Lost my teaching job today UPDATE page 7

[rumrunnergirl]

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[Jenny in MN]

I'm so sorry to hear this. My district has given lots of pink slips this year as well. Is there any chance you can get on as a substitute? I know the pay isn't nearly the same, and you don't have benefits, but you do get a job that you don't have to take home at the end of the day AND you can take the days off that you need.

 

[Pembo]

So sorry to hear about your teaching job...keep the faith that with retirements and such, you'll be recalled.

 

[andrews_dad]

So sorry to hear it. I worry every year about my position as Guidance Counselor. When the red pen comes out to slash positions, Guidance is often one of the first to go.

 

[tinkabella627]

Roadtripper, I feel your pain. I am waiting for the news here in NJ. We are loosing 15.2 teachers (God only knows how they are going to cut 0.2 teachers!) at my school alone. I am a 4th year... I left a 13yr career in chemistry to teach and took a big pay cut. If only these cuts in NJ had held off a year I would be fairly safe, but because they are now... ugh. I and many other non-tenured here are worried. We found out yesterday that we won't know until mid May.... the absolute LAST day they can tell us under our contract.

Sending virtual ((huggs)) your way. I hope it works out for you, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers... hope you will keep me in yours.

Don't you just love how they will wait until the last day possible, making it harder for you to get another teaching job because, at least around here, most other districts have already done many many interviews for the next year.

 

[Tanzanite]

I am so sorry it is dreadful how so many teachers will lose jobs Ithink its so sad that are childrens education does not seem to be a priority .Iworry for the children i dont know how many teachers in our district are to be let go i feel very sad.

 

[blessedmom4]

Prayers and sympathy for you!

 

[dpayne1969]

prayers going out for a new job for you soon!

 

[Amandaj0831]

I am sorry. I teach in TX and many have lost or will lose their jobs here as well. I am very nervous myself because we are a small school and dont know yet about next year. Finding a new position is also very hard here as well. I hope you find something quickly

 

[disneydreamertoo]

I am glad to hear you are a women of faith! The Lord will provide and even though it feels so bad you have to stay positive. Let this be a time of some serious prayer to be led to what is best for your life. Maybe the Lord has something very special in store for you that has nothing to do with education. Go to your strengths and interest--try that job that you always were interested in but never pursued!

I'm a teacher also--and if this ever happens to me--I know that the Lord will provide. I may have to downsize--but I know my happiness doesn't depend on the size of my house or what car I drive or what vacations I can take! The Lord is good and He will take care of you and your loved ones. Keep your faith! You and all the other teachers that are facing cutbacks are in our prayers! May God bless you!

 

[Pastamom]

I am so sorry to hear that. Prayers for you and your family.
Good luck.

 

[smidgy]

I notice everyone put an immediate racial spin on my comments. Perhaps your true colors are showing? The very simple fact is most education systems in the world at some point start to filter out poor performing students. You are either on the college track, or something else. Trade schools are the next logical destination for those that have different skills, or different career goals. Completely dropping out is the third option. Maybe dead weight was a harsh term

Give every kid a fair and equal education. But at some point, you need to see returns on your investment. There are plenty of kids who don't want to be in school, are sucking time and energy away from students who do want to be there. Why not make everyone happy and show them the door? It would save billions. There are also plenty of kids who already know they want to be a mechanic or construction, or some other skill that doesn't need another year of history, language, and gym forced upon them. Why force them to delay their true calling just because an arbitrary law says they have to be in school.

show them the door? this is "true colors showing". I think the Council for Exceptional Children would disagree, as anyone in Special Education.

education in the United States is NOT a business. Thomas Edison was considered "dead weight". the term used for him was "addled" (which mean "empty") the educators of that time did not want him wasting their time!

many teens do not know what they want. at the time, they don't want o waste their time in school . why not get rid of them?
I had a friend who was expelled from one school, he was a mite lost and confused. he went on to get a PHD in Mathematics!
many kids with learning disabilites are not even diagnosed. all they know is that school is an unhappy place for them. often, Behavior disorders and learning disabilites
present themselves concurrently.
I, for one, would rather not give up on these kids because (whatever their race, and yes, many are white) they live in a gang affected city, or have less than stellar family situations.
of course we need construction workers, mechanics, house keepers, waitresses, etc. and there is nothing wrong with these profession. (I am a waitress, by the way).
I just don't think they need to have this decision made for them at age 15 or 16, becasue they aren't showing as much promise as the kids from the affluent suburbs, whose parents aren't working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet.
we all know of the "golden boy" in high school, who peaks early, and goes downhill from there, and the troubled, learning disabled teen who peaks later and becomes very sucessful.
and often, in the success stories,there is a caring teacher who took the time to guide the troubled youth
I'm not willing to show any youth "the door".

