http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/where-do-obama-and-romney-stand-on-us-education/ Education News Mon, 20 May 2013 21:10:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/where-do-obama-and-romney-stand-on-us-education/#comment-13154 Jen Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:52:29 +0000 http://www.educationnews.org/?p=217999#comment-13154 After 15 years as an educator; it is clear we have some things working well and others need to go. We keep changing policies over and over. The truth is - it is the teacher that matters more than funding- that creates success. The problem is that you cannot make all teachers as good as the best. The ones that are "the best" seem to just "have it"... sure, all teachers can learn better skills and this is necessary. However, you cannot set the bar so high that everyone has to try to meet a standard that is a natural born talent. You can't make all basketball players Michael Jordan. You can make them good; but not "Michael Good"- so, keep the standards high; but not so high you lose even the great ones out of too much pressure. I have worked with no unions and unions and I say that the answer is somewhere in between. No unions can lead to sweatshop type attitudes, but unions prevent administration from doing anything. Jeb Bush has the best ideas; though many schools/states take them to the extreme. Funding is not needed for any curriculum- we have all the curriculum we need for a long while. We need better pay, so teachers can focus on kids and not on family daycare options and bills. We need freedom to teach and a fair way to measure it. If you are going to measure us; give us control over how we teach it. The downside to merit pay, which I have received some form of since I began teaching, is that the other teachers do get negative about it. In addition, if you keep raising the bar, then the desire to share best practices is stifled because if a teacher shares their ideas and it works, then they no longer are at the top- they are now average. All teachers want to share best practices; but if the only way you make more money is being at the top- you have to understand that it will impact sharing. In the end, I still think it is better than how teachers used to get rewarded- popularity contests. I used to wonder how on Earth some people got elected as the greatest teachers for Teacher of the Year awards etc- there was no true basis on those things- just popular vote and some good show. So, I guess I lean more towards Romney as I want my kids to have choice and I am a teacher; so I do not live in the areas with the best schools. After 15 years as an educator; it is clear we have some things working well and others need to go. We keep changing policies over and over. The truth is – it is the teacher that matters more than funding- that creates success. The problem is that you cannot make all teachers as good as the best. The ones that are “the best” seem to just “have it”… sure, all teachers can learn better skills and this is necessary. However, you cannot set the bar so high that everyone has to try to meet a standard that is a natural born talent. You can’t make all basketball players Michael Jordan. You can make them good; but not “Michael Good”- so, keep the standards high; but not so high you lose even the great ones out of too much pressure. I have worked with no unions and unions and I say that the answer is somewhere in between. No unions can lead to sweatshop type attitudes, but unions prevent administration from doing anything. Jeb Bush has the best ideas; though many schools/states take them to the extreme. Funding is not needed for any curriculum- we have all the curriculum we need for a long while. We need better pay, so teachers can focus on kids and not on family daycare options and bills. We need freedom to teach and a fair way to measure it. If you are going to measure us; give us control over how we teach it. The downside to merit pay, which I have received some form of since I began teaching, is that the other teachers do get negative about it. In addition, if you keep raising the bar, then the desire to share best practices is stifled because if a teacher shares their ideas and it works, then they no longer are at the top- they are now average. All teachers want to share best practices; but if the only way you make more money is being at the top- you have to understand that it will impact sharing. In the end, I still think it is better than how teachers used to get rewarded- popularity contests. I used to wonder how on Earth some people got elected as the greatest teachers for Teacher of the Year awards etc- there was no true basis on those things- just popular vote and some good show. So, I guess I lean more towards Romney as I want my kids to have choice and I am a teacher; so I do not live in the areas with the best schools.

]]> http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/where-do-obama-and-romney-stand-on-us-education/#comment-13011 Ketan Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:53:17 +0000 http://www.educationnews.org/?p=217999#comment-13011 It really doesn't matter whose education policy is discussed. Both candidates really don't care about real education. The policies that are drafted, passed and enforced aren't crafted by educators, but by politicians who put their own interests in front of the interests of the students. No matter who is voted into office, the children lose. It really doesn’t matter whose education policy is discussed. Both candidates really don’t care about real education. The policies that are drafted, passed and enforced aren’t crafted by educators, but by politicians who put their own interests in front of the interests of the students. No matter who is voted into office, the children lose.

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