IPS hasn't killed my passion for teaching. In fact, a student from my very first class came in and visited me this past week. He made me feel really good about how I teach.
However, I can say the political junk (NCLB, the public's view of teachers in general, etc) is making that passion die a slow and painful death.
IPS teachers are caught up in politics on every front and the whims of public opinion (the growing un-silent minority who think public school teachers are bums).
That does not lessen their love of teaching, but it does lessen the overall happiness and contentment of many. Teachers are human beings and they have their own families to help care for. They also want to TEACH the children instead of constantly testing and jumping through administrative hoops.
No but it is not for IPS and the states lack of trying. Suddenly teachers are viewed as leaches who simply don't care....even the teachers who I have worked with who weren't very good were in their hearts there because they cared about kids. In the 30 years I taught in IPS I only ran into two people who really only seemed like they were there for the $...both administrators.
I agree about the administrators in the post above. I still love teaching, but some days it's difficult, and the statement about the leaches at the Education Center is so true. I still laugh about an EH class that I had and the "expert" from the downtown came to show me how to handle the students my first year. She failed, got mad, and walked out of the classroom in the middle of the day. But then took a job as an administrator in another township.
IPS ruined me for IPS, but not for teaching. I found IPS very anti-success and anti-teaching. Good teachers were demonized and ostracized by coworkers, and the norm was an attitude of complete defeat and helplessness. I support most of the reform movements if for no other reason that they are getting people talking and thinking about education. And it's getting the teachers who haven't given any real thought to their craft in years to suddenly reevaluate the things they do. I just don't see the doom and destruction of public education the way some do. Sciences and industries change and evolve. Education, as a science and as an industry, must be expected to change and evolve as well.
I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators! I really do. There are schools in this district that are doing great work. Let the negativity roll off you like water off a duck's back.
Just this morning I made the decision to retire. The school I'm currently assigned to has almost completely broken my spirit. I plan to leave with my dignity intact. It should be a crime to run a school like this. To say it is out-of-control is like saying the ocean contains water. A complete dolt who doesn't discipline should never run a school. The children who attend this school are being harmed daily by learning that they can do anything they want without fear of consequences. It is increasing difficult to "let the negativity roll off ..." when negative issues at this school consume you on a daily basis. It also becomes irksome to watch the same teachers who bad-mouth the principal behind her back "suck-up" to her face. And, naturally, she thinks they admire her, and heralds them as her best teachers.
When you are in a building or a system where children are being harmed by the policies or practices it is hard to turn a blind eye and still feel like you are a good teacher. It is more than what happens in the classroom. A complete dolt (and there are lots of them) who doesn't discipline children and there are no consequences of poor choices is setting these children up for failure in the future.
Yes it has. I was hounded by a ladder-climbing administrator, and was bad mouthed by her after I was finally able to get away from her and demonized.
This has gone on for 5 years now, and I've had it. I'm able to retire and walk away from this bullshit of capricious administrators that have no checks in place to prevent them from doing as they damned well please. I had good reviews prior to this from several different adminstrators and I know I'm a good teacher, or I was until constantly told I was doing everything wrong. I have discovered that adminstrators will blatantly lie and willfully misinterpret what was done to bolster their preconceived notions.
It's a sick system that allows students to run rampant over the educational process and bring things down to the lowest level. The Six-step discipline process is a complete joke and should be renamed the 36-steps.
I have no intentions of returning to teaching after this. The experience has soured me to the point that a life-long dream has turned into a nightmare. Eight weeks to go and I can walk out and not look back.
I'll miss many of the students as I taught many of them in middle school as well as high school, and enough have come back to say thank you for what I've done for them that I know I've not done a disservice to them.
Yes, I've lost my enthusiasm for a job that I once looked forward to each day, and now it's just a matter of getting through the day. The pacing guide isn't working, and all the creativity has gone out of the teaching. The system has taken the juice out of teaching and now it's a dry husk.
A question for everyone on all this is that it's obvious the older teachers with higher degrees are targeted. Why is no one mentioning age discrimination?
'A question for everyone on all this is that it's obvious the older teachers with higher degrees are targeted. Why is no one mentioning age discrimination?" ____________________
Well, I've mentioned it before and it couldn't be more obvious. Get rid of experienced teachers; get rid of their salaries. That's what is going on, I am convinced. Of course, the young teachers are getting their own grief through the Riffing. All of this should not pit younger teachers against older teachers or visa versa. It's all a part of a kettle of very smelly fish and public school teachers have "targets" on their heads.
Who are you going to tell, the Indianapolis Star? Mitch Daniels, Dr. Bennett, or the GOP majority. They all want you gone, without any retirement money, and the Teachers Retirement Fund is only funded to 49%. Oh, they lost sixty million in bad Chrysler Bonds, great investment Mitch? Goggle the news, Daniels has too many pension funds that are not funded on his "balanced" books.
I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators! I teach at BRMHS and love it every day. There are schools in this district that are doing great work and we are one of them. The administrators or wonderful and the teachers are professional and eager to teach. Let the negativity roll off you like the donkey in the hole, shake it off and step up!
@Who are you going to tell, the Indianapolis Star? Mitch Daniels, Dr. Bennett, or the GOP majority.
I have no real solution for where you can take your complaint; however, I can assure you that our retirement fund woes existed well before Mitch Daniels became our Governor or Tony Bennett became the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Both men are convenient scapegoats for all the current ills of the Indiana public schools. We'd be better off taking our complaints and grievances to Pat Bauer who's been in public office and reportedly representing teachers for years and years, long before Mitch or Tony hit the scene. Go talk to Pat. I understand he's back in town.
@I thought it was the lobotomy or the thorazine...
LOL...Prozac, frontal lobotomy, thorazine, Zyprexa, or the drug of choice...or whatever... the above poster who proudly proclaimed: "I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators!" is seriously on some major heavy duty stuff. I only hope it's legal stuff.
To the person who 'loves his job, loves his school, and loves his administrators' and who also reminds us to "Let the negativity roll off you like the donkey in the hole, shake it off and step up!"
What in the world does it mean to let something 'roll off you like the donkey in the hole'? What donkey? What hole? Sounds vaguely kinky to me.
This can't be a mixed metaphor because 'like' was used. Is this a strange simile? What analogy was being drawn? Help out those of us who've missed our meds today.
I disagree, Mitch Daniels blasts out his nazis like messages that he has a "balanced" budget. Way too much red ink on that statement midget man, and just wait until the City of Indianapolis police and fire departments start to retire, talk about flowing red ink. It's all lies, that is why he wanted to cut teachers salaries, benefits, and retirement benefits. I am so proud of the IEA and Pat Bauer. Just think starting on July 1st your paycheck will not be cut to one third like Mitch demanded.
The donkey falls in hole, his owner can't get him out so he decides to just bury him, he throws a shovel full of dirt onto the donkey, the donkey shakes the dirt off and it falls to the bottom of the hole and the donkey steps up onto the dirt that is in the bottom of the hole, eventually the donkey is able to step out of the hole.
The only problem is that teachers have so much stuff shoveled on top of them they can't shake fast enough...and they are being buried alive... and the students are buried with them.
I can explain. Its because unlike other IPS school BRHS is a magnet meaning that if your student fight, get a failing grade, back mouths a teacher they get kicked out and sent to other schools. I teach at one of the worse schools here in IPS. For me this has put a damper on the education system not so much for teaching. I am only a second year teacher and I can promise you that I teach for approximately 10 min a period and the rest of the time I am classroom managing. Our administrators have waved students who have threatened teachers, hit teachers, and started gang fights in our school building. Teaching is not taking place in my building and its not due to the lack of trying on the teachers parts. I have watch our administrators roll into school at 7:30 everyday, let students walk by them out of dress code, and on the phone. YET if they make it into my classroom, our school has been told, that WE (as the teachers) will be written up. There are to many backwards in this school and I actually hope the state takes it over so that these students will have consequences for their actions.
Thanks for the info, but what does that have to do with the state of things at BRHS? Someone said earlier that BRHS was a "hot mess" and since I have children who attend that school, I wondered what they meant. I heard that a lot of teachers hated to work under the administrators there and I wondered why.
"Did anyone else read yesterday's USA Today front page article about Michelle Rhee's legacy of suspicious erasures on tests?"
But she will be vindicated as a guest on Abduel's GOP radio show Wednesday and the "evil" unions will be what did her in. Yeah right. Keep giving us more comedy and jokes.
Whoever said BRHS was a "hot mess' is probably one of the rejects! The school is awesome! The teachers are GREAT and the administrators are exceptional, Linda Davis is the BEST!!!! Signed...a long time BRHS teacher who loves teaching!
Haha!!! Linda, get off of the blog. Only YOU would post such a ridiculous comment. You're a vindictive person who is doing nothing but serving your own personal agenda. Your decisions harm children, but they serve you. Congratulations.
Linda Davis never gets out of her office. The students don't even know who she is. She is not the person she used to be. She is dictatorial when she should be collaborative. She has been tainted by the admin from Gene White's era, which needs to come to an end as does her era. The Queen needs to go. Being that she considers herself the "Queen" says it all. She DOES have her own agenda and it is self-serving, not student oriented. Time to retire Mrs. Davis. You harm the educational environment and are politically corrupted. I hope BRHS is taken by the State so you will go away.
more garbage from the rejected teachers regarding BRHS. Linda did not write the above statement...I did! BRHS is the BEST and Linda must have been doing something right by rejecting you....She runs a GREAT School with GREAT Teachers and GREAT Administrators. Sorry you are bitter. Try taking a few classes to bring yourselves up to par....
Me be thinking Linda Davsi is ok, she hired me and me had been worked at other IPS schol as English teacher. She drinks too much, workd from home a few days per week, and she can beraly walked the hall werys. Linda be doing good job, it was funnied went she almost falled on the Homecaming Queen, too much liqur makes you wobble. But if I have a dumb or problem student, she sends them back to their homed schol. I only been having good smart students who are failing, me thiniking it's becaued they be dumb as I be smart and Linda hired me.
