Teaching in the USA

[StillThePrettiest 3]

it's SUCH a shame how ####### the education system here is now... it used to be one of the best in the world

[bakofoil 27]

I know

To be honest, I went into teaching because when I was coming to the end of my degree I just wanted some career stability with the added bonus of actually using my subject knowledge, rather than going into a generic graduate profession or training for another two or three years on an MSc. I was told that I would be snapped up, never be stuck for a job, could demand the best conditions simply because my degree is in a shortage subject (Physics).

The reality is that the system has got so used to 'making do' that it doesn't really matter whether you can offer subject specialism or not. Jobs in schools where it does still matter tend to come up very infrequently and other schools don't offer 'A' levels at all and are simply looking for 'science' teachers. The curriculum has changed so much at GCSE to cater for the lack of subject specialists. The government only seems to be interested in encouraging schools to get any kind of pass out of students (A*-G) and score in the value-added portion of the results tables. In many schools the standards have dropped so significantly that it's not about who can 'teach' so much as who can get control the crowds sufficiently to get all students to obtain their target grade rather than pushing them to attain higher.

Only a year ago this situation was so ridiculous that we were chasing students for almost a year during their GCSE studies to do coursework (since this constituted 33% of their grade), running sessions in our own time that kids did not turn up to time and time again. The kids who met all the deadlines ended up with no better scores than the ones it took a year to get coursework out of because we gave them so little time by comparison. We were babysitting the ones who couldn't be bothered just so that they would score something for our league tables because the pressure to do that came from above. Needless to say we got a 100% pass rate.

Why are we so scared of kids failing? We're not helping them in life. The education system here seems to be all about attainment for league tables and never about individual kids. The government is constantly changing the system to make it easier rather than more interesting or challenging for those who want to learn. Those who don't want to learn, well I don't think they should be left behind but we're selling out the education of those who feel the time is right for them to learn.

Ok, rant over.

Edited March 16, 2008 by babblesgirl

[KarenCee 3]

Why are we so scared of kids failing? We're not helping them in life. The education system here seems to be all about attainment for league tables and never about individual kids. The government is constantly changing the system to make it easier rather than more interesting or challenging for those who want to learn. Those who don't want to learn, well I don't think they should be left behind but we're selling out the education of those who feel the time is right for them to learn.

Ok, rant over.

It makes the nation look bad. Let's worry more about "how we look" rather than "are these kids really getting it". Right now, we have a 13 year old in Grade 5. That doesn't "look good". Never mind that maybe this kid doesn't want to learn, can't learn, or maybe a combination of both.

Education here in the US was sold out a long time ago, IMHO. It's just recently that it came to the forefront when reports like this came out: http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank.htm

ETA: tried to get the chart to paste but I did something wrong. Oh well. Click on the link above. It breaks down each state by how "smart" it is, from 2006-2007. Oy Vey!

Edited March 16, 2008 by KarenCee

[bakofoil 27]

It makes the nation look bad. Let's worry more about "how we look" rather than "are these kids really getting it". Right now, we have a 13 year old in Grade 5. That doesn't "look good". Never mind that maybe this kid doesn't want to learn, can't learn, or maybe a combination of both.

See, I think it's ingrained in me to feel awkward about stating anything like this. But, the fact is - sometimes for some kids 'now' is not the right time, for others the system does not cater for their needs. It's a whole can of worms because focusing on either the kids who can or the kids who can't or don't (for whatever reason) in mainstream education is always going to make one of them suffer.

I don't want to go back to a system that isolates kids who can't or don't but I think there has to be a compromise - and somewhere along the way that compromise has to realise that not all kids are going to come out with the same or similar qualifications. We just need to make whatever qualification route they take equitable in some way and it is a really difficult task.

[Jeraly 4]

I think that there is too much emphasis on academia - if from an early age we instilled in children that it was great to be good at anything and not just English, maths and science and taught more vocational subjects from an earlier age then we wouldn't have problems with career shortages in skilled trades and children who may be good with their hands but are not very academic would still feel like they are achieving...

That was my big thing I got into my head in my final year at uni anyway - I think it is so sad when you see children who have fantastic spacial awareness and imagination but can't spell or punctuate properly and so instead of letting them flourish in a subject they are good at, they are forced to take more time to do something they may never fully understand... Not of course that I don't think spelling etc aren't important, just that I don't understand why other things aren't given the same precedence

[StillThePrettiest 3]

babbles, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE with EVERYTHING you said above

see, you've made me talk in capitals

the whole school system is tragic... and worrying

I hope it changes soon...

