Are you sick of highly paid teachers?
Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!
We can get that for less than minimum wage.
That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours).
Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.
However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.
LET'S SEE....
That's $585 X 180= $105,300
per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).
What about those special
education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an
hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.
Wait a minute -- there's
something wrong here! There sure is!
The average teacher's salary
(nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days
= $277.77/per day/30
students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!
Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Cut Teacher Pay...Please!
I got this in my email and had to re-post. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. I am not sure who the originator is, but I must say, "Nice Work!"
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Must Use Collaboration Tool: Type With Me
I have looked a lot of web tools, but this one really caught my eye. Simple to use and not too much fluff to get distracted by.
The website is: http://typewith.me/
For the last two days my students have been working together to create summaries of our current read aloud, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
Day 1, was an organized disaster. The students were working on a summary, but were frustrated by the real-time editing that was going on by classmates. They didn't like people editing their mistakes and typing when they were. From a teachers point of view, it was fun to watch. It brought out the underlying weakness of each child's ability to work together. A bunch of the kids walked away from the experience saying, please don't have use do that again or I will be sick tomorrow if we have to do that again.
Like a good trouble maker, I had them do it again. First off, I addressed those with a negative attitude and reminded them that their feelings are contagious and don't help the cause. I also assured the whole class that they would get better with practice. They all agreed to work at it again. Today they created this summary.
I was extremely impressed and all the kids were cheering for each other on the great work they had done. Day 1 disaster. Day 2 success.
*This tool requires a web address that is case sensitive. Make sure you capitalize the right letters when sharing the link with your students. Stress the importance of typing your document address in just as it is written.
The website is: http://typewith.me/
For the last two days my students have been working together to create summaries of our current read aloud, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
Day 1, was an organized disaster. The students were working on a summary, but were frustrated by the real-time editing that was going on by classmates. They didn't like people editing their mistakes and typing when they were. From a teachers point of view, it was fun to watch. It brought out the underlying weakness of each child's ability to work together. A bunch of the kids walked away from the experience saying, please don't have use do that again or I will be sick tomorrow if we have to do that again.
Like a good trouble maker, I had them do it again. First off, I addressed those with a negative attitude and reminded them that their feelings are contagious and don't help the cause. I also assured the whole class that they would get better with practice. They all agreed to work at it again. Today they created this summary.
I was extremely impressed and all the kids were cheering for each other on the great work they had done. Day 1 disaster. Day 2 success.
*This tool requires a web address that is case sensitive. Make sure you capitalize the right letters when sharing the link with your students. Stress the importance of typing your document address in just as it is written.
Little Movement...Big Change #30goals
I love the subversive. Maybe it has something to do being the underdog. I remember walking on to the soccer field for our first championship game. Johnstown was the defending champion, and we were just a small school from Nowheresville. Their players walked on to the field like the game was already a wrap. They were a team full of seniors. Would a team starting some freshman really be able to compete? If bets could have been taken, the odds would have been stacked against us. Isn't that what ignites a fire deep within us? When your back is against the wall, and you have nothing to lose...you find yourself rising little by little. What begins as a bite on their ankle soon has the attention of the whole body. Your bringing down giants, or in our case, sending the guys in blue packing with a 6-1 defeat.
Movements in education, in the same way, can bring down towering trees that desire to be unmoved. These trees, with deep rooted tendrils that tell us, "We've always done it this way," impede our actions for change. In most cases, movements started to bring about change are met with opposition and take significant periods of time to make an impact. What I have noticed though is the more flat the world becomes, the easier good ideas can spread. Take the inspiration flowing from the ever relevant 30 Goals Challenge. Teachers all over the world are making sincere steps toward improvement, and the school district didn't have to ask, beg, or cajole anyone to do it.
Little movements are the snowballs we push from the tops of hills. We stand back and watch the new paths they plow. What movement are you joining?
Consider the 5 for 1 project. or something else that fires you up!
