home, their chances of academic success is greatly diminished. So it really starts at home, and not just adequate parenting, but the kinds of social support that many parents don't have access to.

Also, it's worth pointing out that not every high school graduate is going to Harvard. Studies have shown that income level does make a big difference as to whether a child succeeds in school or not.

[luckytxn 2,263]

And, in case people didn't know, things are different everywhere. In Texas, we don't have unions, we don't have collective bargaining, we don't have tenure. I watched 7 teachers get released last year.

Total bull. Texas does have unions and Houston Ind. School district is one of many and yes they also have tenure system. They do have to follow criteria as most districts nationwide do. They also have to follow pretty tough rules. I for myself admire teachers and think most of them deserve a huge pat on the back for even going into teaching. There are some teachers that do the least possible they can get away with but from my experience most go and do more than they are asked to do.

The biggest problem I have seen is the Feds getting their noses into the states and locals businesses. They have no business doing this as teaching is maybe the last thing that needs a cookie cutter approach across the nation. If the Feds say that schools or even teachers have to maintain this criteria to get money then of course EVERY school and teacher is going to meet that criteria. If the Feds say that they are going to teach everything besides the basics then of course teachers and schools are going to need more tools and money. Stop mandating to the local schools what politicians from far away Washington D.C. thinks is best for us. We know what needs to be done and will do everything possible to do it. It is this interference that has made our best efforts much harder.

[B_J 2,752]

Total bull. Texas does have unions and Houston Ind. School district is one of many and yes they also have tenure system. They do have to follow criteria as most districts nationwide do. They also have to follow pretty tough rules. I for myself admire teachers and think most of them deserve a huge pat on the back for even going into teaching. There are some teachers that do the least possible they can get away with but from my experience most go and do more than they are asked to do.

The biggest problem I have seen is the Feds getting their noses into the states and locals businesses. They have no business doing this as teaching is maybe the last thing that needs a cookie cutter approach across the nation. If the Feds say that schools or even teachers have to maintain this criteria to get money then of course EVERY school and teacher is going to meet that criteria. If the Feds say that they are going to teach everything besides the basics then of course teachers and schools are going to need more tools and money. Stop mandating to the local schools what politicians from far away Washington D.C. thinks is best for us. We know what needs to be done and will do everything possible to do it. It is this interference that has made our best efforts much harder.

I think you and I define union differently

[luckytxn 2,263]

I think you and I define union differently

If by defining a union as having collective bargaining, tenure, and the right to air grievances in case of being fired and even being part of a huge teachers union then yes we have teacher unions in Texas. If you are trying to say that the state of Texas doesn't have unions at all then you could be right as it is the school districts that have them. Also teachers can be fired even if they are part of a union.

[luckytxn 2,263]

Since I am stuck here in Portland, Or till Sunday and have time on my hands I did a google search and here are a couple of links to Texas teacher unions.

http://www.tsta.org/

http://teachersunionexposed.com/state.cfm?state=TX

[B_J 2,752]

If by defining a union as having collective bargaining, tenure, and the right to air grievances in case of being fired and even being part of a huge teachers union then yes we have teacher unions in Texas. If you are trying to say that the state of Texas doesn't have unions at all then you could be right as it is the school districts that have them. Also teachers can be fired even if they are part of a union.

There's a difference between a professional organization and a union.

Texas doesn’t have true teacher unions, and Texas teachers don’t have tenure! While there are procedures to be followed for the nonrenewal of a teacher after an initial probationary period, Texas law specifically provides that those procedures do not constitute a property right. Term contract teachers can be let go for any reason contained in district policy and have a right to a hearing only before the school board that hired the superintendent recommending the nonrenewal. As long as there is any evidence to support the board’s finding, the decision cannot be overturned.

Texas is a right-to-work state – the union rules don’t apply here. By law, Texas school employees cannot be coerced into joining a union, and are prohibited from striking or entering into collective bargaining agreements. We have so-called unions in Texas: the Texas State Teachers Association, affiliated with the National Education Association; and Texas AFT, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. But with laws prohibiting their primary distinguishing features, we wonder why a Texas teacher would pay $400-$600 a year for the union label.

Texas teachers don’t have tenure. The terms of employment are laid out in state law and school district policy, not in union-negotiated contracts.

http://theclassroomteacher.org/publications/10summer/TXTeachersCollateral.htm

[B_J 2,752]

Since I am stuck here in Portland, Or till Sunday and have time on my hands I did a google search and here are a couple of links to Texas teacher unions.

http://www.tsta.org/

http://teachersunionexposed.com/state.cfm?state=TX

By the way, to clarify, I'm a campus rep for TSTA. I know how easy it is to get rid of a teacher here in Texas. Probationary teachers are easy to get rid of, of course. Just don't renew. You don't even need a real reason.

Teachers that are on term contracts, which I guess you would say are tenured teachers, aren't difficult to get rid of either. Remember, I've watched this happen. All it takes if for the administrator to give a bad evaluation. Have them unsatisfactory in one domain or below expectations in two. Now the teacher is labeled as a Teacher In Need of Assistance (TINA). Now the teacher gets an intervention plan and then, here's the law:

TEC 150.1004© A teacher who has not met all requirements of the intervention plan for teachers in need of assistance by the time specified may be considered for separation from the assignment, campus, and/or district.

That's it. Case closed. Teacher is gone. It's real easy to do. I watched a friend of mine go last year. And, to be honest, he wasn't a good teacher. So, I'm not complaining. But we really don't have unions here.

As the campus rep, I get to represent other teachers. Here's the way that works. A teacher is called in; they come to me and ask me for help. They want me to go in, as their rep, and sit with them at the meeting. I can, but only if the principal lets me. I don't have the right to be there. If the principal tells me to leave, I have to leave. How's that for a union? And once I see that a teacher has the target on them; they're on the intervention plan, I tell them the truth. "Honestly, you better start looking for a job." Because there's really nothing I, or our supposed union, can do.

[luckytxn 2,263]

Luckily the internet is here and we can post the real facts to show that some are wrong and why they are.