Teacher Crisis - Wake Up!!

Yes, there is a teacher shortage nationwide.   And yes the shortage harms the students.   And yes, as the supply of competent teachers continues to diminish, the courses offered will be cut by school administration.   That's just a portion of the crisis.

Now, too often we can complain about a problem.    Well, I'm not about to leave it at that.    Here's what needs to take place and I mean NOW.    High schools need to implement a type of course called 'Invitation to Teach.'    There are a few of these nationwide and they ARE successful in terms of providing a pathway to get a degree in education followed by finding a job in teaching.

 In the words of a person I long respected [who only swore once in all the time I knew her] "people need to get off their asses."   Yes, high school boards of education and building administration need to make this a part of the curriculum if students decide to pursue such a career.

So, to anyone who follows my blogs, posts or tweets feel free to get this out to others.   BTW, feel free to use my name.   I'd love to have some dialogue with 'the powers that be.'

Thanks, Dick

Celebrating 15 Years!!!

 The journey of Schools Count Corp started in July of 2007 and has continued to this very day!!    Our donors and volunteers have provided well over $2,000,000 worth of school supplies, food, medicines, copy machines, athletic gear, art supplies, winter coats and so much more.   We have worked in nine states, serving over 100 schools, and three Caribbean countries during this fifteen year period of time.

On behalf of the Schools Count Corp. Board of Directors it is my pleasure to invite you to our 'Celebration of 15 Years' Dinner on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.    This wonderful event will be held at Hinsdale Central High School in the student cafe.    The doors will open at 5:45 pm with dinner at 6:15 to be followed by a program featuring a keynote address by NBC Anchor Rob Stafford.

Simply email Dick Flesher at rich219@comcast.net with the names of those attending.    Why note bring family members or friends?!   The night will surely be one you won't want to miss!!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you, Dick Flesher

The Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door - ALEC

 There are plenty of wolves at the nation's schoolhouse doors.   I've mentioned a few names of individuals.  One organization, ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) is but another wolf in my view.  And that wolf is powerful in many elements and aspects of American society including education.

ALEC has pushed something called an "Alternative Certification Act."   In essence this idea, which has turned into legislative action in some states, says that no teaching degree is required to become a teacher.  Versions of this bill have been introduced in Michigan (home state of former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos), New Mexico, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Kansas.

Has this taken hold you might ask?   Well, yes!  For example, between 2015 and 2018, the number of licenses the Arizona Department of Education issued to untrained teachers soared by more than 400%.

What strikes me most and bothers me most is the idea being perpetuated that 'anyone can teach.'   Well, to all those who praise this mantra...have at it!!!

Dick

'UNeducating' in America 2022

Yes, I do believe the American education system is under a harmful attack.   It might not be evident to all as it seems to be a slow trickle.   And if it is a slow trickle, it is surely picking up steam in lots of ways.

Take Indiana Senate Bill 167 for example.   One portion of the legislation dictates that a group of people will determine curriculum for each school.    60% of the group MUST be comprised of community members.    The remaining 40% of the group are to be educators.   Be careful of this last one.   The various boards of education must approve those who are to come from the education group.

What does this mean?   The school board may well [likely] decide that the educators are the curriculum director, principal, assistant principal, athletic director and other building non-teaching administrators.  Roughly translated...there may be no teachers, certainly teachers deemed not worthy by the board.

Here's another way to think about this particular aspect of legislation.   Since when do airline passengers determine how to fly a plane?    Since when do patients determine how to perform a surgery?   The answer to each of these questions holds true for learning/designing curriculum and teaching.

Yes, a move is afoot to 'un'educate our students.

Dick

Education under siege!! IN Senate Bill 167

 I want to share a piece of legislation under consideration in Indiana.   It's Senate bill 167.    It makes clear that, though in one state, our system of public education IS under siege.   Here are but a few of the portions of the bill (likely to pass!!).

* parents can opt out their child from any part of the curriculum and the teacher will have to provide a different lesson plan for that child.

* that the curriculum of the district will be determined by a committee composed of 60% parents and community members and 40% educators and all members of the committee must be school board approved but no requirement that a teacher be on the committee

* bans educators from repeatedly interacting with students on social-emotional issues without prior parental consent (example, an educator would be forbidden from responding to a student who discloses they're having suicidal thoughts if the student has disclosed this before and the teacher doesn't have the parent's permission to respond)

* as was discussed during this week's hearing on the bill, bans teaching the Nazi's and similar political parties were of low moral character

These are but a few of the provisions of Indiana SB 167.   The bill is called Education Matters 184.175.130.101.

For now let me say this.    This shows a lack of respect and trust in educators and it flies in the face of providing a healthy, comprehensive and fact based public education for children, to the detriment of their growth.

Dick

Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door - Unions and Assns.

 In recent times the word union/association as it pertains to public schools has evoked, among many, a negative connotation.    Whether the naysayers think that unions/associations are simply out to make big bucks or that they are merely protecting union/association members they haven't been paying attention to events in the past three years in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona.

The strikes in the above three states have proven that public school unions/associations are more concerned with other teacher and student issues beyond pay.   Yes, some of the issues do involve pay and benefits but a closer examination of these strikes is warranted.

Class size, types of teacher assignments (ie assigning a person to a subject area they aren't qualified to teach), curriculum development, tying teacher pay to test scores, and the incursion of charter schools into the areas served by the neighborhood schools are all current issues that unions/associations see as impacting them.    Guess what?   They should be concerned!!

Administrators and school boards, if they were to function without union/association input and influence, would likely move in a negative direction with regard to the issues in the previous paragraph.

As a person who has negotiated in good faith with school boards and their attorneys, cooperation to the benefit of all can be achieved.   

Dick

The Wolf is 'Still' at the Schoolhouse Door!!

 The Supreme Court's 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME said that public employees do not have to pay fees to unions to cover the cost of the union undertaking collective bargaining.   And yes, this decision has led to a decline in union membership in schools.

What is the real reason for those siding with and funding the above endeavor?   Was it really going after tenured teachers?    Was it meant simply to lower the number of public employees (in this case public school teachers) who participate in unions?    The answer to these questions and others is simple...NO!    

The real reason people wanted the outcome they desired is that they wanted unions to collect less money so that the unions wouldn't be able to fund political activities...traditionally Democratic candidates.    Now, I must say this is rich given the fact that we now have a Citizens United case settled by the Supreme Court that essentially says that there is an open faucet on the money that can flow to politicans, lobby groups, PAC's and the like.

I'll have more to say on this in tomorrow's posting.

Stay well, Dick