I still am hearing from the DOE, that BRHS will be taken over in July. Then Linda is gone, as are all of the teachers on staff, but you will be able to work as subs in IPS. This would make Dr. Bennett's job easy, as he can ship off any problem students to IPS. Tony will shine as will the "take over educational group".
How are you hearing about BRHS being taken over?? Are you involved in backroom discussions? None of this information has come out to the rest of us. A takeover in July just seems illogical and completely impossible when it comes to the movement of that many people....especially staff and students.
Jealousy toward BRHS ? Whoever is writing that they know BR is being taken over is a HUGE LIAR!! I talked with people inside the DOE and they say a decision has NOT been made. ISTEP scores will not come back before August, so stop your wishful thinking!
I had to laugh, they are ready to strike, most of the scores are back in to DOE, except for the writing section. The main reason is to create problems within IPS.
"Jealousy toward BRHS"? So you support and are proud of a drunk in charge of the school and students? How professional is that for the entire staff of BRHS and how many of your staff retired this year? Shame on you, I would of reported her to DOE about her show during Home Coming almost knocking over the Queen.
Re: I had to laugh, they are ready to strike, most of the scores are back in to DOE, except for the writing section.
I'm laughing, too. The test my kids took was ALL writing, so, if most of the scores are back except for writing, doesn't that mean no scores are compiled? We won't administer the "multiple guess" part until the end of April.
Don't be surprised if the state takes over Ripple, they want to take over schools where there is a chance they can have success. They should have taken Arlington last year but wouldn't even consider taking it.
The problem is that people who really aren't in schools have no idea how difficult it is to really solve all the problems that keep kids from having success. H.L. Mencken said "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." Smart guy.
RE: Anonymous said... "Jealousy toward BRHS"? So you support and are proud of a drunk in charge of the school and students..
This is the problem with this story. Go back to November and read the post--she never tried to crown the king and queen, the vice-principal did. Davis never knocked anybody over like you say. I was there, you were not, so you are lying or forwarding falsehoods!
Mitch, Bennett, bigoted hillbilly's and corporate greed have killed my love of teaching.Check out the latest chatter skool stuff you won't see at Indy Star News
But the idea that the problems are unsolvable is poisonous itself. I've been teaching just over a decade, and from my perspective, IPS teachers ARE a major problem. But I don't think it's so much about being boring or irrelevant (although I do think these things matter). I think too many teachers don't think what they do matters and don't think they have the power to change the outcomes for their students. They think their subject matter is too hard for their students, and that standards and testing are annoying wastes of time. There is no "buy-in" to the education process from the teachers themselves. Since many of these kids receive the same message from home, a student often goes their whole school career and only have a handful of teachers that even believe dramatic improvement is even possible without changing factors outside of the classroom. Then when you consider the teachers who do believe it is possible but struggle with the execution, you start to see how things got so bad in the first place.
People always talk about school choice in terms of finding schools that are a good fit for students. But I think one of the significant but unspoken benefits is certain teachers would be a better fit for certain schools as well. The strict, traditional, pro-discipline crowd would probably do better in a military-style charter. The "it takes a village" crowd would probably be happy in Community schools, and so on and so forth.
Just got back from out of town -- did anyone get a RIF letter yet? I think they're to come out this week. I didn't have one waiting for me. Just wondering.
Nope, letters are being mailed out on the 31st of March, maybe next week. Then I will collect my unemployment checks on IPS for the rest of the year. Over 350 teachers will hit the bricks, not counting one single administrator?
I was there too. Perhaps you were drunk, also, as Linda was indeed too intoxicated to even stand up let alone crown the Homecoming Queen. And the vice-principal did not end up doing the honors - a middle school math teacher did. Get your nose out of her butt and quit defending the drunken queen. She is an embarrassment to us all.
Cheers to the above poster! I am sick and tired of coming to school on Monday mornings and seeing the Queen's door closed while she "Works from home" or more likely works through her hangover. If she is there, she is visibly hungover nearly all of the time. She screams and curses at her staff and screams at the students over the PA. She is unprofessional, rude, and yes, an embarrassment to us all.
IPS teachers ARE a major problem. But I don't think it's so much about being boring or irrelevant (although I do think these things matter). I think too many teachers don't think what they do matters and don't think they have the power to change the outcomes for their students. They think their subject matter is too hard for their students, and that standards and testing are annoying wastes of time. There is no "buy-in" to the education process from the teachers themselves.
This is a problem but what is the source of the problem? IPS teachers no longer have any academic freedom and no voice in school management since Dr. White decided that "we no longer have SBDM" and overrode board policy. Micro management is a major problem...do you do what is right for your students or do you follow the pacing guides, benchmark testing, Springboard curriculum? When you beat a dog for years why are you surprised that the dog is timid and scared?
I put part of the blame on the union, when they started small schools I asked why we signed off on that boondoggle I asked WHY, and was told that if we didn't we would look like we opposed "reform and improvement." Teachers are the experts we should be leaders in reform and improvement, not the followers.
If you went to your doctor and were diagnosed with a major health problem and you said "I know how I will cure my self, I'll eat more veggies." Do you think your doctor would just say "yeah that's a great idea" and let you go...because he/she didn't want to look like they opposed an improvement in your diet? Heck no he/she would say "look I am the expert here, you need to do X Y and Z to get better."
Just had a conversation with a relative who asked what is going on in IPS high schools? She said none of the teachers care about the students and went on to defend her grand daughter for cursing out a teacher. I am so sick of this! This person thinks her family is perfect, but I tired to reason with her--teenagers are different!
I would never choose a doctor who thought my input didn't matter in my own healthcare, would you? My doctor knows me and that I prefer natural remedies and cures to pills and surgeries whenever possible. My sister uses the same doctor but prefers western medicine. My doctor doesn't pull rank on either one of us. She is knowledgeable on both traditional and alternative medicine and is able to work with both of us to create a best-case scenario. It doesn't matter how big of an expert you think you are if nobody listens to you. And while a doctor might be an expert on traditional medicine, and you might be an expert of traditional education, individuals are experts of themselves and parents are experts of their children. I agree with the above poster about teacher buy-in. I think the best classrooms have teacher buy-in, parent buy-in and student buy-in. The worst classrooms have none of those things. The single person with the most control over all of three of those is the teacher. But not with the arrogant "Listen to me, I'm the expert" nonsense. But in using your expertise to formulate a best-case scenario for each student based on what the parents and students want out of education and what your supervisors and state laws demand.
@Mitch, Bennett, bigoted hillbilly's and corporate greed have killed my love of teaching.Check out the latest chatter skool stuff you won't see at Indy Star News
Gee, this poster must be the same person who posts on the Indy Star under the pseudonym of 'arielbender'. The person is a whacko who's paranoid. Sorry he or she has decided to join us here.
LOL!! I just noticed today that she uses "chatter skool" on the Star forums like the poster here does and figured they were the same person! Too funny!
I see that someone else noticed the similarities. Also, the use of 'corporate greed' is a continuing theme for 'arielbender'. I wonder if the person really is a teacher?
and the next paragraph The movement forces an odd aggregation of schools that are purposefully different from one another and that are linked only by the fact that they’re free from public school restrictions but still enjoy public funding. One would think that would be enough to tilt the playing field in their favor. Yet the recent CREDO study out of Stanford University shows that only 17% of charter school students outperform their public school counterparts—and 37% perform worse. To declare the success of the charter school movement based on a 17% success rate is no more sensible than declaring their inherent corruption based on their incidence of embezzlement and other shady business dealings...though I guess we can say education has now learned something from the business world.
The same study quoted above found that Indiana stood out among states because charter schools ARE more successful than traditional schools. Quoted from the conclusion of the Indiana part of the study.
"Overall, charter school growth in Indiana and Indianapolis outpaced the growth of traditional public schools. Looking at the distribution of school performance, 98% of the charter schools grew with similar or better rates than traditional public schools in reading and 100% of charter schools grew with similar or better rates in math compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools of all ages in Indiana on average grow at better rates than traditional public schools and charter school students grow at higher rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first 2 years of enrollment in charter schools.
There was no significant difference in learning gains between charter school students and traditional public schools that are Hispanic in reading and math, but Black students in charter schools produce higher learning gains than Black students in traditional public schools. In fact, Black students in Indiana charter schools grow at similar rates to the average white student in a traditional public school in math. Charter school students in poverty also had learning gains better than their peers at traditional public schools in math as did charter school students that were retained a grade."
It wouldn't be hard to beat IPS, Third highest drop out rates for black males and number one in the country for white male dropping out, three or four years ago. A massive attempt to improve this, not by working with kids but instead working with statistics. In the thirty years I have taught in IPS it has gone from one of the best systems to the worst.
There is plenty of blame to go around in this problem, but the first has to be lack of leadership...
Look at "over/under", it caused elementary scores to rise, and I heard an administrator tell over/under kids "as far as I am concerned you can stay in the eigth grade until you are 18 for all I care." It dawned on me that if you don't enter ninth grade you are not a drop out statistic, so they want to park kids in eigtht grade until they are at least 16 and outside the reach of the courts for compelled attendance.
Indianapolis should be humiliated, time to clean house in the ed center.
I'd never thought of that. The O/U Program assisted in skewing the graduation rate results. What a rip-off for the kids and the taxpayers.
If Gene White, Willie Giles, Jane Kendricks, or any number of Ed Center big shots gave a rat's patoot about students rather than their positions or their fine salaries, we'd be far better off as a school corporation.
I remember meeting up close and personal with Willie Giles a couple of years ago at John Marshall when he was called there to help get the students under control. He was useless and appeared scared. I actually stood in front of the little man and told him what he should be doing. Because I'm rather tall and forceful when necessary, he listened to me and did it. What a sad situation that I, a teacher, had to tell the Deputy Super what needed to be done.
Reform? Teachers in the forefront! Try getting out of the 19th-century factory model where/when learning was and still is measured by days and hours. Try a 4-day week from 8:00 to 3:00. Hey, Lil Mitch, that will save a few bucks. Try project-based learning and give the teachers common planning time. Do any of these legislators and administrators know what today's teen-agers need? Let's address the cell-phone issue; skype; Facebook; these politicians have no idea. Try taking away a 17-year old's cellphone. Address the violence, bullying? No, they can't. And the dumb, unthinking public continue to think "they're doing something" about reform. Get real!
