I am a teacher, not a "glorified babysitter"!!!!(more info and a thank you post # 52)

[chager]

I have been a substitute for PK-12 and I have also worked in a daycare before. In our area we have a state funded "preK" program for families that qualify. (Subbed in it too for a while through our school district) I was extremely disappointed in it. As far as I am concerned it is a glorified babysitting job with restrictions! We were not allowed to "teach" a child how to write there name or letters. If the child wanted to then we could giude them, but not really correct them. I do know some teachers did it anyway, but risked being written up over it. The daycare I worked at actually had lesson plans everyday and they taught children how to write their name, colors, shapes, letters, etc.! Go figure. We also have some super private PK programs in our area. (My son did attend PK and came home with "homework" every week.) When a child enters K here he/she is EXPECTED to know how to write their name, colors, the alpabet,shapes, numbers to 20, how to cut and paste close to the lines, and a couple other things. The children that come from the private PK programs usually know this, the state funded kids know a little of it, and most (NOT ALL, there are some parents that do work their children at home) kids with no PK at all know none of it.
I agree with the poster earlier that said PK is what K-1 used to be. When I went to K that is where we learned all the skills learned in PK now. I know that they are considering making PK mandatory in our area.
So, do I consider a PK teacher a real teacher? Yes I do! There are some that act like glorified babysitters, but there are 7th grade teachers that act the same way! (Know of a few!)
I have been "looked down on" for being a sub in the past. After all I'm not a "real" teacher according to some people. I am just entrusted with making sure kids stay out of trouble for a day I have had "real" teachers tell me that I couldn't sit at the same lunch table becuase it was reserved for the "real" teachers so they could talk about their day. At this point I just consider the source and pray for the students they teach. The majority of teachers I know are not like that though. They are thankful when they see a sub in their building. These same teachers also know it is not what grade or subject you teach that defines if you are a teacher or not.
Blondy - Keep doing what you do and ignore ignorant people.

My kitten has decided I have typed too much and is demanding attention. Please forgive any speeling issues it had been hard typing around her

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I'm using every skill I was ever taught or developed on my own. Once you get beyond the basics, teaching is an art. Yes, you have to know your subject/curriculum and keep current on new technology,but the ability to impart that knowledge is the variable that truly defines a teacher. And folks, it isn't the same for every kid. Therein lies the art. My goal for each student is that they feel capable, and see a return on their involvement in my class. To put a child who may be feeling limited success in other areas into a situation where they can shine in front of their classmates (and sometimes to rein in a child who is overstepping...but gently). To make sure each kid gets as much out of the program as they can...

I'm a professional. I also happen to love my job...

How eloquently expressed - and true at every level!

I've taught every level in grades 7-12 and have fallen in love with 7th grade. However, I too have had to deal with nearly constant put-downs from *ahem* colleagues in my own district - and department - who feel that Middle School is too "fun" for students to learn effectively. While the MS staff has been proactively taking additional courses and workshops, redesigning curriculum to meet all students' needs and help them all foster a personal sense of success as well as achievement RE: state standards, the majority of HS teachers have refused to change 20+ year-old practices and simply keep pointing the finger at the next level down, claiming that their own poor results are our fault (despite great achievement in our classes and state assessments). It drives me nuts that any of us has to endure such insults from those who should know better. On a good day, I choose to ignore it; on a bad day, though, I think some very uncharitable thoughts...

We do not have any kind of taxpayer-funded pre-K programs here, though heaven knows we desperately need them. We are a very poor, rural district with a high adult illiteracy rate, which combine to form a population that does not appreciate the value of a strong education. The year before my DS entered Kindergarten, the district considered cutting the entire K year to reduce our budget!! - Thank God that didn't happen. As it was, DS's teacher told me that several students in his class could not write a single letter, let alone spell their names. Our principal showed us some statistics last year (sorry - I don't know the source) that showed that most dropouts could be identified as early as third grade. If that does not prove the importance of early childhood education, I don't know what will. I'm deeply sorry - angry, too - that pre-K teachers are not given the respect they deserve as a crucial part of the entire education process.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have been "looked down on"... in the past. After all I'm not a "real" teacher according to some people. I am just entrusted with making sure kids stay out of trouble for a day I have had "real" teachers tell me that I couldn't sit at the same lunch table because it was reserved for the "real" teachers....

Wow! Just the point I was making in my post!!! What a perfect example!!! (I was so afraid that I would be flamed)

My goodness, this does not look like a group of mature experienced professionals, sounds more like lunch in a middle school cafeteria!!!

