Outraged- Pay Scale Differences for Teachers

I came across this post from the Huffington Post.

Essentially, it is about how Colorado schools are going to be paying teachers differently based on what subject they teach.

In general, science, math and english teachers will earn more than arts and PE teachers.

I understand the rationale behind this, somewhat. It seems that math, english and science are considered more serious courses, and there is a stigma that these courses require a higher level of intelligence to teach.

Really, they don't. Sure, math is hard, science is hard, english is hard. Classes like PE may seem easy, but thinking to my teachers at school, if you put some of them on the football field and told them to teach 9th grade girls to throw a ball, they would be lost.

Arts, social sciences and athletics are skills. I'm pretty sure my math teacher would be as horrible at art as my art teacher is as bad at math.

These teachers have the same educational experience, as well. They have 4 years of a bachelors degree and then their teaching degree. There's the odd teacher with a masters, Phd or a tech teacher who has a college degree, but in general, all teachers have the same education.

I don't understand how it makes sense to pay a math teacher $10,000 a year more than an art teacher.

The article also discusses paying primary and secondary teachers differently. I think this would make more sense, but even if one of these groups of teachers earned more than another, it shouldn't be by that much more.

Primary teachers are looked down upon because they are teaching easier concepts than high school teachers. Most parents would think that they should earn less because they are teaching concepts that they can teach their own kids. But do you know what? Even though this is true, parents aren't going to do that. Primary teachers go through a similar education process to secondary teachers.

Really, when I hear these teachers are being payed differently based on what level and subject they teach, I just think it means that stereotypical intelligent subject teachers are payed more. Mathematical intelligence isn't the be all and end all.

Teachers should be payed based off of job performance, not even seniority. Maybe getting a raise based on time worked, but most pay should be based off of job performance. I had a teacher that has taught for almost 20 years, and was horrible. I had a teacher that had been teaching for only a few years, and although this teacher wasn't amazing, they were better than the 20 year teacher.

Teachers should get payed like actors and actresses do. Technically they are doing a performance 5 times a week. ;)

How should we incorporate Physical Activity in School/Classrooms?

 I think it is beyond obvious to people why being active is important, and how it helps students in school, but here is a list anyways.
- It helps you stay healthy
- It helps your brain functions in school
- Endorphins = happiness

Exercise is good. Let's just get that establishment out of the way. It is as simple as that.

But I think the better question rather then asking "Why" it is important in school, is figuring out "How" to incorporate physical education into schools.

At my high school you need one gym credit. So you just take grade 9 then you are done. I think it should be at least 2 credits, if not every year having mandatory gym. I hear little voices screaming "But not everyone is good at sports" at me, well not everyone is good at math, but you have to have 3 math credits to graduate high school.

In primary school we had something called DPA (daily physical activity) which basically meant that for 15-20 minutes, whether or not it was a gym class, we had to spend time moving around. That wasn't overly successful because half of the time we all wanted to play silent seat ball (We sit on desks and throw a ball around and if we drop it or talk you have to sit in your chair). So it wasn't even that active. And 15-20 minutes is nothing!

I think that kids need to be active for 45-60 minutes a day. I feel like it is easier for primary teachers to incorporate this, or at least primary schools.

But I think high school is harder to incorporate this into. We need ways to get students moving so their brains and endorphins are pumping! I always think that teachers should get the class out of their seats as much as possible, and not just staring at the board. But other than that, what is there?

We could implement something like DPA, but with teenagers it is difficult. Half of the school isn't dressed to do physical activity, and the other half isn't willing to.

I think the best way for high schools to incorporate physical activity is to have gym every single year... even every semester. Maybe at the very beginning of the day, everyone has 30 minutes of gym. That would be really hard to regulate without a large physical education staff... but really all teachers could help out. But again, I think all of the teenagers would just stand around.

Perhaps in grade 9, implementing a rule in which all students must participate in one sport, as an extra curricular? Again, that runs into problems.

Perhaps something like in one class everyday, there has to be a 20 minute activity in which students are moving. Whether they are just walking the track or playing some kind of review game in which it is an obstacle course. So period one classes on monday, 2 on tuesday, etc, would have to do 20 minutes of physical activity within class.

I know you can't force every single student to love physical activity, but I think it is important to give them the option and teach them why it is good.

Maybe that is the answer there, teaching students to pursue physical activities like walking, going to the gym or joining a sport on their own time. But that has to become a permanent doctrine in school. Talking about it at assemblies, making all period 2 teachers talk about it at the beginning of class. Emphasizing it in gym and health classes.

Perhaps the gym credit should be split into two half credits, or you have to have two 1 credits in gym, one gym class is actually being active, and the second just focuses on the education aspects. In grade 9 gym, we do talk about health and sex, which is about 2/5ths of the course. I think it should be split into two 1 credits.

I don't know. I can't think of any quick fixes. This issue needs lots of time, and even money to implement it.

 I am really reaching out to readers here. What ideas to you have to help incorporate physical activity into schools?

Don't underestimate the power of conversation/discussion

Conversation is a wonderful tool for learning, sharing and debating.

In my experience in high school, I found more conversations to come about in grades 11 and 12, that were brought upon by the teacher at least.

I feel like it is assumed that grade 9 and 10 students maybe aren't versed enough or aren't as likely to have an individual opinion to state. But this is completely incorrect.