Photo from Jankie
Free Easy Internet Safety Material #30Goals
#30 Goals: Digital Citizenship - Goal #28
For awhile I was assuming that my students would learn internet safety through someone other than myself. Then that changed one day when I stumbled upon a great resource: NetSmartzKids. This is a program designed specifically to teach kids about being safe and courteous while on-line. They even offer a free packet of material for educators. I used the interactive DVD with my students. We also discussed the rules for internet safety and the rules for real world safety from the included poster. This is a must for any teacher or even entire school that wants to present easy and relevant internet etiquette and safety.
For awhile I was assuming that my students would learn internet safety through someone other than myself. Then that changed one day when I stumbled upon a great resource: NetSmartzKids. This is a program designed specifically to teach kids about being safe and courteous while on-line. They even offer a free packet of material for educators. I used the interactive DVD with my students. We also discussed the rules for internet safety and the rules for real world safety from the included poster. This is a must for any teacher or even entire school that wants to present easy and relevant internet etiquette and safety.
Friday, March 18, 2011
"I-did/We-did" the Iditarod
This is the second year my class has followed the amazing race across Alaska called the Iditarod. The kids really get into it. This year we cheered for Lance Mackey the whole way. You should really consider following it, picking a musher, or do any of the numerous projects and activities that go with the 1150 mile sled dog race.
We made this little project to present facts about the Iditarod to the rest of the school. Each kids has their face on a sled dog and they have an important fact about the big race.
We made this little project to present facts about the Iditarod to the rest of the school. Each kids has their face on a sled dog and they have an important fact about the big race.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tech-nically Speaking #30 Goals
My life as a teacher has taken a major turn. Usually when people talk about things taking a turn, it is in the negative light. My turn has been for the good. Here at my school, we now have a mobile lab up and running (and I have conveniently parked it in my classroom). This has opened a whole new world to my classroom. We can now use technology on our time to enhance or supplement our classroom material.
Here is a snap shot of our day, now that each child can use a laptop.
*Instead of Saxon Math Fact worksheets every morning ---> We now use www.xtramath.org to practice our facts and track our progress.
*Instead of hand written journals ---> We now use www.kidblog.org to journal and document our thoughts.
*We also use Edmodo.com to vote on different questions, discuss reading group questions, and gather resources from other classrooms.
*We often visit Studyisland.com to practice for PSSA and Terra Nova Testing. This site hits on state standards along with the upcoming Common Core Standards.
*With an update to the laptops, we hope to continue to help pilot Sokikom. Sokikom is a new math site that takes kids on missions and allows them collaborate in standards based math games.
*This week we used Wordle to create word clouds that describe penguins, which was a theme in one of our recent reading stories. We have also followed the live webcam of the penguins at California Academy of Sciences.
*My students have also learned how to import a picture into Microsoft Word to use for a descriptive paragraph assignment. We used the safe picture site called Pics4Learning.
*Did you know writing an email is part of the state standards? Pretty cool! We have been using the ever popular site, Epals, to write emails and communicate with another classroom in Texas.
Other sites we love: ReadingEggs, Sumdog, NLVM, SpellingCity, and Voicethread.
As I write this, I realize I could have my students using technology all day long. There is a balance we are working towards, and the kids certainly enjoy all the variety of sites we have been using. In the future, we may have to limit the amount of screen time, and not lose the value of discussions, debate, and physical collaboration. For now, the excitement is high here in our class.
Here is a snap shot of our day, now that each child can use a laptop.
*Instead of Saxon Math Fact worksheets every morning ---> We now use www.xtramath.org to practice our facts and track our progress.
*Instead of hand written journals ---> We now use www.kidblog.org to journal and document our thoughts.
*We also use Edmodo.com to vote on different questions, discuss reading group questions, and gather resources from other classrooms.
*We often visit Studyisland.com to practice for PSSA and Terra Nova Testing. This site hits on state standards along with the upcoming Common Core Standards.
*With an update to the laptops, we hope to continue to help pilot Sokikom. Sokikom is a new math site that takes kids on missions and allows them collaborate in standards based math games.
