The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do

Via

This piece was inspired by a heated discussion I had with a man who believes that teachers have an easy job. Please feel free to share it with others if you agree with the message.

I used to be a molecular biologist. I spent my days culturing viruses. Sometimes, my experiments would fail miserably, and I’d swear to myself in frustration. Acquaintances would ask how my work was going. I’d explain how I was having a difficult time cloning this one gene. I couldn’t seem to figure out the exact recipe to use for my cloning cocktail.

Acquaintances would sigh sympathetically. And they’d say, “I know you’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.”

And then, they’d tilt their heads in a show of respect for my skills….

Today, I’m a high school teacher. I spend my days culturing teenagers. Sometimes, my students get disruptive, and I swear to myself in frustration. Acquaintances ask me how my work is going. I explain how I’m having a difficult time with a certain kid. I can’t seem to get him to pay attention in class.

Acquaintances smirk knowingly. And they say, “well, have you tried making it fun for the kids? That’s how you get through to them, you know?”

And then, they explain to me how I should do my job….

I realize now how little respect teachers get. Teaching is the toughest job everyone who’s never done it thinks they can do. I admit, I was guilty of these delusions myself. When I decided to make the switch from “doing” science to “teaching” science, I found out that I had to go back to school to get a teaching credential.

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4 reasons educators must get in the game and fight ALEC

We mentioned some of the radical education policies ALEC was seeking to push in up coming legislative sessions, here are 4 reasons educators must get in the game and fight ALEC

1. ALEC puts the profits of corporations before the welfare of students. Virtual schools and for-profit charters do NOT do all that a neighborhood school can do—so why does its Virtual Public Schools Act insist those corporate ventures should receive the same public funding?
2. ALEC thinks its corporate members know better than your community how to run your schools. A common theme throughout ALEC education bills is to reduce local control of parents and democratically elected school boards.
3. ALEC would have you giving more standardized tests. When they say they want to” apply marketplace standards” to education, they mean they want to increase the reliance on standardized testing to judge student and teacher performance.
4. ALEC thinks corporations deserve “a voice and a vote” (their words) more than U.S. citizens do! Although it has disbanded its highly controversial Public Safety and Elections Task Force, the damage has been done: an estimated 5 million eligible voters will have a more difficult time exercising their right to vote in the 2012 election.

For more on how you can get invovled, you can go here.

Frank Jackson's plan circa 1970

It's backwards

Cleveland Metropolitan Schools CEO Eric Gordon has been given the job of trying to sell everyone on Mayor Frank Jackson's plan for revitalizing Northeast Ohio's largest school system.

Gordon tells WTAM 1100 that the administration and teachers union both need to work together on what the mayor proposes, saying, "We have to be careful to modernize the work rules in a way that's respectful to adults."

The work rules, via collective bargaining, are modern and respect adults. Collective bargaining was brought to the education profession in Ohio in 1983. Before that it was the wild west of management whims. Collective bargaining modernized that system. Why Frank Jackson thinks going back to the old failed ways of doing things is the solution to Cleveland Schools is a mystery.

Mutual trust and respect involves collaborating with educators before you release your plan to send labor relations back to the 1970's.

HB153 Whodunnit

The Excellent Ohio Budget Watch

Rumors have been swirling ever since the budget was passed out of committee about where the amendments that removed a lot of the oversight of charter schools came from. They have been some very clear allegations that these changes were made to appease two specific donors of the Republican party, David Brennan and William Lager, who both operate charter schools in Ohio. Combined they have donated over $4 million to Republican candidates. As we covered yesterday, Innovation Ohio released a report that connected the dots between these two donors and the changes made in the budget. It looks like Innovation Ohio isn't the only one who thinks these changes were made to appease these two charter school owners. In fact one very prominent charter school advocated isn't hiding his opinion on the matter either.

Read the whole piece

This needs investigating. There is growing concern and evidence that pay to play is involved. If you have any information or tips please send them along in complete confidence to admin@jointhefuture.org