Socyberty » teaching

Is Your Special Education Child Actually Being Served?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:42:02 +0000

First of all, I would like to let you know that there are many special education teachers who, day in and day out advocate for special education children, and teach your child to the best of their abilities. The fact is that these teachers are not being supported, and are being made to put their license on the line, and first and foremost serve the local high-profile students first. What do I mean by high-profile students? I mean students whose parents are school administrators, lawyers, local politicians, or work for some other local high-profile organization. That’s right, if you are not one of these parents, then you need to investigate whether or not your child is being served properly, according to his IEP. The excuse that the administration give the teachers for this behavior, is that they do not have enough money to hire enough special education teachers. Let me take a moment here and educate you as to what that statement actually means. Not having enough money does not mean that the state or the city does not have enough money to hire teachers. What it means is that they did not budget enough money to hire the teachers necessary to accomplish the balanced service of special education students. They have budgeted many thousands of dollars in states such as South Carolina, for roads, highways, and research to stop flooding on city streets, and at the same time laid off teachers. Oh, of course they don’t call it a layoff, they cover that by calling teachers positions slots, and just tell you the parents that there are no slots left. The parents tend to buy into what the school system says, because the school system is very good at covering their tracks. At this point you may be asking how I know these things, and where I was able to acquire my information. I have been a special education teacher in two states and in at least three major counties. I have relatives who are teachers in other states, so my information is about as inside as it gets. In fact you can hang your hat on it. As I am writing this I am in contact with state officials and am trying to create a task force for this very purpose. I don’t know if I will be able to pull this off without the backing of many parents with children having special needs, and attending public schools. Now that you understand that I am in contact with many special education teachers, I want you to know the unbelievable truth, and that is that when these teachers complain that they are serving high-profile cases, and they are not able to find the time to serve others, that do not have parents in high places, they are threatened, they are told that they will lose their jobs if they say the wrong thing, they are given extra work to do, sometimes in an attempt to have teachers quit if they rock the boat. The teacher knows that the administration will not back them and that their licenses on the line. Yet they also know that they will be fired if they say or do the wrong thing. Many teachers have contacted me in tears, and believe me it is not just one or two, nor is it just one school system, but many. The sole purpose of this article is to let you know the truth, so that if you have a child who is in special education and you are not one of those high-profile cases, the first thing you should do after reading this article is get on the telephone with your school system and find out exactly what services your child is getting, and when they are getting them. some of you will be shocked to find that your child may not have been served properly for many months. The heart of the law that protects our special education students is based on equality. If the state does not have enough teachers to be in compliance with the law, shame on them. I would call your governor’s office, your senator’s office, your state education office, and let your legislators know how you feel about the situation. Don’t stand silent, silence does not change things. Although the school system itself is completely upside down and a mess, overall throughout the country, it is in the area of special education that we fail I students the most. Don’t believe for a moment that is the teachers fault when children don’t learn, and that we have to create programs to keep good teachers and classrooms, and get rid of the bad ones. The truth is good teachers are being taken out of classrooms by mandated education, and in services that they have to perform or they will not be able to keep their certification. When good teachers are not in classrooms, children don’t learn. we all have heard it said that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, well, I am telling you it does. I have found many cases where special education students have not been served properly since October or November of 2011. if I were a parent of a special education student, I would certainly want to know if it was my child they were talking about. Because the teachers have integrity, and because of the privacy laws, the teachers I interviewed could not give names, dates, or any information other than an overall picture of what is happening to the students and how the administration is putting the pressure on the teachers to comply with the administration’s political agenda. Being an investigative reporter with integrity, I have withheld all names of school systems, teachers, and administrators who were honest enough, and caring enough to help get this warning out to parents of special needs children.

93% of Our Children Know Their Molesters

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:09:45 +0000

Coaches, Teachers, Preachers, Priest…so many people that parents trust with the kids. That is why it is sooooooo important for parents to talk and LISTEN to their kids daily. Ask them about their day. Watch their behavior and report anything suspicious. If the school doesnt act go to the police. I do know for a fact that the police wil send you back to the school and tell yo to report it to the school police…It happened when I was a foster mom. But I demanded a report be taken. I didnt allow them to turn me away. A parent has to be the childs voice. They have no one else to do it for them

Over 56,000 cases of child sexual abuse were reported and substantiated in 2007.

As many as one in three girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused at some point in their childhood.

In as many as 93% of child sexual abuse cases, the child knows the person that commits the abuse.

Most perpetrators are acquaintances, but as many as 47% are family or extended family.

Approximately 30% of cases are reported to authorities. These are SAD facts……only 30% reported….Abusers are bullies…We have got to LISTEN to the children….

Facts about Sex Offenders

Let us see how much we know-and see how much of what we think has been based on the myths we have all heard about sexual assault and sex offenders. Take 5 minutes to complete the True or False Quiz:

Most men who commit sexual offenses do not know their victim. False. 90% of child victims know their offender, with almost half of the offenders being a family member. Of sexual assaults against people age 12 and up, approximately 80% of the victims know the offender.