I guess the bright side is that with the voucher law and expanded charter school legislation, there will certainly be a lot of job openings this fall, and with your experience in an urban school but not so much experience that you're super-expensive, you shouldn't have any trouble getting new jobs. Change is scary though. I wish you both well.
If they mailed your RIF notice by the 31st, they are covered. If they did not, then you will have a job in IPS next year. No telling what you will be doing, but you will have a job. And by the way, not picking up your letter does not protect you from RIF-ing. Go get it. You may need it for unemployment!
Please do not act like we are all ignorant. I am not dumb enough to think not picking it up protects me. I did not receive one but I am a first year teacher.
@I don't think the above posters...You age discrimatory remarks say a lot about you. I hope you keep your prejudices under control when you are teaching.
I'm actually a late 30-something, and I'm not the tiniest bit prejudiced against older people or experienced teachers. But there are a few self-described veteran teachers who often post bitter, jaded types of remarks and the above posters sounded like them and not like an actual RIF'ed teacher who's fairly new to the profession and to IPS.
RIF'd - mid-30's, not 20-something and not an old timer; unless you're a teenager making the "old timer" statement. If so, then I must be positively ancient!
If you are a first year teacher and didn't get your RIF today like most of us did, either: 1. You will get it Monday when we all have to sign another form; or 2. I will find out who you are and make sure you get it. I have more than 1 year and got my jewel this morning.
Yes, there are veteran teachers who are not doing their jobs. The number is small. Yes, there are new teachers who are not doing their jobs. The number is small. I find many new teachers share too much of their personal lives with their students. Maybe I am old fashioned but I don't think students need to share aspects of their sex lives with their students or talk about their drinking outings with their students. I won't condemn all new teachers for this since most do not. An alarming number do.
They don't have to go exactly in order of seniority anymore. Like the poster above said, they do it in pools. The first tier is a 2-year pool. They have to exhaust all 1st and 2nd year teachers before moving to the 3-5 year pool, but they don't have to go in order of seniority within that pool. If a 1st year teacher performs better than a 2nd year teacher, they can keep the 1st year teacher and RIF the 2nd year teacher.
Enjoy my time in the classroom with the students and seeing them progress.
Hate my time dealing with those who think they know and understand what my students need. Hate being given scripts to teach by. This not a factory each of our students need different things. Rubicon lessons for the whole district is not the answer! My students are doing well (better stat's and scores than other classrooms in my building) with me basically ignoring rubicon (expecept when the a administrator comes by). IPS administrators in my five years of experience tend to do more getting in the way of education than actually helping!
I'm a teacher, but I don't work in IPS. I have a question for the above poster. At my school, following the Rubicon map enables collaboration between teachers and overlap between subjects. If I deviated much from the Rubicon, not only would I likely not cover all of the units in course I teach, but I would also lose that collaboration and review from other teachers who are assuming I'm following the Rubicon. Does it work the same in IPS? What would be the "upside" to ignoring the Rubicon. Obviously I don't mean tweaking things a little here or there, but why would you want to deviate from it in any significant way? I'm not criticizing, I'm genuinely curious.
@Then perhaps you're one of those teachers in a critical shortage area.
Yes, I am a special education teacher. I was told I was on the preliminary list and assumed I would receive the letter on Friday. Maybe there weren't very many cuts in special education.
I am an IPS teacher, and I've never seen teachers collaborate using the Rubicon, although it certainly would be possible. In fact, when I first started as a teacher a few years ago, I rubbed a lot of teachers the wrong way by even discussing things we could do to improve things. I keep to myself more now, but I think it's starting to get to me. I got into teaching with the goal of teaching in IPS, and I love it. But it's very isolating sometimes. Does anyone else feel this way? I feel like if I leave for a more collaborative environment, I'm abandoning my students who already don't have enough people supporting them. But when I read posts like the one above about teachers collaborating and overlapping, I have to admit, I'm overcome with jealousy. You said you don't teach in IPS, do you mind telling us what district you teach in?
I teach in a charter school, and it's very collaborative. I think it's the best of both worlds. At IPS, I loved the students but loathed many of the adults. At my charter school, I still get to work with urban kids, which is important to me, but the environment is infinitely more positive and supportive. It might be something to look into if things don't improve at your IPS school.
Read the interesting article in the Indianapolis Business Journal about our Teachers Reteirment Fund and how the GOP hopes many of the (hired before 1996) teachers die early in life. The TRF is so under funded, that we are talking about the State of Indiana having to come up with billions of dollars, instead of putting money in each year. So I guess with all of the changes, rules, and problems with DOE, they are working their magic behind the curtains. Raising stress, blood pressure, and creating undue heart attacks.
It would appear that IPS may be co-operating with this effort to make older teachers "die early in life."
Terrible abusive harassment from principals, being unjustly placed on PIPS and the like have sent - it would seem - half of the experienced IPS teachers to their doctors for blood pressure medicine, anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications.
To the teacher above who feels isolated, you might consider either trying to get into a magnet school. The teachers are more proactive and collaborative than the other schools. I also know a few teachers who have switched to the elementary grades for the same reason. I've heard the working environment in elementary is better, although I've also heard its requires more hours off the clock than secondary ed.
"Overall, charter school growth in Indiana and Indianapolis outpaced the growth of traditional public schools. Looking at the distribution of school performance, 98% of the charter schools grew with similar or better rates than traditional public schools in reading and 100% of charter schools grew with similar or better rates in math compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools of all ages in Indiana on average grow at better rates than traditional public schools and charter school students grow at higher rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first 2 years of enrollment in charter schools.”
THE ABOVE QUOTE IS ONLY A HALF TRUTH. It is NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE. A charter school that had 22 % of students passing one year and 45% passing the next has students that show tremendous growth, but those students are still achieving at a level below the average IPS student. An IPS school that moves students from the 55th% to the 60th% has only grown by 5% yet it’s students outperform those in most charters. As schools get closer and closer to the targeted goal, growth will be less. It is ludicrous to think Charter Schools are performing better than IPS schools.
IPS teachers will do much better when the administration gets off teacher backs and instead tells teachers what they want students to know and be able to do, and then let teachers decide how to get there. Rubicon, mandates, pacing guides followed with fidelity, bulletin board standards and extra meetings do not make better teaching. Only a teacher’s thoughtful thinking and planning in ways that make sense to the teacher will result in higher student achievement and growth. Teacher buy-in is an essential ingredient.
I'm not the one who posted the quote from the study, but I do recognize it as a direct quote from the study. So if you disagree with Stanford CREDO, fine. But it's not a half-truth, it's a direct quote. Your explanation is in opposition to what the study actually says. The study compared charter school students to students from their boundary school with the same demographics and starting scores from the charter school.
Also, as luck would have it, there was an article in today's IBJ about how to charter schools. http://www.ibj.com/controversy-brews-over-how-to-judge-charter-performance/PARAMS/article/26301
Scroll down a bit and you'll see a comparison of IPS, Indiana Charter Schools, and Indiana schools as a whole.
I'm an IPS teacher and I would just like say that the people who go around complaining about charter schools give us all a bad name. If kids are being educated, I'm happy. Whether it's at a magnet school, community school, private school, charter school, a township school or even homeschooling. If a kid is being educated, I'm happy. I hate it when the teachers from the suburbs sit around and badmouth IPS. I'm not about to do that to the charter schools. Like the teacher above is experiencing, there is too much conflict between teachers as it is. We need to support each other, even when we don't have the exact same vision or philosophy, and even if we don't work for the same district!
If you are really an IPS teacher then you are short sighted. Every IPS student who enters a charter school results in a higher class size and fewer materials for you. It also results in less support for you. Then after the charter schools get their money, they sent the challenged students back to IPS to receive services from IPS.
It would be extremely interesting for the Indy Star to do an article tracking how many students leave charters and return to IPS. I bet the enrollment factor back into IPS from Charters or township schools around the time of ISTEP+ would be very extremely telling.
I've seen you post this on the Star forums, and it doesn't make any logical sense. IPS enrollment is declining, so for what you're saying to be true, students would be enrolling in charter schools, then switching to IPS for the rest of the year but then starting the new school year at a non-IPS school. Why would anyone do that?
We didn't have any money before. Your bookkeepers can't steal it for you (nor can your school board allocate it for your red shoes or clothing and cars (or retirement or Wayne TWP)if it's not there.
"It would be extremely interesting for the Indy Star to do an article tracking how many students leave charters and return to IPS. I bet the enrollment factor back into IPS from Charters or township schools around the time of ISTEP+ would be very extremely telling."
"I've seen you post this on the Star forums, and it doesn't make any logical sense."
Correction..you've seen MANY other people post this because it is a common occurrence. The Star News plans to sponsor their own for-profit Chatter skool so don't look for them to "take a dump" where they plan to feed from.
Ariel, charter schools are nonprofit. More people make money off of IPS than would ever be possible in a charter school. And for argument's sake, even if some charter school students do return to IPS, it's obviously a lower number than the IPS students who are leaving IPS (because the numbers keep declining) so what difference does it make?
Instead of spreading nonsensical diatribes to school choice, why don't you advocate the kind of changes in traditional schools that will make students and their families WANT their kids to attend?
It's also important to note that most studies that compare academic progress between schools only use data from students who have attended the school for at least two years. So student mobility would have an impact on raw ISTEP scores but not on the results of research studies.
It's not even possible for the Star itself (or Gannett newspapers) to sponsor a charter school, nor is possible for them to open or charter school under a legal sponsor (currently the Mayor or Ball State). But you may have meant that they were involved with a nonprofit that might potentially open a future charter school. If that's the case, where did you read/hear about it?
I have NOT seen MANY people post about masses of IPS students leaving for charter schools only to return mid-year. I've only seen Arielbender post it. It doesn't make logical sense from the perspective of the parents and students, and this "common occurrence" doesn't show up in student migration data, nor in student enrollment and retention data from charter schools. The "problem" only exists in the troubled, angry mind of an Internet simpleton.
