Okay, NOW I'm REALLY ticked off

mefindlay

So here's the newest post on the Education Minnesota Facebook page.

Some MN legislators don't want to require student-teaching experience for new teachers. Was your student-teaching experience helpful? Do new teachers benefit from it? As with the wage freeze issue below, please e-mail jan.alswager@edmn.org so she can share your story with legislators. The bills are moving quickly!

 

WHO ARE THESE IDIOTS?  I don't even know what to say.... 

Breezy8407

My husband is a teacher.

I have been angry since I became aware of all this crap. 

I have lost all words as well. 

mrsdawnmarie

wait, so they just want to throw you from classroom to classroom with no guidance?

I think teacher prep classes should be 4.5 years and you should have to student teach in a fall semester so you see all the setting up of classrooms and get the workshop experience, and see how to make a classroom a community.

Student teaching is NECESSARY. 

mefindlay

I was lucky.  I was with my cooperating teacher for an entire school year.  I would have had NO CLUE what to do if I hadn't had 9 months with a very experienced teacher.  When I came to my school, I found half-full file cabinets with pretty much worthless/outdated materials.  I rewrote EIGHT classes in my first year of teaching.  EIGHT.  I would have done my students a HUGE disservice if I hadn't had the experience and guidance provided by student teaching.

Aimothy

mrsdawnmarie:

wait, so they just want to throw you from classroom to classroom with no guidance?

I think teacher prep classes should be 4.5 years and you should have to student teach in a fall semester so you see all the setting up of classrooms and get the workshop experience, and see how to make a classroom a community.

Student teaching is NECESSARY. 

AMEN. I student taught spring semester and while I had an amazing experience, I was in for the shock of my life when I got my first full time teaching job. I soon realized that my cooperating teacher had spent months creating the environment that I just walked into in January.  If I had student taught in the fall, I think I would have been better prepared for my own classroom experience.

I would just like to invite these legislators, who make up these assanine laws/bills, to come spend a month with me.  Sure it looks easy to do on paper, but the reality of it is quite different. I'd like to think they'd be singing a different tune if they REALLY knew what went on in the public school system.

GermanGirl2007

There is a WHOLE lot of assinine crap going on this year....I am working part time in public policy, so I see it regularly.   It makes me really sad.  My advice is SERIOUSLY to call your senator and representative from your district and let them know what you think!!! 

You might be surprised to know that most legislators never hear from anyone in their district. Straight from the horse's mouth, it only takes about 3-5 constituent calls for a rep or senator to take notice of an issue, because no one ever calls.

Calling Ed. MN. might help, but keep in mind that they are generally in close with the DFL, which doesn't do a whole lot when the whole senate and house is controlled by the GOP.  If your Senator and Representative start hearing that people are pissed about their initiatives, they might take notice.  Keep in mind that they are ALL up for re-election in 2 years!

ETA: The bills are moving fast because they have to make committee deadlines.  I would advice calling the governor's office too.  It is good that he will serve as a sort of "back-stop" on some of these things, but it will also be helpful to call his office and let them no that you want him to VETO a particular bill (or 5).  If anyone needs help with contact info, let me know.

jennyk213

GermanGirl2007:

You might be surprised to know that most legislators never hear from anyone in their district. Straight from the horse's mouth, it only takes about 3-5 constituent calls for a rep or senator to take notice of an issue, because no one ever calls.

I'm used to calling them for animal welfare and immigration topics but I'm embarrased to say I don't keep up to date on other stuff.  What are the issues aside from eliminating student teaching?  Or is there a website that gives a brief summary of everything so I don't sound like a total @ss when I call?  Sorry if this is a stupid question.

I'm not a teacher and don't have kids in school, but even I can see it's a stupid idea to eliminate student teaching.  I'm sure the other things they're considering are just as nonsensical. 

mrsdawnmarie

jennyk213:

GermanGirl2007:

You might be surprised to know that most legislators never hear from anyone in their district. Straight from the horse's mouth, it only takes about 3-5 constituent calls for a rep or senator to take notice of an issue, because no one ever calls.