 

[smidgy]

Nobody said the color of your skin should determine your future. (Although you appear to be saying that) You can pretend it isn't happening all you want, but U26 is an awful school district. They are bankrupt. Why not spend money on kids who want to be there? Every other country in the world does it. And U26 also pulls from Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates. It has nothing to do with where you live, but everything to do with your desire to learn. Lets face it, some people just use school as a place to hangout and conduct drug deals. Why should my tax dollars support them. I'd rather more dollars per student go to those who want to learn.

of course I know the dividing lines of the school districs in Northern Illinois. and, yes, many areas of Schaumburg and Hoffmans Estates have a high gang presence.
It sounds like you think the money should not even be wasted in 26 at all, and channeled to "high preforming" districts, lke Barrington. (now if only you could get rid of those pesky Carpentersville kids from the Northeast end of Cville that are in the Barrington district)
IN fact, why don't we just take all the money away from the south side of Chicago, too. after all, it would be better spent in Winetka, Kenniworth, etc etc.

 

[southbarringtonjen]

of course I know the dividing lines of the school districs in Northern Illinois. and, yes, many areas of Schaumburg and Hoffmans Estates have a high gang presence.
It sounds like you think the money should not even be wasted in 26 at all, and channeled to "high preforming" districts, lke Barrington. (now if only you could get rid of those pesky Carpentersville kids from the Northeast end of Cville that are in the Barrington district)
IN fact, why don't we just take all the money away from the south side of Chicago, too. after all, it would be better spent in Winetka, Kenniworth, etc etc.

Why are you focusing on rich vs. poor? I made zero mention of this. A rich kid or a poor kid have the same curriculum. They are learning the same material. Being poor doesn't give you less capacity to learn. Although that seems to be the disturbing theory you are presenting.

My point is simple. It has nothing to do with race or money. I guess everyone in England is racist according to you, because they have the exact system I have described. At 16 you take a test to see if you continue on with high school. Earlier you start taking courses to prepare you for this, or start to divert to other areas of concentration. At 16, assuming you made it that far, you take your A levels for another 2 years which are working toward college admission.

Give everyone a fair and broad education, and at some point start to weed kids out. This is by choice or performance. Nobody the last 2 years of high school is there who don't want to be. Teachers aren't being paid to be baby sitters for drug dealers and the lazy. Most other countries have a similar approach. And guess what... their test scores prove it works. Almost every other benchmark country has higher test scores in math and science.

Guess what, I used to live in Carpentersville. So stop your pity party. The affluent districts aren't teaching anything different than the poor districts. Everyone gets the same chance. So why not reward those who took advantage and applied themselves, and free up classroom dollars from the drug dealers to those who want an education.

 

[smidgy]

firstly, I am on no pity party. we had a very nice, house in Algonquin, which we had built. my kids attended schools in Algnoquin.
as empty nesters, we sold that and had a new townhosue built in Carpentersville.
I am not saying racist. Whatever the race, there are kids who do better than others. but, statistically, the ones in the poorer areas or bigger cities do less well than those in the more affluent areas.
but even jacobs (Algonquin) or Crystal Lake south or barrington high school will have under achievers, learning disabilities, and behaviour disorders.
I don't agree with the system they use in England. many students do not "test" well. I took 2 classes in tests and measurements, and it is my belief that a score shows a measurement on that particular test at that particular time.
tests were meant to be a "gauge", not a be all and end all; ; (although they did start to become that with the "no child Left Behind".)definitely not to determine a youths whole future. not to pigeon hole them into a future they don't even know if they want.
My goodness.. there are tons of students who don't even know their potential until after they reach college age. they attend community college, and THEN find their niche!
(many of whom, had you judged them at age 16, no one would think they had any potential.)
I believe in continually encouraging children and teenagers; not giving up on them as lost causes and "showing them the door".

 

[jlima]

Another teacher lost his position, and is bumping me.

So, can you bump someone else? I hope it works out for you.

 

[southbarringtonjen]

I believe in continually encouraging children and teenagers; not giving up on them as lost causes and "showing them the door".

That is great. I just don't want to be the one paying for Bobby to "find himself". 50% of Americans have zero tax liability. Every federal dollar to education has to count. At some point, my tax dollars are better spent on someone learning calculus than helping them blossom. Nobody is stopping you from doing it on your own dime, just stop expecting me to pay to see if the proven dud eventually blooms. The next time a teacher is stabbed, just remember you funded that cancer on society. I wanted him "shown the door".