Most sexual assaults are committed by someone of the same race as the victim. True. Most sexual assaults are committed by someone of the same race as the victim. An exception to this is that people who commit sexual assault against Native Americans are usually not Native American (American Indians and Crime, 1999).

Most child sexual abusers use physical force or threat to gain compliance from their victims. False. In the majority of cases, abusers gain access to their victims through deception and enticement, seldom using force. Abuse typically occurs within a long-term, ongoing relationship between the offender and victim and escalates over time.

Most child sexual abusers find their victims by frequenting such places as schoolyards and playgrounds.

False. Most child sexual abusers offend against children whom they know and with whom they have established a relationship. Many sexual assaults of adult women are considered “confidence rapes,” in that the offender knows the victim and has used that familiarity to gain access to her.

Only men commit sexual assault. False. While most sex offenders are male, sometimes sex offenses are committed by female offenders.

Child sexual abusers are only attracted to children and are not capable of appropriate sexual relationships.

False. While there is a small subset of child sexual abusers who are exclusively attracted to children, the majority of the individuals who sexually abuse children are (or have previously been) attracted to adults.

Victims of sexual assault are harmed only when offenders use force.

False. More than any physical injuries the victim sustains, the violation of trust that accompanies most sexual assaults has been shown to dramatically increase the level of trauma the victim suffers. Emotional and psychological injuries cause harm that can last much longer than physical wounds.

If a child does not tell anyone about the abuse, it is because he or she must have consented to it. False. Children often do not tell for a variety of reasons including the offender’s threats to hurt or kill someone the victim loves, as well as shame, embarrassment, wanting to protect the offender, feelings for the offender, fear of being held responsible or being punished, fear of being disbelieved, and fear of losing the offender who may be very important to the child or the child’s family.

It is common for both child and adult victims of sexual assault to wait some time before telling someone about the abuse. True. It is common for victims of sexual assault to wait some time before telling someone. When the person was assaulted as a child, he or she may wait years or decades. The reasons for this are numerous: victims may want to deny the fact that someone they trusted could do this to them; they may want to just put it behind them; they may believe the myth that they caused the assault by their behavior; or they may fear how other people will react to the truth.

If someone sexually assaults an adult, he will not target children as victims, and if someone sexually assaults a child, he will not target adults. False. Research and anecdotal evidence indicate that while some sex offenders choose only one type of victim (e.g., prepubescent girls, post-pubescent boys, adult women, etc.), others prey on different types of victims. Therefore, no assumptions should be made about an offender’s victim preference and precautions should be taken regardless of his crime of conviction.

It helps the victim to talk about the abuse.

True. The victim’s recovery will be enhanced if she or he feels believed, supported, protected, and receives counseling following the disclosure that s/he was assaulted. However, sexual assault victims should always have the choice about when, with whom, and under what conditions they wish to discuss their experiences.

Sexual gratification is often not a primary motivation for a rape offender.

True. While some offenders do seek sexual gratification from the act, sexual gratification is often not a primary motivation for a rape offender. Power, control, and anger are more likely to be the primary motivators

Offenders could stop their sexually violent behavior on their own if they wanted to.

False. Wanting to change is usually not enough to be able to change the patterns that lead to sexual offenses. To create the motivation to change, some offenders need a variety of treatment and corrective interventions, and for others learning how to make the change in their own behavioral cycle of abuse is more effective.

Men who rape do so because they cannot find a consenting sexual partner.

False. Studies suggest that most rape offenders are married or in consenting relationships.

Drugs and alcohol cause sexual offenses to occur.

False. While drugs and alcohol are often involved in sexual assaults, drugs and alcohol do not cause sexual offenses to occur. Rather, drug and alcohol use may be a disinhibitor for the offender, while being under the influence may increase a potential victim’s vulnerability.

Victims of sexual assault often share some blame for the assault.

False. Adult and child victims of sexual abuse are never to blame for the assault, regardless of their behavior. Because of the age difference, children are unable to legally consent to sexual acts. They are often made to feel like willing participants, which further contributes to their shame and guilt.

If a victim does not say “no” or does not “fight back,” it is not sexual assault.

False. Sexual assault victims may not say “no” or not fight back for a variety of reasons including fear and confusion. Rape victims often report being “frozen” by fear during the assault, making them unable to fight back; other victims may not actively resist for fear of angering the assailant and causing him to use more force in the assault. Pressure to be liked and not be talked about negatively by a peer will sometimes cause adolescents or children to avoid fighting back or actively resisting.

It is time for people to stand up for those that can’t do it for themselves. Why can adults hide behind contracts and say I couldn’t call the police my contract said so? Bull shit!!! When you take on a job working with kids you are morally obligated to protect them.