I'm used to calling them for animal welfare and immigration topics but I'm embarrased to say I don't keep up to date on other stuff.  What are the issues aside from eliminating student teaching?  Or is there a website that gives a brief summary of everything so I don't sound like a total @ss when I call?  Sorry if this is a stupid question.

I'm not a teacher and don't have kids in school, but even I can see it's a stupid idea to eliminate student teaching.  I'm sure the other things they're considering are just as nonsensical. 

There are several things, the education minnesota website has some good information.

Among things, 

1. Eliminating Student teaching (which costs districts NOTHING since the student pays for it)

2. The state "borrowed" a bunch of money from school through a temporary budget cut, the money was to be paid back via other funding sources, they are now talking about not paying that money back. The money owed to my district alone is around 45 million dollars (per our union rep)

3. Alternative licensure - because of a push largely from Teach for America, the state wants alternative licensure meaning anyone with a bachelor degree can teach. Without content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, or understanding of classroom theory. The argument is to provide teachers to low-income areas. The problem is that we have, in Minnesota HUNDREDS maybe thousands of unemployed "Highly Qualified" (an official designation) teachers with the above knowledge who would be happy to work in those low income areas, but schools don't have the money to hire those teachers.

4. Mandatory pay freezes, this would be fine, understanding that people in the public sector have suffered cuts and pay freezes as well. The problem I see with it, is that many, many districts have been under a pay freeze for the last several years, while administration and superintendents continue to receive raises, while teachers are frozen, cut, and forced to pay higher fees for health care which means they've actually received pay cuts.

GermanGirl2007

jennyk213:

GermanGirl2007:

You might be surprised to know that most legislators never hear from anyone in their district. Straight from the horse's mouth, it only takes about 3-5 constituent calls for a rep or senator to take notice of an issue, because no one ever calls.

I'm used to calling them for animal welfare and immigration topics but I'm embarrased to say I don't keep up to date on other stuff.  What are the issues aside from eliminating student teaching?  Or is there a website that gives a brief summary of everything so I don't sound like a total @ss when I call?  Sorry if this is a stupid question.

I'm not a teacher and don't have kids in school, but even I can see it's a stupid idea to eliminate student teaching.  I'm sure the other things they're considering are just as nonsensical. 

Not a stupid question at all!  I am pretty sure Dawn covered all of the major teaching issues that are kind of hot-button right now, but I was referring more generally to overall issues that people are upset about, like the fact that the house public safety committee passed a bill through that would eliminate gun permitting at a state level. (FWIW, I haven't really researched this bill, it was just the first one off the top of my head that I know people are pissed about).  The MN legislative website has a synopsis of bill introductions each week, so you can look and see what proposed legislation is heading to committee.  They also have a bill tracking feature so if there is a particular bill that you are interested in, you will be notified everytime there is an action taken on that bill.

 

MichellePete

I don't get some of the legislature lately.  The teaching thing is weird.  They're going to cut student teaching, but now require a video to get your license?  Seems back-asswards to me.  And I get that the general public thinks that government spends too much and wants it cut, but some of the departments have been cutting for the last 10 years and have little to cut.  While others seem to still keep getting loads.  I just don't get it.

GermanGirl2007

I don't get it either.  Part of the issue is that some legislators have said that they want to protect education and nursing homes from cuts.  However, HHS has a huge budget, and the Ed. budget is big too, so naturally those are the first place that cuts would come if they want to remove large chunks. Obviously, both budgets have been hit hard in the last several years already. But if they promise no deeper cuts in those areas, then they have to cut from somewhere else, like LGA (Local Government Aid), which then results in communities that recieve LGA to raise property taxes to maintain essential services. (I believe it was a $287 million or some odd dollar cut to LGA that was recently passed through committee?)

Bottom line, they need to cut the budget significantly, while seriously harming as few people as possible. There is serious, serious disagreement about how this is accomplished. The GOP has said that they would not support any new taxes, which will obviously be a part of the governor's proposal, but I am quite certain that the governor will not support a cuts-only budget when so many people and services have been harmed already.

To me it seems that the theme is trending towards leveraging as much federal dollars as possible, and bundling services where possible to eliminate duplication and streamline government. I think these are both necessary and noble efforts.....it will just be an interesting process this year.