*This week we used Wordle to create word clouds that describe penguins, which was a theme in one of our recent reading stories. We have also followed the live webcam of the penguins at California Academy of Sciences.
*My students have also learned how to import a picture into Microsoft Word to use for a descriptive paragraph assignment. We used the safe picture site called Pics4Learning.
*Did you know writing an email is part of the state standards? Pretty cool! We have been using the ever popular site, Epals, to write emails and communicate with another classroom in Texas.
Other sites we love: ReadingEggs, Sumdog, NLVM, SpellingCity, and Voicethread.
As I write this, I realize I could have my students using technology all day long. There is a balance we are working towards, and the kids certainly enjoy all the variety of sites we have been using. In the future, we may have to limit the amount of screen time, and not lose the value of discussions, debate, and physical collaboration. For now, the excitement is high here in our class.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wells That Don't Dry: #30Goals (Resources)
Teachers can get by with teaching, punching the clock, and going home. The truth is none of us start out with this goal in mind. We do not desire to have a job branded with isolation. We hope to connect with our students, and connect with our colleagues in deep meaningful ways. To make the later happen, we need to be willing to share what works. Knowing what works, requires reflection, which you should have already done in the 30 Goals Challenge. Once you have something that works for your students, there is a high likelihood that it can benefit other teachers too. Jump off your little island and share!
This year I had the great opportunity to have my class read, THE BFG by Roald Dahl with another class located at Tanglewood Elementary in Lousianna. One of the highlights of the project was a riddle/hunt that I designed to be completed throughout the school after reading the first three chapters of the book. I have since shared that resources, and now a Twitter follower: @amsgoodwin will be trying out the same riddle/hunt next week. I am looking forward to pictures and maybe a video clip of her students chasing down the whereabouts of Sophie. It is amazing to see one idea spread. Where are your resources and ideas traveling these days?
Want to read The BFG to your kids and want the riddle/hunt? Email me: isnyder@linemountain.com
Extra Amazing Resources Below!!!
Two Great Blogs to Follow:
Primary Graffiti
For the Love of Teaching P.S. I am hoping to borrow this great idea!
This year I had the great opportunity to have my class read, THE BFG by Roald Dahl with another class located at Tanglewood Elementary in Lousianna. One of the highlights of the project was a riddle/hunt that I designed to be completed throughout the school after reading the first three chapters of the book. I have since shared that resources, and now a Twitter follower: @amsgoodwin will be trying out the same riddle/hunt next week. I am looking forward to pictures and maybe a video clip of her students chasing down the whereabouts of Sophie. It is amazing to see one idea spread. Where are your resources and ideas traveling these days?
Want to read The BFG to your kids and want the riddle/hunt? Email me: isnyder@linemountain.com
Extra Amazing Resources Below!!!
Two Great Blogs to Follow:
Primary Graffiti
For the Love of Teaching P.S. I am hoping to borrow this great idea!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Teacher Pitfalls Series: Pat Pat My Back
I am starting a new series on some common pitfalls that are common to teachers. Not sure how far this will run, but I currently have five of these lined up. Each is lead off by a Bible passage.
Pitfall #1: With Hopes of Rewards and a Pat on the Back
Luke 6: 31-34 (The Message) "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that."
Starting in the hardest place seems like the right beginning to me. This pitfall requires a deep examination of who we are as teachers. I write this post because this is a "me first" confession. By talking about this stuff, I can flush out the things I feel. It helps me take inventory of what drives me. I also hope it will be useful to other teachers.
The pitfall I am talking about is deep seeded motivation on the part of teachers to only extend themselves to their practice when it means self elevation, progression, and ego boosting. Ouch! That just made me think of a few activities I threw myself at in the past week. I know what it is like to have days where you just want to get through and go home. I also know what it is like to have a rich and exciting day that flies by and you get mad at the dismissal bell. They are two extremes here that both lead to unfavorable results.
The first extreme is like the one mentioned in the verses above, and that is when we have a facade of care and passion. Behind that front, we only motivated by the hopes that our work will benefit us. This is where we need to get our focus off self.