The government needs to step in and now stay you will be legally obligated as well. Doctors, Teachers, Social workers, Therapists and more are… So should boy and girl scout leaders, sports coaches, foster parents, tutors …anyone that has access to children..

We trust them..they have full access to our children…..They should also be legally obligated to protect them….If they know they are being abused they are just as bad as the abuser…..

They are adult BULLIES…They are Bullying our children..It has got to stop!! Hold them accountable!!!!!!

Be these days the boys are being used and abused by the men that parents trust the most.

Parents need to pay attention when the kids dont want to go to school. practice, church…dont want to be alone with a man…start paying CLOSE attention…. ask questions….dont assume that person YOU trust…is the best person for your child.

Please watch for the signs….If your usually loveable loud happy child is quiet, sad, crying or angry…..ask questions…take them to a counselor…Do not stop asking questions….Find out why he has changed

If you love someone, you make time for them and they make time for you. You feel it and they do. When one of you is hurting, sad, happy, excited or whatever the mood when you are in sync you will know without a single word being said.

This applies to your children as well. When my daughter walks in I can tell when something is on her mind without a word being said. I don’t ignore it. I ask and make time to listen. I let her know she is important to me. You can’t ask someone how their day was then walk away, answer the phone, watch television or start cooking. You have to make time to listen if you ask the question.

Many times people can talk and talk about themselves, but don’t make the time to listen to others. You are no more important than the person listening. Always be observant of those you say you love. If they are unusually quiet, isolated, withdrawn or angry talk to them. Don’t lecture but get them to talk. Listen to what they have to say. You don’t always have to give advice, sometimes all a person needs is someone to listen.

Sometimes all they need is someone to hold them and show they care. Never be to busy for those you claim to love. When my phone rings and my loved ones are talking to me, I let it ring. The television show can wait, the dinner can simmer….when someone you love needs you…and you say you love them…SHOW IT

Saying it all day, all week all year long doesn’t mean a thing …If you aren’t there when it really counts

Know and teach your child the signs of a wrongful touch

Signs of Wrongfull Touch

There are thousands of children’s innocents being violated everyday. The majority of the children that are being wrongfully touched are being wrongfully touched right at home by a family member or a friend of the families. Alot of family members don’t know the signs of misconduct or they overlook the acts of a child thats being wrongfully touched, so in my article through my own experiences of being a child that was wrongfully touched by a family member I hope what I went through will shed a little light on what to look out for:

1.) A child that cry’s continously when you drop them off at a sitters, family members, day care, etc. or cries when you leave them at home with a person and they never use to cry in the past.

2.) When your child tells you that there’s monster in the closet or coming out of a vent and they just can’t sleep because they were told this from the one who is wrongfully touching them.

3.) your child suddenly at night is taking off there clothes and your finding them with no clothes on in the morning.

4.) When your child is suddenly wetting the bed for no apparent reason and they never done that in the past.

5.) If your child is being violated at home your child suddenly is by your side at all times and doesn’t want to leave your side or suddenly they want to start sleeping in your bed with you.

6.) A sign that I noticed is when you ask your child if someone’s doing things to them and they have the look of fear in there eye’s and there very quiet because the one that’s violating them is in the room with both of you when asked.

7.) A dramatic drop in school grades at school and suddenly your getting notices home with your child that there not listening and doing there work during class time.

8.) If your child is female your child will suddenly complain of her private areabeing sore when she uses the restroom or her private area is red routinely even though she was tested for an infection. If male they”ll also complain of there private area hurting as well.

9.) You’ll also notice your child not listening to what there told to do, they have behavioral out breaks and develope an hate attitude towards everything.

10.) You also notice out of no where your child will start calling themselves stupid and they”ll start hitting themselves in the head.

11.) When you child is telling you or someone to touch there private area and giving the private areas nicknames.

12.) When your child is constantly changing there underwear because they feel dirty in that area.

These are a few things that I have experienced and have seen happen with children that have been violated. If you feel your child is being violated don’t be afraid to ask them but do it in a room where no one else is around, reassure your child that it’s ok to tell you and that you wouldn’t get mad and that it’s not there fault, also reassure that if someone told them that they would hurt you or them that is’t not going to happen that it’s all lies, If that’s one thing a violator does is they put fear into children that if they tell that they’ll hurt them or a family member. If your child say’s it’s a family memeber don’t doubt them by thinking no that couldn’t be because I’m sorry to tell you YES it can be and it probably is cause most of the time it happens with in the family. I hope these things that I listed are an eye opener because many people don’t know what to look for or understand why there’s a change in there childs’ behavior and maybe you need to ask yourself if this could be happening to your child.

Be informed. You can check your area. Know who your children are around.

http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Portal.aspx

In California you cn research your area here as well http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/disclaimer.aspx?lang=ENGLISH

The Top 10 Most Embarrassing Things That Can Happen in a Classroom (To a Teacher)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:46:38 +0000

So what are the most embarrassing things that can happen to a teacher in the classroom? What things will turn an educator’s ears red and make them uncomfortable at the least?

