Union wants students to self-teach

[Thinker101]

Portland teachers say they are facing severe burnout and a lack of time and resources to do their jobs. Their solution? Reduce non-essential meetings, teacher evaluations and most importantly, reduce the number of hours and days kids are in school.

The Portland Association of Teachers has proposed a two-hour early release or late arrival every week for K-8 students in PPS, while removing six days of in-person learning and instead making them planning days for educators. The teachers union also wants high schoolers to stay home one day per week, preferably Wednesday and switch them to "self-directed" school days and remove three days of in-person school days to instead make them teacher planning days.

Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, Summer Break....sure sounds stressful.

PPS to teachers: Union proposal is wrong answer

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Teachers are "supposed to be" the intelligent ones yet they want TEENAGERS to be free to self teach without guided supervision.

Hahaha that's hilarious

 

[westwall]

Portland teachers say they are facing severe burnout and a lack of time and resources to do their jobs. Their solution? Reduce non-essential meetings, teacher evaluations and most importantly, reduce the number of hours and days kids are in school.

The Portland Association of Teachers has proposed a two-hour early release or late arrival every week for K-8 students in PPS, while removing six days of in-person learning and instead making them planning days for educators. The teachers union also wants high schoolers to stay home one day per week, preferably Wednesday and switch them to "self-directed" school days and remove three days of in-person school days to instead make them teacher planning days.

Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, Summer Break....sure sounds stressful.

PPS to teachers: Union proposal is wrong answer

Good, the teachers can self employ.

 

[Unkotare]

Any organization can "propose" anything they want. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

 

[Otis Mayfield]

It's an interesting experiment.

But what if the experiment doesn't work? Will Portland be stuck with this system forever?

 

[Polishprince]

If the kids are going to self-teach themselves, why bother keeping teachers on the payroll?

 

[Thinker101]

Any organization can "propose" anything they want. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

I do like westwall's idea, parents can "propose" teachers self employ.

 

[Thinker101]

It's an interesting experiment.

But what if the experiment doesn't work? Will Portland be stuck with this system forever?

Well, they'll certainly be stuck with a bunch of uneducated kids.

 

[SweetSue92]

Portland teachers say they are facing severe burnout and a lack of time and resources to do their jobs. Their solution? Reduce non-essential meetings, teacher evaluations and most importantly, reduce the number of hours and days kids are in school.

The Portland Association of Teachers has proposed a two-hour early release or late arrival every week for K-8 students in PPS, while removing six days of in-person learning and instead making them planning days for educators. The teachers union also wants high schoolers to stay home one day per week, preferably Wednesday and switch them to "self-directed" school days and remove three days of in-person school days to instead make them teacher planning days.

Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, Summer Break....sure sounds stressful.

PPS to teachers: Union proposal is wrong answer

I don't know if many people on this forum can be fair and reasonable about this topic. We shall see.

First, I'm a public school teacher but I DO NOT belong to the NEA and have not for years. I'm a conservative and Christian. I am also a 27 yr teacher veteran and love my job.

Frankly, teachers are expected to do too much these days. I'm not talking about the teaching. That's a given. Every social ill, every shortfall of the community--put it in the schools. We feed children 2/3 meals a day. We clothe them. We give them health care. We see to behavioral needs, emotional needs. We do family counseling.

It's just too much. And the public is not like they were years ago. They do not 'support' the schools. There's no teamwork. It's adversarial.

So the proof is in the pudding. Fewer and fewer people will do this job. I know a lot of people here celebrate that. But think about--really THINK about--what comes after public schools. Will some kids be unschooled? What do you think teen gangs with no school to go to is going to do for our society?

But we just don't think ahead. Really easy to whine. Not so easy to come up with solutions.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

I don't know if many people on this forum can be fair and reasonable about this topic. We shall see.

First, I'm a public school teacher but I DO NOT belong to the NEA and have not for years. I'm a conservative and Christian. I am also a 27 yr teacher veteran and love my job.

Frankly, teachers are expected to do too much these days. I'm not talking about the teaching. That's a given. Every social ill, every shortfall of the community--put it in the schools. We feed children 2/3 meals a day. We clothe them. We give them health care. We see to behavioral needs, emotional needs. We do family counseling.

It's just too much. And the public is not like they were years ago. They do not 'support' the schools. There's no teamwork. It's adversarial.