Obviously you are not involved in an IPS school. Wait for the charter school students to start returning after ADM day. Also wait for the special needs students start returning after the charter schools collect the money for them and then admit to the parents that they do not have the staff or resources to meet the needs of their children. It is outrageous. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and just assume that you are not involved in that process rather than you are attempting to deceive others.
Amen, how many times have the special needs shown up at our doors telling us that they resigned from a charter school and we have to take them back with full services. I have completed too many case conferences not to see the trend, and Bennett has no clue. This whole school system was failing under his leadership?
According to the CREDO study, Indiana charter schools do as well with special ed students as their boundary schools. If the people here who post untruths are actual educators, they should be ashamed. You're supposed to be able to teach children to do research and compare data to come to educated conclusions about things. Getting on the Internet and anonymously posting falsehoods because the truth isn't as lucrative for you is the opposite of educating. What you're doing is called propaganda, and the whole point of educating children is so they don't fall for propaganda.
Oh, the gullible one. Obviously if you purge your charter school of all students, special needs and general ed., who are struggling then your stats will improve. I also have had to do too many move in case conferences from charter schools where they were not following an IEP or did not even have one. Moreover, many parents have told me that the charter school strongly suggested that they return to the public school.
I'm just a parent, and my kids go to a magnet school in IPS, so I don't have any reason to use a charter school. But it only takes a 20-second Google search to disprove most of the negative things said about them on this blog. I know I'm only repeating what others are saying, but if you give the impression that IPS teachers are either uninformed or flagrantly dishonest and obviously quite threatened by charter schools, don't you actually do IPS and it's reputation more harm than any charter school could ever do?
Amen, and the sad part is the students "resign" from these schools, behind in the core academics. It's about the money, power, and lack of problem students. The problem students I truly understand, losing them make a better school, that takes less effort. I had to laugh about the Metro School that was able to cover for a special education teacher who became an administrator. I have six classes, and wonder who would have the time? I guess if you are sitting in the breakroom for three or four periods?
As a parent who lives in the IPS district, I have YET for anyone to explain to me what is wrong with MY tax money going to a school that I choose. MY child, MY tax money, MY choice. What is wrong with that?
As a parent who lives in the IPS district, I have YET for anyone to explain to me what is wrong with MY tax money going to a school that I choose. MY child, MY tax money, MY choice. What is wrong with that?
I pay taxes and have no children, but I want my tax money to pay for quality public schools for all children...Do you pay over $10,000 per year in property tax, if not your taking MY MONEY to put your child in another school. Also what happens if your child has some significant problem and he or she is one of those kids who cost the system $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 per year to educate....and that money has left and gone to some charter school.
You have a choice and always have had one, if you like Carmel schools move to Carmel, if you like Lawrence move there. If not stay and help force IPS to meet the needs of all of it's students.
Another choice we have as citizens is to change an unfair system so that parents can advocate for their own children and have access to excellent schools, even if they can't afford to live in Carmel. God Bless America and God Bless Democracy!
I am tired of parents paying $400 per year in property taxes (school system portion), it cost $5,000 per year for each student to attend school. That is why the Voucher System is unbfair and will not pass the courts, too much money. I will give them their portion of property taxes that go to school systems and not one dime more. My parents paid for private school, without asking for welfare from the state.
I agree. Everyone complains about THEIR tax money--really? You are right, it isn't that much and it goes for far more than education. If a parent chooses to go to a NON public school then it should come out of THEIR pockets. There are a lot of lawyers getting ready to pounce on this mess and it will get ugly. My personal preference (as a private school grad) is that I want NO part of the vouchers. States will get more and more involved in private school affairs and I certainly don't want that. The Bishops will eventually refuse vouchers and then there will be MORE lawsuits. Good luck to our state we are going to WASTE more money fighting all the lawsuits
It has nothing to do with "their tax money." That would be the case with a tax deduction. Vouchers are simply about more value for the taxpayer buck. Let the public have more control over the direction of public education and take away some of the control of politicians, unions, and people who have put their self interests about the interests of the public.
The student's family is the best advocate for that child. Period. There is no logical reason why we ever created a system where publicly funded education had to mean one government-assigned school. And there's certainly no logical reason to continue it. It's the most expensive, least effective way to educate children. As a nation, we're insane for having ever let it go on as long as we did. Future generations will talk about trapping kids in school districts the way we talk about school segregation, slavery, and laws that oppressed women -- As another embarrassing blemish on our nation's history that we eventually overcame.
What is the point system that was used to rif teachers? When did this become the new way? It's not based on seniority? If I am rifed, am I out for good?
Has anyone heard about the mentor/master teacher model several schools are pushing lately. I have a relative who teaches out of state who mentioned it, and then I heard today that Decatur, Beech Grove, and a couple of Indy charter schools are going to try it. Anyone know anything about it? Any talk among IPS higher-ups about trying anything like that here?
"The student's family is the best advocate for that child. Period. There is no logical reason why we ever created a system where publicly funded education had to mean one government-assigned school."
Duhhh.And if you WANT to learn AND graduate then you can- if you don't want to..then you won't. That's not the teacher's fault or the school's fault.Funny how people that rail against government education think the government military is just efficient, glorious and awesome. That's only because corporate America is content with defense contracts- for now.Government education works well when kids want to learn and parents are involved. When they are not NO corporate solution will remedy the situation- you can't legislate parenting.
When our school corp rif'ed teachers were called back by seniority but hirings went on throughout failing schools and new teachers were hired in over rif'ed teachers. They did it by changing certification/license criteria. (Example: teachers teaching US history had to have Econ, Gov't etc., on their licenses or they weren't hired back) After positions were filled some teachers left over were offered full time sub positions with NO benefits-which meant better take it or you lose unemployment or you weren't called back at all and stayed on unemployment
Not sure how Indy will do it. I do know when our teachers who were left out in the cold asked for union help from within and the state they got nothing
The system was changed a couple of years ago when several of the teachers that would have been RIF'd under strict seniority had been nominated for teacher of the year that year. So the union tried to come up with something that was still mostly seniority based, but allowed some protection of great teachers who were still fairly new. Apparently, younger teachers had been griping about paying dues to a union who does absolutely nothing for them, and this was the compromise. I thought many of you belonged to the union. Why do you seem confused or surprised by this? I don't even belong to the union, and I new about it just from local news.
There are a few self-proclaimed "teachers" who post here who hate parents, kids, young teachers, non-union teachers, IPS administration, any school, private or public, that people send their kids to instead of IPS, and Republicans. These people don't understand economics or government, and truly believe that the solution to IPS's national reputation as a troubled district is to simply stop measuring and go BACK to giving IPS a monopoly over public education. And still, they believe involved parents would willingly allow their children to be taught by them. I couldn't make up a better argument for school choice if I tried. LOL
To the poster who said you can't legislate parenting, what about when we control for that. What about parents who have had kids do well in other districts move here and their kids stop doing well. What about when parents have older kids who did well, but younger kids who do poorly at the same school. At any point, is it okay to let the parents escape district schools without moving out of the district?
All of the posts about teachers deep down in their hearts really caring about the kids are very inspirational, unfortunately caring doesn't correlate with results. Instead of talking about how many teachers CARE, let's talk about how many teachers actually TEACH! They are not called "CARERS," they are titled TEACHERS!
NEVER!!!
ReplyDeleteActually, this is my 42nd year in IPS and I still love teaching!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not!! I love what I do.
ReplyDeleteIPS hasn't killed my passion for teaching. In fact, a student from my very first class came in and visited me this past week. He made me feel really good about how I teach.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can say the political junk (NCLB, the public's view of teachers in general, etc) is making that passion die a slow and painful death.
This session of the Indiana legislature has done a lot to kill my passion but it is not dead yet!!!
ReplyDeleteIPS teachers are caught up in politics on every front and the whims of public opinion (the growing un-silent minority who think public school teachers are bums).
ReplyDeleteThat does not lessen their love of teaching, but it does lessen the overall happiness and contentment of many. Teachers are human beings and they have their own families to help care for. They also want to TEACH the children instead of constantly testing and jumping through administrative hoops.
No but it is not for IPS and the states lack of trying. Suddenly teachers are viewed as leaches who simply don't care....even the teachers who I have worked with who weren't very good were in their hearts there because they cared about kids.
ReplyDeleteIn the 30 years I taught in IPS I only ran into two people who really only seemed like they were there for the $...both administrators.
I agree about the administrators in the post above. I still love teaching, but some days it's difficult, and the statement about the leaches at the Education Center is so true. I still laugh about an EH class that I had and the "expert" from the downtown came to show me how to handle the students my first year. She failed, got mad, and walked out of the classroom in the middle of the day. But then took a job as an administrator in another township.
ReplyDeleteIPS ruined me for IPS, but not for teaching. I found IPS very anti-success and anti-teaching. Good teachers were demonized and ostracized by coworkers, and the norm was an attitude of complete defeat and helplessness. I support most of the reform movements if for no other reason that they are getting people talking and thinking about education. And it's getting the teachers who haven't given any real thought to their craft in years to suddenly reevaluate the things they do. I just don't see the doom and destruction of public education the way some do. Sciences and industries change and evolve. Education, as a science and as an industry, must be expected to change and evolve as well.
ReplyDeleteI love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators! I really do. There are schools in this district that are doing great work. Let the negativity roll off you like water off a duck's back.
ReplyDeleteLucky you, there are a few really good schools in IPS...their administrators keep a low profile and let teachers teach...
ReplyDeleteJust this morning I made the decision to retire. The school I'm currently assigned to has almost completely broken my spirit. I plan to leave with my dignity intact. It should be a crime to run a school like this. To say it is out-of-control is like saying the ocean contains water. A complete dolt who doesn't discipline should never run a school. The children who attend this school are being harmed daily by learning that they can do anything they want without fear of consequences. It is increasing difficult to "let the negativity roll off ..." when negative issues at this school consume you on a daily basis. It also becomes irksome to watch the same teachers who bad-mouth the principal behind her back "suck-up" to her face. And, naturally, she thinks they admire her, and heralds them as her best teachers.
ReplyDeleteWhen you are in a building or a system where children are being harmed by the policies or practices it is hard to turn a blind eye and still feel like you are a good teacher. It is more than what happens in the classroom. A complete dolt (and there are lots of them) who doesn't discipline children and there are no consequences of poor choices is setting these children up for failure in the future.
ReplyDeleteYes it has. I was hounded by a ladder-climbing administrator, and was bad mouthed by her after I was finally able to get away from her and demonized.
ReplyDeleteThis has gone on for 5 years now, and I've had it. I'm able to retire and walk away from this bullshit of capricious administrators that have no checks in place to prevent them from doing as they damned well please. I had good reviews prior to this from several different adminstrators and I know I'm a good teacher, or I was until constantly told I was doing everything wrong. I have discovered that adminstrators will blatantly lie and willfully misinterpret what was done to bolster their preconceived notions.
It's a sick system that allows students to run rampant over the educational process and bring things down to the lowest level. The Six-step discipline process is a complete joke and should be renamed the 36-steps.
I have no intentions of returning to teaching after this. The experience has soured me to the point that a life-long dream has turned into a nightmare. Eight weeks to go and I can walk out and not look back.
I'll miss many of the students as I taught many of them in middle school as well as high school, and enough have come back to say thank you for what I've done for them that I know I've not done a disservice to them.
Yes, I've lost my enthusiasm for a job that I once looked forward to each day, and now it's just a matter of getting through the day. The pacing guide isn't working, and all the creativity has gone out of the teaching. The system has taken the juice out of teaching and now it's a dry husk.
A question for everyone on all this is that it's obvious the older teachers with higher degrees are targeted. Why is no one mentioning age discrimination?
Not in the slightest. Believe it or not, it's much better than where I was before. It can always be worse.
ReplyDeletea leech is a blood sucking animal
ReplyDeleteleach is what toxins do into soil
Although considering some of the administrators I've worked with in my many years and many schools leach might be considered correct.
So really both may indeed be correct?
ReplyDelete'A question for everyone on all this is that it's obvious the older teachers with higher degrees are targeted. Why is no one mentioning age discrimination?"
ReplyDelete____________________
Well, I've mentioned it before and it couldn't be more obvious. Get rid of experienced teachers; get rid of their salaries. That's what is going on, I am convinced. Of course, the young teachers are getting their own grief through the Riffing. All of this should not pit younger teachers against older teachers or visa versa. It's all a part of a kettle of very smelly fish and public school teachers have "targets" on their heads.
@ Just this morning I made the decision to retire...
ReplyDeleteAre you elementary, middle, or high school? I have been hearing that a lot of high school teachers are making the move to retirement.
Good luck and God bless.
Who are you going to tell, the Indianapolis Star? Mitch Daniels, Dr. Bennett, or the GOP majority. They all want you gone, without any retirement money, and the Teachers Retirement Fund is only funded to 49%. Oh, they lost sixty million in bad Chrysler Bonds, great investment Mitch? Goggle the news, Daniels has too many pension funds that are not funded on his "balanced" books.
ReplyDeleteI love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators! I teach at BRMHS and love it every day. There are schools in this district that are doing great work and we are one of them. The administrators or wonderful and the teachers are professional and eager to teach. Let the negativity roll off you like the donkey in the hole, shake it off and step up!
ReplyDelete@Who are you going to tell, the Indianapolis Star? Mitch Daniels, Dr. Bennett, or the GOP majority.
ReplyDeleteI have no real solution for where you can take your complaint; however, I can assure you that our retirement fund woes existed well before Mitch Daniels became our Governor or Tony Bennett became the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Both men are convenient scapegoats for all the current ills of the Indiana public schools. We'd be better off taking our complaints and grievances to Pat Bauer who's been in public office and reportedly representing teachers for years and years, long before Mitch or Tony hit the scene. Go talk to Pat. I understand he's back in town.
@I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators!
ReplyDeleteDid the doctor increase your Prozac dosage, too? That's good stuff, isn't it?
"The administrators or wonderful" Pretty much says it all doesn't it? One or the other, not both.
ReplyDelete@I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators!
ReplyDeleteDid the doctor increase your Prozac dosage, too? That's good stuff, isn't it?
I thought it was the lobotomy or the thorazine...
@I thought it was the lobotomy or the thorazine...
ReplyDeleteLOL...Prozac, frontal lobotomy, thorazine, Zyprexa, or the drug of choice...or whatever... the above poster who proudly proclaimed: "I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators!" is seriously on some major heavy duty stuff. I only hope it's legal stuff.
To the person who 'loves his job, loves his school, and loves his administrators' and who also reminds us to "Let the negativity roll off you like the donkey in the hole, shake it off and step up!"
ReplyDeleteWhat in the world does it mean to let something 'roll off you like the donkey in the hole'? What donkey? What hole? Sounds vaguely kinky to me.
This can't be a mixed metaphor because 'like' was used. Is this a strange simile? What analogy was being drawn? Help out those of us who've missed our meds today.
"I love my job, I love my school, and I love my administrators!" is seriously on some major heavy duty stuff. I only hope it's legal stuff."
ReplyDeleteProbably not, I suspect they get their pharmaceuticals from that BRHS teacher's room mate.
It's the donkey in the hole from Dr. White's "rah rah" speech at the beginning of the year.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, Mitch Daniels blasts out his nazis like messages that he has a "balanced" budget. Way too much red ink on that statement midget man, and just wait until the City of Indianapolis police and fire departments start to retire, talk about flowing red ink. It's all lies, that is why he wanted to cut teachers salaries, benefits, and retirement benefits. I am so proud of the IEA and Pat Bauer. Just think starting on July 1st your paycheck will not be cut to one third like Mitch demanded.
ReplyDeleteThe donkey falls in hole, his owner can't get him out so he decides to just bury him, he throws a shovel full of dirt onto the donkey, the donkey shakes the dirt off and it falls to the bottom of the hole and the donkey steps up onto the dirt that is in the bottom of the hole, eventually the donkey is able to step out of the hole.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is that teachers have so much stuff shoveled on top of them they can't shake fast enough...and they are being buried alive... and the students are buried with them.
Did anyone else read yesterday's USA Today front page article about Michelle Rhee's legacy of suspicious erasures on tests?
ReplyDeleteTruly amazing.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-03-29-dcschools29_ST_N.htm
ReplyDeleteQuestions to be answered April 6th.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-03-28-1aschooltesting28_st_n.htm?csp=obinsite
ReplyDeleteCheating on tests in Georgia? You might go to jail!
Who said that BRHS is a hot mess? Can you explain? I have heard the same.
ReplyDeleteI can explain. Its because unlike other IPS school BRHS is a magnet meaning that if your student fight, get a failing grade, back mouths a teacher they get kicked out and sent to other schools. I teach at one of the worse schools here in IPS. For me this has put a damper on the education system not so much for teaching. I am only a second year teacher and I can promise you that I teach for approximately 10 min a period and the rest of the time I am classroom managing. Our administrators have waved students who have threatened teachers, hit teachers, and started gang fights in our school building. Teaching is not taking place in my building and its not due to the lack of trying on the teachers parts. I have watch our administrators roll into school at 7:30 everyday, let students walk by them out of dress code, and on the phone. YET if they make it into my classroom, our school has been told, that WE (as the teachers) will be written up. There are to many backwards in this school and I actually hope the state takes it over so that these students will have consequences for their actions.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, but what does that have to do with the state of things at BRHS? Someone said earlier that BRHS was a "hot mess" and since I have children who attend that school, I wondered what they meant. I heard that a lot of teachers hated to work under the administrators there and I wondered why.
ReplyDeleteOne name will explain all of the problems at the school - Linda Davis.
ReplyDeleteTo the parent of the BRHS student:
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to any of us! Make a surprise visit to BR any day. I think you will be plesantly surprised.
"Did anyone else read yesterday's USA Today front page article about Michelle Rhee's legacy of suspicious erasures on tests?"
ReplyDeleteBut she will be vindicated as a guest on Abduel's GOP radio show Wednesday and the "evil" unions will be what did her in. Yeah right. Keep giving us more comedy and jokes.
Whoever said BRHS was a "hot mess' is probably one of the rejects! The school is awesome! The teachers are GREAT and the administrators are exceptional, Linda Davis is the BEST!!!! Signed...a long time BRHS teacher who loves teaching!
ReplyDeleteHaha!!! Linda, get off of the blog. Only YOU would post such a ridiculous comment. You're a vindictive person who is doing nothing but serving your own personal agenda. Your decisions harm children, but they serve you. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteLinda Davis never gets out of her office. The students don't even know who she is. She is not the person she used to be. She is dictatorial when she should be collaborative. She has been tainted by the admin from Gene White's era, which needs to come to an end as does her era. The Queen needs to go. Being that she considers herself the "Queen" says it all. She DOES have her own agenda and it is self-serving, not student oriented. Time to retire Mrs. Davis. You harm the educational environment and are politically corrupted. I hope BRHS is taken by the State so you will go away.
ReplyDeleteBack to the discussion on the impact of Mitch Daniel's financial management, check this out:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#42315031
@ I can explain... Let me guess:
ReplyDelete1) Tech
2) Treadwell
more garbage from the rejected teachers regarding BRHS. Linda did not write the above statement...I did! BRHS is the BEST and Linda must have been doing something right by rejecting you....She runs a GREAT School with GREAT Teachers and GREAT Administrators. Sorry you are bitter. Try taking a few classes to bring yourselves up to par....
ReplyDeleteWhatever you are on, could you share it?
ReplyDeleteMe be thinking Linda Davsi is ok, she hired me and me had been worked at other IPS schol as English teacher. She drinks too much, workd from home a few days per week, and she can beraly walked the hall werys. Linda be doing good job, it was funnied went she almost falled on the Homecaming Queen, too much liqur makes you wobble. But if I have a dumb or problem student, she sends them back to their homed schol. I only been having good smart students who are failing, me thiniking it's becaued they be dumb as I be smart and Linda hired me.
ReplyDeleteI still am hearing from the DOE, that BRHS will be taken over in July. Then Linda is gone, as are all of the teachers on staff, but you will be able to work as subs in IPS. This would make Dr. Bennett's job easy, as he can ship off any problem students to IPS. Tony will shine as will the "take over educational group".
ReplyDeleteHow are you hearing about BRHS being taken over?? Are you involved in backroom discussions? None of this information has come out to the rest of us. A takeover in July just seems illogical and completely impossible when it comes to the movement of that many people....especially staff and students.
ReplyDeleteJealousy toward BRHS ? Whoever is writing that they know BR is being taken over is a HUGE LIAR!! I talked with people inside the DOE and they say a decision has NOT been made. ISTEP scores will not come back before August, so stop your wishful thinking!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh, they are ready to strike, most of the scores are back in to DOE, except for the writing section. The main reason is to create problems within IPS.
ReplyDelete"Jealousy toward BRHS"? So you support and are proud of a drunk in charge of the school and students? How professional is that for the entire staff of BRHS and how many of your staff retired this year? Shame on you, I would of reported her to DOE about her show during Home Coming almost knocking over the Queen.
ReplyDeleteRe: I had to laugh, they are ready to strike, most of the scores are back in to DOE, except for the writing section.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing, too. The test my kids took was ALL writing, so, if most of the scores are back except for writing, doesn't that mean no scores are compiled? We won't administer the "multiple guess" part until the end of April.
Don't be surprised if the state takes over Ripple, they want to take over schools where there is a chance they can have success. They should have taken Arlington last year but wouldn't even consider taking it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that people who really aren't in schools have no idea how difficult it is to really solve all the problems that keep kids from having success. H.L. Mencken said "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." Smart guy.
RE: Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Jealousy toward BRHS"? So you support and are proud of a drunk in charge of the school and students..
This is the problem with this story. Go back to November and read the post--she never tried to crown the king and queen, the vice-principal did. Davis never knocked anybody over like you say. I was there, you were not, so you are lying or forwarding falsehoods!
Mitch, Bennett, bigoted hillbilly's and corporate greed have killed my love of teaching.Check out the latest chatter skool stuff you won't see at Indy Star News
ReplyDeletehttp://my.firedoglake.com/dougmartin/2011/03/30/fbi-investigating-gulen-charter-schools-gulen-leaders-lavish-gifts-and-dinners-on-mitch-daniels-and-other-indiana-officials/
But the idea that the problems are unsolvable is poisonous itself. I've been teaching just over a decade, and from my perspective, IPS teachers ARE a major problem. But I don't think it's so much about being boring or irrelevant (although I do think these things matter). I think too many teachers don't think what they do matters and don't think they have the power to change the outcomes for their students. They think their subject matter is too hard for their students, and that standards and testing are annoying wastes of time. There is no "buy-in" to the education process from the teachers themselves. Since many of these kids receive the same message from home, a student often goes their whole school career and only have a handful of teachers that even believe dramatic improvement is even possible without changing factors outside of the classroom. Then when you consider the teachers who do believe it is possible but struggle with the execution, you start to see how things got so bad in the first place.
ReplyDeletePeople always talk about school choice in terms of finding schools that are a good fit for students. But I think one of the significant but unspoken benefits is certain teachers would be a better fit for certain schools as well. The strict, traditional, pro-discipline crowd would probably do better in a military-style charter. The "it takes a village" crowd would probably be happy in Community schools, and so on and so forth.
Just got back from out of town -- did anyone get a RIF letter yet? I think they're to come out this week. I didn't have one waiting for me. Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteNope, letters are being mailed out on the 31st of March, maybe next week. Then I will collect my unemployment checks on IPS for the rest of the year. Over 350 teachers will hit the bricks, not counting one single administrator?
ReplyDeleteI was there too. Perhaps you were drunk, also, as Linda was indeed too intoxicated to even stand up let alone crown the Homecoming Queen. And the vice-principal did not end up doing the honors - a middle school math teacher did. Get your nose out of her butt and quit defending the drunken queen. She is an embarrassment to us all.
ReplyDeleteCheers to the above poster! I am sick and tired of coming to school on Monday mornings and seeing the Queen's door closed while she "Works from home" or more likely works through her hangover. If she is there, she is visibly hungover nearly all of the time. She screams and curses at her staff and screams at the students over the PA. She is unprofessional, rude, and yes, an embarrassment to us all.
ReplyDeleteIPS teachers ARE a major problem. But I don't think it's so much about being boring or irrelevant (although I do think these things matter). I think too many teachers don't think what they do matters and don't think they have the power to change the outcomes for their students. They think their subject matter is too hard for their students, and that standards and testing are annoying wastes of time. There is no "buy-in" to the education process from the teachers themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis is a problem but what is the source of the problem? IPS teachers no longer have any academic freedom and no voice in school management since Dr. White decided that "we no longer have SBDM" and overrode board policy. Micro management is a major problem...do you do what is right for your students or do you follow the pacing guides, benchmark testing, Springboard curriculum? When you beat a dog for years why are you surprised that the dog is timid and scared?
I put part of the blame on the union, when they started small schools I asked why we signed off on that boondoggle I asked WHY, and was told that if we didn't we would look like we opposed "reform and improvement." Teachers are the experts we should be leaders in reform and improvement, not the followers.
If you went to your doctor and were diagnosed with a major health problem and you said "I know how I will cure my self, I'll eat more veggies." Do you think your doctor would just say "yeah that's a great idea" and let you go...because he/she didn't want to look like they opposed an improvement in your diet? Heck no he/she would say "look I am the expert here, you need to do X Y and Z to get better."
Just had a conversation with a relative who asked what is going on in IPS high schools? She said none of the teachers care about the students and went on to defend her grand daughter for cursing out a teacher. I am so sick of this! This person thinks her family is perfect, but I tired to reason with her--teenagers are different!
ReplyDeleteI would never choose a doctor who thought my input didn't matter in my own healthcare, would you? My doctor knows me and that I prefer natural remedies and cures to pills and surgeries whenever possible. My sister uses the same doctor but prefers western medicine. My doctor doesn't pull rank on either one of us. She is knowledgeable on both traditional and alternative medicine and is able to work with both of us to create a best-case scenario. It doesn't matter how big of an expert you think you are if nobody listens to you. And while a doctor might be an expert on traditional medicine, and you might be an expert of traditional education, individuals are experts of themselves and parents are experts of their children. I agree with the above poster about teacher buy-in. I think the best classrooms have teacher buy-in, parent buy-in and student buy-in. The worst classrooms have none of those things. The single person with the most control over all of three of those is the teacher. But not with the arrogant "Listen to me, I'm the expert" nonsense. But in using your expertise to formulate a best-case scenario for each student based on what the parents and students want out of education and what your supervisors and state laws demand.
ReplyDelete@Mitch, Bennett, bigoted hillbilly's and corporate greed have killed my love of teaching.Check out the latest chatter skool stuff you won't see at Indy Star News
ReplyDeletehttp://my.firedoglake.com/dougmartin/2011/03/30/fbi-investigating-gulen-charter-schools-gulen-leaders-lavish-gifts-and-dinners-on-mitch-daniels-and-other-indiana-officials/
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Gee, this poster must be the same person who posts on the Indy Star under the pseudonym of 'arielbender'. The person is a whacko who's paranoid. Sorry he or she has decided to join us here.
LOL!! I just noticed today that she uses "chatter skool" on the Star forums like the poster here does and figured they were the same person! Too funny!
ReplyDelete@LOL!!
ReplyDelete_______________________________
I see that someone else noticed the similarities. Also, the use of 'corporate greed' is a continuing theme for 'arielbender'. I wonder if the person really is a teacher?
and the next paragraph
ReplyDeleteThe movement forces an odd aggregation of schools that are purposefully different from one another and that are linked only by the fact that they’re free from public school restrictions but still enjoy public funding. One would think that would be enough to tilt the playing field in their favor. Yet the recent CREDO study out of Stanford University shows that only 17% of charter school students outperform their public school counterparts—and 37% perform worse. To declare the success of the charter school movement based on a 17% success rate is no more sensible than declaring their inherent corruption based on their incidence of embezzlement and other shady business dealings...though I guess we can say education has now learned something from the business world.
The same study quoted above found that Indiana stood out among states because charter schools ARE more successful than traditional schools. Quoted from the conclusion of the Indiana part of the study.
ReplyDelete"Overall, charter school growth in Indiana and Indianapolis outpaced the growth of traditional public schools. Looking at the distribution of school performance, 98% of the charter schools grew with similar or better rates than traditional public schools in reading and 100% of charter schools grew with similar or better
rates in math compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools of all ages in Indiana on average grow at better rates than traditional public schools and charter school students grow at higher rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first 2 years of enrollment in charter schools.
There was no significant difference in learning gains between charter school students and traditional public schools that are Hispanic in reading and math, but Black students in charter schools produce higher learning gains than Black students in traditional public schools. In fact, Black students in Indiana charter schools grow at similar rates to the average white student in a traditional public school in math.
Charter school students in poverty also had learning gains better than their peers at traditional public schools in math as did charter school students that were retained a grade."
It wouldn't be hard to beat IPS, Third highest drop out rates for black males and number one in the country for white male dropping out, three or four years ago. A massive attempt to improve this, not by working with kids but instead working with statistics. In the thirty years I have taught in IPS it has gone from one of the best systems to the worst.
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty of blame to go around in this problem, but the first has to be lack of leadership...
Look at "over/under", it caused elementary scores to rise, and I heard an administrator tell over/under kids "as far as I am concerned you can stay in the eigth grade until you are 18 for all I care." It dawned on me that if you don't enter ninth grade you are not a drop out statistic, so they want to park kids in eigtht grade until they are at least 16 and outside the reach of the courts for compelled attendance.
Indianapolis should be humiliated, time to clean house in the ed center.
Re: the Over/Under program stats
ReplyDeleteI'd never thought of that. The O/U Program assisted in skewing the graduation rate results. What a rip-off for the kids and the taxpayers.
If Gene White, Willie Giles, Jane Kendricks, or any number of Ed Center big shots gave a rat's patoot about students rather than their positions or their fine salaries, we'd be far better off as a school corporation.
