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OT: Any Burned Out Teachers in Here?

That’s happening all over the state
South Jersey districts are getting blasted because of budget cuts. Collingswood BOE is cutting 12 while hiring an an 6 figure administrator “with a grant.”

In ten years every teacher will be fired and all of the teachers will be replaced by AI Instructors on the video board run by all of these 6 figure administrators.

I’m sure the one group in this thread will soil their pants with joy and a smile in their faces when this happens and everyone that are beneath them lose their jobs.
 
Since we're zeroing in on student behavior, one problem in today's education systems.

It seems that the typical "teacher-hater" is also a "cop-lover," something that I have difficulty reconciling. Teachers and police officers are both struggling with the same problem, as I see it: in our society, there is an increasingly brazen disrespect for rules, laws and authority. The sense of entitlement, and belief by some that they are above the law, and rules don't apply to them, can be mind-blowing. I respect the hell out of police officers for coming to work every day and trying their best to do their jobs in the face of this.

Cops are not to blame for the very problems they have to deal with. We should value cops, not blame them, or have silly bumper stickers about "defunding them." But why do so many people who feel this way about the police then turn around and tar teachers with the very same brush, trashing them for struggling with the very same problems that the police deal with?

Does anybody really believe in their heart that the reason a student refuses to obey a teacher who tells them to put his phone away is because of anything that has to do with the actions of that teacher?
You can’t compare the two. First teachers have supported issues which have led to their own in class problems. Not all mind you but a large majority who saw the Union as their life support going forward. I have always believed in teachers making a good living. In NJ , California ,NY a teacher with some additional education and longevity can do well. How many kids come from homes with no parental involvement? At least one strong parent who can maybe discipline their child to treat teachers with respect. The end all is this theory that if we throw money at the problem it is going to get better or even solved. That doesn’t work period.
 
No one told you to live in the crappy Trenton area of this state. I have no complaints about my school system New Providence is and always be a town where schools are excellent. Mercer County as a whole has terrible schools. You wanted a cheap house and lower taxes now you want to complain about your schools and teachers.
So you rag on about someone buying a “ cheap” home with perhaps lower taxes? Does that make you feel more worthy? Sorry you are way out of line. Be thankful if you were able to buy in a better area. Better practice what you preach.There are some great teachers and that as has always been the case… some who do not belong in the classroom claiming to be educators.
 
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No one told you to live in the crappy Trenton area of this state. I have no complaints about my school system New Providence is and always be a town where schools are excellent. Mercer County as a whole has terrible schools. You wanted a cheap house and lower taxes now you want to complain about your schools and teachers.
Well: LAH-DEE-DAH!!! You live in the New Providence School district. Good for you! I’m sure you worked your ass off to earn that and no one should ever take that away for you.

Dor one reason or another, some people are not as fortunate to bust their ass and earn everything positive for themselves or theirs. Unfortunately the best they could do is Newark, Trenton, Camden, etc. And despite that most who are in those situations fight not only for themselves but for their communities. And sometimes they’re the ones fighting uphill battles against the politicians or their BOEs or the SOS in those areas.
 
You can’t compare the two. First teachers have supported issues which have led to their own in class problems. Not all mind you but a large majority who saw the Union as their life support going forward. I have always believed in teachers making a good living. In NJ , California ,NY a teacher with some additional education and longevity can do well. How many kids come from homes with no parental involvement? At least one strong parent who can maybe discipline their child to treat teachers with respect. The end all is this theory that if we throw money at the problem it is going to get better or even solved. That doesn’t work period.
If you mean "equate" rather than "compare," I think I can do it. And you are free to counter by explaining why such an equation is not valid. I would be very interested in that, actually.

Not sure what you mean by "have supported issues which have led to their own in class problems." I would like to understand what you mean by that as well. I'm always trying to keep an open mind on stuff.

in general it seems like you are agreeing that at least some of the problems are beyond a teacher's control, but I'm not completely sure that's what you mean.

I'm definitely interested in your thoughts...
 
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well this thread has gone to pot

I think a real look into what the 'what' and 'how much' is really needed per student as the 'what' and 'how much' continues to rise and not commensurate with student abilities and success

I think first and foremost, parenting is a huge issue and a real drag on many of the student's successes. I think parents tend hyperventilate over the wrong things. In my area for instance, we're getting rid of some guidance counselors in the middle schools and somehow now, parents think bullying, suicide and a lot of things will skyrocket. parents are problem number 1, admin/union tied for 2. In the middle are the teachers (both good an bad ones)
 
I'm a professor at a community college and I have seen this sense of entitlement firsthand. And our job is a lot easier than K-12 teacher! I'm the chair of the department and responsible for scheduling...I had one professor complaining that she had to come in more than one day a week! (Online classes have made such a schedule possible).

