Teachers and Parents can ask questions, get advice, research school related issues, and find web sites for your children based on age and interest. Elementary, tutor, tutoring, help on homework, First Grade, Second Grade, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, reading, math, science, bullying, peers, teachers, schools,
25.1.08
Comment on this Week's Column
Comment on this week's column. Mention the topic.
You can also email me directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Re: Why all the bother about increased class size?
I heartily agree with your reply to the OC Register reader who questioned why increased class size is such a bad thing given that he/she remembers attending classes with 55 students. The reasons you gave in response are things I hear everyday from my wife, who is a temporary teacher in the Capistrano USD and struggles to maintain excellence in the classroom with 35 students (4th grade). (No surprise, she will not have a full-time job next year if the current budget plan holds, and she is an excellent teacher given the high quality of her evaluations and feedback from parents and students. She may have to leave the profession altogether as a result.) The loss of 20:1 student/teacher ratio in the lower grades is going to have long-term consequences on these young students, not to mention the negative effects on students resulting from increased class sizes in other grades.
One thing you failed to mention regarding No Child Left Behind is that while the federal government sets all these requirements for programming and instruction, they leave it to the states to fully fund the requirements. So, while the goals of No Child Left Behind may be laudable, in practice the program is fundamentally flawed pedagogically and a nightmare for the teachers and administrators to implement.
Given the wealth of our state, it is embarrassing and incomprehensible that funding per student in California is one of the lowest in the nation.
Question: With the recent releases of Teacher of the Year Awards in various schools, I have yet to find a Special Education nominated, or winning, the award. Everyone knows the difficulty and commitment needed to be a special ed teacher, as well as the advanced education required for teachers to teach special ed. Most teachers I have asked just simply refuses to teach children with special needs and most of the time are awed by those who do. In fact, the turnover rate for special ed. teachers are astronomically high in comparison to general ed. teachers, simply because most teachers cannot handlet he position. With your years of experience, have you taught a classroom full of severely autistic kids or students with down syndrome or mental retardation?
After you read any post, click on the word "comments" at the bottom. You can leave your name or post anonymously. Click on the triangle next to the month to view past columns.
You can also email me directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com
3 comments:
Re: Why all the bother about increased class size?
I heartily agree with your reply to the OC Register reader who questioned why increased class size is such a bad thing given that he/she remembers attending classes with 55 students. The reasons you gave in response are things I hear everyday from my wife, who is a temporary teacher in the Capistrano USD and struggles to maintain excellence in the classroom with 35 students (4th grade). (No surprise, she will not have a full-time job next year if the current budget plan holds, and she is an excellent teacher given the high quality of her evaluations and feedback from parents and students. She may have to leave the profession altogether as a result.) The loss of 20:1 student/teacher ratio in the lower grades is going to have long-term consequences on these young students, not to mention the negative effects on students resulting from increased class sizes in other grades.
One thing you failed to mention regarding No Child Left Behind is that while the federal government sets all these requirements for programming and instruction, they leave it to the states to fully fund the requirements. So, while the goals of No Child Left Behind may be laudable, in practice the program is fundamentally flawed pedagogically and a nightmare for the teachers and administrators to implement.
Given the wealth of our state, it is embarrassing and incomprehensible that funding per student in California is one of the lowest in the nation.
I enjoy your column. Keep up the good work.
California spends about $11,000/student/year, among the highest in the country, if you divide the Calif. education budget by the number of students.
For some reason, the unions don't like this calculation, but what other way do you measure your actual spending?
Question: With the recent releases of Teacher of the Year Awards in various schools, I have yet to find a Special Education nominated, or winning, the award. Everyone knows the difficulty and commitment needed to be a special ed teacher, as well as the advanced education required for teachers to teach special ed. Most teachers I have asked just simply refuses to teach children with special needs and most of the time are awed by those who do. In fact, the turnover rate for special ed. teachers are astronomically high in comparison to general ed. teachers, simply because most teachers cannot handlet he position. With your years of experience, have you taught a classroom full of severely autistic kids or students with down syndrome or mental retardation?
Post a Comment