Reply #46: My take [View All]

[last_texas_dem]

Yes, there are "bad" teachers, and I think there are very, very few people who actually think there are NO bad teachers.

Some may object to the "good" and "bad" terminology, and I would tend to agree with them- especially since it's often based on things like, "She was mean to me one day when I had her in eighth grade. She's a bad teacher." Back in early high school, I was going through some rough times, and it was reflected for a couple of years in my grades. There were some teachers I would work much more for and others I wouldn't, and they generally weren't the ones the other kids felt similarly about. I remember in particular one teacher whom a particularly loud contingent of students loved- she was loud, busy, and catered her class to extroverted students. I couldn't stand her class, and preferred the more low-key approach of a teacher that many other students didn't care for. Different teachers' methods work differently for different students.

A number of people on here seem very hung up on the idea of applying uniform, "objective" standards to assessing teachers, and come out in support of everything from students assessing teachers to students' test scores being tied to teachers' pay/retention at their job. What's funny is these are often the same people who sound like they never left seventh grade when assessing whether a teacher is good or bad. ("There are definitely bad teachers. I had one. She was sooo booorrrring!!", etc.)

And yes, teachers can most definitely be fired for things that don't involve lawbreaking. I'm related to several teachers and administrators and know the stories. People (even here on DU- which is a fucking shame) blame the unions for protecting teachers' jobs "too much." I wonder if these same folks would prefer the system in Texas. We have low teacher pay, weak unions, and it is relatively easy for administrators to let teachers go. Anyone who thinks those policies lead to great improvements is fooling themselves. Have you looked at where Texas's educational system is ranked lately?

>>Is it possible to have a civil discussion on the DU about this topic?>>

Probably not. But is it possible to have a civil discussion on DU about *any* topic?! I would think we could at least all reach common ground on the undeniable fact that Arne Duncan is a shitstain, but that doesn't even seem to be possible... haha