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Rhode Island Teachers Chatboard

RI Teachers

by Neo

Mar 2, 2009

A number (majority?) of schools in RI have their priorities mixed up, possibly due to the pressure to show positive results of state/fed programs. The common mantra heard throughout RI high schools is "Do whatever it takes to reduce the failure rate". To the general public this would mean differentiate instruction/assessment. Teachers have been doing this for years! To the insider, however, it means scale your tests, lower your expectations, pass a large majority of your students at any cost. This, of course, would explain why colleges are seeing higher and higher numbers of freshmen who require remedial reading, writing, and math. It's not incompetent teachers that are bringing the system to its knees, but we are the ones who are blamed. Public education is in a sad state these days. I don't know a single teacher that would advise his/her students to pursue a career in education. If I were younger I would change careers.

From what I read on national forums RI is not unique.

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t I worked in RI for several years, and when people wonder why the schools stink, I can think of many reasons.

While there are a lot of really good teachers, there are some who just work the system and bring the rest down.

Administrators who won't stand up to kids, who won't impose consequences because they don't want to hear from p...See MoreI worked in RI for several years, and when people wonder why the schools stink, I can think of many reasons.

While there are a lot of really good teachers, there are some who just work the system and bring the rest down.

Administrators who won't stand up to kids, who won't impose consequences because they don't want to hear from parents or are so afraid of their suspension rate showing as too high, that a kid who swears at a teacher, disrupts class on a regular basis gets sent right back to the class and the teacher is told he or she is to blame.

8th graders working on 4th grade level or less in some schools. All in the attempt to have everyone pass. Then the kids say they want to go to college, but you know that there is no way because they can't even write well enough to fill out the application. But some teachers still give assignments like "All About Me" projects to kids who are 15 and 16...they can't write a five paragraph essay, but they sure can tell you that they like to watch "Gossip Girl".

NECAP tests...what a joke.

On 3/02/09, Neo wrote: > A number (majority?) of schools in RI have their > priorities mixed up, possibly due to the pressure to show > positive results of state/fed programs. The common mantra > heard throughout RI high schools is "Do whatever it takes > to reduce the failure rate". To the general public this > would mean differentiate instruction/assessment. Teachers > have been doing this for years! To the insider, however, > it means scale your tests, lower your expectations, pass a > large majority of your students at any cost. This, of > course, would explain why colleges are seeing higher and > higher numbers of freshmen who require remedial reading, > writing, and math. It's not incompetent teachers that are > bringing the system to its knees, but we are the ones who > are blamed. Public education is in a sad state these > days. I don't know a single teacher that would advise > his/her students to pursue a career in education. If I > were younger I would change careers. > > From what I read on national forums RI is not unique.

Mar 6, 2009

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