Monday, April 07, 2008

Being Productive

This attitude really chaps my hyde. 

“By that time of the year, especially in the year that we’ve had,” said Germantown teachers union president Kevin Nodolf, who agreed to Germantown’s schedule change, “I don’t know how productive adding one more day at the end would have been.”

Whose responsibility is it to make sure that instructional time is productive?  The teachers!  If they can’t make a day of instruction productive, then they should be replaced with teachers who can.

(7) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2103 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Teachers, educators, whatever term you want to use, are educated well beyond common sense.  A snap decision is unheard of and anything not on the sylibis throws them into a panic.  I hesitate only briefly not to say all.  I will never understand how they are hired by a system then allowed to call the shots.  Taxpayers are growing increasingly tired of the thought that any time money is needed just raise taxes.  Build a bunch of high end schools today and five years down the road close half of them.  The only thing that will relieve the insanity is virtual or priviatizing everything.  People seem to be more concientious when they need to produce, in order to continue to work.  And a board of directors has a hand on the purse strings.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2008 at 2146 hrs


  2. This really gets me going.  When I was teaching, I used to see this “mentality” all around me with some of the teachers at my school.  Some threw in the towel weeks before the end of the year because “the kids had already checked out.” 

    I used to say that it is our job to “keep them checked in.” 

    Yes, some of my students thought that I was a battle-ax, but their parents appreciated the fact that we respected their tuition dollars and kept the kids in line.

    In my opinion, the kids follow the lead of the teacher.  If the kids are “checked out” I think it is because the teacher has done the same.

    The attitude of this teacher’s union rep is pathetic.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 07, 2008 at 2156 hrs


  3. He should have just been more clear:  If you wanted productive days of instruction, you should have home-schooled.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2008 at 0155 hrs


  4. Typical “union” mentality.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2008 at 0710 hrs


  5. How is this year any different from any other year they’ve had?

    As an instructor for a private graduate school - I can tell you that if I wasn’t making every minute of class time productive - I wouldn’t be asked to come back!

    People pay for their primary education, through taxes, or through tution - shouldn’t the people who are getting the money be able to do the job?

    If I went into work today and said - you know its been a tough year so far, I just can’t be productive until next year - guess what line I would be standing in?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2008 at 0754 hrs


  6. but it’s for the CHILDREN
    What about the CHILDREN?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 08, 2008 at 1432 hrs


  7. I am on a school board (term expires at the end of the month) and I got more email, calls and what not about snow days than any other subject. All of it outrage that we would “force” kids to go an extra day.

    You would thnk parents would want to get their money’s worth for what they pay, or at least want their kids to get one more day of education. No.

    Low test scores? No problem. Snow Day? Let my children go.

    Go figure.

    Posted by Ted Klumb on April 08, 2008 at 1718 hrs


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