I peer tutor a grade 10 foods class, which also has a few grade 9 students. We don't have a lot of class discussions, and many students in the class complain to me that the class is boring or simply they hate it. One day we were having a discussion... which wasn't even really planned, about whether we thought that eating disorders can be blamed on society or if it is the individual. The conversation didn't last very long, but during that time a few students shared their opinions. I could even tell the teacher getting excited by the participation.

This class is filled with many students who value education, as well as those who don't.

But the one thing, the one rule that applies to everyone: Everybody wants an exciting education. They want to all be involved. If they have to sit in that room "against their will" they are going to enjoy it, and so is the teacher, if they are entertained or enthralled.

Conversation is the easiest and one of the most educational ways of doing this.

Some reasons why class discussions are good:
- Opinions are voiced and heard
- Many opinions are new perspectives, which provides more open-mindedness to everyone
- If you make everyone contribute, eventually every student, even the quiet ones, are going to feel more comfortable in the class, and coming to the teacher for help
- It is going to help them learn and understand the lesson or topic you are learning in class

If the class isn't really "into it" and don't feel like sharing opinions or talking, either that topic isn't interesting or they are just too embarrassed or not confident enough to share.

Classmates do need a degree of comfort around each other to be able to share these things, since conversation and speaking can be such an intimate thing. This is why it is also very important to do ice breakers, force people who don't talk to work together.

As a student, I hate working with people who aren't my friends, especially since I am a quiet introvert, but I do appreciate it when it is done. You learn different perspectives, and talk to people you don't know.

I don't like small group discussions too much, where you split up and then share important ideas with the class. Some groups don't work, others do, and then when those points are shared with the class, not everyone in the groups' are.

Ideas for Conversation Games:
1. Tossing around a beach ball. Start a conversation topic and then toss around a beach ball. It gets people moving, and keeps everyone involved. Just make up a rule that says everybody must get the ball once before someone can get it twice. Maybe sit down after you have had the ball, and then once everyone is sitting, for another round, sit back up on top of your desks.
2. Using cards. This can be done in many ways. The teacher can create a stack of conversation cards related to a topic, and then students can draw one and then the class discusses it. The class can create conversation cards related to a topic, maybe in small groups, and the same can happen.
3. Instead of just talking, write down the ideas as well. Make brainstorming bubbles, notes on the board, have the class take down the notes perhaps.
4. Introduce "conversation periods". This can mean that you dedicate a certain amount of time per week that you have opinion discussions about what has been learned. For example, maybe one entire period every other week, 20 minutes on friday, etc.
5. Individual topics. As an assignment, you could give each individual student a friday throughout the year to lead a 5-10 minute with the class on a current event, or even just something being learned in the class. For example: an english class, perhaps you are reading Shakespeare, and a student decides to lead a conversation about death or suicide in society.

So many students will just reply "I don't know" when you ask them, usually just because they've been put on the spot, but sometimes they won't understand the topic.
Cures for the "I don't knows":
- Have them write out a response to read to the class, to give them more time to think about it--- some people can't think quickly on the spot
- If you make a habit out of having "conversations" and perhaps if you institute a "conversation time" just for having class discussions, discourage the use of "I don't know" and perhaps make a game out of it--- the person who says "I don't know" has to lead a discussion sometime, or has to do 10 jumping jacks. Who knows
- Just say you will come back to them, AND actually come back to them! Tell them if they think of something, to write it down, but that you do want to and would like to hear from them later


Go forth and converse!

My First Post

This is (obviously) my first post on my new blog.

I feel good about this blog.

My goal of Education for Educators is to get my opinion about education heard, before I am "qualified". I want to go into education, but I am a high school student graduating this June. I plan on attending Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario for Philosophy and Psychology with OTT (Orientation to Teaching). I decided not to go into concurrent education because I wanted Philosophy to be one of my teachables, but only one university in my province (York) would allow me to do this, and I didn't want to move to Toronto. Also I want to pursue a double major and not a major and a minor.

 I have many education ideas that I think should be heard, so I decided to start this blog.

My background in "Education" really isn't thick. I am just an idea person. I like analytical and critical thinking about teaching. I have taken peer tutoring at school twice, which I am sure to talk about more in future blog posts.


This isn't my first blog. I have had many blogs ever since grade 9, but this blog is one of my three blogs I still have left. In my main blog (dadcanihavesomecrackerjacks.blogspot.com) , I talk about politics, philosophy, sociology, psychology, controversial topics, and I used to talk about education. But my desire to talk about education has expanded to be so much more than that blog, so I just had to start this new blog.

My second  blog is a fitness blog that I have had for around a year now. I talk about my running and weight lifting. I don't post in it as often as my main blog, but I still post in it. (beingastrongerme.blogspot.com)

With this blog I hope to touch on many different topics within education, such as:
- Technology's involvement with school
- IEPs and students who require additional assistance
- The role of the teacher
- The role of the student
- The student-teacher relationship
- Teaching techniques
- Ideas I have
- Reflections on current events in education
-Anything else I discover about education!

I hope for this blog to become a major learning experience for me, other students like me, teachers, future teachers and anyone interested in learning about education. I deeply encourage feedback and comments. At times once my audience on this blog bulks up, I want to have discussions, guest writers, surveys... I have big ideas and plans for this blog.

I hope you're ready to go along for the ride.