I don't know if I follow your point. Don't all high schools have different levels of math? Really smart kids take Honors/AP, average kids take regular math, kids that struggle take "general" math?

 

I've never heard of a school that mixes their top math students with their bottom math students.

 

Let me make this very clear at the beginning, politicians have created a system that principals keep their jobs based on the schools test scores. They are hired and fired based upon that.

 

So, principals and teachers have to work in the system that is designed for them without their input.

 

That said, it will help your test scores more to get the lower students up. The higher level students reach the top of the testing scores and they cannot help anymore.

 

In addition, we have to have a decrease and a lowering of those students who are scoring at the novice level. You don't and you are in trouble. So, as a school, you MUST focus on getting the students out of the novice level while the upper levels can be overlooked.

 

My two cents, both areas should be given a push and pushed hard. But purely on test scores which is the reason principals and teachers are going to be hired and fired, it carries more weight to get the lower kids up because the upper kids pick their test scores out and it does not help the school test scores that much more.

It doesnt matter to me, I just noticed several post saying how were they going to pay teachers more money.

 

 

 

 

So teachers get paid year round, right?

 

How do you get they get a raise?

 

So if they get 26 Bi-weekly checks like alot of Americans get, what would it hurt if they worked lets say 200 days, they still get paid 26 checks and have 2 months off in the summer.

 

You are not understanding the premise. Teachers are paid for X days (usually 185, I believe). Years ago they only got those checks during the school year. Then, to make it easier for budgetting, school systems started allowing schools to spread those checks over the entire year - no additional money, mind you.

 

It's much like budget billing. My mother is on a fixed income. She heats with propane gas. Obviously, she only uses propane to heat in the winter. However, instead of paying for one full tank of gas at a time, she pays for the gas that she uses in the winter all year long - a little money each month, as opposed to me, with one lump sum due at a time. By your understanding of it, my mother should refuse to pay that bill during April - September, because she isn't using any gas during those months.

 

As to your last sentence, I tell you what. Once you and everybody else works 15 more days for free and then we teachers will jump on board that ship. There might be some teachers that get two months off during the summer (I don't). However, we also work nights and weekends without asking for overtime or an extra penny. Many salaried employees in various professions do that. Those that work more days get paid a larger salary.

a. Wrong. For example, the Program for International Student Assessment tests 15 year olds from around the world. The US was 24th.

 

b. Are they not teaching science using the metric system in Kentucky? If they're not, I feel sorry for the kids. I've been out of school many years, but I never took a college science course where the main measurement system was the US common units. It was always metrics.

 

c. Japan tests all students from grade 1 up, however the tests are intuitive not standardized. (Microsoft is moving this way for their certification testing.)

 

d. What does Shakespeare have to do with Math and Science? Last I checked, I've never used any Shakespeare to write a computer program.

 

You can believe what you want. Sorry, but we're behind. Way behind and losing ground every year.

 

I can speak as to "c," the metric system issue. In all of my college prep classes (Chemistry I and II, Advanced and Conceptual Physics) I teach and use the metric system.

Let me make this very clear at the beginning, politicians have created a system that principals keep their jobs based on the schools test scores. They are hired and fired based upon that.

 

So, principals and teachers have to work in the system that is designed for them without their input.

 

That said, it will help your test scores more to get the lower students up. The higher level students reach the top of the testing scores and they cannot help anymore.

 

In addition, we have to have a decrease and a lowering of those students who are scoring at the novice level. You don't and you are in trouble. So, as a school, you MUST focus on getting the students out of the novice level while the upper levels can be overlooked.

 

My two cents, both areas should be given a push and pushed hard. But purely on test scores which is the reason principals and teachers are going to be hired and fired, it carries more weight to get the lower kids up because the upper kids pick their test scores out and it does not help the school test scores that much more.

 

LBBC is pretty much spot on here. It's the dreaded "narrowing the gap" issue of achievement. If the uppers go higher and the lowers stay the same, then the gap is widened (BAD!!!) But, if the uppers go down a little, and the lower raise slightly, the gap is narrowed and all is right with the world!

 

You can see what I think of that little gem. Luckily my principal doesn't buy into that.

LBBC is pretty much spot on here. It's the dreaded "narrowing the gap" issue of achievement. If the uppers go higher and the lowers stay the same, then the gap is widened (BAD!!!) But, if the uppers go down a little, and the lower raise slightly, the gap is narrowed and all is right with the world!

 

You can see what I think of that little gem. Luckily my principal doesn't buy into that.

 

The question still hasn't been answered that I asked. Are you saying that your school does not have "upper level math" or "upper level science" classes?

 

If the answer is "yes" are you then telling me that the school does not actively seek to have the upper levels achieve at their highest possible level?

You are not understanding the premise. Teachers are paid for X days (usually 185, I believe). Years ago they only got those checks during the school year. Then, to make it easier for budgetting, school systems started allowing schools to spread those checks over the entire year - no additional money, mind you.

 

It's much like budget billing. My mother is on a fixed income. She heats with propane gas. Obviously, she only uses propane to heat in the winter. However, instead of paying for one full tank of gas at a time, she pays for the gas that she uses in the winter all year long - a little money each month, as opposed to me, with one lump sum due at a time. By your understanding of it, my mother should refuse to pay that bill during April - September, because she isn't using any gas during those months.

