Rants on Education...finally

Hello everybody!

So after last weeks very personal and challenging post, I am going to make it less personal this week...but not really, when you think about it, because education affects everyone, even if you are done with school (temporarily, like myself, or forever).  I'm finally doing my education post! Huzzah!  Who's ready for some ranting?

So, to get an idea of some of my ideas on education, I will post two things that back up my thoughts.  The first is an article from Buzzfeed about dumb things people say about teachers.  Here is the link:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/antwaunsargent/lies-people-tell-about-teaching-that-simply-arent-true

Some of these....wow.  Maybe I'm biased because I have a mom for a teacher, and many friends who are in education (including the one I live with), but...I don't think so.  General rants about teacher pay:

First, teachers really do spend a lot of their own money for their own classrooms.  Like even upwards of a few hundred dollars a year.  That includes curriculum books, classroom things, conference fees (yes, oftentimes those aren't fully compensated, or at all).  Maybe this is just the office I work in, but the only money people spend from their paycheck that goes towards the work place is bringing food for the monthly birthday lunches, or if you want a special fancy office chair or something (although some of those get covered).  And I'm thankful for that. 

Second....teachers really do work a lot outside the 8-hour day.  Is the time before and after school helping kids or running after school programs or time spent grading or planning curriculum during weekends and holidays paid? Pretty much no.  And if your office is anything like mine, people gripe about lack of compensation for a half hour or hour of overtime they did in a week. 

Third....this is mostly about Colorado teachers, so I apologize to my out of state buddies.  If you look at the article and click the link on average teacher salary, you'll see Colorado is on the low end, but not the worst, so maybe you're thinking, "hey, it could be worse...it's not like we're in South Dakota or Montana." The problem with that is their cost of living is much lower, because it's a lot more rural (aka no one lives there-no offense if you live there, but if you are, isn't that probably a reason you do live there?)  Colorado's cost of living is average on paper, but that's factoring in places like the eastern plains and mountain towns (the ones that are away from the ski resorts), where again, not many people live-about 85% of Colorado lives between Fort Collins and Pueblo.  And on the front range, the cost of living is pretty high (coming from friends that have lived in other states-and if you live in Boulder, which is pretty awful).  Many teachers struggle to make ends meet, and that's just sad.  

Alright.  Second aspect to this article. The failure our high school systems in preparing us for college. 

Here is an amazing TED talk that articulates my point very well. 

http://youtu.be/GZVxA0J5g28

Basically...many schools teach students to take a test.  This benefits the school because they get more money.  This hurts students, especially those wanting to go on to college.  Pure memorization will get you through maybe a year of college.  Two if you are lucky.  Once you hit upper division courses, that won't get you A's and B's anymore.  You have to know how to think critically and apply knowledge to everyday situations.  It sounds easy, but it's not.  College dropout rates will tell you that.  I am really glad I took AP courses in high school-those classes did prepare me for college-not just due to difficulty, but also helping me learn...well, how to learn.  My best teachers didn't tell me what to see; they simply pointed out the starting point.  Many of my CU professors did the same.  Those are the best teachers. 

In direct response to the TED talk...extracurriculars teach students so many things.  They teach sportsmanship, teamwork, how to set goals, and subtly reinforce things taught in "regular" classes.  Is it a coincidence that the students with the highest grades were in music or sports? No. 

Also...if a dean at MIT is telling schools they need to put more emphasis on extracurriculars and a tad less on pure academia...you're doing it wrong. Schools like MIT WANT to see that involvement. Why?  Because they know that's where so much of a person's education comes from.  And it sets students apart. 

A final thought on why people should  care about teachers and education:  those people will see your children more than you do.  The majority of their waking hours is at school.  Caring about kids lives means caring about the education they get.

So...that is my education rant for now.  It is a bit rudimentary, but it's a subject I feel strongly about.  Without a good education, our society will not survive. Period.