I remember meeting up close and personal with Willie Giles a couple of years ago at John Marshall when he was called there to help get the students under control. He was useless and appeared scared. I actually stood in front of the little man and told him what he should be doing. Because I'm rather tall and forceful when necessary, he listened to me and did it. What a sad situation that I, a teacher, had to tell the Deputy Super what needed to be done.
http://www.theindychannel.com/education/27389459/detail.html
ReplyDeleteNice to read that the only IPS employee that Channel 6 could reach was a teacher that sent them an email.
Is Gene too busy getting ready for the 2012 Super Bowl?
Reform? Teachers in the forefront! Try getting out of the 19th-century factory model where/when learning was and still is measured by days and hours. Try a 4-day week from 8:00 to 3:00. Hey, Lil Mitch, that will save a few bucks. Try project-based learning and give the teachers common planning time. Do any of these legislators and administrators know what today's teen-agers need? Let's address the cell-phone issue; skype; Facebook; these politicians have no idea. Try taking away a 17-year old's cellphone. Address the violence, bullying? No, they can't. And the dumb, unthinking public continue to think "they're doing something" about reform. Get real!
ReplyDeleteI got my RIF'd letter today! :) Unemployment here we come... June 1st!
ReplyDeleteMe too. Nice FU for spring break! Goes along nicely with last Friday's email. Happy Spring Break everyone!
ReplyDeleteI guess the bright side is that with the voucher law and expanded charter school legislation, there will certainly be a lot of job openings this fall, and with your experience in an urban school but not so much experience that you're super-expensive, you shouldn't have any trouble getting new jobs. Change is scary though. I wish you both well.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the above posters are actual RIF'ed teachers. They sound like the same grumpy old timers who always post here.
ReplyDeleteIf I haven't received a RIF notice today, am I safe?
ReplyDeleteNo.
ReplyDeleteIf they mailed your RIF notice by the 31st, they are covered. If they did not, then you will have a job in IPS next year. No telling what you will be doing, but you will have a job. And by the way, not picking up your letter does not protect you from RIF-ing. Go get it. You may need it for unemployment!
ReplyDeletePlease do not act like we are all ignorant. I am not dumb enough to think not picking it up protects me. I did not receive one but I am a first year teacher.
ReplyDelete@I don't think the above posters...You age discrimatory remarks say a lot about you. I hope you keep your prejudices under control when you are teaching.
ReplyDeleteDon't you love the knows it all 20 somethings? They have a rude awakening in their futures- if they live long enough. The death panels may get them.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually a late 30-something, and I'm not the tiniest bit prejudiced against older people or experienced teachers. But there are a few self-described veteran teachers who often post bitter, jaded types of remarks and the above posters sounded like them and not like an actual RIF'ed teacher who's fairly new to the profession and to IPS.
ReplyDeleteRIF'd - mid-30's, not 20-something and not an old timer; unless you're a teenager making the "old timer" statement. If so, then I must be positively ancient!
ReplyDeleteWe were told that they legally have til June 1st to send out rif notices so there may be more
ReplyDeleteIf you are a first year teacher and didn't get your RIF today like most of us did, either:
ReplyDelete1. You will get it Monday when we all have to sign another form; or
2. I will find out who you are and make sure you get it.
I have more than 1 year and got my jewel this morning.
Yes, there are veteran teachers who are not doing their jobs. The number is small. Yes, there are new teachers who are not doing their jobs. The number is small. I find many new teachers share too much of their personal lives with their students. Maybe I am old fashioned but I don't think students need to share aspects of their sex lives with their students or talk about their drinking outings with their students. I won't condemn all new teachers for this since most do not. An alarming number do.
ReplyDelete@I did not receive one but I am a first year teacher. (regarding RIF letter)
ReplyDeleteThen perhaps you're one of those teachers in a critical shortage area.
They don't have to go exactly in order of seniority anymore. Like the poster above said, they do it in pools. The first tier is a 2-year pool. They have to exhaust all 1st and 2nd year teachers before moving to the 3-5 year pool, but they don't have to go in order of seniority within that pool. If a 1st year teacher performs better than a 2nd year teacher, they can keep the 1st year teacher and RIF the 2nd year teacher.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy my time in the classroom with the students and seeing them progress.
ReplyDeleteHate my time dealing with those who think they know and understand what my students need. Hate being given scripts to teach by. This not a factory each of our students need different things. Rubicon lessons for the whole district is not the answer! My students are doing well (better stat's and scores than other classrooms in my building) with me basically ignoring rubicon (expecept when the a administrator comes by). IPS administrators in my five years of experience tend to do more getting in the way of education than actually helping!
I'm a teacher, but I don't work in IPS. I have a question for the above poster. At my school, following the Rubicon map enables collaboration between teachers and overlap between subjects. If I deviated much from the Rubicon, not only would I likely not cover all of the units in course I teach, but I would also lose that collaboration and review from other teachers who are assuming I'm following the Rubicon. Does it work the same in IPS? What would be the "upside" to ignoring the Rubicon. Obviously I don't mean tweaking things a little here or there, but why would you want to deviate from it in any significant way? I'm not criticizing, I'm genuinely curious.
ReplyDelete@Then perhaps you're one of those teachers in a critical shortage area.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am a special education teacher. I was told I was on the preliminary list and assumed I would receive the letter on Friday. Maybe there weren't very many cuts in special education.
I am an IPS teacher, and I've never seen teachers collaborate using the Rubicon, although it certainly would be possible. In fact, when I first started as a teacher a few years ago, I rubbed a lot of teachers the wrong way by even discussing things we could do to improve things. I keep to myself more now, but I think it's starting to get to me. I got into teaching with the goal of teaching in IPS, and I love it. But it's very isolating sometimes. Does anyone else feel this way? I feel like if I leave for a more collaborative environment, I'm abandoning my students who already don't have enough people supporting them. But when I read posts like the one above about teachers collaborating and overlapping, I have to admit, I'm overcome with jealousy. You said you don't teach in IPS, do you mind telling us what district you teach in?
ReplyDeleteI teach in a charter school, and it's very collaborative. I think it's the best of both worlds. At IPS, I loved the students but loathed many of the adults. At my charter school, I still get to work with urban kids, which is important to me, but the environment is infinitely more positive and supportive. It might be something to look into if things don't improve at your IPS school.
ReplyDeleteI'm the above teacher who posted about my school using Rubicon. I teach in Decatur Township.
ReplyDeleteRead the interesting article in the Indianapolis Business Journal about our Teachers Reteirment Fund and how the GOP hopes many of the (hired before 1996) teachers die early in life. The TRF is so under funded, that we are talking about the State of Indiana having to come up with billions of dollars, instead of putting money in each year. So I guess with all of the changes, rules, and problems with DOE, they are working their magic behind the curtains. Raising stress, blood pressure, and creating undue heart attacks.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the post about the TRF, etc...
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that IPS may be co-operating with this effort to make older teachers "die early in life."
Terrible abusive harassment from principals, being unjustly placed on PIPS and the like have sent - it would seem - half of the experienced IPS teachers to their doctors for blood pressure medicine, anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications.
For shame, for shame.
To the teacher above who feels isolated, you might consider either trying to get into a magnet school. The teachers are more proactive and collaborative than the other schools. I also know a few teachers who have switched to the elementary grades for the same reason. I've heard the working environment in elementary is better, although I've also heard its requires more hours off the clock than secondary ed.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said. . .
ReplyDelete"Overall, charter school growth in Indiana and Indianapolis outpaced the growth of traditional public schools. Looking at the distribution of school performance, 98% of the charter schools grew with similar or better rates than traditional public schools in reading and 100% of charter schools grew with similar or better rates in math compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools of all ages in Indiana on average grow at better rates than traditional public schools and charter school students grow at higher rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first 2 years of enrollment in charter schools.”
THE ABOVE QUOTE IS ONLY A HALF TRUTH. It is NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE. A charter school that had 22 % of students passing one year and 45% passing the next has students that show tremendous growth, but those students are still achieving at a level below the average IPS student. An IPS school that moves students from the 55th% to the 60th% has only grown by 5% yet it’s students outperform those in most charters. As schools get closer and closer to the targeted goal, growth will be less. It is ludicrous to think Charter Schools are performing better than IPS schools.
IPS teachers will do much better when the administration gets off teacher backs and instead tells teachers what they want students to know and be able to do, and then let teachers decide how to get there. Rubicon, mandates, pacing guides followed with fidelity, bulletin board standards and extra meetings do not make better teaching. Only a teacher’s thoughtful thinking and planning in ways that make sense to the teacher will result in higher student achievement and growth. Teacher buy-in is an essential ingredient.
I'm not the one who posted the quote from the study, but I do recognize it as a direct quote from the study. So if you disagree with Stanford CREDO, fine. But it's not a half-truth, it's a direct quote. Your explanation is in opposition to what the study actually says. The study compared charter school students to students from their boundary school with the same demographics and starting scores from the charter school.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as luck would have it, there was an article in today's IBJ about how to charter schools. http://www.ibj.com/controversy-brews-over-how-to-judge-charter-performance/PARAMS/article/26301
Scroll down a bit and you'll see a comparison of IPS, Indiana Charter Schools, and Indiana schools as a whole.
I'm an IPS teacher and I would just like say that the people who go around complaining about charter schools give us all a bad name. If kids are being educated, I'm happy. Whether it's at a magnet school, community school, private school, charter school, a township school or even homeschooling. If a kid is being educated, I'm happy. I hate it when the teachers from the suburbs sit around and badmouth IPS. I'm not about to do that to the charter schools. Like the teacher above is experiencing, there is too much conflict between teachers as it is. We need to support each other, even when we don't have the exact same vision or philosophy, and even if we don't work for the same district!
ReplyDeleteAmen! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you are really an IPS teacher then you are short sighted. Every IPS student who enters a charter school results in a higher class size and fewer materials for you. It also results in less support for you. Then after the charter schools get their money, they sent the challenged students back to IPS to receive services from IPS.
ReplyDeleteIt would be extremely interesting for the Indy Star to do an article tracking how many students leave charters and return to IPS. I bet the enrollment factor back into IPS from Charters or township schools around the time of ISTEP+ would be very extremely telling.
ReplyDeleteI've seen you post this on the Star forums, and it doesn't make any logical sense. IPS enrollment is declining, so for what you're saying to be true, students would be enrolling in charter schools, then switching to IPS for the rest of the year but then starting the new school year at a non-IPS school. Why would anyone do that?
