Teachers Pay

I know I have been milking the Tyee, http://thetyee.ca/News/2011/09/26/Fair-Wage-For-Teachers/ but I think this continues to be a recurring theme for the profession. The reason this article resonates is that clearly it's more than just a debate about money. The local media continues to portray the issue as somewhat simplistic and one dimensional, "teachers want more money". Who doesn't right?

There is reference to some interesting studies about using financial incentives to attract new teachers in areas where teachers are needed, and the suggestion the same can be done to motivate older teachers. I'm interested to know what the feelings of prospective teachers are on the system we use in BC - the single salary scale which pays teachers based on their level of education. Is this an effective means of ensuring we are paying the best teachers, (definition from: SAEE "Alternative Teacher Compensation Systems" 2003, "...teachers that are able to motivate student learning...") what they deserve? How does the current system in BC effect the hiring and retention of quality teachers? My understanding of the issue may be oversimplified, but it would seem the unions position of salary increases across the board may be untenable, particularly in a province that is experiencing an oversupply of graduates to the profession as the BCTF has indicated.

Some other interesting perspectives worth mentioning:

• teachers should be paid as much as holders of graduate degrees in other professions including lawyers, whose average salaries are roughly twice as much as teachers.
• benefits - who pays for benefits?
• Class sizes, in relation to salary?

It's a dense issue (no pun there), and I have to go to 787 and hand in my paper, so I can't flesh it out as much as I'd like to but check this out: www.saee.ca/upload/018.pdf if this interests you at all.

see you in class -Blair

Parents: Partners or Prosecutors?

Does anyone recall if their parents attended the Meet-the-Teacher nights when they were in high school? What about in elementary or middle school? I'm fairly certain that my parents stopped participating in such things after elementary school. And by the time I reached high school, I don't recall them ever taking an interest in who my teachers were as long as I stayed out of trouble and brought home good report cards.

If  you have children, or plan on having children, what do you think your attitude will be regarding knowing your children's high school teachers? Does this matter? When is it important? And how do you think our relationships with our children's teachers (if any) will differ due to the fact that we are also educators?

Do you think that we are most likely only going to be interacting with our student's parents when there is an issue that needs resolving? Do you expect parents to come to the school and introduce themselves to you just because? I for one, would not expect to hear  from parents until there is a problem. And I will admit that I am nervous about dealing with parents.

And at what point would you consider it appropriate or necessary to contact a student's parents regarding such issues as behaviour or aptitude? Do you expect that the parents you do have conversations with will work for or against you?

I read an interesting article regarding teacher-parent relationships:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

When Dr.Raptis told us that most teachers only last about five years, and that roughly half of teachers leave the profession after this long, I was shocked. This article suggests that parents play a large role in a teacher's decision to perservere or quit. I had never considered this before.

Interesting thoughts on ADHD

I am not sure how many of you are familiar with the Vancouver psychiatrist and author, Gabor Mate. Dr. Mate is an author of several books on ADHD (Scattered Minds); stress (When the body says no); and addictions (In the realm of hungry ghosts). He also works in downtown Vancouver with people with drug and alcohol addictions. (http://www.drgabormate.com/)


Dr. Mate's theory on ADHD is that it is not a "disease or a disorder, but rather a product of brain development." His main premise of ADD is that caused in early childhood when an infant is not soothed, and develops their own self-soothing strategies (this being the ADD or ADHD).

Is this really a disorder, or a coping mechanim?

I have included the links to an interview with Dr. Mate, http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/3/addiction

His book on topic is
Scattered Minds: A new look at the Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder

I would be interested to hear others thoughts on this as we will all be dealing with many children diagnosed with ADHD.

Morning,

Thought I might try to generate some discussion:

If you're not reading, or following the "Tyee" on-line and you're an educator (to be), you might want to have a look. There have been some interesting articles, on children and the effects of "cyber-culture", as well as other poignant topics (university education, and the the ongoing teacher/gov't labour dispute).

Check it out: http://thetyee.ca/

Regards,

Blair

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