Matt Davies for May 18, 2010

Today the school budgets go to a public vote (New York) but I didn’t bother to go out in the raind to do my civic duty. The school district’s union employees saturate the vote to approve the 4% increase. If it fails, they are guaranteed a contingency budget of *4%*. There are some good teachers out there, but the horrible teachers get the same raises as the competent ones. Pink slip the people who aren’t doing their job.

With the current stoning of teachers occuring across the nation the good and the bad will be disappearing. What’s the plan from there?

^Subsidize Catholic and Christian private schools. They can do a better job at teaching your kid while at the same time teach them to be good little bible thumpers like puppy.

Just imagine when they learn math skills utilizing God’s wrath smiting non-believers and being able to recite every part of the bible correctly.

Doc, Instead of asking, why don’t you suggest a way? You’re in education unlike many on this board.

Since Bruce asked about supervision, I will mention my own situation. My students are given evaluation forms every other semester. These are created and handled by admin. I also receive a peer observation on a regular basis. The more recent your hire, the more frequent your peer observations and new professors(1st 2 yrs) are student evaluated every semester. This is at a community college. Policies vary from place to place and are generally written into the faculty contract.

There are some good thoughts there but the issue of teacher burnout is still a problem. I value tenure highly to help maintain academic freedom. However, I have run into more than a few tenured instructors who just don’t give a d@mn any more. Pay is probably the real sticking point, especially with the rising cost of higher education. States decided that the solution to teacher quality was to require masters degrees without considering the consequences of that mandate.

Be sure to add the tea party to that.

Oh, and any religious organization.

KKK, TEA Party, Aryan Nations Church, or Hitler Youth are okay though “change”???

In other words, remove anyone with an opinion.

Zssh, Canuck lays out a good response and Change comes up with Beckmania.

The oft repeated statement that “our children are our future” remains true. The fact that teachers organized to get reasonable compensation not a meal ticket is somehow lost in the current tea leaf thinking. Many, many teachers do a wonderful job and care deeply. Support them for everyones good!

Oooh, I missed a good discussion. Is it too late to add a few comments?

The key ingredient, I think, is excitement, wonder. The world is just an amazing place, and there is so much that’s just too beautiful to believe. That’s true in the hard sciences, in the softer sciences, and in the humanities. If the teacher has a crazy delight in the topic, then that’s going to rub off on some of the students.

I get good evaluations, and I’ve won some teaching awards, and not because I teach to the test. I’m famous for digressions, I’ve even been called Professor Digression, and I don’t apologize for it. I think the students find the digressions the best part of the course.

When I teach the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, in which the baby Hermes farts, I teach a class on the etymology of the word “fart”. It turns out that the word follows some of the basic sound laws of IndoEuropean linguistics. And if I catch a cold during the year I teach a class on the etymology of “phlegm” – what’s with the “gm” at the end?

But I also have very high standards. I’m something of a heretic in the humanities. I think we should have rigorous standards of argumentation, and I really don’t like it that some teachers in the humanities seem to suggest that work in the humanities consists in having opinions. My students have to support what they say, or else they’re not allowed to say it. They find it hard at first, but they get used to it. It’s great to watch them develop over the course of the year. I’ve had some absolutely wonderful students over the years.

I’m also one of those evil tenured radicals, but I don’t teach my politics in class. I’m sure the students know that I’m crazy as a bedbug about politics, but I bet they consider me a harmless eccentric.

Can you imagine the money industry would spend fighting an idea so un-American as to develop smart kids instead of smart bombs.

Great inductive reasoning there change guy; you do a great job representing the unlib amongst us.

^^^ Piffle. Not worth a response.

^ Don’t depend on the universities to save the world. We’re all in this together.

@Doc and lonecat As somebody who used the public education system and a University Graduate I thank you for the education your peers have instilled in me. We need to pay you guys MLB money.

Bruce you are also correct. If my father hadn’t gone upside my head and told me to pay attention no teacher in the world could show me anything. Education begins in the home and the rest is learned.

^ I think the money should be put in the early grades first. That’s where the pattern is set, that’s where we most need excellent teachers.

CF and the thread in general, pointed out one of the problems with our evaluation of education. Bruce, in passing, also brought it up:

” Their personal viewpoint should not be included.”

Unless you teach a completely objective subject like Math, you CANNOT avoid including your personal viewpoint. With my U.S. and World History survey classes this begins long before the semester starts, when I decide how much time to allocate to each historical period. In literature classes it shows up early on in the reading selections.

There is nothing wrong with this as long as you keep it in mind and be open with the students that the course is affected by your views. Also, a teacher should NEVER grade a student because of their personal viewpoints as long as the student is capable of supporting those viewpoints with facts, and in a logical manner.

Gladius – I think you’re completely right that the personal viewpoint can’t be eliminated. I’m not sure that it should be eliminated. The scholars I admire the most take very strong positions. Often my own scholarship comes from disagreeing with scholars that I admire.

Perhaps we worry about this issue more than necessary. In my experience, students are not such malleable creatures anyway. They don’t believe something just because I say so. Mostly they believe what their friends believe.

The key, as you say, is evaluation. I try as much as possible to present a clear grading scheme. I want the students to understand that I don’t give grades, they earn grades. Then it’s my job to make sure I’m telling the truth.

Bruce, you’re a gentleman and a scholar. Long may you prosper.