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[Academic] Rigor vs Vigor - What do you think?

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Jan 27, 2013

School principal ("Head of School") Todd Nelson says:

"We are fairly accepting of the use of the word “rigor” as a positive term for high standards and accomplishments in lots of things, including education. As it turns out, “vigor” might be a much better choice."

Read in the very short piece linked below, why Todd Nelson ...See More

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Broke FL Teacher On 2/02/13, kaye wrote: > On 1/27/13, Teachers.Net Gazette wrote: >> School principal ("Head of School") Todd Nelson says: >> >> "We are fairly accepting of the use of the word “rigor” as a >> positive term for high standards and accomplishments in lots >> of things, including education. As it turns out, “vigo...See More

Feb 2, 2013

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LS br> > Like the previous poster, I'm thinking of Maslow's Heirachy of > needs: I'm so busy trying to survive day-to-day teaching that I > can't get to higher-level stuff like vigor vs. whatever. It's > hard enough to cram the basics into their heads. Higher-level > thinking is for higher-level kids.

I too work in a high po...See More

Feb 17, 2013

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new: Arizona Elem School Tchrs & Principal attacked

by Katelyn

Feb 1, 2013

This guy barges into the school...figures its just a bunch of women I can take them out no problem... A Gilbert man was arrested Wednesday after police say he assaulted three teachers and the principal at Madison Elementary School in Mesa when he tried to pick up his son in spite of a court order.

Police said Newley Ryan Broughton, 36, to...See More

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Broke Fl Teacher Time to pay us like cops, train us like cops, and let us retire after 20 years like cops. Our lives are on the line now, too. What happened to America?

Feb 1, 2013

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Scooby On 2/01/13, Broke Fl Teacher wrote: > Time to pay us like cops, train us like cops, and let us > retire after 20 years like cops. Our lives are on the line > now, too. What happened to America?

Our society as a whole has degenerated into a self-absorbed, superficial, secular culture where ideals, principles, morals, scruples and i...See More

Feb 1, 2013

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Report on Charters Schools is in....Not the answer..

by Not Jeb Bush

Feb 3, 2013

the clear message of continuing analysis from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University, which tracks student performance in 25 states. In 2009, its large-scale study showed that only 17 percent of charter schools provided a better education than traditional schools, and 37 percent actually offered children a worse educat...See More

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Jill The supply of new teachers is drying up as college students see that this is an unappreciated, low paying job that is a dead end. Your experience teaching is not valued by anyone outside of teacher...not corporate training..nothing. You will see a shortage soon and then they will be stuck with classrooms with low pay and no one much interested in t...See More

Feb 6, 2013

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Scooby Ever since the age of 22, I have taught school, and have not held any other full-time employment, other than teaching. I will be 61 years old this year, and the working conditions for teachers have become even more dreadful, while salaries are ridiculous, considering the amount of education teachers are expected to have. I've worked plenty of part-...See MoreEver since the age of 22, I have taught school, and have not held any other full-time employment, other than teaching. I will be 61 years old this year, and the working conditions for teachers have become even more dreadful, while salaries are ridiculous, considering the amount of education teachers are expected to have. I've worked plenty of part-time jobs over the years because let's face it, this career does not offer a decent, living salary for anyone. Extra curricular employment is a way of life for the majority of teachers, and it's been this way for a good many years. I used to hope and pray that conditions and compensation would improve, but it hasn't, even when teacher shortages have been impressive. Perhaps when there's NO "highly qualified" people to work with students, it will change, but don't hold your breath.

