Teachers Unions

[Diane Amberg]

I talked to an active teacher friend. NEA was $166.00 for this year. KNEA would be less than that I think.The mission statements for both NEA and KNEA are easily found on the Internet...tells all about what they do ,what is available, such as liability and life insurance  teaching resources, etc. There used to be news letter according to one's speciality.One for classroom teachers, special ed, librarians etc. There was a time when they were wonderful clearing houses for "stuff" to teach with, such as kits and units from National Geographic, Scientific American, Hartford Insurance (fire safety) and many others. I suspect most of that is available on line now. Yes, they do lobby for good teaching conditions...safety, class size, pay and all that. As far as I know joining is optional in any state.

[Diane Amberg]

Steve, you told us about him before. Whatever became of him? She surely wasn't his only teacher. Some day I'll tell you about the little boy I had who was very hyperactive, anti social and destructive  before they had names for it. None of the teachers wanted him because he was a reputation breaker and his parents were tough to work with...In the opposite way! They wanted him sedated at home because they couldn't handle him but wanted him off the meds at school. The other kids' parents' complained about him constantly because he couldn't control himself and kicked and hit the other kids no matter where they were, lunch, gym, recess, classes, you name it. But that's another story.

[twirldoggy]

The fee of $166 would be a lot for a teacher making low pay.  This may be one reason the teachers don't join.  Parents really need to know the details of what is going on with the teachers in order to support them and to make a better school.  If teachers feel supported, they will do a better job.

[Diane Amberg]

Very true. It's hard on a teacher who gets a child whose parents have a reputation of being impossible to deal with, just as the opposite is true. Neither situation puts the child first as it should be.

[Diane Amberg]

I always felt bad for Steve R. because he was very bright, but had all those emotional and developmental issues that made every school day a huge challenge. When he was there, there was never an easy laid back day. He knew it, I knew it and the whole class knew it. One key I finally found was music lessons of all things. Knowing how he was, you would have never thought he could sit still for an instrument lesson. But somehow the mental wiring is different. With the music teacher's patience and my encouragement he began to learn the baritone horn. In the spring he was good enough on some simple songs to join the local drum and bugle corp and loved it. He fought his own demons to stay in line, learn the music, practice correctly without getting too frustrated and finally got to march in a parade as part of the group. He was still hyperactive but fought it himself and really tried because he knew, no nonsense or no band.  They moved away a year or so later. That was a very long time ago and I always wondered how he turned out.

[twirldoggy]

Diane, I have been in many, many special ed meetings and I know this to be true.  Sometimes the parents are intractible.  Also I have seen teachers and administrators just insisting that the child is not mentally disordered.  The reason?  They haven't had a meeting to decide that!

Many things that go on are completely unreasonable.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

Well, I don't really feel that KNEA is that bad. If as a teacher the school is doing you wrong, you have a right to fight for your job. The KNEA is there to help. I think that tenure the teachers worse nightmare if you ask me. Once teachers are tenured at the school that they teach at, schools really have to have a case against them, otherwise your stuck with them. I never was tenured and don't think it would matter to me. If you truly love your job as a teacher, tenure doesn't mean a thing. You do your job and enjoy it!
Steve, I do not think that the district that your nephew was in handled that situation right. Now there are so many more laws and regulations that must be followed. And it's up to the parents/guardians to decide about the medicine part, I think. I am going back to school to get my masters in special education and am not sure about a school forsing meds on students. I have a very hyper 2nd grader that has a hard time staying on task. I do worry that they will want to medicate her, but I know of different things that I can try to help on task time. So, Steve I feel that the teacher that your nephew had didn't really like their job!

[Diane Amberg]

I don't think meds are the first thing that people jump to as much as before.  I know some cases where the families of other children demanded the hyper child be medicated so their own child could have some uninterrupted class time. Needless to say decisions were not based on that, but the parents did have a point. Some parents demanded that their child not be put in the same class with the problem child. Very sad situation. Trying to limit over stimulation, such as a having a place in the room that has limited posters on the walls etc. sometimes helps. In Steve's case I was able to put his desk far enough from the rest that I marked out an area around the desk with masking tape. In that area he could stand, walk around his desk, lean on his desk to do his work or read or whatever when he just had to move.  He knew as long as he was quiet he was free to move around that space and would be in huge trouble with me if he left that place to go bother anyone else. He knew he had a problem, as did the rest of the class, so we all tried to work together on it. I tried so hard to catch him on a good day so I could compliment him. The poor kid got critized so much that he really need to hear something positive once in awhile.
Angie, what is your daughters attention span time? Does limiting distractions work for her? Frankly, too many kids get labeled hyperactive when that really isn't the problem.  Some are just "overly social" and want to interact with the other kids instead of sticking to their classwork. I'll bet the classes you are taking will help you find some good time on task exercises and things to try.

[twirldoggy]

Medication should be the last resort.  The parent or legal guardien has the legal right to say no to any doctor's order.  Schools never have the legal right to dictate about medication.  The school personnel can try their best to manipulate the situation, but they have no legal rights whatsoever to make a child take medication.  

[Varmit]

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for there to be teachers unions.  Nor is there any reason for k-12 teachers to get tenure.