I have attended two different public schools between my 9th through 12th grade years of school, however a few weeks into my senior year I left and registered into Imani Christian Academy, a private school. Before I entered the 9th grade, I was a high honors student, making excellent grades in all classes but once I got into highschool, my grades began to slowly go down hill, as well as my desire to learn. I can't really say if was that the teachers didn't know how to get the students to want to learn, or if the teachers just didn't have a desire to teach, and were only in it for the money. All i know is that going to college was one of the last things on my mind, until I entered Imani. The teachers are alot different than most of the ones in public school, they actually care about the students getting an education and will above, beyond and out of their way to make sure that their students graduate. The environment is alot different than that of public schools. It's more safe, and there arent as many disruptions. Imani has changed my life and givin me hope. I'm a high honors student again, I'm graduating and I have built a closer relationship with God. Thanks to Imani Christian Academy, I am a world changer! Public schools are causing more and more students to drop out because of the enviornment their in, i reccomend private school it's worth the money.
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I don't know any teacher who has gone into teaching for the money. I mean, seriously...Most districts cap out at $50-60,000, and that's only after you get a Master's degree plus thirty additional credits beyond, which is almost a PhD, credits-wise. Plus, we are REQUIRED to continue taking classes throughout our careers, and the tuition is not reimbursed. There are a lot of other fields that allow workers to accumulate Continuing Education Units (CEU's) by attending workshops and conferences...but not teachers. We have to take and pay for actual college courses. Our pay raises are generally about 1-2% a contract (so every 2-5 years, depending on your district), and insurance rates are going up by 8-10% yearly. So they are unlikely to be in it for the money. Summer's off, maybe! ;)
What I think happens to a lot of public school teachers, though, is that they are asked to do the impossible, and it burns them out. They sort of give up hope. A teacher with five classes of 30-35 students has to reach every single one of his or her 150-175 students and prove it on a standardized test or they risk having their school closed. Think about the size of that task. They may have summers off, but during the school year, teachers work from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed at 11 p.m. Their families often suffer as a result (I'm a child of a teacher and in graduate school for education).
In private schools (I went to one, because my mom taught in the public schools and knew how bad it was), the class sizes are generally smaller, so teachers have more of an opportunity to connect on a personal level with each student. This helps students care about what they are doing.
I'm not in any way saying that your assessment of the situation is wrong, but I am saying that the problem in public schools is systemic. It is overpopulation and under funding. It is not entirely the fault of the teachers that the schools are sinking.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
A study a couple of years ago surveyed teachers to find out the number of days and hours per day that a teacher works, then compared it to other fields.
Apart from Doctors and Lawyers, teachers are among the highest paid per hour worked. They make more than most scientists per hour worked.
In my home state, the NEA is always trying to get more pay for teachers, even complaining that teachers 'have to take on a second job in the summer' to make ends meet.
I'm not sure about you, but I have to work year round. Almost all adults do. Why should any state employee only work part of 9 months a year? (remember all the days for vacation during a school year)
Now, keep in mind, I am not just a random person ranting against teachers. I'm currently getting a math degree to teach high school mathematics.
My plan is to teach during the school year and work as a PI (when I finish my math degree, CLEET certification is next on the list) during the odd weekend and during the summer. I'm expecting to work year round because that is what responsible people do.
I shouldn't expect the taxpayer to pay me so much money that I can afford to not work for 3+ months a year. Because the taxpayer doesn't get that ability, neither should I.
because my mom taught in the public schools and knew how bad it was
I think you hit the nail on the head with this one.
The biggest difference between public and private schools is that the parents of the students in private schools are self-selected as placing heavy emphasis on education.
Teachers can only do so much. The best predictor of educational outcomes for children is the educational attainment of their parents. Parents who have demonstrated that they value education by obtaining it for themselves are far more likely to take an active role and place heavy emphasis on making sure their kids get educated too.
I've been in both public and private schools.
Both have ups and downs, but I definately support private schools. One big issue I had in public school was that I was smart enough that I got easily bored when the teacher explained things over and over to try and reach the slowest of students.
I never did my homework, but Aced my tests, Teachers assumed I was cheating and always threatened to fail me. Truth is, I learned it when they explained it the first time and lost any care to pay attention or study after hearing it over and over and over.
Private school was quite the opposite. I liked it there.
Public schools have a mandate to educate all children including the slowest. Given the overwhelming nature of this task, the education gets shaped to meet the needs of the slowest kids or the lowest common denominator.
Private schools can pick the students they accept and they can expell those who don't behave or perform. This allows them to considerably up the ante on their curriculum.
I think there is a lot of room for improvement in the public school system but it would require some out of the box thinking and mostly it gets resisted at every step by the NEA.
It should be noted also that not all public schools are equal. The vast majority of them are doing a pretty good job. It is really only the inner city schools that are truly atrocious. Those poor kids are getting cheated of any sort of fair shot at succeeding in life and it is my own belief that these schools are kept bad on purpose so as to keep an ignorant population stupid enough to keep voting for the same people who are cynically providing bad schools.
Which is why the left fights against school vouchers.
They don't want the parents to get to CHOOSE which school their children go to.
I was very fortunate. The Public School I went to, that had 3000 more kids than it was meant to hold, was incredibly good. Most of the teachers were excellent. The support system was good and a wide variety of classes were offered.
I think that the problems most public schools face is that higher ups assume that fixing one perceived problem will make everything better. So they try to improve test grades or make smaller class sizes, but they don't focus on the bigger problem, which is under-funding. And, I'm not a fan of big-spending governments, but I do think that public schools are a worthy investment and enough money should be put into the schools so that they can create constructive environments.
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson
Problem with 'underfunding' is not funneling more money to education, but ensuring that it goes to the classroom.
ALOT of money for "Education" goes to supers, assistants, principals, assistant principals and the NEA.
The typical per child per year spending on education across the country is about $10k per year. I think most schools are aiming to keep class sizes around 30 kids. The math is pretty simple. That means that for each class of 30 kids there should be $300,000 which is quite a lot of money. In a previous post we learned that teachers are maxxing out at about $50 to $60k. So where is the other $250,000 being spent?
Some is necessary overhead (buses, janitors, cooks, maintenance, etc). But the vast majority of it is being spent in dubious ways that makes nice bureaucratic living for lots of people but does little to advance the education of children.
And then there is football ........
I definately agree, but even with misalocation of funds, which probably happens everywhere, education is very low on the list for funding and I do think it should be more of a priority.
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson