Experts will tell you that animals have no reasoning power...that their brain is not capable. I am OK with that because I know that they will run in front of an automobile.....and if they realized they were going to get smashed flat they would not. But...how about my Kami Kamelot!! Sometimes in the mornings when I am busy around the house trying to get Piper to eat and then attempting to coax Kami to eat things get interesting. Kami isn't much of a morning eater so she just conveniently disappears. No matter how much I call her or how many sweet things I call out to her she just doesn't appear. When I look for her she has disappeared. I check every known place that she hides and still no Kami. After Piper has finished eating her food and I am preparing her insulin shot I am talking to her. I tell her I need to give her a shot in her "scrunchy" which is that area of her shoulders that I was instructed to give her the injection. Kami is some where within hearing of this conversation....somehow!! As soon as Piper gets her shot in her "acrunchy" and is rewarded with her treat guess who magically appears for her treat! Yep, it is Princess Kami who could not be found when I was looking for her.
Just another morning in the life of an old, old woman and two schnauzers!!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
MOS ( or More of the Same)
One certain legislator will not let it go when it comes to harassing liberals on social networking sites. He can be rather irritating. There comes a time when we need to shut our mouths and I plan to do that soon, I promise. It would be nice if he did the same. He just hasn't gotten his fill of giving it to teachers and the NCAE. He is so proud of himself and his other legislative "overhaulers" for getting rid of teacher tenure. It seems as though they think that is why educators are upset about the budget doings. So while they are wallowing in all of their glee most of the educators I have talked do could care less about tenure except that it seemed an effort to disrespect the profession.
There is an effort to push merit pay. While it may seem like the answer to making certain that good teachers are rewarded,it is a system resplendent with holes and gaps. Some years ago Wake County instituted such a plan. Teachers could opt in or not. Certain evaluators were trained from a core of educators and visited unannounced (supposedly) to the classroom of participating teachers and did evaluations. Based on what they saw and recorded after a certain number of visits teachers received an amount of extra pay. Watching this fiasco occur was an experience. Most teachers who participated prepared by learning the format being used for evaluation and designing their lessons to match. By and large teachers do plan and do follow the curriculum! They understand their subject(s) and how to teach it/them to meet the needs of their students. If lessons do not work or accomplish their purpose good teachers back up and come in at a different angle to try to nail the instruction. In the ways mentioned all instruction in Wake Schools was improved as all teachers received training in better methods of organizing and presenting materials. As will happen soon some folks being assessed tucked a lesson plan away in a convenient place with all of the bells and whistles an evaluator would love to see. When the evaluator arrived unannounced and the lesson in the natural rotation for that day didn't have the exciting factors evaluators loved to see, the teacher could pull out the special plan and put it to use, thus receiving a higher score. (This did happen!) Then there are some folks who have
personality conflicts. It happens and folks are not able to see beyond those factors when evaluating. Sometimes there are favorites and they are evaluated in that context receiving consistently high scores. These things actually happen in such a merit type situation. For those reasons those who work in the field do not receive news of the use of a merit system with open arms. However, I do believe that the lack of enthusiasm is falsely interpreted as being due to other factors.
Just my view....not yours!! Again, my blog....my opinion!
There is an effort to push merit pay. While it may seem like the answer to making certain that good teachers are rewarded,it is a system resplendent with holes and gaps. Some years ago Wake County instituted such a plan. Teachers could opt in or not. Certain evaluators were trained from a core of educators and visited unannounced (supposedly) to the classroom of participating teachers and did evaluations. Based on what they saw and recorded after a certain number of visits teachers received an amount of extra pay. Watching this fiasco occur was an experience. Most teachers who participated prepared by learning the format being used for evaluation and designing their lessons to match. By and large teachers do plan and do follow the curriculum! They understand their subject(s) and how to teach it/them to meet the needs of their students. If lessons do not work or accomplish their purpose good teachers back up and come in at a different angle to try to nail the instruction. In the ways mentioned all instruction in Wake Schools was improved as all teachers received training in better methods of organizing and presenting materials. As will happen soon some folks being assessed tucked a lesson plan away in a convenient place with all of the bells and whistles an evaluator would love to see. When the evaluator arrived unannounced and the lesson in the natural rotation for that day didn't have the exciting factors evaluators loved to see, the teacher could pull out the special plan and put it to use, thus receiving a higher score. (This did happen!) Then there are some folks who have
personality conflicts. It happens and folks are not able to see beyond those factors when evaluating. Sometimes there are favorites and they are evaluated in that context receiving consistently high scores. These things actually happen in such a merit type situation. For those reasons those who work in the field do not receive news of the use of a merit system with open arms. However, I do believe that the lack of enthusiasm is falsely interpreted as being due to other factors.
Just my view....not yours!! Again, my blog....my opinion!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Lamentations on Education
Most folk here in the Ole North State are somewhat sick of hearing about the behavior and actions of a certain group who met here in this city over the last six or so months. If that is the case with you then you just want to close this blog at this point.
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am pretty much a "middle or the road" type with a conservative bend. I am just supposin' that we are what we are at heart and it is very hard to change our minds especially when you are old....I mean ancient, like me.
Lots is being printed and said now regarding the actions of this legislature just past due to legislation being put into place and a new school year looming not too many days away. As an educator my antenna is always tuned to "talk about education." One irritating issue is always the amount of money educational institutions receive as appropriated by the legislators. It would seem common sense to assume that as the cost of living rises each year so does the need to increase the amount of the appropriation to educational institutions. These folks must pay some of the same type of expenses we as individuals must pay to maintain daily life. It seems we would understand. There is so much opposition to increasing the budget each year.
This legislative year saw funding cuts for teaching assistants with the exception of kindergarten, funds withdrawn for extra pay for graduate degrees, funding cut and a program killed that funded education for academically gifted youngsters in exchange for a number of years of service to the state of NC, no raise or pay raise step for educators, and a number of other cuts.
The behaviors that just inflame one looking at these cuts is the knowledge that the governor and others (in his cabinet) have given their appointed cabinet members and some appointed state employees raises that sometimes totaled twenty thousand dollars or more claiming that this is needed to get the appointee to stay on the job or bring the pay up to a desired level all the while telling teachers you have no worth or need for more money thus not even a cost of living increase. Teachers start at a level and for some years their rate of pay qualifies them for food stamps and their children for subsidized lunches. Check it out. It is especially irritating knowing that in Wake County for instance a high number of teachers are not only certified by the state of NC but also have National Board Certification. This is evidently not important when you look at the fact that the legislature also passed a bill allowing charter schools to employee teachers without certification. One point used to rationalize this action indicated that there were people with skills from a trade or other vocation or field whose skills in math or some other subject could be used so --- why not---without certification as a teacher.???????? Go figure.....if it works for you...I would assume you are as they.
Another bothersome point to me has been the conversation from the governor and those in his cabinet and the legislature used to defend their actions. The words go along the lines of trying to introduce merit pay into the conversation rather than discuss why the cut to the various programs. The issues they are being asked about are as mentioned above ( i.e. cuts of assistant positions, lack of funding for graduate degrees, cut to pre-K programs, etc., etc.)
and these law makers want to defend with a conversation about merit pay.
Again, it is all lame. Their argument doesn't answer the concerns or questions.
I am an educator, it is in my blood. I love teaching and the teaching process, thus I care!
Again, my thoughts, not yours -- probably my opinion, not yours. And more importantly, my blog!
But I do wonder how other folks have filtered all of this.
*An after-thought.....I am beginning to note that the governor is sending his "boy-servant" out to run interference because he and his advisors know they have p_ _ _ the teachers and the entire education core off royally. He sat on his hands without challenging the legislature as they put all of those cuts in place. Not once was he known to have called them in or visited them to champion for students, schools, or educators. It has become evident with a display of educators that trouble is brewing for the next election. Will the teachers remember and keep their word on election day or will they be swayed by promises and "sweet talk?" Only time will tell about that.
**The BIGGER issue is whether something will be done do remedy cuts made to programs that impact students. That is the saddest part of cuts to programs. Some students really do need textbooks for learning. Those funds have been cut. Some students need the extra help teacher assistants can provide. Smaller class sizes really do make a difference.
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am pretty much a "middle or the road" type with a conservative bend. I am just supposin' that we are what we are at heart and it is very hard to change our minds especially when you are old....I mean ancient, like me.
Lots is being printed and said now regarding the actions of this legislature just past due to legislation being put into place and a new school year looming not too many days away. As an educator my antenna is always tuned to "talk about education." One irritating issue is always the amount of money educational institutions receive as appropriated by the legislators. It would seem common sense to assume that as the cost of living rises each year so does the need to increase the amount of the appropriation to educational institutions. These folks must pay some of the same type of expenses we as individuals must pay to maintain daily life. It seems we would understand. There is so much opposition to increasing the budget each year.
This legislative year saw funding cuts for teaching assistants with the exception of kindergarten, funds withdrawn for extra pay for graduate degrees, funding cut and a program killed that funded education for academically gifted youngsters in exchange for a number of years of service to the state of NC, no raise or pay raise step for educators, and a number of other cuts.
The behaviors that just inflame one looking at these cuts is the knowledge that the governor and others (in his cabinet) have given their appointed cabinet members and some appointed state employees raises that sometimes totaled twenty thousand dollars or more claiming that this is needed to get the appointee to stay on the job or bring the pay up to a desired level all the while telling teachers you have no worth or need for more money thus not even a cost of living increase. Teachers start at a level and for some years their rate of pay qualifies them for food stamps and their children for subsidized lunches. Check it out. It is especially irritating knowing that in Wake County for instance a high number of teachers are not only certified by the state of NC but also have National Board Certification. This is evidently not important when you look at the fact that the legislature also passed a bill allowing charter schools to employee teachers without certification. One point used to rationalize this action indicated that there were people with skills from a trade or other vocation or field whose skills in math or some other subject could be used so --- why not---without certification as a teacher.???????? Go figure.....if it works for you...I would assume you are as they.
Another bothersome point to me has been the conversation from the governor and those in his cabinet and the legislature used to defend their actions. The words go along the lines of trying to introduce merit pay into the conversation rather than discuss why the cut to the various programs. The issues they are being asked about are as mentioned above ( i.e. cuts of assistant positions, lack of funding for graduate degrees, cut to pre-K programs, etc., etc.)
and these law makers want to defend with a conversation about merit pay.
Again, it is all lame. Their argument doesn't answer the concerns or questions.
I am an educator, it is in my blood. I love teaching and the teaching process, thus I care!
Again, my thoughts, not yours -- probably my opinion, not yours. And more importantly, my blog!
But I do wonder how other folks have filtered all of this.
*An after-thought.....I am beginning to note that the governor is sending his "boy-servant" out to run interference because he and his advisors know they have p_ _ _ the teachers and the entire education core off royally. He sat on his hands without challenging the legislature as they put all of those cuts in place. Not once was he known to have called them in or visited them to champion for students, schools, or educators. It has become evident with a display of educators that trouble is brewing for the next election. Will the teachers remember and keep their word on election day or will they be swayed by promises and "sweet talk?" Only time will tell about that.
**The BIGGER issue is whether something will be done do remedy cuts made to programs that impact students. That is the saddest part of cuts to programs. Some students really do need textbooks for learning. Those funds have been cut. Some students need the extra help teacher assistants can provide. Smaller class sizes really do make a difference.
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