What Do Teachers Really Want?

Speak Up For Education and Kids is a group started by the National Education Association to unite educators and community members  committed to investing in education, preventing harmful cuts, and ensuring students have the bright futures they deserve! I came across their site on Facebook.

 They have a section called Ed Votes poll. I checked out their  poll and the question was, ” Which gift you would most like to receive on May 3 for Teacher Appreciation Day?”   I found it interesting because their choices were not typical choices. For example, one of their choices was a request for more professional development opportunities. Another was smaller class sizes so teachers can give individual attention to students. (My choice).  So far, smaller class sizes is in the lead, followed by less standardized testing.  A number of teachers responded with choices of their own. One teacher commented that she would like her job back! If you have a second, please add your voice to the votes. I am going to check back later.  Maybe they can show the votes to our legislators, so they can see what we really want!  Speaking for myself, I don’t need another bag with the district logo on it!

Education Votes Poll: What Gift Would You Like to Receive on May 3?

 

EdVoices- Teachers Talking!

It’s funny, but teaching is a profession where it seems that everyone’s opinion is important, except the teachers. It almost seems as if our opinion, our knowledge, our experience, doesn’t really matter.  We need to be heard. We need to have a voice. We need  a place where teachers can share and discuss all things education.  EdVoices was created by  NEA (National Education Association) to be a site where “bloggers committed to improving public education” share fresh viewpoints on all things education.  Their blog categories include Classroom Management,Education Technology, Education Policy,Lily’s Blackboard, and an “Around the Web” section that includes education blogs from, of course, all around the web.  As of today, I will post blogs from time to time on EdVoices. Check out my introductory post, I am that ‘ordinary” teacher! I’m really excited about adding my voice to EdVoices!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

I was sitting at the hairdresser, exhausted.  After a week of dealing with other people’s children, I was weary.  My head lay backwards in the bowl, almost drifting off, when something made my ears perk up.  It was the voice of a  non-educator on the Oprah show talking about how horrible the schools are, how we are failing our students, and how we should run the schools like a business.  Is he serious?  Oprah, as all laymen, seemed to concur. Neither one of them would last a day in a classroom, much less a week.

Fast forward to home, reading the NEA site, where they posted a letter from a teacher to Oprah, blasting her for her education show, which did not include one educator!!! How can that be?  I believe we are the only profession where no one listens to the ones in the trenches. Everyone would rather whine about how we get summers off, our elaborate planning periods, our benefits, and tenure. We deal with children who want to be entertained, parents who see us as a babysitting service, and condone their children’s disrespect, principals who are non-supportive(not mine), and the new ideas, flung at us every day by people who have never taught a day in their life!    Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching, and I wouldn’t do anything else, but gee whiz, could we get a little respect?