ReplyDeleteIPS didn't let the money get to the classroom before charter schools. What has changed?
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have any money before. Your bookkeepers can't steal it for you (nor can your school board allocate it for your red shoes or clothing and cars (or retirement or Wayne TWP)if it's not there.
ReplyDelete"It would be extremely interesting for the Indy Star to do an article tracking how many students leave charters and return to IPS. I bet the enrollment factor back into IPS from Charters or township schools around the time of ISTEP+ would be very extremely telling."
ReplyDelete"I've seen you post this on the Star forums, and it doesn't make any logical sense."
Correction..you've seen MANY other people post this because it is a common occurrence. The Star News plans to sponsor their own for-profit Chatter skool so don't look for them to "take a dump" where they plan to feed from.
Ariel, charter schools are nonprofit. More people make money off of IPS than would ever be possible in a charter school. And for argument's sake, even if some charter school students do return to IPS, it's obviously a lower number than the IPS students who are leaving IPS (because the numbers keep declining) so what difference does it make?
ReplyDeleteInstead of spreading nonsensical diatribes to school choice, why don't you advocate the kind of changes in traditional schools that will make students and their families WANT their kids to attend?
It's also important to note that most studies that compare academic progress between schools only use data from students who have attended the school for at least two years. So student mobility would have an impact on raw ISTEP scores but not on the results of research studies.
ReplyDeleteIt's not even possible for the Star itself (or Gannett newspapers) to sponsor a charter school, nor is possible for them to open or charter school under a legal sponsor (currently the Mayor or Ball State). But you may have meant that they were involved with a nonprofit that might potentially open a future charter school. If that's the case, where did you read/hear about it?
ReplyDeleteI have NOT seen MANY people post about masses of IPS students leaving for charter schools only to return mid-year. I've only seen Arielbender post it. It doesn't make logical sense from the perspective of the parents and students, and this "common occurrence" doesn't show up in student migration data, nor in student enrollment and retention data from charter schools. The "problem" only exists in the troubled, angry mind of an Internet simpleton.
ReplyDeleteObviously you are not involved in an IPS school. Wait for the charter school students to start returning after ADM day. Also wait for the special needs students start returning after the charter schools collect the money for them and then admit to the parents that they do not have the staff or resources to meet the needs of their children. It is outrageous. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and just assume that you are not involved in that process rather than you are attempting to deceive others.
ReplyDeleteAmen, how many times have the special needs shown up at our doors telling us that they resigned from a charter school and we have to take them back with full services. I have completed too many case conferences not to see the trend, and Bennett has no clue. This whole school system was failing under his leadership?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the CREDO study, Indiana charter schools do as well with special ed students as their boundary schools. If the people here who post untruths are actual educators, they should be ashamed. You're supposed to be able to teach children to do research and compare data to come to educated conclusions about things. Getting on the Internet and anonymously posting falsehoods because the truth isn't as lucrative for you is the opposite of educating. What you're doing is called propaganda, and the whole point of educating children is so they don't fall for propaganda.
ReplyDeleteOh, the gullible one. Obviously if you purge your charter school of all students, special needs and general ed., who are struggling then your stats will improve. I also have had to do too many move in case conferences from charter schools where they were not following an IEP or did not even have one. Moreover, many parents have told me that the charter school strongly suggested that they return to the public school.
ReplyDeleteI'm just a parent, and my kids go to a magnet school in IPS, so I don't have any reason to use a charter school. But it only takes a 20-second Google search to disprove most of the negative things said about them on this blog. I know I'm only repeating what others are saying, but if you give the impression that IPS teachers are either uninformed or flagrantly dishonest and obviously quite threatened by charter schools, don't you actually do IPS and it's reputation more harm than any charter school could ever do?
ReplyDeleteAmen, and the sad part is the students "resign" from these schools, behind in the core academics. It's about the money, power, and lack of problem students. The problem students I truly understand, losing them make a better school, that takes less effort. I had to laugh about the Metro School that was able to cover for a special education teacher who became an administrator. I have six classes, and wonder who would have the time? I guess if you are sitting in the breakroom for three or four periods?
ReplyDeleteAs a parent who lives in the IPS district, I have YET for anyone to explain to me what is wrong with MY tax money going to a school that I choose. MY child, MY tax money, MY choice. What is wrong with that?
ReplyDelete@What is wrong with that?
ReplyDeleteNot a damned thing! Many agree with you, including me.
As a parent who lives in the IPS district, I have YET for anyone to explain to me what is wrong with MY tax money going to a school that I choose. MY child, MY tax money, MY choice. What is wrong with that?
ReplyDeleteI pay taxes and have no children, but I want my tax money to pay for quality public schools for all children...Do you pay over $10,000 per year in property tax, if not your taking MY MONEY to put your child in another school. Also what happens if your child has some significant problem and he or she is one of those kids who cost the system $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 per year to educate....and that money has left and gone to some charter school.
You have a choice and always have had one, if you like Carmel schools move to Carmel, if you like Lawrence move there. If not stay and help force IPS to meet the needs of all of it's students.
Another choice we have as citizens is to change an unfair system so that parents can advocate for their own children and have access to excellent schools, even if they can't afford to live in Carmel. God Bless America and God Bless Democracy!
ReplyDeleteI am tired of parents paying $400 per year in property taxes (school system portion), it cost $5,000 per year for each student to attend school. That is why the Voucher System is unbfair and will not pass the courts, too much money. I will give them their portion of property taxes that go to school systems and not one dime more. My parents paid for private school, without asking for welfare from the state.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Everyone complains about THEIR tax money--really? You are right, it isn't that much and it goes for far more than education. If a parent chooses to go to a NON public school then it should come out of THEIR pockets.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of lawyers getting ready to pounce on this mess and it will get ugly.
My personal preference (as a private school grad) is that I want NO part of the vouchers. States will get more and more involved in private school affairs and I certainly don't want that. The Bishops will eventually refuse vouchers and then there will be MORE lawsuits.
Good luck to our state we are going to WASTE more money fighting all the lawsuits
It has nothing to do with "their tax money." That would be the case with a tax deduction. Vouchers are simply about more value for the taxpayer buck. Let the public have more control over the direction of public education and take away some of the control of politicians, unions, and people who have put their self interests about the interests of the public.
ReplyDelete"about the interests of the public" should be "above the interests of the public"
ReplyDeleteThe student's family is the best advocate for that child. Period. There is no logical reason why we ever created a system where publicly funded education had to mean one government-assigned school. And there's certainly no logical reason to continue it. It's the most expensive, least effective way to educate children. As a nation, we're insane for having ever let it go on as long as we did. Future generations will talk about trapping kids in school districts the way we talk about school segregation, slavery, and laws that oppressed women -- As another embarrassing blemish on our nation's history that we eventually overcame.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point system that was used to rif teachers? When did this become the new way? It's not based on seniority? If I am rifed, am I out for good?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard about the mentor/master teacher model several schools are pushing lately. I have a relative who teaches out of state who mentioned it, and then I heard today that Decatur, Beech Grove, and a couple of Indy charter schools are going to try it. Anyone know anything about it? Any talk among IPS higher-ups about trying anything like that here?
ReplyDeleteSchool 31's principal is finally growing a pair.
ReplyDeleteAt least our ass't principal is good for SOMETHING besides working on her computer!
"The student's family is the best advocate for that child. Period. There is no logical reason why we ever created a system where publicly funded education had to mean one government-assigned school."
ReplyDeleteDuhhh.And if you WANT to learn AND graduate then you can- if you don't want to..then you won't. That's not the teacher's fault or the school's fault.Funny how people that rail against government education think the government military is just efficient, glorious and awesome. That's only because corporate America is content with defense contracts- for now.Government education works well when kids want to learn and parents are involved. When they are not NO corporate solution will remedy the situation- you can't legislate parenting.
How could the RIF not be based on seniority?
ReplyDeleteWhen our school corp rif'ed teachers were called back by seniority but hirings went on throughout failing schools and new teachers were hired in over rif'ed teachers. They did it by changing certification/license criteria. (Example: teachers teaching US history had to have Econ, Gov't etc., on their licenses or they weren't hired back) After positions were filled some teachers left over were offered full time sub positions with NO benefits-which meant better take it or you lose unemployment or you weren't called back at all and stayed on unemployment
ReplyDeleteNot sure how Indy will do it. I do know when our teachers who were left out in the cold asked for union help from within and the state they got nothing
How could the RIF not be based on seniority?
ReplyDeleteNope. It's points, then birth date if everything else is identical. The youngest gets cut.
PS....don't use sick days. They count against you. Personal days don't.
Sucks, yes.
The system was changed a couple of years ago when several of the teachers that would have been RIF'd under strict seniority had been nominated for teacher of the year that year. So the union tried to come up with something that was still mostly seniority based, but allowed some protection of great teachers who were still fairly new. Apparently, younger teachers had been griping about paying dues to a union who does absolutely nothing for them, and this was the compromise. I thought many of you belonged to the union. Why do you seem confused or surprised by this? I don't even belong to the union, and I new about it just from local news.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few self-proclaimed "teachers" who post here who hate parents, kids, young teachers, non-union teachers, IPS administration, any school, private or public, that people send their kids to instead of IPS, and Republicans. These people don't understand economics or government, and truly believe that the solution to IPS's national reputation as a troubled district is to simply stop measuring and go BACK to giving IPS a monopoly over public education. And still, they believe involved parents would willingly allow their children to be taught by them. I couldn't make up a better argument for school choice if I tried. LOL
ReplyDeleteTo the poster who said you can't legislate parenting, what about when we control for that. What about parents who have had kids do well in other districts move here and their kids stop doing well. What about when parents have older kids who did well, but younger kids who do poorly at the same school. At any point, is it okay to let the parents escape district schools without moving out of the district?
ReplyDeleteAll of the posts about teachers deep down in their hearts really caring about the kids are very inspirational, unfortunately caring doesn't correlate with results. Instead of talking about how many teachers CARE, let's talk about how many teachers actually TEACH! They are not called "CARERS," they are titled TEACHERS!
ReplyDelete