We need to work with a goal of student achievement in mind. Any tie we create between student achievement and our own elevation is tainted, and certainly a bad place to be working.
The other extreme is to take no action. This stance is also focused on self. When we are unmotivated to try new things in our class because of our own fears or excuses of time. This is also a role we play that reaps undesired results. With this focus, we create stale a classroom that you can fast forward 15-20 years, and everything will look exactly the same, just the student faces have changed. This position has removed the ugly pursuit of self benefit, but it has also removed a passion that will inspire students to excel and achieve. This kind of teaching runs counter to research based methods that prove to be effective in reaching all learners.
So how does one stay pure of self yet relevant? Here are three simple practices to implement that will help.
1. Be a reflective teacher. Honestly look at what you do from time to time. Evaluate the purpose of lessons and activities. (Blog, Journal, Discuss with Colleagues, etc.)
2. Make Goals for Classroom Changes. What would I like my class to look like in a month or two? What practices have I been doing by habit, but have not been reaping results in my students?
3. Be Knowledgeable, Discerning, and OK with what is relevant in current teaching. Keeping up with best practice can be tiring, and it is easy to say, "Oh I have seen this come down the pipe before." The truth is, the cycles of practices is not a bad thing. If is a good practice, then it currently should be continued to be held up as beneficial. Why not become an expert on a few practices and help younger teachers (like myself) put things in play?
Stay near by, Pitfall #2 is around the corner. Until then, please share and comment. Your reflections help me grow!
Pitfall #1: With Hopes of Rewards and a Pat on the Back
Luke 6: 31-34 (The Message) "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that."
Starting in the hardest place seems like the right beginning to me. This pitfall requires a deep examination of who we are as teachers. I write this post because this is a "me first" confession. By talking about this stuff, I can flush out the things I feel. It helps me take inventory of what drives me. I also hope it will be useful to other teachers.
The pitfall I am talking about is deep seeded motivation on the part of teachers to only extend themselves to their practice when it means self elevation, progression, and ego boosting. Ouch! That just made me think of a few activities I threw myself at in the past week. I know what it is like to have days where you just want to get through and go home. I also know what it is like to have a rich and exciting day that flies by and you get mad at the dismissal bell. They are two extremes here that both lead to unfavorable results.
The first extreme is like the one mentioned in the verses above, and that is when we have a facade of care and passion. Behind that front, we only motivated by the hopes that our work will benefit us. This is where we need to get our focus off self.
We need to work with a goal of student achievement in mind. Any tie we create between student achievement and our own elevation is tainted, and certainly a bad place to be working.The other extreme is to take no action. This stance is also focused on self. When we are unmotivated to try new things in our class because of our own fears or excuses of time. This is also a role we play that reaps undesired results. With this focus, we create stale a classroom that you can fast forward 15-20 years, and everything will look exactly the same, just the student faces have changed. This position has removed the ugly pursuit of self benefit, but it has also removed a passion that will inspire students to excel and achieve. This kind of teaching runs counter to research based methods that prove to be effective in reaching all learners.
So how does one stay pure of self yet relevant? Here are three simple practices to implement that will help.
1. Be a reflective teacher. Honestly look at what you do from time to time. Evaluate the purpose of lessons and activities. (Blog, Journal, Discuss with Colleagues, etc.)
2. Make Goals for Classroom Changes. What would I like my class to look like in a month or two? What practices have I been doing by habit, but have not been reaping results in my students?
3. Be Knowledgeable, Discerning, and OK with what is relevant in current teaching. Keeping up with best practice can be tiring, and it is easy to say, "Oh I have seen this come down the pipe before." The truth is, the cycles of practices is not a bad thing. If is a good practice, then it currently should be continued to be held up as beneficial. Why not become an expert on a few practices and help younger teachers (like myself) put things in play?
Stay near by, Pitfall #2 is around the corner. Until then, please share and comment. Your reflections help me grow!
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