1. Unexpected Bodily Functions

It happens to all of us at one point or another, but happening to a teacher, especially in front of younger students, is sure to elicit laughter and a loss of control of the classroom. Belching, passing gas, or any other functions are a quick way for a class to move into chaos.

2. Slip of the Tongue

Not much of a concern to college educators, but to those teaching high school and below, letting slip profanity or the like can often be embarrassing since you’re supposed to be setting an example for your students on how to behave.

3. Falling Down or Tripping

Not only can this be embarrassing but it can be dangerous as classrooms present plenty of places for you to hit your head or hit on your way down that won’t break before you do. It’s one thing to show up to class on crutches, it’s another thing for your students to see the reason you need those crutches.

4. Innuendo

This can be more of a problem with older students, but making a statement with layers of innuendo can be just as bad as cursing or passing gas in the classroom. Diagrams and drawings on the chalkboard that are suggestive can be just as bad.

5. Visible Underwear

More of an issue for female teachers than male, having a bra or panties visible can not only be embarrassing but it can also undermine authority as quickly as anything. Using your mirror of a morning can help avoid this issue.

6. Inaccurate Information

It’s one thing to be off, it’s another thing to be so wrong that your students have to correct you. While some classes leave the answers up to interpretation, many don’t and when you get it wrong even when you have the answers it can be embarrassing.

7. Falling Asleep

Teachers work long hours both in and out of the classroom, dozing off at your while your students do their work is bad, but starting to snore will only make it worse.

8. Food or Liquid on Clothing

Spilling your coffee or getting mustard on your shirt is always embarrassing and no less so when you’re standing in front of a class all day long.

9. Using the Wrong Name

Understandable at the start of the school year, but an issue later in the year and especially when you’re handing out discipline.

10. Clothing Issue

Broken zippers, torn clothing, and surprisingly see-through clothing can all lead to embarrassing moments with your students. Keeping a change of clothes in your desk is a good idea and can help both with damaged clothing or if you spill something on yourself.

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Roberto Sanchez is a staff writer for MastersinEducation.org, where he writes on various education grad topics including online masters in education, jobs & careers. More recently he highlighted the Best TESOL Programs available for students today. Roberto welcomes all feedback on his articles.

So You Want to be a Teacher

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:27:46 +0000

I would like to take a look at some policy issues that have personally affected me as a teacher. I use the following examples so you can understand why so many teachers and educators have had it with the system, and are demanding change. I think this is a good time to say that I understand that some of you reading this are administrators. I also know that some of you, but not enough have been in a class room position long enough in your career to learn the ropes of teaching. It is not you and you alone, it is the foolish nonsensical policies on hiring that is bringing down the system. In fact they are hiring new teachers out of school and letting the real teachers with experience go. They lie and create roadblocks for experienced teachers and are losing them by being disrespectful and treating professionals as if they actually know more than them about teaching. One road block I ran up against is the so called reciprocity due teachers who are certified to teach in other states. If you change states the reciprocity agreements between states is supposed to kick in and make it easier to be certified in the state you are moving to. It sounds good until you realize that you may even have more hoops to jump through to get the piece of paper than if you just came out of a college in the state you are applying to without having a day in the class room, or a bit of experience other than student teaching. The truth is, in South Carolina for instance, don’t trust the state you are coming from, the college you went to, or the fact that that state may have a much higher education level and be state of the art in comparison. Other states who claim to have reciprocity agreements are usually just as stupid. I say stupid because the states all are on their own and seem to think they are on top of everything, and we already see that South Carolina is not. Not that the others are far behind, they are not. All of this state pride and policy hurts the student’s and the schools in the long run. Good teachers don’t get the same credentials or teaching areas even if they are known specialists in a field. The education system looks at a book with questions and answers, and when you ask them something about certification you get an answer that is obviously a universal answer for all cases instead of an answer that would take a little brain energy to come up with it on their own. I know policy is written, but it supposed to be a guideline and a starting place. Not an end all. You will see in the letter I share with you later in this chapter how foolish the Charleston school system looked when policy was more important than the fact that a good teacher was found for the student’s. In other words some of the folks in the education system should actually think and use their brains rather than just read back a written rule. Students and teachers are not written and programmed, they are thinking beings. The system needs to understand that the thing on their shoulders is not just a hat rack!