As to the rest of it, we have a lot more pedagogical freedom than K-12 but the issues with students are major. AI cheating disputes almost weekly! Everyone on their phones in class. Impossible to get students to read a novel. (Or anything really). Sad state of affairs.


I think it's the nature of work to complain about ones own job and feel like the "grass is always greener" but some of the faculty here really have no clue what it's like to work somewhere you can be fired at the drop of a hat. God bless the union.
So fail Them all. If I guess that’s why people get frustrated with education these days. If the kids don’t do the work. Fail them. Don’t follow the rules. Fail them. Won’t abide by school policy. Fail them. Instead, we just pass them and complain that the behavior doesn’t change
 
So fail Them all. If I guess that’s why people get frustrated with education these days. If the kids don’t do the work. Fail them. Don’t follow the rules. Fail them. Won’t abide by school policy. Fail them. Instead, we just pass them and complain that the behavior doesn’t change
100%

teacher upset about coming in, find another teacher!
 
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Are the budget/position cuts I'm reading about due to Covid money that ran out? I wonder if these schools are getting rid of teachers actually needed, or positions like "Assistant Superintendent of Student Activities and Services", and the DEI Counselor type anti-lawsuit positions that have popped up (Diversity, Equality & Inclusion)
 
So fail Them all. If I guess that’s why people get frustrated with education these days. If the kids don’t do the work. Fail them. Don’t follow the rules. Fail them. Won’t abide by school policy. Fail them. Instead, we just pass them and complain that the behavior doesn’t change

Question is, will they get backed by the administrators when the inevitable shitstorm starts?
 
Question is, will they get backed by the administrators when the inevitable shitstorm starts?
Does it matter? My wife had that happen. School told her that she couldn’t fail anyone because of covid. She said you can’t, but I can. She sent an email to the kid, parents, and department head saying she earned an F. Then put an F is as her final grade. Told the admin to change it if they wanted to
 
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Does it matter? My wife had that happen. School told her that she couldn’t fail anyone because of covid. She said you can’t, but I can. She sent an email to the kid, parents, and department head saying she earned an F. Then put an F is as her final grade. Told the admin to change it if they wanted to
I think that's great. It's how things are in my educational Utopia.

Not sure it would fly on a large scale in current times. Maybe it would. It would be better for everybody, really...
 
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Are the budget/position cuts I'm reading about due to Covid money that ran out? I wonder if these schools are getting rid of teachers actually needed, or positions like "Assistant Superintendent of Student Activities and Services", and the DEI Counselor type anti-lawsuit positions that have popped up (Diversity, Equality & Inclusion)
No. Trenton/Murphy decided to calculate state school aid differently. Seems like a lot of suburban middle-class towns are taking the brunt of the changes. East and South Brunswick have laid off 50-60 employees each.
 
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I'm a professor at a community college and I have seen this sense of entitlement firsthand. And our job is a lot easier than K-12 teacher! I'm the chair of the department and responsible for scheduling...I had one professor complaining that she had to come in more than one day a week! (Online classes have made such a schedule possible).

As to the rest of it, we have a lot more pedagogical freedom than K-12 but the issues with students are major. AI cheating disputes almost weekly! Everyone on their phones in class. Impossible to get students to read a novel. (Or anything really). Sad state of affairs.


I think it's the nature of work to complain about ones own job and feel like the "grass is always greener" but some of the faculty here really have no clue what it's like to work somewhere you can be fired at the drop of a hat. God bless the union.
Lazy people love unions!
 
Does it matter? My wife had that happen. School told her that she couldn’t fail anyone because of covid. She said you can’t, but I can. She sent an email to the kid, parents, and department head saying she earned an F. Then put an F is as her final grade. Told the admin to change it if they wanted to

A 2 income family makes the potential consequences more manageable.
 
It was inevitable that politics would be brought into this discussion. The facts are:

The NJ school funding formula was signed into law by the previous Governor
2025 will be the first year that the program is fully funded and there's a big increase over 2024
The current Governor just yesterday signed legislation to provide additional aid districts that were facing cutbacks
first off, you're not having any discussion on teaching and school funding that is devoid of politics so stop being naive

secondly, who signed this increase/change to funding into law, when, etc?
 

State aid to schools actually increase 900 million. I thought many schools in South Jersey budget was cut since the prior leader of the Senate was from South Jersey and gave them priority .Many upper middle class schools especially in North Jersey have significant increases.