 

[smidgy]

That is great. I just don't want to be the one paying for Bobby to "find himself". 50% of Americans have zero tax liability. Every federal dollar to education has to count. At some point, my tax dollars are better spent on someone learning calculus than helping them blossom. Nobody is stopping you from doing it on your own dime, just stop expecting me to pay to see if the proven dud eventually blooms. The next time a teacher is stabbed, just remember you funded that cancer on society. I wanted him "shown the door".

um, like the high achieving student at Northern, who opened fire on a classroom?

all I am saying is you can't lump all who score under a certain amount on a test into one group, and kick them out.

you have not responded to anyof my points. not the thomas edison one. not the point of sepcial education in the United States (of which Pres. John kennedy was a forerunner) not even the point where you said I was on a pity party because I live in Carpentersville (you assumed my kids attended school here.)
Special Education is alive and well in the United States. teachers and parents worked very hard in the 60's and 70's to make it so. I am not talking about little Johnny "finding himself", or waiting for students to "blossom". I am talking about programs that have finally become the norm in this country. providing every child with the opportunity of an education, despite their disabilities.
no, WE taxpayers don't have to pay until bobby "finds himself". you said age 16, in England. here, in this country, we pay for their educaton until 17 or 18. (senior year) but they won't make it to communtiy college if they are "kicked out" at age 16.
I had the opportunity to visit many schools when I was on the school improvement teams, design teams, etc in district 300 (when I kids were school age). many schools had MANY more amenities, computers, advanced technologies, etc, than others. the dedicated teachers at the schools with less funding did their best with what they had. (and, it IS fair, it I pay much higher property taxes for my larger home, that I would want those monies to go for the district in which I live. this is not a socialist society, after all).
and, of course, parental involvement helps a ton. not all parents are fortunate enough to have stay-at-home mom (as I was fortunate enough to be) to have the time to be so involved. who can be on committes when you have 2 jobs?
but you are taking this a step further. you want even LESS money to go to the poorer districts (say, the farming districts in central Illinois, the larger cities, etc.), give the boot to the lesser performing students, and funnel the money into the districts with higher performance?
( and, of course,students whose behavior gets to the point of becoming a threat, ie. juvenile delinquents, are turned over to local authorities) I never implied that we need to "coddle" students who stab their teachers.
I just mean that you are singling out one situation, and using it as a blanket generalization to back up an "elitist" atitude that would deny any children with learning and/or behavior disabilites their constitutional right to an education in this country.
(and, FYI, none of my children or relatives's children, or friend's children fell into these categories)

 

[southbarringtonjen]

you have not responded to anyof my points.

You seem to be changing your argument. My original point has nothing to do with special education. Nobody is suggesting not having special ed. I have a relative who participates in special ed, and they operate outside the normal rules anyway allowing students to stay in high school longer. Special ed can continue to do what it does. My point is directed to the 17 and 18 year old low lifes that occupy schools simply because they legally have to attend. Special Ed is a unique situation, and have their own grants and funding to work with those students.

I also make zero mention of giving more affluent schools more money. You are constantly making the argument something I never said. Nobody is suggesting you divide up the pot to other schools, just give your school a better chance at serving its hard working students by starting to eliminate those that have no desire to be there and a few who just aren't destined for further academic pursuits.

My point again, is very simple. Each school gets a set amount of money. Use the same method we use today. However, after 2 years of high school, start to divert students to other opportunities. After 10 years of school it is fairly obvious who is heading on to an immediate career that requires further schooling. Other than those that want to drop out, nobody is being denied an education. It is up to you to find those alternatives, such as trade school, home school, private education.

Education is free, but that shouldn't mean we should have to pay for everyone. Do you honestly think it is a good idea to pay for students who are a distraction, or worse, a danger to other students? We gave them 10 years of schooling, and if they choose to do something else why pay to keep them there?

As to Thomas Edison or any other example you care to bring up, it also further proves that you can do great things outside our free education system. If after 10 years you are still pulling straight F's, there is no way being a poor test taker is to blame. You aren't college material at this point in your life, and we should stop paying to prepare you for that. Move on with your life, find what you are good at, just not with my dime.

I'll say it again, most every other country in the world does this. US high school students aren't learning as much as the rest of the world. It is time to change that, and removing the distractions is a good first start.

 

[Teacher03]

I am so sorry! I fear I will be in the same boat next year; I teach in a Catholic school which is in danger of closing after the next school year. Hopefully something will open up for you.