By now we know that is not true and the pyramid is still upside down. Believe it or not the office workers and the principle make more money than the teachers. I wonder if the medical office manager makes more than the Doctor. The best way for me to share my horrible experience with the South Carolina school system is to let you read the correspondence between them and me. Before you read it I want you to understand that I worked for years with students with Autism and I made a change from one county in South Carolina as a special education teacher for a high school to an Itinerant position working with Autistic students in another county. At the end of the year after taking the job which was advertised as a full time job in good faith they refused to give me a contract due to what they said was financial reasons. I than interviewed for two positions that I was qualified for and was told they were mine both times. The first job had me believing that I was set to go back after the summer and sign a contract. I lost all the time during crucial months of job hunting for another teaching position over the summer due to the fact that I was told the position I interviewed for was mine. A few days before school started, personnel said that the school did not follow policy and I did not have a job. Of course I had to go directly to the superintendent of school to get anyone to have the decency to even call me on the telephone and explain it. As if that was not enough I interviewed the first week of school for another open position and was told I was their choice. You got it, the human resources department intervened and again I was out of a job. This happened to me not once, but twice. While this was happening to me I was smart enough to get excellent references from the teacher’s I worked with last year just in case I had to go to court. I know as well as anyone that lying is part of the norm with the school system, and I was not taken the chance of having the administrators or anyone else say I was not given a contract due to not doing my job well. If you are reading this I hope you learn a lesson. Keep copies of everything, emails and meeting notes as well as references just in case. The School systems are lieing to parents and trying to look good doing it by hiring new teachers out of college and saying that they are filling open positions that were opened when teachers retired or left the county. Don’t believe it. They don’t want to pay my salary or yours if you are a gifted and experienced teacher. You cost too much! They don’t want to pay your salary and the state doesn’t want to pay your retirement. Don’t believe the nonsense they say and write about in papers. It is just their way of cheeping out on your children, and your taxes. Here is the letter I sent to the Superintendent of Schools.

XXXXXXX School District

Dear xxxxxxxx,

I am XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, I was an Autism Itinerant for XXXXXXXXX county Schools for the school year 2010-2011. I started work for XXXXXXXXXX County on October 12th of 2010. Prior to October I was at XXXXXXXXXXX High School working as a Special Education and Behavior Teacher for the county Schools. Before that I taught for 10 years in the Autism Cluster program for Broward County Florida. I answered an online add on the XXXXXXXXXX Schools site and was granted an interview by the Autism Itinerant Supervisor. The school system advertised for a full time job. I was offered a letter of agreement which I was told was common practice for most teachers who start after the beginning of the year. I negotiated in good faith and took the position as I am considered by most to be an expert in the field of Autism which I have been working in for over 25 years. In May I found out that my contract was not going to be renewed due to financial reasons. I fully expected to have my name added to the reassignment list as I expected the School system to act with the same good faith I did when changing my career and choosing to take a job as an Itinerant for XXXXXXXXXX County. I left a teaching position which I really did not have to leave as I had the highest grades as a teacher and Behaviorist. I am also a Nationally Certified Therapist which I am sure helped me get the offer made by XXXXXXXXXX schools. My wife and I are care givers and have to pay for a nurse each day for my mother in law. We have two children in School, one in college in South Carolina, the other in Medical School at Virginia Tech. If I do not have a job to go to my entire family will be negatively and financially affected. I realize there are others in my position, but not all made the good faith move I did when coming to work for XXXXXXXXXX. If I had known I would not have put my family in such a bad position. I understand what the letter of agreement says as well, but that is no different than Doctor’s having people sign that they are held harmless prior to elective surgery. It does not protect them from wrongdoing of any kind. The letter was signed in good faith for a full time position that was not advertised for the remainder of the year, as others have been. I have done my job well this year and have extremely positive copies of references from teachers, and parents who I have had the privilege to work with this year. I had an interview for teaching jobs at two middle schools. I was told I was their choice, and both times the HR department said policy was not followed in some way, and stopped me from working. I just want XXXXXXXXXX County to act in good faith as you see I did. I left a full time ED position in order to work with children with autism. I planned to stay in XXXXXXXXXX County for the remainder of my career. I was called on to take care of some very high profile and challenging cases and was able to help XXXXXXXXXX County with some sensitive issues. They were all happy in the end. Now I need XXXXXXXXXX Counties help.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You want to believe that the school system has your children’s best interest at heart, but unfortunately the truth is they have their best interest and their job security at heart. I shared this so you can see what is really happening behind the scenes with the school system in this country. Unfortunately I am not alone. This is happening to teachers all over the country. There are many good teachers and administrators who know what is going on and only can hope things will change. These folks care about your children’s education and future, but they stay quiet and don’t make waves. They know that they will be fired, pushed out, and even blackballed. If you are a parent and are reading this, you should be mad as hell! Only you can fight for the good teachers who are being blamed for what they are not able to do due to the stupidity of politicians and administrators who can’t manage their way out of a paper bag. Help the minority of administrators who agree with this, and demand the teachers have time to plan for lessons, and teach the children. Let’s make teaching the students the real priority, not teaching the teachers. The teachers already have their degrees.

Employment, Wages and Education, or, The Mess We are In..

