Excellent post, Janice. Teachers are treated horribly all over
the country, and it is getting much worse.
It has nothing to do with a teacher's ability if he or she gets
sacked. It has everything to do with the outrageous power
imbalance between teachers and administrators, and, in many
states, those administrators like principals are unionized.
They should have no unions or collective bargaining rights
because they are management. They are virtually impossible to
fire now.
A teacher gets kicked to the curb, and it is very difficult to
resume a career, not least because of the weeding out questions
asked on job applications.
On 9/20/14, Janice VanCleave wrote:
> Texas teachers do not have a state organization to
> represent them. Yes, teachers join different teacher groups
> but about all they do is take the fees but do work to make
> make conditions so that teachers can do their job--teach.
>
> Which teacher organization stood against CSCOPE? NONE
>
> Which teacher organization stood with the grassroots group
> when they testifies before the Senate Ed. Committee about
> CSCOPE? NONE
>
> School administrators and even school board members have
> support from the private organizations they are members of.
> Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Texas
> Association of School Boards (TASB) are more in control of
> Texas education than is TEA. The membership fees to TASA
> and TASB are high but this is no problem for members--they
> used school taxes to pay their private membership fees.
>
> Teachers need to contact their representatives, senators,
> SBOE rep, and any and everyone that has even the slightest
> input and ask that school funds not be allowed to support
> TASA/TASB. Bad Superintendents are never fired, they have
> their contracts bought out and move to another school
> district.An investigation just might reveal that this is a
> way to make extra income for some unethical
> superintendents.
>
> Read the writing on the wall-- the importance of a teacher
> is being diminished-- Quality, creative teachers are not
> being sought. Do what you are told without questions will
> get you a teaching position. As veteran teachers are
> encouraged to leave, more and more teachers will be guides
> until no particular training will be needed. This is not in
> the distant future. It is here today. The PLC coaches of
> teachers do not allow teachers to enrich lessons or change
> the lesson to accommodate student needs. Thus there can be
> no differentiation --just rote delivery of a lesson
> designed only to prepare students for the STAAR tests.
>
> I want to know how a PLC coach knows that one TEKS will be
> more stressed than another? Have they viewed the upcoming
> STAAR tests? Do the ESCs have access to the STAAR tests in
> advance?
>
> The Education Service Centers promote the lie that teachers
> must be monitored. Without someone watching teachers
> closely teachers would just teach what they like and forget
> about the other standards. This lie has been told over and
> over until it is being repeated by people far removed from
> the ESCs. The ESCs train school board members-- Thus school
> board members are brainwashed with the propaganda of the
> ESCs. The ESCs are vendors--They have an unfair market
> advantage because they are supported by the state and can
> undercut the prices of other legit vendors.
>
> Yes--teachers are treated unfairly.
> Yes--Veteran teachers are more likely to lose their jobs
> and are less likely to be hired.
>
> Alone, teachers are very vulnerable. I do not know how it
> can be done, but a state teacher organization that
> represent teachers is needed.
>
> Janice
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