 

[swilphil]

I taught high school for 14 years. I could handle 120 teenagers everyday, but my one Pre-K son at home sometimes throws me for a loop. I do believe that Pre-K is extremely important. It's definitely not glorified babysitting. The preschool teachers my son has are truly gifted. I realize that it's setting the foundation for his future education.

 

[cristit14]

I value all teachers from pre K all the way up. Teaching is an incredibly important job that doesn't get the respect it deserves. I think that having a good teacher in the lower grades especially can help your kids have good attitudes towards school. My two kids are ready for school to start again and we still have 4 weeks to go.

 

[cheerful chickadee]

I'm sorry you had to deal with the unpleasant comments, that was rude, ignorant and down right snotty of those ladies to say to you. Anyone that can handle a roomful of little ones, get them to settle down AND teach them gets my respect.

 

[disneymom3]

I can totally relate to what you are saying. In MN, elementary teachers and daycare teachers have the same amount of education and are treated so incredibly differently it is appalling. My sister and I graduated the same year from the same college. I chose to go into early childhood ed because that is where my heart called me. She is a 5th grade teacher. Our first year out in the world, I made $14,000 a year and she made $27,000. I worked 40 hours a week with the kids and still did lesson planning, conferences etc during addtional hours. I was also required to put in 40 hours a year in continuing ed. I got no health ins benefits, no sick days and one week of paid vacation a year. My sister had the kids 6.5 hours a day and then did lesson planning, correcting papers etc, however, she also had a prep time of 1 hour a day and her class went to music, library, computer, art etc and she did not accompany them to any of those. She had a retirement plan, health insurance, sick days, personal days and had summers off. She has to do 125 hours of continuing ed every 5 years. (that is only 25 hours a year) and most of that is provided by her school on days when the kids are not there. And yet, she would complain about how stressful her job was. Because I was with 2 year olds, I was not given any credit for having a stressful or important job. (Not just be my sister either, let me tell you.)

Now, while I personally do not agree with teaching little ones that young to read and write, etc (But, hey, I homeschool so I am a rebel anyway.)I am appalled by the attitude of those teachers, but not at all surprised by it. Did they not hear of all of the brain research that shows that children's brains are pretty much formed in how they will learn and their ability to take in new information before the age of 6? If it weren't for teachers like you getting kids ready for all of that learning (not to mention all the nonacademic stuff you have to do--like how to raise your hand, line up, what to do in the school bathroom, how to sit still without poking your neighbor, etc etc etc) HOW do these teachers think these kids would manage to function in upper grades.

I am sorry they were so rude to you. You have an important job, but there is a lot of devaluing of other people in our society. Heck, I am thankful for everyone from the college president to my garabage man!

 

[Tinkertude]

Around here if it quacks like a duck it's a duck. I say you sound like a dedicated and much needed part of the school system soooo you must be a REAL teacher and we thank you.

 

[delilah]

In my opinion, the very best teachers my son has had so far have been his pre-school and kindergarten teachers. They had wonderful personalities, and helped all the kids in the class develop to the best of their capacities. I am sure that these ladies are the reason why at each grade level, only one or two students at most fails ISTEP, as opposed to more than half at some of the public schools in the area. (I can accept that maybe one child might not be able to perform up to that standard due to developmental issues specific to that child). All of my son's teachers have been good.

 

[JoyG]

Source? I have never heard such a statistic. It doesn't seem accurate to me, but, of course, I could be wrong. It sounds like one of the made up social statisics to ge grant funding.

http://www.sdpb.org/Archives/ProgramDetail_learning.asp?ProgID=2405

"Several studies have been done to demonstrate the benefits of preschool. The most well-known is the Perry Preschool study, which is a long-term research project that started over 30 years ago. This study compared one group of children who attended a good quality preschool and a group that had no preschool. All the children came from the same disadvantaged neighborhood in Michigan and all had IQ scores in the below average range. The researchers have been following these children for the past 30 years. They have found that compared with the group that did not attend preschool, those who did attend preschool needed fewer Special Education services, spent less time in jail, were more likely to graduate from High School and go on to college, had more successful marriages, spent less time on welfare, and earned higher salaries. The studies found that for every $1.00 we spend on quality preschools we save $7.00 later in the cost of Special Education Services, welfare and jail costs. Steven Barnett, a nationally recognized economist, addressed a newly formed statewide Early Childhood Taskforce in Pierre this August. He told the group that spending money on preschool was one of the best returns on the dollar any one could make. It is sound financial practice. He cited other studies, such as the Abecedarian Study and the Chicago Preschool Study, which have produced similar findings to the Perry Preschool Study."



Nope, not just a made up statistic.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Thanks Joy! I appreciate the link! Interesting. I was wondering about the pool of participants. I will google it tomorrow when my head isn't pounding! There is nothing like a good study.