Who Wants this job?

 Who wants this job?

 

Turns out not many people do want this job.  Oh, the job in question is being a teacher.  Based on research done by Brown University and the University at Albany,  who compiled and analyzed decades’ worth of national data from more than a dozen sources.   They looked at teacher morale, the perceived prestige of the profession, and entering the field itself.  They examined data from 1970 until this year, 2022.  

What they found was that the pandemic exacerbated what has been coming for a long time.  According to the research, we are at a critical tipping point in education.  

There were some depressing but key take aways.  Firstly, only 42% of educators say the stress of their job was worth the rewards.  In 1970, that number was 81%.  Oh and by the way, teachers were dramatically lower paid in those days.  So much for the present theory that we need to keep increasing teachers’ paychecks.  Interest of young people, high school seniors and college students has dropped by half.  In the past ten years the number of new people entering the profession has dropped 33%.  

The study claims the issues are lower wages, a better competitive job market, decreasing influence of teacher unions, a rise in school shootings, reform efforts by politicians, and low education funding.

Some of these identified reasons really don’t fly.  In the 70’s the starting teacher’s salary was much lower when measured against the starting salary for other new bachelor degree jobs.  In the 70’s teachers’ unions had much less influence.  In fact, in those days the unions weren’t unions at all but were called and actually were professional associations.  School shootings are very scary, but in our society so is shopping at a Walmart, praying in a house of worship or shopping in a mall.  Schools are probably a lot less dangerous than any of those places.

Maybe the real issue is that in the 70’s, teachers decided how to teach not some politician.  Parents deferred to a teacher’s judgement when it came to discipline.  Oh, and 50 years ago, teachers were not kids’ enemies who were standing in the way of learning, but rather someone who facilitated it.  Parents, society and politicians respected what teachers did and how they did it. 

Describe the job today and it’s no wonder folks don’t want it.

So, should I register?

 So, Should I register?

 

Some local police departments are allowing families to register their children as being a person with a disability.  The registration is particularly appealing to some families of children on the autism spectrum since these young adults can often easily pass as typical.  But as in all things, there is good news and not so good news.

First the good part of the idea.   The thought behind the program is that if law enforcement knows that a person they stop has a disability that person will be handled differently than they might handle a more typical person.   Officers might even call in clinically trained personnel to assist.  This kind of intervention could prevent some of the tragic issues that have occurred when officer conduct has exacerbated the disability, creating behaviors that the officer finds threatening and therefore over reacts resulting in sometimes tragic results.

On the other hand, registering your child as a person with a disability assumes much that might not be in play.   The officer needs to be trained to recognize the observable behavioral components of the disability so the he/she knows to search the data base to determine if this individual is registered.  Next, the officer needs to be knowledgeable as to what to do once it is determined that the officer is dealing with a person with special needs.  In addition to establishing the data base, what are law enforcement organizations doing in the form of identification and training responses to people with disabilities.  Without very thorough training the data base is of little value.  Finally what will become of this data base?   How much and how long will it follow the child/adult and who besides law enforcement will have access to it?

Many adults on the spectrum hold good jobs that have significant responsibility connected to them.  If a perspective employer has access to this data base will people in the data base be excluded from jobs they might otherwise be able to do save for the misunderstanding and stigma attach to the label.  In looking to protect people on the autism spectrum are we also risking setting up barriers to future endeavors.

Finally, as an individual, knowledge of my disability is mine to disclose as I see fit.  Is it fair for my parents to disclose this information to a government database without my consent, knowledge or consideration of any future risk it may bring to me.

In making the decision, parents need to give careful consideration to the adult abilities of their children and the risk to others knowing about the disability.  As with many things, there needs to be a serious risk/benefit analysis.   Ideally the child should be part of answering the question – should I register my child.

You can't do that

 You Can’t do That!

 

A majority of school districts across the country opened up this fall short staffed.  All kinds of teachers were missing from school rolls.  One of the largest shortfalls happened among special ed teachers.   School districts have been very creative about filling the void.   Unfortunately for the kids and the school district, many of those classrooms are being staffed by unqualified teachers.  Now the US Office of Education has stepped in and directly told school systems that the law requires that special education and related services staff must be “appropriately and adequately prepared and trained.”   “Public school special education teachers may not have special education certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis; and must at least hold a bachelor’s degree” according to a letter sent by the Director of the Education Department’s Office of Special Education Programs.

But that is exactly what is happening in Maryland public schools.  First of all, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has extended the time limit for a special education teacher (and other teachers) to attain their full professional license by two years.  In many districts in Maryland, substitute teachers are only required to have a high school diploma.  Yet many of these individuals are now serving as long-term subs in special education classrooms.  

