Untitled Document

TOPIC: AStaffing Practices (Cont.)@

Lesson Element .1: ATeachers vs Administrators@

Most Teachers Feel Like They Are at War with Their Principals.

This is a wrong attitude to take.

In reality, both the teacher and principal are striving toward the same goal.
Both want to make the school work for the students.
If both aren=t on the same side, something is drastically wrong.

There is no inherent competition between the two roles.

The successful administrator is one in a happy school. The same is true for teachers.

The things that make one group happy should be on the same wavelength as the things that make the other group happy.

Antagonism Between Administrators and Teachers is a Lousy Idea.

The administrator should be there for the teachers.

How can I help you?
How can I run interference for you?
How can I as the principal, protect you from wrath of the people if an idea you tried, fails? New ideas should be encouraged.

There should be a sense of working together. Teachers and administrators need to be on the same side.

Dr. Allen Believes That Teachers and Administrators Should Have the Same Status.

Teaching will not be a real profession until the highest paid teachers and the administrators are paid the same.

Dr. Allen believes that the highest paid teacher in a school should be paid the same as the principal of the school.

The concept that the administrators are above all the teachers is a bad idea.

Administration should be considered a specialty of education, not as a disconnected job as a people manager.

Many corporate parallels to this concept.

Physicians who work in hospitals are paid more than the hospital administrator.
Some colleges pay the professors more than the college president.

The bottom line: Both the teachers and the administrators make equal contributions to the end goal, and this should be recognized by parity in compensation and status.

Lesson Element .2: AOut-of-Pocket Expenses@

Teachers Should Not Have to Pay For Supplies Out of Their Own Pocket.

There should be provisions for reimbursement for classroom supplies purchased with personal monies.

Unfortunately, there isn=t such provisions.

Staff Development Should Take Place on the Job.

In reality, teachers have few expectations that systematic staff development will take place on the job.

Teachers are expected to take and pay for advanced degrees and courses on their own time.

This normally takes place during the evening and summer.
These course should be part of their job benefits and take place during school hours.

Requirements for upgrading technology knowledge should be matched by the schools providing such knowledge during the in-service staff development time.

Dr. Allen would have three weeks a year of full time duty responsibility for in-service education.

One week on methodology, one week on new content, one week on technology.

Lesson Element .3: ABeginning Teachers Equal Hardest Assignments@

Dr. Allen Believes That Beginning Teachers Should Have the Easiest Assignments.

Logically, the least experienced teacher should have the easiest job.

Reality: Beginning teachers get the hardest jobs.

The senior teachers get the easiest job. They teach the honors classes.
The new teacher in generally harassed.
Often they are Afloaters,@ with no assigned classroom.

The system is that teachers have such little status that anytime they can get a bit more status, (i.e. seniority), that they work to minimize their workload.

The new teacher is overloaded.

Dr. Allen Believes That We Need to Change this System Because it Extracts Too High a Price on the New Teachers.

Lesson Element .4: ATeaching as a Full-time Profession@

Dr. Allen Believes That Teachers Should Be Responsible for Their Own Schedules.

Dr. Allen want teachers to work a 40-hour week.

Most teachers work a 50-55 hour week.

They spend hours at home in addition to the classroom time, working on lesson plans, grading papers, etc.

Teachers should work full-time, 40 hours.

Teacher should work for the full year.

They should have the 7 weeks of vacation time spread out throughout the year.

The image of teaching should be that of a full-time profession, not a part time one as it is currently viewed by much of society.

The pay should equal a full-time profession.

Professionals Set Their Own Schedules.

Teachers should not be required to sign in and out.

That is not a hallmark of a professional. More like an hourly wage factory worker.

As professionals, they should be counted on to be where they are supposed to be.

The teacher should be able to figure out how many hours per week they need to work.

If they need less than 40 hours, that=s ok. Likewise, if they think they need more than 40 hours, that too is ok. Let the teacher as a professional, determine the needs to meet the objectives.
Set the expectations that on an average, the job can be completed in 40 hours.

Dr. Allen Contends That the School Day Should Be Longer.

Everyone would go to school from 8am to 5pm.

This would remove any requirement for homework by both student and teacher.

This would allow both student and teacher to spend time with their families at home.

Lesson Element .5: AConcluding With Comments@

Dr. Allen=s Ideas about Current Staffing Practices Are Based Primarily on the Opposite of the Status Quo.

Student Comments & Dr. Allen=s Responses:

Student comments:

People are capable of knowing but don=t always pay attention to those types of situations.

í Often times teachers are sheep and go with the flow.

Some of those things are currently going one. For instance, teacher development happens once a month.

Dr. Allen=s response:

It is a step in the right direction to have an early release day once a month for staff development, but that=s not nearly enough.

Student comments:

Teachers and students should get everything dome before they go home.
Sounds good, but a lot of teachers believe that if you extend the school day it will result in more work. And more stuff to do at home. Two more hours on the school day would just lead to more work.

Dr. Allen=s responses:

There is nothing about changing the number of hours in the day that will automatically correct all the other things going on.
Part of the problem is an issue of trust.
One reason that teachers don=t vote for these options is that they don=t trust the system.
They might end up with more work, and since they already feel overloaded, they aren=t likely to vote for such an option.
There is some basis for this mistrust under the current system. However we must work to change this.
One of the first steps is the 2+2 program. This can build a sense of trust between student and teacher.
Another way is for the routine evaluation of teachers by other teachers. The suggestions should be just that....taken as suggestions for improvement rather than criticisms.