OT Starkville Schools - Lack of class space

[Lord McBuckethead]

Alright, so how is it that they do not have enough teachers to teach Algebra II at Starkville High School this year? How does that happen? There are kids that will have to sit out of math classes for a semester.

Wow. Surely in a university town they can find someone to teach Algebra II right?

[MetEdDawg]

Alright, so how is it that they do not have enough teachers to teach Algebra II at Starkville High School this year? How does that happen? There are kids that will have to sit out of math classes for a semester.

Wow. Surely in a university town they can find someone to teach Algebra II right?

I'm stunned they can't set up a distance learning thing through the university to cover that, although I'm sure they would have to get multiple professors to do that and get state approval to make that happen.

Welcome to the new world of public education math and science. Not enough bodies going into teaching to overcome the losses in those fields due to retirement and people just leaving the profession.

[BeardoMSU]

I'm stunned they can't set up a distance learning thing through the university to cover that, although I'm sure they would have to get multiple professors to do that and get state approval to make that happen.

Welcome to the new world of public education math and science. Not enough bodies going into teaching to overcome the losses in those fields due to retirement and people just leaving the profession.

This would be an easy solution, but the classes could actually be taught by a few grad-students as part of a dept. assistantship, who would then benefit from not only the teaching experience, but obviously the (however meager) paycheck.

Also having experience teaching in low-income areas looks great on a CV; if teaching is your thing....

[MetEdDawg]

This would be an easy solution, but the classes could actually be taught by a few grad-students as part of a dept. assistantship, who would then benefit from not only the teaching experience, but obviously the (however meager) paycheck.

Also having experience teaching in low-income areas looks great on a CV; if teaching is your thing....

Problem is the state compliance. That would take a while and probably couldn't be done before school starts. It's definitely something they could look at but the paperwork that has to be done and the amount of leg work the state department would have to do probably couldn't be completed by the time school starts.

Distance learning is becoming a huge thing in public education along with online learning through certain state sponsored education companies that have the curriculum and courses of classes set to state specifications. We had that at the high school I taught at the past 5 years. That's always an option too and could potentially happen much more quickly if something like that is already set up at the school for other courses.

[Lord McBuckethead]

I mean, I was downright floored today when I heard one of my employees sons is having to take a semester off of math. Like, damn people. Collect taxes, hire teachers, etc.. Stop cutting taxes. Money needs to be raised, administrators need to be minimized, teachers need to be hired, and kids need to be learning at a faster rate.

This kid has never made a B in his life, and he is limited by some inability to hire someone to teach a class as easy as Algebra II? I mean with a small brush up course, I am sure almost this entire message board could come in and teach it.

[dawgs]

I'm stunned they can't set up a distance learning thing through the university to cover that, although I'm sure they would have to get multiple professors to do that and get state approval to make that happen.

Welcome to the new world of public education math and science. Not enough bodies going into teaching to overcome the losses in those fields due to retirement and people just leaving the profession.

It's almost like decades of cutting education funding, cutting teacher pay and benefits, and repeating the claim that "people who can't do teach" has a cumulative effect over time and results in shit like this. If only we could've predicted that actions have results that aren't immediately apparent should still be carefully considered for their long term impact.

[Liverpooldawg]

I mean, I was downright floored today when I heard one of my employees sons is having to take a semester off of math. Like, damn people. Collect taxes, hire teachers, etc.. Stop cutting taxes. Money needs to be raised, administrators need to be minimized, teachers need to be hired, and kids need to be learning at a faster rate.

This kid has never made a B in his life, and he is limited by some inability to hire someone to teach a class as easy as Algebra II? I mean with a small brush up course, I am sure almost this entire message board could come in and teach it.

It's not that simple. There have to be teachers to hire. It happens all over the state.

[MetEdDawg]

It's not that simple. There have to be teachers to hire. It happens all over the state.

