Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Where is Gary Puckett When You Need Him

I don't know much about the gap between unions, school administration and teachers, but I sense there must be one.

For those who would like to read some perspectives from a previous "school boss", read here.
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We call them conference periods. I have no problem using that time to meet parents, attend IEP meetings or meet as a team.

My principal tells us they are also to be used to grade papers and do all administrative work and we are NOT to do this kind of work when we have students in the room.

So tell me, when are we to grade papers? Many teachers take this kind of work home with them. I refuse to do this. I am telling my colleagues to only do the work they can accomplish at school and not to work for free at home.

Teachers who do school related work at home are doing a disservice to the profession by enabling the powers that be to take advantage of us.

Union contracts are written to give "School Bosses" the latitude they need to make us do anything they want. They can not however, control what we do or chose not to do at home.

June 10, 2008 at 10:31 PM
PRO On HCPS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
June 11, 2008 at 7:04 AM
PRO On HCPS said...

I don't have a dog in this hunt. I just like to analyze how the system works.

T.V. and the "School Boss" blogger could have some interesting debates. It appears they have each identified the other's perspective.


Compare and contrast T.V's comment to what the "school boss" said:



"Of course, the union position, usually ( and unfortunately) conceded to by school board negotiators and board members, is that school bosses are the culprits.

School bosses, and honest teachers, know better.

Planning periods have been taken for years for IEP meetings or preliminary sessions known by other acronyms (SST's in my old district). Sometimes parent conferences, especially in middle schools, are arranged during team planning times. There are a variety of other reasons that meetings are scheduled during planning periods. These are not usually at the discretion of school bosses.

The number of these meetings... that are necessary or at least required by policies set by someone other than the school boss... has steadily increased over the last generation. All of these meetings can't be held in the other two available windows... before and after school... if people other than teachers need to attend. A guidance counselor or admininstrator can only attend one meeting at a time. Even the teacher(s) can only attend one meeting at a time.

Sometimes teachers prefer to have team parent conferences during their planning time when the alternative is an after-school meeting. These meetings are still counted in the data when unions claim that more than half of a typical teachers' planning periods are taken from them. Technically correct, but misleading.

But without counting these "teacher scheduled" meetings, nobody can deny that a contractual right has been eroded.

The problem, other than the fact that sometimes school bosses are treated like whipping boys, is that there isn't a viable alternative. In other words, what is the union's solution or end game?

June 11, 2008 at 7:07 AM
Anonymous said...

2 coments:

1.Yeah,what IS the union's strategy , end game, or purpose?

2. Oh, God--someone PLEASE tell us how to get an elected superintendent !!!!! Pasco has it all over us on that one-- andthat one covers a WHOLE lotta other stuff!! IMAGINE-- being ACCOUNTABLE TO VOTERS!!!!!!

pam

June 11, 2008 at 7:56 PM
Anonymous said...

"In other words, what is the union's solution or end game?"

The union has to walk a tight rope between satisfying the teacher who pay their salaries and the School Bosses who know the limits of the unions power. I can assure you that most teachers are unaware of just how limited the CTA's options are. I suspect if they knew the truth, the CTA would be finished.

The CTA can only enforce the strict provisions of the contract. What surprises me is that so few teacher know what is in the contract and even when they do, they are willing to let the Bosses violate those terms.

The Bosses know what they are doing. We teachers are being out-maneuvered at every turn.

The erosion of the planning/conference time is really not the Bosses fault as you correctly point out.

This is something the Union should be out in front of but they don't dare. The CTA touts its most recent big negotiated win for us. The famous "memorandum of understanding" We now get comp time for absorbing classes. Big deal. Who will ever get to use their comp time? Has anyone considered how this affects learning? I get a group of 4 to 5 extra kids in my class who invariably wander in late, disrupting my class. What do those kids get to do? What are they learning?

Oh yes, they are now paying us under certain circumstances. Yep, a big $15.00 per hour.

Is that really a victory? We get to replace subs making 9.00/ hour for comp time worth nothing.

WOW

June 11, 2008 at 11:18 PM

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