2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I wholeheartedly agree with Julie. The attrition rate for teachers is high enough as it is and if the bar is continually raised by the "powers that be", many of whom have never spent a year in front of a 30+ student classroom, the exit rate for all teachers will also go up. Higher pay to match the workload is the only way you can keep all teachers teaching.

posted 5 years, 1 month ago
view in context

The common senario for problems with todays education system, which runs nationwide is, the student to teacher ration. This happens to be the most difficult issue in any Special Education programs of school. Parents and their students want "individual" time spent, which is not realistic as long as the numbers are so out of balance. Even with teacher aides and student aides, the growing number of special needs students makes any individual school or school district almost helpless to make everyone happy.
In my 27 years as a high school counselor I saw the numbers grow and the paperwork requirements and meetings put on the staff, mindboggling. In my observation years, I thought that there were many students who did not need nor qualified to be classified with an IEP. The most flagrant misuse of the system often happened when parents and students learned that if they could be classified as having ADD or ADHD, they could get special consideration with extended time on tests and assignments or even lessened expectations. There was a period of time where a large "contingent" of families...which will not be specified here...who, with in a short period of time, all submitted documentation that their child had ADD or ADHD. All diagnosed by the very same doctor!!! It became a trend. I knew these students to be capable but not willing to give an "extra effort" to succeed. They were all looking for an edge. Therefore, the paperwork, the meeting and the extra time and space were consumed by these students. Time which could have been better spent on those of "real" need. A more secure screening process needs to be considered.

posted 5 years, 1 month ago
view in context