National Education Association (NEA)

[greatguns]

Billy, were you homeschooled or did you go to public or private school?

[Catwoman]

Tenure was to keep people from trying to black mail the teachers to get good grades for their kids. In general, really bad teachers don't last long enough to ever get tenure. I can't speak for anywhere except for where I worked, but we had announced and unannounced evaluations several times a year.Teachers who had weak spots were given remedial help. If necessary, teachers were put on probation. If it just wasn't working out, some were offered a different level or a different school.Usually there was a meeting of the minds and some teachers would go into another field. Some found out during their 15 weeks of student teaching that it just wasn't for them and went on to related fields not in the classroom.

Plus that...If a school district wants you gone bad enough, it doesn't matter if you have tenure or not...If they want you gone, they'll find a way to get rid of you.  The myth that tenure grants you immunity is totally false.  All tenure does is guarantee you that the school district has to have given you the reason why you're being fired, after having had to have given you a chance to improve on your weak spots.  It is only during the first three years (how long a previously non-tenured teacher has to wait) or first two years (a previously tenured teacher only has to wait two years to be granted tenure again, in a different district) that a school district can non-renew you and not have to give you a reason as to why they didn't renew your contract.  If you've got truly bad teachers who are continuing from year to year with impunity, then your real problem is that you've got administrators who are not doing their jobs correctly.  All the administrator has to do is compile documentation that the teacher in question has not improved after being put on a Plan of Improvement...Of course, that means that the administrator would actually have to be working, doesn't it, instead of just walking around, making sure that the Board of Education is still happy with them. 

[Warph]

Red, as I've retired back some I've dropped a few memberships, but am now or have been a member of AARP, National Association of EMTs, NFPA, Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Asc., Cumberland Valley Fireman's Asc., the others I mentioned before, and even NRA. I wanted to join Eastern Star but just couldn't find the time to do it justice. Why do you ask?

Diane, are you now or have you ever been been a member of the communist party?
Diane, you are here by directed to report to Manzanar.
NEA members are to to be counted as 3/5 of a person.
Sorry for the sarcasm. My hot buttons have been hit recently and I will follow Teresa's move and bite my tongue.
David

Don't feel sorry, JimmyO... STAY MAD.... you are feeling the same as (...what is becoming the majority of...) millions of sensible people who are starting to see what this monster and his democratic morons are doing  to America today.  I recommend that everyone who has any sense and not wanting America destroyed, THIS IS THE GROUP TO JOIN:

In the name of politeness and racial harmony, not wanting to appear unfair or biased, we conservatives and moderates have held our collective tongues about Obama.  It is time NOW to yell, scream, write, email, phone, assemble, picket, protest, and make our dissent heard in Congress, the White House, and the ever powerful media.


We, the people, is plural.  Let's join together; we don't have to be each other's politcal clones or be polarized as foes!  United WE (that's us, again) Stand. Right now we are divided and we are falling/failing to make our collective voices heard.


WE, the people, elected this President.

He is beholden to US as citizens

REMEMBER... HE WORKS FOR US, PEOPLE!

This is no time to be polite or passive, waiting out Obama's four years of spend and destroy.  This is the time to hog tie our elected officials to do our bidding. Otherwise, they are all history, and we'll send people to Congress in 2010 and 2012 who will listen to us!

Talk money - talk straight - talk support to the staff members of your district/state reps. There is power in your phone calls and emails. You are not helpless. No need to use coarse language - just the facts that you are unhappy with Obama and the overall conduct of Congress.

[srkruzich]

Tenure was to keep people from trying to black mail the teachers to get good grades for their kids. In general, really bad teachers don't last long enough to ever get tenure. I can't speak for anywhere except for where I worked, but we had announced and unannounced evaluations several times a year.Teachers who had weak spots were given remedial help. If necessary, teachers were put on probation. If it just wasn't working out, some were offered a different level or a different school.Usually there was a meeting of the minds and some teachers would go into another field. Some found out during their 15 weeks of student teaching that it just wasn't for them and went on to related fields not in the classroom.

Then you have the old gals that have worked int he system for over 25 years and when you ask them to do their job they tell you that they don't have to work with your learning disabled kid that their just only there to get their retirement.  Of all the ones i have ran into like that, only 1 got transferred none got terminated for not doing thier job.

I even had one teacher that thought they had the right to take my child off campus 150 miles away without notifying me much less obtaining my permission.  They laughed at me when i told them that this would not ever happen again, and that if it did i would take them to court over it.  They told me well go ahead i have plenty of lawyers at my disposal and i'll be retired before you ever see a day in court

And this is not a unusual thing happening. You'll find it all over the US. 

[Varmit]

greatguns, I went to public school, why?

[redcliffsw]

Billy, yesterday I saw an "independent school", South across from
the elevator in Grenola - at least that's what the sign indicated.

We need more of 'em.

[greatguns]

The old gals,huh?  What about the old guys!

[greatguns]

Billy,why?  Just curious.  We have talked about private and public schools as well as being home schooled.

[redcliffsw]

Forming a local school is a great idea,
as long as the Feds & state & NEA are not involved.

[Catwoman]

I completely agree, as long as there is no movement by that 'independent' school to grab tax dollars for their kids or to have them take PE, Music, or other courses at the public school (like the homeschoolers do)...As long as that 'independent' school operates completely outside of public tax dollars, then more power to them.  If you're going to suck at the public trough, then your children should be enrolled in the public school.  I'll never forget the public school teacher I met here in Wichita who was homeschooling her kids...She was accepting the public's tax dollars in her paycheck, yet the public school wasn't good enough for her kids ('they would get exposed to things')...And yet, she had the gall to insist that her kids be allowed to come to the public school to partake of their PE, Music and Computer classes.  What a hypocritic leech.