And that’s not all.   There is a shortage of speech therapists as well as teachers.  Public school systems are addressing the shortage in unique ways.  One district just flat out says, we don’t have the therapists so your child isn’t getting therapy.  At least that is honest and transparent.  BUT, they are not revising the IEP with or without the parents’ permission.  In fact, in some instances the parents don’t even know that speech is not being delivered.

Some of the solutions are VERY creative.   One child with special needs was supposed to have speech therapy per the IEP.  But no one was available and the union wouldn’t allow the speech therapists that were available to carry a heavier load.  The IEP also required that the child be in small classes.   So, the child was scheduled for a Chinese language class.  Truly, I am not making this up.  The parents complained- hard to believe I know- and soon the child was placed in an approved non-public school that had the services.  

There are lots of things school system “can’t do” and they do those things every day.  We need watch dogs to say “you can’t do that” and THEN do something about it.   Letters alone just fill up wastebaskets.

Stop Talking about that

 Stop Talking About That!

 

Teachers pretty much know how to educate and teach kids.   Politicians mainly know how to get re-elected by pandering to the lowest common denominator among us.  Now the two groups are finding an uncomfortable intersection of roles.

On the one hand, many teachers feel a strong responsibility to prepare their students to function in a society that is rapidly becoming more diverse.   Less than half of public school children currently identify as white.  As a citizen, children need to talk about race, gender and sexuality.  We are living in a time when young children are exposed to a great deal of sexuality on social media and on the internet.  There they learn about all of the “pleasures” of sex, but none of the consequences of irresponsible behavior.  Middle school children are talking about having oral sex with each other. 

Many teachers are afraid to address these topics.   For the most part these fears are not reality based; but there are enough instances to scare the faint of heart.

Critical race theory (something that is NOT a curriculum and NOT taught in public schools), educational equity, LGBTQ rights and bans on books and curriculum materials have become grist for the mill of political campaigns.

Large majorities of teachers and school administrators STRONGLY oppose state restrictions on teaching about these topics.  What is frightening is that based on an Education Week survey, roughly 25% of teachers and administrators WANTED state restrictions on teaching about the Holocaust, slavery or race.  And nearly 33% WANTED restrictions on teaching about sex education, gender and sexual orientation.   One of the other reasons teachers are upset is that they see a lack of respect for the profession. 

Of course, they are correct, teachers have lost a great deal of respect and much of that loss is due to their own doing.   When you have 25-33% of teachers ready to abdicate their responsibilities as educational leaders, why would anyone respect them.  They left their backbones at the fish market.

The reality is that only 1% of teachers has experienced any legal action with regard to the curriculum they are teaching.  But the fear goes on.  Teachers see the so-called “parents’ rights” programs as a slap in the face.  “it’s another way to police me and to make sure I’m doing my job and that’s another reason why we are having teacher shortages.  Honestly, we are not a respected profession anymore” reported one elementary school teacher in Virginia in response to the Governor’s emphasis on parental rights.

Pay gaps, censorship, threats of violence and perceptions that teachers are subservient are all keeping teachers out of classrooms.   We probably shouldn’t talk about those things either.

 

Designed for Failure

 Designed for Failure

 

Elevating All Students; Eliminating all Gaps.   Isn’t that a lovely mission for a school system? That's on the letterhead and the website. Evidently it is only words and has nothing much to do with what actually happens within the school district.

This is the mission of a Maryland school district.  One wonders if all students include those for whom English is their second language.

Let’s look at the situation.  Spanish speaking students in that district are taught in classes for children for whom English is not the first language.  English Language Learners or ELL classes are taught by teachers who do NOT speak the child’s language.  The excuse given for this seeming challenge is that the children are there to learn English and that is what the teacher speaks.  Of course, that is not the language that the children currently understand, but never mind that minor issue. Some of these children also have disabilities in addition to the language challenge.  None of the ELL teachers is trained in teaching children with disabilities regardless of their native tongue.  So now you have kids in a class who do not speak the same language as the teacher AND have learning challenges that the teacher is not trained to address.

Why don’t these kids have even some instruction in Spanish?  Well that answer is simple.  The law does not require it.  Their parents must have an interpreter present at all parent meetings so that the parents can understand the consent they are giving for their children’s education.  That is a requirement of federal and state law so it is done.

Exactly how are these kids are being elevated when their teacher does not speak their language and their learning challenges are not being addressed is not entirely clear or explained.  The school district clearly states that a language facilitator for non-English speaking students is not a service that is provided to public school children.   There are a few language facilitators within the county but they “are there to support families, not students.  Their role is to ensure that families feel welcome in the schools." 

It isn’t clear what is being done to make sure that kids feel welcome in the schools or that their needs are being addressed.

Looks like these kids aren’t being elevated, nor is anyone making an effort to eliminate their gaps.  It is a system designed for failure so we shouldn’t be surprised when these children fail.