Teacher behavior Outside of the Classroom

:iagree: Very well stated and I couldn't agree more.

Ken, I also agree with your original post that we should put teachers on a merit system (along with all other state employees). I believe you should get paid for your work, if you deserve a raise then base it on your achievements and for those who don't pull their weight, then don't give them a raise. That's the way it is corporate America and the state governments shouldn't be any different.

 

As someone who worked in state government for 25 years, I couldn't agree more. When I first started with the State, there was a merit system, but then a year later Gov. Jim Hunt did away with it and the only way to get a decent raise...unless you were promoted.

 

I have several good friends who are state employees and I've heard the horror stories of some of their coworkers who basically do nothing and get the same pay raises as they do. From what I've heard it's extremely difficult to document and terminate those employees, etc. and It disgusts them to no end, but they've been with the state so long, they fear leaving because of their retirement, etc. I even tried to get one of them to leave and come to work with my company with a large pay increase and they wouldn't out of that fear. I've been asked numerous times by some of them to apply for open jobs within their departments, etc. and I always say those benefits are not worth my huge pay cut I'd have to take.

 

Yeah, after about the 10 year mark you stay around for the retirement, which I admit is very nice!! But morale continually sinks lower and lower while you're employed.

 

When I was finished student teaching and preparing to move to Currituck Co. for my first job (it was VERY rural then, no grocery store and only one stoplight in the entire county), my advisor told me to remember that I could never buy alcohol within the neighboring 3 counties unless I wanted to be labeled an alcoholic. The point stuck. When I'm in public, I try to be conscious of what I'm doing in case a student sees me or in case that one parent who loves to try to bust my chops shows up. Am I off the clock at Walmart at 10am on Saturday? Yes, so I dress in my sweats and t-shirt to go there. However, I'm not loading up the cart with 12 packs of Budweiser and cussing up a storm. (Wouldn't do that anyway, since my kids are usually with me.)

I have no objections to a merit pay system for teachers if it can be made fair. Should I have been penalized when I taught in an inner city school where I had 15 year-old seventh graders who informed me they'd be dropping out at age 16? These boys would sign their names on tests and turn them in. No homework, no projects, and they didn't care about EOGs. If I'd been judged on my worth as a teacher by those students' lack of effort, it would have been grossly unfair to me. I taught 2 classes of "high level" students (one AIG and one average ability students) and 4 classes of "at-risk" students. I did manage to turn around 2 students that year. They at least stuck it out through middle school before dropping out in high school. Was that the fault of their ninth grade teachers? No. It was a product of many things including the environment in which they were raised, the lack of parenting skills of their mothers (the fathers were no where around), and the influence of gangs. Should teachers of low-level (not learning disabled) students be compared with teachers of gifted students? What about areas of poverty where there is, traditionally, not a lot of parent support compared to wealthy subdivisions with students who have many opportunities outside of school? The problem with instituting a merit pay system is creating a way of judging the effectiveness of teachers while taking into account many things that are not within a teacher's control.

 

That's why we you have a merit system its important to have a system everyone can believe in. Other teachers doing the evaluations, not some faceless testing system.

 

Merit raises?????? MY what a wonderful idea..top bad state government never heard of it. I would be thrilled if only those who deserved raises got them. Teachers and other state workers. And I an all for clearing dead wood of any kind.
The STate Employees Association of North Carolina is trying to get equal pay for all it's employee types ( yeachers and other state workers.) The idea of merit raises isn't dead yet -SEANC is trying. TEachers always get bigger raises and so do the good and bad employees - we need to stop that and give the money to those who deserve it. It costs us a fortune to train new people - we need to retain the good ones and get rid of the useless ones. from every job.

 

Yes state government has heard of it, just Gov. Hunt took it away from us about 25 years ago. (needed money for the new horse arena out at the fairgrounds back then). But All brought up a good point: Merit raises without an evaluation system you can believe in is totally worthless. I've encouraged SEANC for years to fight for an evaluation system that had the confidence of the employees. I know the one when I worked with the Dept of Correction was a joke!!!

 

SEANC is really working hard to improve their image and gain the trust and respect of the state employees. THeir affiliation with SEIU I think is for the best - hopefully we will have more money and more say in the legislature.

 

You need to raise your kids not the teachers, although I believe they should hold themselves to a higher moral ground.

 

Is this a first? I agree with both you and Ken!!!!!! Go baby! :iagree:

Sherry