The concept that a portion of Perkins funding is delegated toward CTE teacher retention is novel to me. I personally have not seen any evidence of the monies being spent in that direction. I hesitate to sound quite so negative but I believe that there is power in truth, so here it goes... If I had the power of the purse strings this is how I would spend it:
1. I would pay for NTI. The counter argument to this could be why invest monies in a person who has not yet proven to be effective and have staying power. I say: take the risk. I am being asked to teach 3 different classes/preps, solely advise a student organization, complete all the steps to reach certification, serve on a SACS committee and industry certify all at the same time. I am working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. If I broke down what I am getting paid per hour based on my provisional certificate pay scale minus the cost of the NTI program, I'm making less than minimum wage.
2. I would give new CTE teachers the first 2-3 years to focus on learning how to teach effectively before I overwhelmed them with the requirements of an expert teacher. Daily lesson plans posted, weekly webpage/calandar updates, industry certification, and extra committee assignments are not bad things but can WAIT. It's the whole concept of first crawl, then walk, then run. We are being required to run from day 1. Where is the wisdom in that? New CTE teachers are running....running away.
3. I would schedule the CTE department chair at each individual school to have the same planning period as every new CTE teacher. This could serve as mentoring or just assistance with the new teacher learning how to manage all the administrative duties, such as field trip paperwork, fundraising, B1's, B3's, IEPs and the list goes on.
4. I would pay, if need be, the principal at every school to meet with their new CTE teacher once a month and the principal would be required to say, "What can I take off your plate to help you be successful?" Whatever that teacher shared would then have to be granted. Where's my magic wand and fairy dust.....?
You know, the interesting thing about this list is that out of the four suggestions, only one requires the actual spending of funds. The other three could all be accomplished with a little bit of grace, support, and collaboration.....priceless.
This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
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2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.
FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!
Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?
3 comments:
I love what you wrote about running, running, running out the door! Too much, too fast! If we overwhelmed our students as much as we are being overwhelmed, most if not all of them would fail and we'd be held accountable for it.
Sherri – I could not agree more. I have had this same conversation with similar solutions amongst my fellow new teachers at NCCA! We know what would work to improve things in general at very little cost as you suggested but our voices are not heard for some reason. I get the feeling that it is because we are new high school teachers that “what do they know” and/or that we are constantly fighting the status quo. The rule makers forget that we come from the outside world with real world experience and knowledge that they can draw on for better student success. If they give us some time to adjust before overwhelming us with the other things, we would stay longer than the current three to five years that statistics shows. Just my two cents!
Sherri – I could not agree more. I have had this same conversation with similar solutions amongst my fellow new teachers at NCCA! We know what would work to improve things in general at very little cost as you suggested but our voices are not heard for some reason. I get the feeling that it is because we are new high school teachers that “what do they know” and/or that we are constantly fighting the status quo. The rule makers forget that we come from the outside world with real world experience and knowledge that they can draw on for better student success. If they give us some time to adjust before overwhelming us with the other things, we would stay longer than the current three to five years that statistics shows. Just my two cents!
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