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:07:11 +0000

How much do you get paid? Do you get paid what you deserve to get paid? Do you know how much money others in your profession and other professions make throughout the country? What would you say if I said that there are many jobs that don’t need college, paying employees more money than those who demand college? What do you think of a guy who plays a kids game and is getting paid more than someone who puts their life on the line day in and day out? What do you think about politicians who vote themselves a raise while you child’s teacher is being laid off? What do you think about a person with a Masters or a Doctorate degree getting paid the same salary as a high School graduate working as a church secretary? I can write a whole chapter asking this question over and over again and never needing to tell you the answers, because you and I already know that these questions are valid and that our work force is in as much of a mess as the rest of the country. We have people paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to school and get higher degrees in order to teach your children and getting paid peanuts! Teachers are so under paid that it is a national embarrassment when you compare the salaries to their education levels. Of course I use teachers as an example because I am one and that foolishness affects me personally, but is it also affects the student’s negatively. There was a politician in Florida who actually said that we should not pay teachers too much because college students will go into teaching for the money! First of all, that will be the day, and second of all, college students are in college to further their careers and make money no matter what profession they choose. Can you imagine what that form of crazy thinking means? It is like saying that we should not pay Doctors much money because they will go into the profession because of the possible money they could make, and not because they want to heal people. The politician who said this is an idiot. With politicians who make good money saying that about professions that they could not make it in we as a country will never fix the system. Don’t get me wrong, I am for paying good decent salaries to the working man period. We all are needed and should be paid by need as well as education. Can you imagine what New York would be like if the Sanitation Workers left the garbage out on the hot streets for days in August? You would smell the city from south Jersey. They deserve a good living. Those who go to school and continue to go, and are mandated to go, and are working on getting licenses and silly certifications from states that don’t even want to recognize anyone that is educated outside their state, should be paid accordingly. Most states want to regulate folks who are professionals in certain fields and that is a good thing as they can be sure that the person is educated in that field before you get involved with them. Where they hurt the professional is when there policy is different from the state that the professional was educated in. Last I looked all states are good enough and have good oversight in this area so why not have real reciprocity and not what they call reciprocity. This would help bring professionals into states in need and make it easy for them to set up shop. Now they say they have reciprocity and go ahead and make the professional get a course or two which is nonsense, and only a way of getting more money into state schools. It helps no one and hurts the people. I am talking about medicine, nursing, therapy, teaching, engineers and the like. Now these people are the one who all pay thousands and thousands of dollars to get the education they need to help us and we in turn make is impossible for them to practice without overkill when it comes to licensing and insurance. We talked about mal practice insurance which is a big money maker for low lives and lawyers who sue the very people that try to help or teach them. We also discussed the blight of teachers and administrators who have solid management skills and experience being managed by some folks that took a course in management that was probably taught by one of these experienced folks. At least this is true in South Carolina and Florida. They advertise for teachers all over the place but make it almost an impossible feat to get over the mountain of redundant paper work in order to even apply for the job. You can’t have the job if you are very experienced, only if you took a course out of your one hundred and eighty courses you already took. Sound stupid, well it is, but it is also the truth! They don’t make it any easier for proven medical personal or others. Don’t cry you don’t have good schools and teachers, or enough Doctors and Nurses if you make it impossible to change states and get a license. The reason I said all of this is because after a person moved into a state like South Carolina to teach, Nurse or Doctor they pay you one of the lowest salaries in the country. Why would you practice in a state like that? The idiots want you to move here, but don’t want to pay you enough to do it. Does that make since. State governments have to decide just how important these professionals are to the state and pay accordingly. Don’t give me the excuse that the state is broke or has no money like South Carolina, if they stop misappropriating funds they would have enough. Remember the Prison system. The State jails are no less expensive! If they want the money, just give me a few accountants and a few days, and I guarantee I will find it. South Carolina folks actually say that the state has no money so they have to pay 1975 salaries even though you will need food stamps to eat after being hired. This may seem like a joke but it is not. I spoke to a legal system worker who told me that jail guards only make $26,000 dollars a year. If they have two children and a spouse they will be broke and need welfare. That my friends in a wealthy country who throws money away on convicts and enemies is a wrong that must be righted.

I know a person who works full time for a hospital and runs a nurses station for The Medical University of South Carolina and has applied for food stamps and had to move back home with her parents. She is a college graduate, but that is what MUSC pays! All I have to say to professionals who move here is Welcome to South Carolina.