This. And the unfortunate part is the MS and AL don't have a lot of desirable places to live compared to other states. The teaching profession has made a radical shift over the last decade or so. Tons of folks with higher ed degrees for salary bumps and people coming in for second careers. They are able to live a little better, especially if they have a spouse with a decent job.

So rural places are struggling to get teachers because they want to live a little better, cut down commute, and spend more time with family. There's a teacher shortage across the country, but MS and AL are currently the ones being hit the hardest.

[AROB44]

I may be wrong, but I have been under the impression that someone with a degree in mathematics cannot teach since they don't have the necessary education courses. If this is true, then it is absolutely absurd.

[MetEdDawg]

I may be wrong, but I have been under the impression that someone with a degree in mathematics cannot teach since they don't have the necessary education courses. If this is true, then it is absolutely absurd.

They have to apply for an emergency certification that lasts a year. In Alabama a teacher has 3 years to complete the necessary coursework to become a certified teacher or they can no longer teach.

[AROB44]

They have to apply for an emergency certification that lasts a year. In Alabama a teacher has 3 years to complete the necessary coursework to become a certified teacher or they can no longer teach.

And that is also absurd. Thanks teacher unions.

[MetEdDawg]

And that is also absurd. Thanks teacher unions.

Not really. It's exceedingly difficult to teach children. Like really difficult. That's why people don't want to teach. Having content knowledge does not equate to necessarily being successful in the classroom. Sure some engineers in certain fields probably understands the principles of physics well enough to teach. But do you know how to instruct children? Do you know how to differentiate between different learning styles? Do you know how to incorporate all of the provisions of a child's 504 or IEP? Parent communication? Class recommendations and initiating administration intervention?

Every job has qualifications. It makes sense that a teacher should have to understand the principles of the profession. They should have to have certification to teach and it demeans the profession every time we have to circumvent that just to fill classrooms.

[RocketDawg]

I may be wrong, but I have been under the impression that someone with a degree in mathematics cannot teach since they don't have the necessary education courses. If this is true, then it is absolutely absurd.

I believe that is true. They can teach college without the education courses, but not K-12.

[SailingDawg]

It's almost like decades of cutting education funding, cutting teacher pay and benefits, and repeating the claim that "people who can't do teach" has a cumulative effect over time and results in shit like this. If only we could've predicted that actions have results that aren't immediately apparent should still be carefully considered for their long term impact.

Well stated.

[SailingDawg]

And that is also absurd. Thanks teacher unions.

There are no teacher unions in Mississippi.

[BeardoMSU]

There are no teacher unions in Mississippi.

Oops**

[Lord McBuckethead]

Not really. It's exceedingly difficult to teach children. Like really difficult. That's why people don't want to teach. Having content knowledge does not equate to necessarily being successful in the classroom. Sure some engineers in certain fields probably understands the principles of physics well enough to teach. But do you know how to instruct children? Do you know how to differentiate between different learning styles? Do you know how to incorporate all of the provisions of a child's 504 or IEP? Parent communication? Class recommendations and initiating administration intervention?

Every job has qualifications. It makes sense that a teacher should have to understand the principles of the profession. They should have to have certification to teach and it demeans the profession every time we have to circumvent that just to fill classrooms.

Do teachers year 1? After a few years, they get into their groove, but straight out of school its not like they are all good at teaching young people. I mean this is high school, not K-6 or something.

[Lord McBuckethead]

There are no teacher unions in Mississippi.

Thats true, but there are other places. Those places implement certification requirements. States like MS follow suit.

[dawgs]

We got non-teachers telling teachers what kinda understanding they need to be effective teachers instead of actually listening to teachers who understand what it takes to succeed as a teacher but are hamstrung by the decisions of non-teachers and badmouthed by non-teachers who think they know better anyway despite having no teaching experience.

[dawgs]

Thats true, but there are other places. Those places implement certification requirements. States like MS follow suit.

I think Mississippi has lots of learn when it comes to education, so following the lead of more successful education systems is probably a good thing.