This is what I’m talking about:
Teacher axed after failing high school entrance exam
OSAKA — A high school mathematics teacher has been fired after scoring only 30 percent on a math examination intended for junior high school students, officials announced Wednesday.
The 45-year-old math teacher at a local prefectural high school is the first educator to be dismissed by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education for incompetence.
The man in question has apparently been a problem teacher for years and, based on an assessment of his work up until the 2001 school year, was said to be lacking in teaching skills and was ordered to attend skill-training sessions the following school year.
However in April this year, even after he completed the sessions, the teacher, whose name has not been disclosed, successfully answered only 30 percent of the math questions on the entrance exams for Osaka Prefecture high schools.
I was just having this conversation the other day with some friends. The education system has so many flaws in it - it’s hard to know where to start. Teachers need to be paid more money - that is a fact. I mean, who wants to work for 32K a year? However, why compensate incompetence? Most of the teachers these days (at least in my opinion) don’t deserve a pay raise.
The standards need to be raised for our teachers. A few more requirements for them to reach before they are set loose to guide, teach and mentor our children. Is it too much to ask that a math teacher actually have a degree in mathematics? Or an English teacher, a degree in English or Language Arts?
I wonder what would happen if you took all the teachers at your local high school and middle school and put them through the very same standardized achievement testing that they make our kids take? Do you suppose that those teachers would score well? Below Average? Average? Above average?
If they raise the standards for the teachers - - and those teachers actually meet, or even beat, the standards of performance and achievement…then those teachers should be the ones who receive the raise in pay. The rest of the teachers who do not meet the standards should be sent back for more training - - and given goals with deadlines in which to achieve them.
My sister-in-law is 35. 13 years ago, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Relations with the idea in mind that she would graduate and go to work as an HR Director for some corporation. In reality, she didn’t. She spent those 13 years having children and being a wife to my brother. A very noble and valid life - to be sure. But, as a result, she has no practical business experience - - nor has she had to use her knowledge gained from her college degree to any level. Now that all of her kids are school-age - - she’s decided that she wants to go to work.
Our state offers a teaching program to anyone with a Bachelor’s degree - in whatever field. It’s called the “Emergency Licensure” program, because they are so desperate for teachers. So, basically, if you have a Bachelor’s degree in any field and are willing to go through a 12 hour course sponsored by the state - you can obtain your Emergency Teaching Certificate and you are qualified to begin teaching children.
She is now teaching high school level math. She complains frequently that she is ‘learning along with the kids’ and doesn’t know a lot about the subject at hand - - yet, that is where the school needed a body. I outright told her that I thought it was a sad thing that they have someone so unqualified teaching kids in public schools.
Welcome to reality, I guess. This would be why home schooling is on the rise in this country. We don’t hold our teachers accountable. It’s why I took my son out of the public school system. I told his school administration that I was not willing to wait, and my son did not have the time afforded, for the school to get their shit together - - so I had him home schooled and he has improved dramatically in just the small amount of time that he’s been in home school.
I still say if you give teachers a basic flat wage - - and then pay them a commission based salary where they earn a certain percentage commission of their ex-students annual income - you’d have more incentive. That’s a joke, of course - because it’s unrealistic and way too hard to keep track of. lol
Our kids are required to take standardized achievement tests in order to advance in school. I think teachers should have the same requirement. They should be tested every 4-5 years to make sure they are remaining competent in the areas in which they are teaching. Their salaries and job security should hinge on that kind of testing….that, and their overall performance and skills as a teacher.
Call me idealistic.
10:48 pm on September 5th, 2003
I thought about going into teaching, so bear with my rant:
“Is it too much to ask that a math teacher actually have a degree in mathematics? Or an English teacher, a degree in English or Language Arts?” It’s really surprising that (at least in my state) teachers are only required to have a degree in education and a “concentration” in the area of their “specialty.” I’m with you: double-majors all around! If you’re teaching MY kid, at least know what the hell you’re talking about. And a lot of teachers do double-duty–teaching two or three subjects because the school needs someone to fill those spaces. There was a lot of that at my small HS, though I thought everyone was knowledgable enough.
The problem with teaching is that teachers are the scape goat for everything. Parents are working more, so they want teachers to do it all until they get off work. They want teachers to not only teach academic material but also moral values and life skills as well. They want teachers to put in an extra 2 or 3 hours of their personal time after being at school for 7 ot 8 hours already to do latch-key or some other after-school care program. And don’t get me started on the ridiculous lawsuits. A teacher can’t even so much as LOOK at a child funny or s/he is running to Mommy and Daddy, crying about the “abuse” s/he suffers in class. How can one be expected to maintain a civilized, calm teaching environment when one can’t reprimand bad behavior for fear of a lawsuit?
These are the reasons I decided not to go into teaching. Low pay + paying $600-800 out of pocket for extracurriculars like a movie day or gold stars + lawsuits + unrealistic expectations of teachers to be the save-all of a busy parent’s life? No thanks! That’s just WAY too much for 32K a year (which would basically be wiped out by one of those bogus suits in court).
I agree that teachers should be tested, even annually (our standardized tests are given every 2-4 years I believe). They should also be required to take refresher courses or workshops over vacation periods, just like beauticians. Old information won’t do a child any good. Teachers should work to stay current on their own, but most don’t seem to do so. The thing is with all of these negative aspects to teaching, the field is getting people who a) REALLY feel a calling for it and love children or b) people who are only doing it because they know they will be guaranteed a job due to the shortages across the country. You can probably guess which of the two groups populates the profession the most, hence why our system is as screwed up as it is. Some blame it on the politics of it all or schools of thought. I think it’s more basic than that. To solve this problem, we need to start at the core and work our way out, completely over-hauling every aspect. Maybe then teaching will be the respectable, dare I say even FUN profession that it used to be…. but I’m not holding my breath.
10:48 pm on September 5th, 2003
I couldn’t agree more - - and thank you for that rant . . you said everything I didn’t say and more!
See? You are a fine example of why teachers these days really suck - - because we’d have good, qualified people teaching our kids if only the conditions and expectations would improve a great deal. People like you would have gone into teaching if the system wasn’t so screwed up.