Because of government waste and miss appropriations we are being lied to daily when it comes to our paychecks, and to the national and the states governments real financial situations. If you don’t believe me I hope you are mad enough to do the research yourselves because if we don’t make force the changes we need together, then it will never happen. Nationally workers are dealing with the same government lies, that is why the people are still voting on behalf of unions, because without numbers the slave mentality of this nation comes shining through. We have professional athletes and movie stars working a few hours for millions of dollars. We pay one million to 160 million to some to basically have fun and play a game. I for one have been a coach and an athlete all my life and I still don’t agree with the salaries. This government continues to allow this nonsense under free enterprise. I call it free crime. A 250 hitter in baseball should not be paid millions when a Mickey Mantle or a Willie Mays made a few hundred thousand. Sports salaries are out of control. Why do you think it coast a couple of hundred dollars to see a professional football game? A boxing match can cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a ring side seat due to the fact that the big names makes millions for one fight. I don’t have anything against the athletes or workers who make these large salaries, because if our country and its sports owners and government allows it, then why not take advantage and make what you can while you can. I would, and so would most of you reading this even though we see the imbalance of it all. We pay movie stars more than Surgeons and sports personal more than teachers of our children. We are a nation of idiots when it comes to paying people what they deserve, and states such as South Carolina still have a southern slave mentality which they better get over sooner, rather than later. That is not a statement against the people from the south, it is a government tactic that some southern states adhere too, and it hurts all of use, no matter what profession we are in. It hurts us because one profession uses the other against the worker and you begin to hear statements such as; the so and so company only pays $24,000 to start we pay $27,000. Some workers will buy into this miss direction and say we are lucky we get paid more, as they are on their way to applying for food Stamps. In these states people work an extra hour a day. They work 8am to 5pm. They don’t pay for lunch. They want you to work from home for free and threaten your job if you don’t. Then they act as if they are doing you a favor by letting you do it.

There is nothing fair about the salary structure in this or any other country. There once was a time when businesses did thank their workers and actually cared about them and their families. Those days are gone and this is one of the areas of life we need to change. Businesses should be grateful that you choose to work for them, and if they don’t want you to start or join a union, they better get back to old ways before it is too late. I don’t know about you, but this makes me mad as hell!

Tips for Teachers of a Foreign Language

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:23:02 +0000

When it comes to teaching a foreign language communication is the key as it is shown on the picture. The days when a teacher stood in front of a bunch of students to tell them to open the book on such a page, or to dictate them long and boring lists of verbs are over.

Learning a foreign language out of the country where this language is spoken isn’t easy. Therefore, a language teacher should convert the classroom into everyday living in the country. There are many ways to do this and the king (or queen!) of them all is the role play.

These role plays are specific situations when one is living in such a country. One may need to get few items from a chemist, or one may wish to travel in another part of the country either by train or coach, or one may go into a bar or restaurant and have to know how to order for drinks or food and how to chat with the waiters and the locals. The list of situations is endless and it is a teacher’s job to work them out.

Books are to be used, but a good language teacher should know how to get out of them.

A role play should preferably be done after having worked on the specific grammar points. This is hard work and, therefore, acting should be used to give them a break before the class is finished.

Dictations

There is nothing wrong with them, provided a teacher updates his ways in doing them. It doesn’t have to be the old fashioned way of “teacher dictates and the students copy out what they listen”. A very interesting way that works very well with intermediate to advanced students could be this one:

The teacher has to prepare a short dialogue between two people. He/she will only dictate them one part, leaving blank the other. On finishing, the teacher will do a quick correction on the blackboard to check misspelling mistakes or things that have been missed out. Afterwards, he/she will ask them to fill in the other part taking into account what the other says. While deciding what to write on the blank spaces, students are allowed to comment among themselves, provided they do it in the language they are learning.

This type of dictation may be also adapted for elementary students, using a simple dialogue.

What is the difference between this way to do a dictation and the old-fashioned one? In the first one, the students listen, write, talk, and according to what they already have, deduce on what the other person must be saying. In the old-fashioned way, they just listen to copy it out.

Games

As with the use of role plays, games should be used to communicate and to strengthen these grammar items in which the teacher feels they need to practise orally. The students may be weak on using the different tenses. Then, the favourite one is the coffeepot game where all the different tenses are going to be used by asking different questions. The leader of the game thinks of an action verb. The rest have to guess what verb it is by asking them. They use the noun coffeepot in substitution of this verb. (Are you coffeepoting now? or how often do you coffeepot?)

There are loads of games and activities to do an effective and enjoyable language class in which the students are eager to learn and to become interested in the culture, customs and lifestyle of a given country. A teacher, of course, should avoid stereotyping it too.

In fact, teaching a foreign language should be as easy as a mother who is teaching her child to talk.

Six Things You Must Consider Before Deciding to Become a Teacher

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:04:49 +0000

Teaching is a noble profession that can be endlessly rewarding. You have the opportunity to shape the young minds that will one day be the doctors, politicians, and lawyers that we all rely on. Before you decide to walk the path of an educator, there are a few things to think about to make sure that it’s the right career choice for you.

Time Commitment
Sure you’ll spend between 7 and 8 hours at the school working with the kids, but the things that make your teaching effective – lesson plans, quick turn around on assignments, activities planning, will most likely be done on “your time”.

Pay
Depending on what school district and what level you teach this will fluctuate, but nobody ever got rich by being a teacher. That being said, do take into account the fact that your salary is also for far fewer work days than most professionals.