( edited 'it's' to 'the whole school system' because on a re-read it looked like I thought agreeing with you was tragic and worrying )

[KarenCee 3]

After the events of last week (found in the Vent thread - Canada Forum...if you're interested), I've decided to abandon education as a career as soon as it is financially possible to do so. I'm going back to school to brush up on the career I started out on many years ago: drafting. I can find part time work that will pay a heck of a lot more and give me the flexiblity I need right now for my daughter. I need to be more involved in HER education, not just homework and such, but THERE, at the school to keep an eye on things. My daughter has special needs and is served by the Special Education Dept here and to be quite honest, I am NOT impressed one bit. *sigh* Education used to be such a wonderful field...at least for me.

[KarenCee 3]

It makes the nation look bad. Let's worry more about "how we look" rather than "are these kids really getting it". Right now, we have a 13 year old in Grade 5. That doesn't "look good". Never mind that maybe this kid doesn't want to learn, can't learn, or maybe a combination of both.

See, I think it's ingrained in me to feel awkward about stating anything like this. But, the fact is - sometimes for some kids 'now' is not the right time, for others the system does not cater for their needs. It's a whole can of worms because focusing on either the kids who can or the kids who can't or don't (for whatever reason) in mainstream education is always going to make one of them suffer.

I don't want to go back to a system that isolates kids who can't or don't but I think there has to be a compromise - and somewhere along the way that compromise has to realise that not all kids are going to come out with the same or similar qualifications. We just need to make whatever qualification route they take equitable in some way and it is a really difficult task.

This is it in a nutshell! One system of education that I've seen that IMHO works is the Montessori method. But it's private education and by golly it's expensive! Kids learning at THEIR pace, that's what it should be. Then there's the kids who want to, but for whatever reason have a very hard time getting it and the system doesn't cater to their needs because they "don't qualify" for anything. It's those kids that hurt my very soul.

[bakofoil 27]

After the events of last week (found in the Vent thread - Canada Forum...if you're interested), I've decided to abandon education as a career as soon as it is financially possible to do so. I'm going back to school to brush up on the career I started out on many years ago: drafting. I can find part time work that will pay a heck of a lot more and give me the flexiblity I need right now for my daughter. I need to be more involved in HER education, not just homework and such, but THERE, at the school to keep an eye on things. My daughter has special needs and is served by the Special Education Dept here and to be quite honest, I am NOT impressed one bit. *sigh* Education used to be such a wonderful field...at least for me.

Karen, I read the thread. I totally empathise with you. I loved teaching too but there are too many problems inherent in the system to make it a truly enjoyable vocation anymore. I respect your choices for leaving education as a career although it sounds like you will be a real loss to the profession. At the end of the day, teaching is too demanding emotionally these days - I have no idea how people who have kids cope with the work-life balance, I have found it difficult enough as a single person without family responsibilities. I am looking forward to times where when the working day is done it is really done.

[Jeraly 4]

It makes the nation look bad. Let's worry more about "how we look" rather than "are these kids really getting it". Right now, we have a 13 year old in Grade 5. That doesn't "look good". Never mind that maybe this kid doesn't want to learn, can't learn, or maybe a combination of both.

See, I think it's ingrained in me to feel awkward about stating anything like this. But, the fact is - sometimes for some kids 'now' is not the right time, for others the system does not cater for their needs. It's a whole can of worms because focusing on either the kids who can or the kids who can't or don't (for whatever reason) in mainstream education is always going to make one of them suffer.

I don't want to go back to a system that isolates kids who can't or don't but I think there has to be a compromise - and somewhere along the way that compromise has to realise that not all kids are going to come out with the same or similar qualifications. We just need to make whatever qualification route they take equitable in some way and it is a really difficult task.

This is it in a nutshell! One system of education that I've seen that IMHO works is the Montessori method. But it's private education and by golly it's expensive! Kids learning at THEIR pace, that's what it should be. Then there's the kids who want to, but for whatever reason have a very hard time getting it and the system doesn't cater to their needs because they "don't qualify" for anything. It's those kids that hurt my very soul.

Sounds like Steiner schools...

I think that after thousands of pounds of debt and four years of training I was amazed at how quickly the profession went downhill... ok not the profession in terms of teachers being cr@p but in terms of how the government kept trying to patch up their leaky system with more and more paperwork...

I don't know what I will end up doing in the US - I would really love a website with a career database or quiz or something that will give me some ideas - I want a job I really love but I just don't know where to start looking...