So the proof is in the pudding. Fewer and fewer people will do this job. I know a lot of people here celebrate that. But think about--really THINK about--what comes after public schools. Will some kids be unschooled? What do you think teen gangs with no school to go to is going to do for our society?

But we just don't think ahead. Really easy to whine. Not so easy to come up with solutions.

Amazing post, thank you so much for your insight.

My sister just retired after teaching her whole life and she has said many of the same things you are. Schools have become the enemy for many of the political minded people, they bash them and the teachers because they are an easy target.

 

[SweetSue92]

Amazing post, thank you so much for your insight.

My sister just retired after teaching her whole life and she has said many of the same things you are. Schools have become the enemy for many of the political minded people, they bash them and the teachers because they are an easy target.

Teachers often do themselves no favors because we're just not good at PR and we whine too much. Much of it is justified but we don't know when to stop. however, the deep and wide problems remain: schools have become child-raising centers. But we're not set up for that. Blistering teacher shortage results, to no one's shock.

 

[Rambunctious]

In too many school districts we have lowered the bar for hiring teachers....I volunteer to coach the HS golf team and I talk to teachers everyday....If I didn't know better I would swear that some of them never graduated HS themselves.....they look act and speak like HS kids...If my son or daughters attended this school Id pull them out so fast their heads would spin....and its a highly rated school....rated by teachers and faculty no doubt....

 

[westwall]

In too many school districts we have lowered the bar for hiring teachers....I volunteer to coach the HS golf team and I talk to teachers everyday....If I didn't know better I would swear that some of them never graduated HS themselves.....they look act and speak like HS kids...If my son or daughters attended this school Id pull them out so fast their heads would spin....and its a highly rated school....rated by teachers and faculty no doubt....

Yup. I sent my daughter to a Swiss boarding school. She loves it there because they challenge her.

But I miss her....

 

[Rambunctious]

Yup. I sent my daughter to a Swiss boarding school. She loves it there because they challenge her.

But I miss her....

She will thank you one day...you did a good thing...hope you can see her this holiday season....

 

[westwall]

She will thank you one day...you did a good thing...hope you can see her this holiday season....

I will. And yes, she thanks me already. Her French is almost perfect now. Her German needs some work though.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

In too many school districts we have lowered the bar for hiring teachers....I volunteer to coach the HS golf team and I talk to teachers everyday....If I didn't know better I would swear that some of them never graduated HS themselves.....they look act and speak like HS kids...If my son or daughters attended this school Id pull them out so fast their heads would spin....and its a highly rated school....rated by teachers and faculty no doubt....

Sadly teaching is not really a profession that is getting the best and brightest as much. They hire who they can, a warm body is better than an empty room in their eyes.

It is in part a result of the constant attack on schools and teachers.

 

[task0778]

Any organization can "propose" anything they want. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Yeah, but it says something about teacher unions IMHO. And I think public unions in general. Namely that they are too powerful and influential with the politicians that they donate big bucks to, and in return those politicians make sure the PUs are basically a protected class. You wanna fire a bad teacher or a bad cop? Good luck with that.

 

[okfine]

Teachers are "supposed to be" the intelligent ones yet they want TEENAGERS to be free to self teach without guided supervision.

Hahaha that's hilarious

Then after High School they can pay for a degree from ODU, Otto Didect University

 

[Unkotare]

Yeah, but it says something about teacher unions IMHO. And I think public unions in general. Namely that they are too powerful and influential with the politicians that they donate big bucks to, and in return those politicians make sure the PUs are basically a protected class. You wanna fire a bad teacher or a bad cop? Good luck with that.

Bad teachers and bad police officers are fired all the time. Teacher's unions don't get just get what they want because they "propose" it. Unions and district and state ed offices butt heads all the time. The mere mention of some proposal can be sensationalized to get clicks and eyeballs, which is all the media cares about.

 

[Turtlesoup]

Portland teachers say they are facing severe burnout and a lack of time and resources to do their jobs. Their solution? Reduce non-essential meetings, teacher evaluations and most importantly, reduce the number of hours and days kids are in school.

The Portland Association of Teachers has proposed a two-hour early release or late arrival every week for K-8 students in PPS, while removing six days of in-person learning and instead making them planning days for educators. The teachers union also wants high schoolers to stay home one day per week, preferably Wednesday and switch them to "self-directed" school days and remove three days of in-person school days to instead make them teacher planning days.

Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, Summer Break....sure sounds stressful.

PPS to teachers: Union proposal is wrong answer

Really do we need them at all?