 

As to your last sentence, I tell you what. Once you and everybody else works 15 more days for free and then we teachers will jump on board that ship. There might be some teachers that get two months off during the summer (I don't). However, we also work nights and weekends without asking for overtime or an extra penny. Many salaried employees in various professions do that. Those that work more days get paid a larger salary.

 

On the bolded, checks started being spread over 12 months in 1983 after the JCPS school teachers followed a national trend of filing unemployment insurance claims for the 3 months they were "out of work."

How did you come up with the 20% to 30% raise conclusion?

 

 

Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here," Duncan told the AP. "I want to just level the playing field."

 

If I work 25-30% more you better well pay more 25-30% more...............

The question still hasn't been answered that I asked. Are you saying that your school does not have "upper level math" or "upper level science" classes?

 

If the answer is "yes" are you then telling me that the school does not actively seek to have the upper levels achieve at their highest possible level?

 

You obviously haven't read any of my posts if you are asking me that question.

So my time is not worth anymore, though you are asking me to increase my days, my work load, add more nights onto my schedule taking from my family as well. Remember your words the next time you want a raise from your employer. I hope he replies to you...we need you to work every weekend and maybe some nights, since you already get paid year round that should be payment enough. Most districts only pay teachers for 180 days of service and drag those payments out over 26 pay checks. Take what you would make in 180 days and spread it over 26 pay checks. Are you going to survive on that? Most of us have summer jobs so that we can pay into social security since the state does not afford us that option.

 

I never said your time is not worth anything.

 

As for adding more nights to my schedule, well I do. I work usually about 230 days a year. Except for this year when my employer cut everyone's pay 3% and then cut us to 4 days a week. So it is hard to get a "summer job" year round unless I work weekends.

Thankfully in September we returned to 5 days a week of work and got our 3% pay back, the first time since last December.

 

And you know what we told at work everyday? "We must work harder with less"

 

So when you say it will add to your "work load", "more days" it is hard symphanize when alot of American companies especially in the manufacturing field are asking more from their employees with less.

 

Plus while we was working 4 day weeks, we had to do 5 days of work.

 

I am saying we need to get our children of america ready for an global marketplace. And as for the way the school year is now, it "Will Not" be enough in the future. I for one want my kids (6th grade and 4th) to be competitive in the global job market, but we need all kids to be that way.

On the bolded, checks started being spread over 12 months in 1983 after the JCPS school teachers followed a national trend of filing unemployment insurance claims for the 3 months they were "out of work."

 

When I started teaching, one of the older teachers in the crowd told me it was during the bad winter of 77 or 78.

 

Seems at that time, you only got paid for the number of days that you had worked. So, when school districts were closed for the month of January, teachers filed for unemployment claims to be able to pay their bills.

 

As a result, it was soon changed to allow teachers to get paid for the time assumed that they would work over the 10 months that school is usually in session.

 

Now, going from 10 months to 12 months could have been in 83 when the JCPS school teachers did what you listed above.

 

For the poster who said that teachers have 10 months off in the summer, obviously, you are not in a school system and have no clue what goes on in the summer.

When I started teaching, one of the older teachers in the crowd told me it was during the bad winter of 77 or 78.

 

Seems at that time, you only got paid for the number of days that you had worked. So, when school districts were closed for the month of January, teachers filed for unemployment claims to be able to pay their bills.

 

As a result, it was soon changed to allow teachers to get paid for the time assumed that they would work over the 10 months that school is usually in session.

 

Now, going from 10 months to 12 months could have been in 83 when the JCPS school teachers did what you listed above.

 

For the poster who said that teachers have 10 months off in the summer, obviously, you are not in a school system and have no clue what goes on in the summer.

 

I remember that movie. "The Endless Summer".

Are you a teacher? If you were, you would know that most students lose their attention (especially primary students) after 30 minutes...adding 15 minutes to each of the classes will make some classes over an hour long.

 

When I was in junior high school, the schedule had (15) twenty-four minute periods. Most classes were two periods (48 minutes) long; but a few (health and PE come to mind) were 72 minutes long.

 

Lunch was 24 minutes. With a fairly large enrollment, five lunch shifts meant that some students ate early. For three years, I ate lunch from 10:20 to 10:44.

I don't know if I follow your point. Don't all high schools have different levels of math? Really smart kids take Honors/AP, average kids take regular math, kids that struggle take "general" math?

 

I've never heard of a school that mixes their top math students with their bottom math students.

 

Actually, that's a fairly common trend in a lot of schools today. Special ed students, in fact, are in the general classroom with non-disabled students.

It doesnt matter to me, I just noticed several post saying how were they going to pay teachers more money.

 

 

 

 

So teachers get paid year round, right?

 

How do you get they get a raise?

 

So if they get 26 Bi-weekly checks like alot of Americans get, what would it hurt if they worked lets say 200 days, they still get paid 26 checks and have 2 months off in the summer.

 

Because that's what teachers went to school for, paid all that money for tuition for, and signed contracts for. They never signed up to work 20 or 30 extra days for the same amount.

So it is the KIDS fault?:confused:

 

Of course not, it's never the kids, parents, administrators, or lawmakers fault. Everything that goes wrong today within the school system is always the teacher's fault. (Sarcasm Face)