Emotional Commitment
There’s a good chance that you’re going to become attached to your students. Yes, even the difficult ones. While this might not sound like a bad thing, remember that eventually they’re going to move on.

Parents
It would be great if your only interactions with parents was to praise their children. This will, unfortunately, not be the case. While some parents are aware of their child’s discipline problems, others will not be so understanding and it can lead to confrontation.

Be Prepared for Anything
Being a teacher is basically being the last stalwart against a tide of chaos. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong and you have to be prepared for it. Be ready to improvise at the drop of a hat.

Demand For Your Field?
People think that teachers are always in demand, and to a certain extent that’s true, but depending on what field you’re looking to teach in and where you live, there may not be a demand for you.

About the Author
Eddy Ayala is working towards his masters degree, which he is able to do while working by taking classes online. To learn more about how to get your masters degree online visit: http://master-degree-online.com .

How to Make The Class You are Teaching More Interesting and Effective

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:04:11 +0000

Teaching is one of those skills that you are either good at or not, though often whether or not your students are enjoying your class or getting anything out of it can be a matter of how you go about teaching it. Everyone learns differently, so no matter whether you are teaching at hotel school in Sydney or at a community college, it’s a good idea to think about things from the student’s point of view. With new teaching techniques coming out daily, it is easy to get lost in what the latest and greatest ideas are for effective teaching, though if you keep it simple and check out the following ideas, chances are you and your students will be getting way more out of each class that you teach.

Mix It Up

If every class you teach is pretty much exactly the same, chances are everyone is going to be bored out of their minds. Make use of the wide range of tools and educational supplies out there and try a few different things. Your students will enjoy the variety and you just might find you are finally able to get across some of those important points that no one has managed to understand until now. Using art, videos, field trips and even music can all be great ways to teach in a way that can be far more effective than just lecturing, so for everybody’s sake, mix it up!

Make It Interactive

It’s hard to know if your lessons are sinking in if you never check in with your students, so a great way to make your class more effective is to make them as interactive as possible. Obviously you are still going to need to provide a framework for learning to happen, though getting your students involved will make class way more fun and they will probably learn much more as well.

Be Respectful

Teachers who teach through fear generally are not actually teaching at all, they are merely silencing their students. Make sure you create an environment where the students feel respected and you will find that they treat both you and each other with far more respect too. If you actually want your students to learn something, it is important that they feel comfortable not knowing things at first without worrying that they will be made fun of. Real learning is far more likely to take place in an environment where people respect each other, so make a point of instilling this in your classroom.

Take Lots Of Breaks

No one can sit for hours on end without a break and maintain a high level of concentration, so if you want your classes to be more fun and effective, have an extra couple of breaks so that people can stretch, grab a drink and walk around a little. Even just an extra couple of five or ten minute breaks can be all it takes to have your students learning more effectively, so do everyone a favour and take a few extra breaks!

The Importance of Basic Education

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:43:57 +0000

In a structural building, laying the foundation always takes the most extensive work and budget. This is so because the strength of the building lies on its foundation.

The same is true in human development. Every person is empowered by acquiring necessary knowledge, skills and values. These three things define the fulfillment of every person’s being, which is why our state imposes the need to acquire primary education. It has not only become compulsory but has also become the right of every citizen.

Learning basics subjects in Math, Science, History and English will equip one with the capacity to understand his surroundings and thus become a key player in a community. Needless to say, is also serves as the foundation of all higher degree of learning.

By saying these, we can understand why basic education is important. It gives life and it supports development.

Image by blogefl via Flickr

Charter School Enrollment Going on NOW!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:46:44 +0000

      The new york city schools are overcrowded and there is barely enough room , so that                               —     children not to be distracted from their concentration on their studies ,
                         what better opportunity is there, then having your son or daughter receive
   more constructive materials and a learning environment without all the distractions , that will keep

them from – their ultimate goals in the classroom setting.

IT IS A road map to success , very well thought out by those who truly care for our children and the

future of our communities and our Nation . Unless we plant the seed of responsible behaviour and

constructive meaningful learning into our children , there want be another tom-morrow.

All of us as watchmen , men and women ,,,must take responsibility for the welfare and security of

these who will go on before us , and last but not least we must secure their education which is valuable . for their lives and future.

REQUEST TO WORK IN A SCHOOL JOBS FOR TEENS IN NYC

We need educated minds , we need people who will one day , change

this world by what they have to offer ,,,, new ideas , new horizons . Our Children can learn and will

learn , but we must provide adequate teachers , programs , learning tools , and to enforce positive

behaviour patterns , we must represent . ,The plan is to elevate the teaching techniques and take it

to another level , we want kids ready for college and ultimately there own careers .

THERE WILL BE LARGER CLASSROOMS , and more space as needed

but all this cannot be achieved without the help of the roll models for our students , which are the parents

We are all in this together , for the future and welfare of our sons and , daughters

http://vimeo.com/31381935 EXIT HERE