Friday, March 7, 2014

The only hope cannot be an experiment

From the PG:

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/letters/2014/03/07/Unreliable-evaluations-will-drive-away-teachers/stories/201403070027

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

To this day, I am still unsure if the admin and decision makers have any idea of all that teachers do. There is hope with so many recently retired on the board now, that the memory is still fresh enough. So many teachers seem to be members of support systems for students who are struggling not just with classwork, but also lifework and decision making. A teacher's contribution to a student's overall well-being does not factor into an evaluation and speaking from personal experience, it should.

Anonymous said...

I was forced to retire by a bullying principal with false accusations which literally caused me to become mentally unstable. I taught a vocational program and had my students for three years in a row. Two years later, students of mine still reach out to me for assistance. I know that I was highly effective but was forced out because of my age and pay-scale. There have been 6 substitutes or instructors in my place since I retired. What an injustice than is being done to those students.

Anonymous said...

We know that the RISE Kool-aid drinkers have never been "that teacher" in a student's life. We see that VAM doesnt begin to measure what a teacher does-- and most parents know it. THEY certainly dont want to be measured by VAM-- and we teachers see how many families are struggling. I think this evaluation nonsense has snowballed out of control-- hopefully this wiser board will find break to put an end to it. Let's have principals that were "those teachers" in a kid's life

A colleague said...

12:53,

I have some knowledge of your situation. I know of your fantastic reputation as a teacher. I know how you took at-risk students and patiently taught them a vocation, a skill that they could earn a living with. And I know that everything you posted here is true.

It is disgusting that your principal acted in such a horrible and reckless manner. He knew the instant he made the accusation that he was wrong. But rather than lose face and apologize, he decided to destroy you.

However, it is infinitely more disgusting that the PFT, your union, would do nothing to help you. All the evidence was on your side. Other administrators and teachers spoke up for you. But still the union would do nothing to help you.

Your case shows just how much the union and the management have become entangled. They are now one unit, and they are in it for themselves only.

But at least you are now away from the toxic mess that is today's PPS. Best wishes to you.

Anonymous said...

You nailed it right on the head. It's not the district. It's the feeble PFT, which is not a union. Please, in the future, do not refer to it as a union. Instead, allude to it as the egregious edifice, where the weak can drink coffee all day, conjure up ways about how to save or gain votes, and do everything possible to save principal jobs. This egregious edifice is made of made of mud, not brick.

Anonymous said...

you give the pft too much credit to say they are made of mud. Even mud hardens up once in a while. I prefer to think of them as Jello that has not been fully boiled. It never actually hardens. It stays kind of semi solid. If you pour it out on a table, it runs in all directions with no purpose. Kind of like the officers and many of the eb.