20/20 Tonight- Stupid in America
This was good entertainment. I only caught the last 30 minutes, but it was still very entertaining. There were a lot of things I agreed with Stoessel on, but also a lot of things that were pretty sketchy.
Agreements:
1. Unions are bad for schools. (I also think they are a ripoff...$50 a month for dues!)
2. Competition is good.
3. Firing "bad" teachers is way too ridiculously hard.
4. There are more things...can't remember them at midnight.
Disagreements: (Things Stoessel left out because they didn't serve his purpose)
1. There weren't any parents or kids in that show that "didn't care", which is unrealistic.
2. 6.5 hours is only "student contact" time. Doesn't take into account grading time, staff meetings, parent conferences, yada yada yada. Teachers should "volunteer" for those things, right?
3. Students calling teachers on cell phones at "all hours of the night?" PUUULEEEASE!!! Oh yeah, and those teachers with cell phones had the same cell phone. Coincidence, or school bought cell phones? What Oregon voter is going to ok that one? Again, unrealistic. Actually, more "out of this world".
4. What actually makes a "bad teacher" (all sex offenders aside)? What makes a "good teacher"? Those two things are nearly impossible to quantify objectively, thus the baffoon on 20/20 saying "Prove it! Prove it!". Jackass....
5. Crazy how Stoessel could only find (or only show) public school kids that said that their teachers were, 1) Only in teaching for the benefits, 2) drunk at school, 3) or just didn't care. Not one kid who had a good teacher in a public school? Yet, those charter school teachers who get paid more (and earn bonuses), who have kids that are very well behaved, who listen, who actually come to class (and the boys all wear ties at school!)...those teachers love to teach at private (or charter) schools. HOLY FREAKING NEWS FLASH BATMAN! GOOD KIDS ARE FUN TO TEACH!!!
Ok, enough cynicism...I really like Stoessel and his programs, and I often use them in class as learning aids. This just happened to be one I took (some) issue with. He chose his facts well enough to show what he wanted to show....realistic or not. It was just hard to pay attention at 10pm...yeah, that's when I got home from school tonight.
~Diesel
posted by HRV Football Blog @ 11:50 PM
6 People have commented
6 Comments:
The point with which I disagreed most is one you mention, the impossible job of "rating" teachers. You can have 2 sections of the exact same class with such disparate scores on any test that it's impossible to pinpoint exactly what is influencing learning. The report ignored entirely the social aspects which affect student learning, such as student motivation, parental involvement (one mother isn't enough), and behaviour. A very interesting show, but it was a rather lopsided indictment.
The show merely repeated libertarian views Stossel has expressed over the years.
His criticisms are most true and most apt if one is looking at public school districts in large cities.
I don't think that Stossel's criticisms apply to most of Oregon's small-to-moderate sized public school districts.
In my eyes, as a member of the teachers' union, I whole-heartedly agree with him on the problem of the unions. Too much power, and kind of a train that has lost its' brakes. But, as an independent-conservative teacher, I'm waaaaay in the minority of the teaching profession.
I also agree that there were many things about the show that made some excellent points both good and bad.
I would think that it would be unreasonable to ask a teacher to be tethered to a cell phone all hours of the day, especially if they are not getting paid extra for being on call.
What makes a bad teacher? Teachers that are burned out & teachers that are teaching for the wrong reasons.
I think we all know teachers who should not be teachers however,I think we should also be just as quick to remember that it is normally just the one or two bad apples that make the rest look bad.
I would say if you're going to blame anybody, blame the administration.
One major thing that I do agree with the program is that you just can not keep throwing money at the problem and expect it to be a cure-all.there has to be a system of checks and balances and they have to be responsive to the needs of their clients, the students.
I also have some comments on my blog if anybody's interested.
I was a corporate trainer and training manager responsible for 18 trainers. It was very easy to tell the good ones from the bad ones. You just watch them perform for 15 minutes. If they bore you they're lousy, if they hold your attention, they're good. Subject matter has nothing to do with it. Interestingly enough, credentials didn't either. Some of the best trainers I had had never been to college and had never even spoken in front of a group before. It's also worth noting that the absolutely worst job applicant I ever had (monotonal droner who almost put me to sleep in the first 30 seconds of her presentation) had a master's degree in education from an Ivy League school. In fact, I don’t think I ever hired one applicant with a teaching credential. If it was not for the impossibility of firing public employees I would have figured they were looking for private sector employment because they washed out of teaching.
Good points.
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