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Tuesday, March 9, 2010 | 2:02 a.m.
As a Nevada teacher, I’m appalled by the recent multimillion-dollar cuts in education. Nevada ranks at the bottom in education funding, and now schools have taken a massive hit to their undersized budgets as the school districts must stretch to accommodate the vast student population.
Additionally, extreme focus on test scores has only intensified. Rather than educate, teachers are commanded by No Child Left Behind to get students to pass a state exam.
As the economy declines, parents lose their jobs, cars and homes, and students are distracted by their lives outside of school. Student achievement in socioeconomically depressed areas is often disproportionate to student achievement in more affluent areas.
Despite those circumstances, teachers are still compelled to move students toward passing a test, a test that is a minuscule, vague snapshot of a student’s capabilities. Teaching to a test leaves little room for creativity, imagination or “real world” application of skills.
The decreased funding directly contradicts the increased demands on Nevada teachers and students. If teachers are truly expected to educate instead of prepare for testing, funding for Nevada’s students must be increased, and demands for hitting an abstract bench mark must be reexamined.
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Nevada is on the bottom of getting Federal tax dollars per k-12 students.
Nevada is rank in the 20's on state revenue per k-12 student.
The all-powerful Reid has not fixed this out-of-whack and unfair to Nevada Federal formula that awards other states and punishes Nevada.
Teachers continue to assail at any means of measuring their performance. They like subjective assesments where any teacher can be judged excellent (and entitled to a raise) just for showing up.
The tests may not be perfect, so adjust the subject matter, but some means of absolute measurement between schools, between teachers, and around the country must be used to find where status quo is failing. Now we need more absolute action based on those that fail. Every teacher should not get a trophy for participation, this isn't 6 year old soccer.
there are tons of fat in the administration...
the administration must be cut...
the administration must be cut dramatically...
the administration must be cut dramatically right now...
There are tons of fat in your homestate of California as well. "BIRDIE" How much do you want to cut there pal. Your state spends 20 Billion more per year then it takes in' You people really know how to piss good money away now don't you. Try not to worry so much about Nevada we will take care of are own.
Wailer teacher Megan Gonzalez is a firm believer that the more money you throw at education, the better off she will be...
If Mz Gonzalez received a 50% increase in salary do you suppose she would work 50% harder? Would her students learning increase by 50%? Would she still be whining for more money? I would go with the last idea. If educators had all the money in the World, they would still want more. If they had all that money, the students would still be graduating without the ability to read, write a sensable paragraph or do basic mathematics.
Do any of you flamers have children in school?
What I've read makes me think no.
jlb101 said.....
"If educators had all the money in the World, they would still want more. If they had all that money, the students would still be graduating without the ability to read, write a sensable (sic) paragraph or do basic mathematics."
Hmmmmmm........ It appears that jlb101 has a valid reason to complain about teachers & education....the little guy never learned to spell or use a dictionary....Must be a teacher's fault..... Darn those teachers!
Privatize all schools from K to grade 16, and that'll be the end of this discussion.
Hey uddeboda: 1 man's free sh#t is another man's tax dollars. Time for you to wake-up!!!
PierreBeauRegard said....
"Privatize all schools from K to grade 16, and that'll be the end of this discussion."
Wow! Yep, that would solve all of our problems....Americans would then be dumber that we've ever been...It wouldn't be "a race to the top" but "a race to the bottom" internationally.....
Wet doze El Lobo xpect eye wennt too a gubberment skool end eye wuz lurnt bye a uniun teecher. shee tould mee eye wuz realligh smourt.
Privatizing public schools will solve the ills of an American public education, which in today's market is equivalent to getting a college degree from the Haiti Poured-Concrete Community College, or the Guadalajara Institute of Higher Landscaping.
The many graduates of such public institutions of higher education as California Berkeley, University of Illinois, University of Texas, and University of Virginia would be happy to hear your assessment....I'm sure they would agree with you....Ha! Ha! Ha!
Rhooster....
When was the last time you were in a school? Be honest now, tell the truth.....
Not sure where you got your stats from, but I'm going to say two words to you.....You need to listen closely!
YOU'RE CLUELESS!
Rhooster.....
Relax....There's no reason to get your BP up! It's not good for your physical or mental heath.
I haven't taught in a few years but I know what is going on in America's public schools...Trust me!
Maybe you do teach math in a local high school but I have my doubts about that... If that is true, you sure have a very low opinion of your students. I hate to see that exist in an educator.....
Maybe you have been in the game much too long....hope your not "burned out." That's common place in American education!
Once a teacher becomes "burned out," they become part of the problem & are no longer part of the solution....
Hmmmmm....I might be wrong but it appears if Rhooster is actually a teacher, then he's a "burned out" teacher.....
I hate to think that but all evidence points to that...If that is true, then I feel sorry for my little crowing friend.... I mean that in all honesty...
I've seen that situation many times before & it's far from pretty... I have a friend who is no longer teaching and the last 5+ years that he taught were terrible, terrible years for him.....thank god he's retired..
He hated his job & he got where he couldn't sleep at night thinking about his job. He dreaded going into work each day & actually got depressed come Sunday afternoon, thinking about going to work on Monday.
His wife also taught, but she didn't mind teaching and actually enjoyed many things about the job.
She finally convinced her husband to sell some property that they owned and "buy out" two years of his retirement. The two years that he bought out, plus some 200 unused sick leave days allowed my friend to retire some three years ago...
His early retirement in short, saved his life. That may sound rather silly to some one who hasn't been in that situation, but it's true...
My friend now works a couple days a week for his brother who has a trucking business....My buddy is now happy & guess what? His wife is also happy. She told me that with her husbands retirement, she now has her marriage back in good standing...
Sorry Rhooster, if what you told me is true...Hope you're looking down the road at your up coming retirement!
Jeezus! You are supercilious. I am not burned out. just burned up. You are such a penis.
Books.....Rhooster? One and the same? Ha! Ha!
How dare anyone compare Stanford to Berkeley (a liberal public institution and home to Angela Davis), Longhorns at Austin (another radical liberal place), or Illinoise at Urbana or Champagne, or Virginia Tech or is it Virginia?
Why, it's a person who prefers a lesser education.
Some of you are completely ridiculous! If you would actually read Mrs. Gonzalez' letter you would see she was asking for funding for STUDENTS!
"If teachers are truly expected to educate instead of prepare for testing, funding for Nevada's students must be increased..."
She didn't say anything about the salaries of teachers. I'm a third grade teacher in North Las Vegas and I am perfectly happy with my salary. The main point that most teachers have (or should have) is the lack of funding for field trips, school supplies, etc. I spend at least $500 plus of my own money each year for supplies for my students. Making cuts to salaries, budgets, and firing teachers is not doing any good for these students. Unless you are a teacher you should keep your mouth shut because you don't know what you're talking about. People may say that teachers complain about many things but when you have parents who neglect their children to the point where they basically negate a days worth of education, there are things to complain about! It'd be so much easier to teach these students if certain people were banned from every "raising" children.