There is an understanding throughout the state concenring JCPS. There is KY education and then there is Jefferson County. They do whatever they want in many cases. They have a very strong teacher's union that is part of the issue/problem as been mentioned in other posts.

 

You CANNOT compare what goes on in JC with the rest of the state.

 

Instead of making this a JCPS vs. the rest of the state issue how about answering my questions. If tenure keeps even 1 bad teacher in the classroom 1 extra day is that a bad thing? If not then how many constitutes a bad thing? And what do you tell the parents (or at least the ones that care) when their children get sub-standard education because an inept teacher is allowed to ramain in the classroom because of tenure? Was your principle that important?

Edited March 16, 201016 yr by All Tell

My son's fiancee is a teacher in Evansville, and most of her students are at-risk students.

 

She also is the debate coach and directs their school musical and play.

 

She's at school from 6:30am - after 9 pm a lot of the time.

 

I'm trying to figure out how she could do home visits.

My son's fiancee is a teacher in Evansville, and most of her students are at-risk students.

 

She also is the debate coach and directs their school musical and play.

 

She's at school from 6:30am - after 9 pm a lot of the time.

 

I'm trying to figure out how she could do home visits.

 

That is often my time scale from Aug-Feb. I wonder the same thing. I guess that we'd have to give up those extracurricular and athletic activities that we are involved in.

 

At my school this summer, we did take a day where we drove through areas of our community where some of our impoverished students live. Many of our teachers live in and grew up in our county, so we were already aware of these areas, but it was quite eye opening to other teachers that don't.

This semester, she dubbed her "Freedom Writers" semester. She had a class of students who would not graduate if they did not pass this semester of English. She knows the struggles of her students and their homelife. Many are on home incarceration, and wear their ankle bracelets to school (obviously). Her issue isn't an ability to understand their struggles, it's that they don't have any desire whatsoever to do the work. They bring it to school with them. Many have babies, and some are basically the heads of their households.

 

Her biggest frustrations are 1) that they can't see that this is not a good life, that this is NOT the way to live; and 2) a complete and utter lack of respect toward any authority. Not just teachers, but police, bosses, parents, ANY authority.

Part of going to the home is to show a reaching out to the student and the family. Not simply to see where they live. The old "they don't care how much you know til they know how much you care".

Part of going to the home is to show a reaching out to the student and the family. Not simply to see where they live. The old "they don't care how much you know til they know how much you care".

 

Understood. But, how can teachers spend quality time in their student's home when they're spending 15 hours a day in school and with school related activites.

Understood. But, how can teachers spend quality time in their student's home when they're spending 15 hours a day in school and with school related activites.

 

I'd suggest that it happen on one of the wasted and required PD motivational speech days just before school starts. I'm spewing ideas off the top of my head but if each teacher was assigned 30 students or so to be their "mentor" for the year it could be knocked out in rather short order and would be a lot more beneficial than one more motivational speech.

I don't think in-home visits are the solve all, end all - but I do think that they would be a step in the right direction.

I'm still in favor of the German method as a way to improve our education system. Separate those interested in going to college from those interested in learning a trade. See http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html

Instead of making this a JCPS vs. the rest of the state issue how about answering my questions. If tenure keeps even 1 bad teacher in the classroom 1 extra day is that a bad thing? If not then how many constitutes a bad thing? And what do you tell the parents (or at least the ones that care) when their children get sub-standard education because an inept teacher is allowed to ramain in the classroom because of tenure? Was your principle that important?

 

That is a question that has a two way street. If tenure protects a great teacher from being replaced by a poor teacher for 1 extra day is that a good thing?

 

You question is not a good question because it is a two-way street.

 

What do you tell the parents when their children get sub-standard education because an inept teacher replaces a great teacher because of politics?

 

But here is the real point. When did that teacher become inept? You don't get tenure till your 5TH year. I know in my 21 years I have seen a whole host of teachers not brought back from the 1st year, the 2nd year, the 3rd year and even denied tenure after the 4th year.

 

If a principal cannot tell they are going to be an inept teacher over a 4 year period, it would seem that the problem is with the administrator and not just the inept teacher.

My son's fiancee is a teacher in Evansville, and most of her students are at-risk students.

 

She also is the debate coach and directs their school musical and play.

 

She's at school from 6:30am - after 9 pm a lot of the time.

 

I'm trying to figure out how she could do home visits.

 

In most districts that I know of, they are done before school year begins and then follow up visits are scheduled as PD days or PD afternoons after the school day is over.

 

 

And don't you just love her 6 hour days that we hear so much about in complaints about teachers.

That is often my time scale from Aug-Feb. I wonder the same thing. I guess that we'd have to give up those extracurricular and athletic activities that we are involved in.

 

At my school this summer, we did take a day where we drove through areas of our community where some of our impoverished students live. Many of our teachers live in and grew up in our county, so we were already aware of these areas, but it was quite eye opening to other teachers that don't.

 

I have long held and we do this in our district of putting new teachers on a bus and visit the county. Drive to different parts and see where these parts of the county are that they are going to hear about.

Part of going to the home is to show a reaching out to the student and the family. Not simply to see where they live. The old "they don't care how much you know til they know how much you care".

 

Understood. But, how can teachers spend quality time in their student's home when they're spending 15 hours a day in school and with school related activites.

 

I have found it is more about spending quality minutes and true caring of the child and not the family or the home. What Plato says is true but it is about showing you care about the child.

 

And that means discipline them when they must have discipline and love them when they must have love. And that is 100% of the time on both.

 

Get them to see that discipline is love and loving is discipline which leads to respect.

 

Some get it and some don't.

 

I try to remember the parable about planting seeds. Some I will get to harvest and see them make the changes. Some I pray that I have planted a seed that will blossom at some point in the future.

I'd suggest that it happen on one of the wasted and required PD motivational speech days just before school starts. I'm spewing ideas off the top of my head but if each teacher was assigned 30 students or so to be their "mentor" for the year it could be knocked out in rather short order and would be a lot more beneficial than one more motivational speech.

I don't think in-home visits are the solve all, end all - but I do think that they would be a step in the right direction.

 

I will go back to this is a great practical idea in elementary school.

 

In high school, I had 160 students each and every day. Which ones do I go visit? All 160? Each HS student at our school has 6 or 7 classes. Are all 160 students going to get visits from all 6 or 7 teachers?

 

Won't disagree with you on the opening day motivational speaker. I have put on the evaluation form, "If I need a motivational speaker on opening day, than I need to find a new occupation. You want to send them my way in January or May than that might be a good use of funds. Opening day is not a good use of funds."

As to question #1, I honestly have no idea how we can fix broken homes that have become such a scourge.

 

As to "problem children" and what to do with them, many teachers vehemently disagree with the typical union stance and absolutely believe kids who continuously disrupt and cause problems in the classroom should be removed. Perhaps, the "fix" that is needed is not so much the system of education but merely the corrupt unions who too often are the "face" of the system.

 

MOST school districts there is no union that carries any weight at all.

I'm still in favor of the German method as a way to improve our education system. Separate those interested in going to college from those interested in learning a trade. See http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html

 

This method has been a proven sucess. This makes entirely too much sense. Instead, no child left behind doesn't allow tracking of any kind. The old everyone is college capable. It just doesn't make sense when you take into account differing human ability and interest.