On 2/06/13, Jill wrote: > The supply of new teachers is drying up as college > students see that this is > an unappreciated, low paying job that is a dead end. > Your experience teaching is not valued by anyone > outside of teacher...not corporate training..nothing. > You will see a shortage soon and then they will be > stuck with classrooms with low pay and no one much > interested in the job...women are looking at > transferring to the school of business, communications > etc and the school of education is as popular as the > school of blacksmithing. Those big admirers of the > "market place system" will find little to buy > in the market. Young people in college are saying...as > a teacher, I have a chance of being shot on the > job...low pay forever...unappreciated in the media, by > parents or the school boards. Forget these people...let > them find another sucker. > > > > > > > On 2/06/13, Broke FL Teacher wrote: >> We all know the charter movement isn't about the >> kids: it's about breaking the teacher's union and >> paying the lowest possible wages and benefits. >> >> Anyhow, that study was from 2009. Is there anything >> more current? >> >> I just got a disturbing email from the union that our >> 739 (or whatever the new SB6 law is called) will not >> have the same effects on charter: for example, they >> get to keep seniority and pay for masters degrees >> (which was just outlawed for us) and they may not >> have to report bad test scores to the state to yank >> their teaching certificates. Add this to the >> charter's power to expel children at any time for any >> reason, and to deny children admittance for any >> reason, and we are set up to fail against the >> charters!!!!! We don't stand a chance.

Feb 11, 2013

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7 Ways to Encourage Reluctant Readers

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Feb 7, 2013

By employing the strategies described below, reading will become something that students do willingly, even eagerly, and the adults in their lives will not have to resort to trickery, bribery, manipulation, or any other tactic that will, at best, lead to temporary compliance. After all, we’re striving to make reading a joyous lifelong habit.

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Charter caught deleting months of bad grades

by Jill

Feb 12, 2013

A for-profit school that was hyped by Republican lawmakers as a solution to Tennessee’s education problems recently admitted deleting bad grades to “more accurately recognize students’ current progress.”

A December email obtained by WTVF showed that Tennessee Virtual Academy’s vice principal instructed middle school teachers to ...See MoreA for-profit school that was hyped by Republican lawmakers as a solution to Tennessee’s education problems recently admitted deleting bad grades to “more accurately recognize students’ current progress.”

A December email obtained by WTVF showed that Tennessee Virtual Academy’s vice principal instructed middle school teachers to delete “failing grades” from October and September.

“After … looking at so many failing grades, we need to make some changes before the holidays,” the email says, adding that each teacher needed to “take out the October and September progress [reports]; delete it so that all that is showing is November progress.”

“If you have given an assignment and most of your students failed that assignment, then you need to take that grade out.”

Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson said she was horrified because the school’s instructions amounted to cheating.

“Does it talk about we need to make changes in curriculum? Does it talk about we need to make changes in our teaching strategy? No,” Johnson told WTVF. “Those changes we need to make are deleting grades from the computer system.”

“To come in and say ‘everybody who made failing grades the first two months, we need to delete those grades,’ to me that’s a huge issue,” she explained. “To me, this appears like it’s grade fixing.”

Tennessee Virtual Academy Principal Josh Williams insisted that the school had taken the steps to “more accurately recognize students’ current progress.”

“By going back into our school’s electronic grading system and recording students’ most recent progress score (instead of taking the average throughout the semester) we could more accurately recognize students’ current progress in their individualized learning program,” he told the station in an email.

The Virtual School Act was pushed through by lobbyists and approved by Republican lawmakers in the closing minutes of the May 2011 legislative session. The bill allowed Union County Public Schools to contract with K12 Inc. to set up Tennessee Virtual Academy. In exchange, Union County was expected to keep 4 percent of the $5,387 being sent to the private company for each student.

Democratic lawmakers are now attempting to cap enrollment at 5,000 after 2011 test scores showed that only 16.4 percent of middle school students were proficient in math, and only 39.3 percent were proficient in language arts.

At the end of last month, there were 3,149 students enrolled in the online school.

The K12 Inc. CEO was compensated more $2.6 million in 2010. The company’s chief financial officer made more than $1.7 million. By comparison, Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman had a salary of $200,000 in 2011, making him the highest-paid cabinet officer at the time.

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