Murphy told reporters that 423 school districts will get additional aid, 15 districts will receive the same amount as this year and 140 will lose some aid in the proposed K-12 budget.
 
Are you talking about all police, firefighters, electricians, plumbers, steelworkers, autoworkers, and others?
Teachers, federal and state gov'ment workers, professors, etc. Tons of lazy people love unions.
 

State aid to schools actually increase 900 million. I thought many schools in South Jersey budget was cut since the prior leader of the Senate was from South Jersey and gave them priority .Many upper middle class schools especially in North Jersey have significant increases.

Murphy told reporters that 423 school districts will get additional aid, 15 districts will receive the same amount as this year and 140 will lose some aid in the proposed K-12 budget.
Trenton is getting an extra $40m in state aid. I wonder if that will work? LOL!
 

State aid to schools actually increase 900 million. I thought many schools in South Jersey budget was cut since the prior leader of the Senate was from South Jersey and gave them priority .Many upper middle class schools especially in North Jersey have significant increases.

Murphy told reporters that 423 school districts will get additional aid, 15 districts will receive the same amount as this year and 140 will lose some aid in the proposed K-12 budget.
Schools are simply getting what they were supposed to get based on the agreed upon formula. What they were getting in the past wasn’t based on the actual rules
 
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A 2 income family makes the potential consequences more manageable.
Stop. No competent teacher is getting fired for failing a kid that deserves to fail. The kid and family were warned multiple times, was offered extra help, offered extra credit, and was repeatedly warned in writing. You have teachers fondling teens who don’t lose their job but you think someone whose actually following protocol Will?
 
So fail Them all. If I guess that’s why people get frustrated with education these days. If the kids don’t do the work. Fail them. Don’t follow the rules. Fail them. Won’t abide by school policy. Fail them. Instead, we just pass them and complain that the behavior doesn’t change
TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS!!!

Problem is that there’s some cases where admin will discipline and/or fire teachers who actually would fail kids for doing failure level work. It’s the teachers who most likely get clapped while the admin gets away with most things.
Question is, will they get backed by the administrators when the inevitable shitstorm starts?
9 out of 10 times, the admins will do their shenanigans.
 
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TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS!!!

Problem is that there’s some cases where admin will discipline and/or fire teachers who actually would fail kids for doing failure level work. It’s the teachers who most likely get clapped while the admin gets away with most things.

9 out of 10 times, the admins will do their shenanigans.
There are definitely too many admins in NJ but your hate for them is but much. You can’t have it both ways. Either they don’t do anything and aren’t needed or the my are the cause of all problems. Can’t be both
 
There are definitely too many admins in NJ but your hate for them is but much. You can’t have it both ways. Either they don’t do anything and aren’t needed or the my are the cause of all problems. Can’t be both
Maybe just a little less of them?

The span of control does seem a little too top heavy in some districts when you peel back the layers/onion.
 
There are definitely too many admins in NJ but your hate for them is but much. You can’t have it both ways. Either they don’t do anything and aren’t needed or the my are the cause of all problems. Can’t be both

Can they be the problem because they don't do anything? Like not backing the teacher who would assign a failing grade to a student doing failing work?
 
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Can they be the problem because they don't do anything? Like not backing the teacher who would assign a failing grade to a student doing failing work?
Nobody said they wouldn’t support them. They said they’d fire them for the F.
What kind of support are you expecting.
 
Teachers, federal and state gov'ment workers, professors, etc. Tons of lazy people love unions.
Shouldn't you be against unionized labor as well since the prevailing wage impacts the economics of both the state and county you live in?
 
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There are definitely too many admins in NJ but your hate for them is but much. You can’t have it both ways. Either they don’t do anything and aren’t needed or the my are the cause of all problems. Can’t be both
Calling people out is not considered HATE. If that was the case 80% on this board wants me dead
(which may be true these days).

There ARE those who does nothing but for themselves who are the cause of some/most of the problems.
 
Calling people out is not considered HATE. If that was the case 80% on this board wants me dead
(which may be true these days).

There ARE those who does nothing but for themselves who are the cause of some/most of the problems.
When every single post is about admins it’s beyond calling them out. Even when someone makes a legit complaint about teachers you ignore that and bring up admins
 
Stop. No competent teacher is getting fired for failing a kid that deserves to fail. The kid and family were warned multiple times, was offered extra help, offered extra credit, and was repeatedly warned in writing. You have teachers fondling teens who don’t lose their job but you think someone whose actually following protocol Will?
You don't know what you're talking about.
 
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