As a former homeschooling mom from another state who later enrolled my daughter in a private Christian school in Nebraska (she became valedictorian of her high school class) while my son attended a small public high school (his choice), I too have some observations on all of this.
Certification of what? This is my first concern when it comes certifying teachers. I am concerned about what is being taught to the people we entrust with the instruction of our children. If they're being certified in teaching the "Three R's," and history, geography, and life skills, that's good and praiseworthy. If that curriculum is based on ESG and the radical left agenda, if they're pushing porn, we're in serious trouble.
I've recently been given serious reason to believe that ESG and the radical left agenda has infected the teaching staff even at the Christian schools.
Standards of excellence is my next concern. What kind of teacher are we letting into the classrooms? What kind of discipline are we backing them on the use of? I've heard horror stories locally from one school district about an officially enforced lack of discipline and teachers having to turn themselves into performing monkeys to hold their classes' attention.
Affordability of certification. If teachers must be certified and vetted for their jobs, the process needs to be transparent and above-board, and not cost-prohibitive. Right now, teaching doesn't really pay enough to justify the investment of time and resources if you can't land a scholarship. From my observation, teaching doesn't pay, period.
Some of the best teachers I ever had growing up were those who knew what it was to struggle for a good grade and understood that their pupils were differently gifted. I made pretty good grades throughout high school and college, but--there was this one class that I really struggled in. When I sought at one point to get a job as a teacher or para here in Lincoln, that grade became this insurmountable hurdle. I discovered that great teachers, highly motivated to be there for their students, are being kept out by an administration obsessed with grades.
And then there's the imbalance of classroom instruction time vs paperwork. It cuts into family time and vacation time. It interferes with proper normal activities like sleep. Teaching may appear, on the surface, to be an 8 hour five day/week job. It's certainly reimbursed like an 8 hour five day/week job with a long summer break thrown in with no pay--but teachers are more likely to work 16 hours a day even on the weekends with very little respite.
This is unhealthy for them and unhealthy for our kids. Tired stressed adults are not critically thinking emotionally engaged adults.
The expansion of teacher-generated paperwork has had an observable inverse effect on the assignment of homework for older students. I've been informed that the students don't want homework, that the parents won't make them do it, that kids can't do the work and play sports too (and sports are more important), and other excuses that just boggle my mind.
We're trying to prepare these kids for life in the real world. When the current teachers retire, who will take their place? No one will be willing to put in the time or effort to prepare the way they do because today's kids haven't learned the discipline that it takes.
Teachers pay isn’t that great but they do enjoy job stability. It’s not that often you hear of teacher layoffs and once they receive tenure their job is relatively secure. That being said it is hard to stay in a job which is overrun with inept administrators and unsupportive parents.
I was saying some of the same things back in the 80’s when I was a classroom science teacher!
As a former homeschooling mom from another state who later enrolled my daughter in a private Christian school in Nebraska (she became valedictorian of her high school class) while my son attended a small public high school (his choice), I too have some observations on all of this.
Certification of what? This is my first concern when it comes certifying teachers. I am concerned about what is being taught to the people we entrust with the instruction of our children. If they're being certified in teaching the "Three R's," and history, geography, and life skills, that's good and praiseworthy. If that curriculum is based on ESG and the radical left agenda, if they're pushing porn, we're in serious trouble.
I've recently been given serious reason to believe that ESG and the radical left agenda has infected the teaching staff even at the Christian schools.
Standards of excellence is my next concern. What kind of teacher are we letting into the classrooms? What kind of discipline are we backing them on the use of? I've heard horror stories locally from one school district about an officially enforced lack of discipline and teachers having to turn themselves into performing monkeys to hold their classes' attention.
Affordability of certification. If teachers must be certified and vetted for their jobs, the process needs to be transparent and above-board, and not cost-prohibitive. Right now, teaching doesn't really pay enough to justify the investment of time and resources if you can't land a scholarship. From my observation, teaching doesn't pay, period.
Some of the best teachers I ever had growing up were those who knew what it was to struggle for a good grade and understood that their pupils were differently gifted. I made pretty good grades throughout high school and college, but--there was this one class that I really struggled in. When I sought at one point to get a job as a teacher or para here in Lincoln, that grade became this insurmountable hurdle. I discovered that great teachers, highly motivated to be there for their students, are being kept out by an administration obsessed with grades.
And then there's the imbalance of classroom instruction time vs paperwork. It cuts into family time and vacation time. It interferes with proper normal activities like sleep. Teaching may appear, on the surface, to be an 8 hour five day/week job. It's certainly reimbursed like an 8 hour five day/week job with a long summer break thrown in with no pay--but teachers are more likely to work 16 hours a day even on the weekends with very little respite.
This is unhealthy for them and unhealthy for our kids. Tired stressed adults are not critically thinking emotionally engaged adults.
The expansion of teacher-generated paperwork has had an observable inverse effect on the assignment of homework for older students. I've been informed that the students don't want homework, that the parents won't make them do it, that kids can't do the work and play sports too (and sports are more important), and other excuses that just boggle my mind.
We're trying to prepare these kids for life in the real world. When the current teachers retire, who will take their place? No one will be willing to put in the time or effort to prepare the way they do because today's kids haven't learned the discipline that it takes.
Teachers pay isn’t that great but they do enjoy job stability. It’s not that often you hear of teacher layoffs and once they receive tenure their job is relatively secure. That being said it is hard to stay in a job which is overrun with inept administrators and unsupportive parents.