Educator

One top reason teachers leave the profession is their lack of mastery of one of the basic skills necessary to be successful in the field: effective management of student behavior.

Although classroom management is taught in teacher preparatory classes, few graduates leave Education College with the ability to successfully deal with the disruptive behavior that will undoubtedly present itself in that new teacher’s classroom.

Why the lack of mastery in such a basic and necessary skill of the teaching profession? It is the nature of the beast. The skills are not intrinsic and are not easily taught through instruction. Effective classroom management is best learned through experience. And experience is just what a freshman teacher lacks.

Education experts do not agree on what constitutes effective classroom management. Classroom management theories abound. So there is not a ‘cookbook recipe’ to follow. A new teacher must discover what approach best fits their comfort level for the management of the students in the classroom.

Despite differences in approach, all successful classroom management programs share basic tenets. The consequences for misbehavior must be clearly defined and consistently applied. Teachers who maintain a persona of dispassionate strength are most likely to ensure success.

Teachers must also be flexible enough to throw tried-and-true tactics out the window if they no longer work. Each new classroom of students will require a carefully honed set of classroom management techniques. It is the veteran teacher who is best able to accomplish this task.

Classroom management skills do not ‘come naturally’ to most new teachers. It is the kind of skill learned as necessity dictates. In most cases, the degree of success achieved by first-year teachers is dependent upon the support of the school administration. Schools with a strong mentoring program have higher teacher retention and a greater degree of overall school success. The administrator who take the approach that ‘Necessity is the Mother of Invention” is likely to spend more money on dealing with a high teacher turnover rate that would have been necessary to provide a quality classroom management mentoring program.

In United States society today there is an abundance of college graduates. A bachelor’s degree is just not that rare anymore. To make matters worse, many college graduates have incurred large debts due to needing loans for tuition.

Why is there an abundance of college graduates? Some experts contend that it is easier to graduate now than at any other time. This is because there exists a policy of graduating students despite course work that is just not up to the usual standards. Since employers know that unskilled students receive the degree, their perception of the value of the bachelor’s degree he has greatly decreased.

The devaluation of the bachelor’s degree is common knowledge at every university. More incoming freshmen than ever are stating they will go on to get a graduate degree.

While not admitting directly that a bachelor’s degree has less value, today’s employers emphasize that the degree alone is not enough to set a candidate apart. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement, and it is viewed as demonstrating that a candidate will have reliable work habits such as good attendance and task completion. They insist that solid work experience on a resume is the best way to create a good impression on any prospective employer.

Students are still advised to seek careers in the growth areas of education, healthcare and nonprofit programs, and to work at an entry-level job in their chosen profession while they are still in college.

We have already reported that many state universities and community colleges are attempting to function with smaller education budgets by decreasing staff numbers, increasing class size and drastically reducing financial aid, if not eliminating it altogether.

Educational analysts are now saying that the institutions that react in such shortsighted ways will only reap disaster in the future. Educational institutions that cut professional teaching staff while at the same time increasing class size will see their graduation rate lower, their overall reputation tarnished, their enrollment declining. Colleges and universities which take drastic cost saving methods such as cutting tenure to newly hired professors, eliminating expensive science classes and cutting low enrollment foreign language classes are only eroding their quality now, which in turn will lower future enrollment and jeopardize the stability of new enrollments. The recession will end, and when it does, students will be looking for schools that maintained high quality through these difficult times.

Fortunately not all state run educational facilities have gone that route. Some colleges are viewing the recessionary reductions as an opportunity to permanently lower costs by reducing waste and modernizing courses. The plan is to use this recession as a kind of spur to make fundamental changes that will result in better training for as many students as possible.

There are many ways to reduce waste. One university saves money by reducing the number of support staff traveling with sports teams, rather than reduce sports offerings. Some colleges are replacing glossy media publications with less expensive formats, such as DVDs. Tuition bills are being delivered electronically, rather than the more expensive printed bill delivered by the postal service. Thermostats are being turned down in winter to reduce utility bills.

Some educational administrators are setting an example by taking pay cuts, reducing use of university cars, and passing up bonuses. Some university presidents are taking the same unpaid furlough days as the rest of their executive staff.

Others look to course modernization for savings. Some classes transfer well from a traditional lecture classroom to a learning lab environment, such as entry level mathematics courses. Rather than attend lectures and do homework on their own time, students attend lab and spend class time doing computerized learning programs. These students are scoring higher on standardized tests due to the tests being so similar to the lab coursework. These lab courses are about thirty percent cheaper than traditional lecture classes.

With a growing demand for college courses but a shrinking education budget, many think the only long range solution is to find a way to offer better classes at less cost. With that in mind, many schools are designing labs for entry level classes in many areas, including foreign language, English composition, chemistry, history and more. And they are looking at saving money on entry-level classes so the more expensive upper-level classes remain high in quality. It is hoped that will improve the current low rates of graduation. And that, in turn, will keep new students enrolling.

Here are four jobs that college students should consider worth their time. These look good on a resume and are flexible enough to fit class schedules.

Bank Teller will give customer service experience, an important transferable skill. Since twenty-five per cent of tellers work part time, it is possible to find a position that will have hours that can accommodate a college class schedule. Anyone in a financial degree program should consider this work.

Campus Publication Writer will provide communication skills that will transfer to most positions. Look for school newspaper, alumni magazine or online editing positions. All look good on a resume and most are paid positions.

Home Health Aide positions are ideal for any student in the healthcare field. The healthcare field is one that is expanding, and working as a home health aide can provide valuable experience and insight for any health care student. The number of home health aide positions will grow rapidly.

Research Assistant positions are valuable in any field of study. Research is ongoing in every interest area, so students should propose a position to a professor in their chosen field. The skills you learn in this position will improve your chances of finding a job after graduation. And having a professor familiar with your work habits and problem-solving abilities will help you later as you network in the professional world.

Hiring managers in all fields value on-the-job experience. So get some on your resume before you become a job seeker.

It’s the age old question: Exactly what makes a good teacher effective? Now word has come that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide funding for research designed to answer that question.

$45 million dollars will go toward a two-year study of 3,700 classroom teachers in six cities. And $290 million dollars will go toward three school districts and five charter groups to transform teacher evaluations and tenure award.

The Foundation has given money to education before, but always in the form of small grants in support of troubled high schools in the USA. The new research study is a break from that model.

It is hoped that the way teachers are evaluated for tenure will be influenced by the study. Rather than a cursory review of a teacher’s success, the research project will utilize cameras, student surveys and other tools in the investigation of shared characteristics of exemplary teachers. The Foundation hopes that districts will then adopt the practices that are successful in identifying teachers worthy of tenure.

Another goal of the two projects is to break new ground in how teachers are recruited and retained, how teachers are compensated, and how teachers are assigned to schools.

The Foundation has high hopes for the research. The fact that the communities chosen to participate in the research are seen as having extraordinary commitment to addressing difficult educational issues bodes well for the success of both projects.

Brian Leaf is giving away a prize package of one hundred copies of his books, including “McGraw-Hill’s Top 50 Skills for a Top Score” and “Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT.” To enter, simply email BrianLeafSATBooks@gmail.com. One entry per person, but everyone from a school may enter. One email will be chosen at random to win. Contest ends January 4th, 2010.

In addition, Brian has made part of one of his books, “McGraw-Hill’s Top 50 Skills for a Top Score: SAT Critical Reading and Writing,” available for free download. You can download, print and photocopy, post on your website, or even forward the free pages directly to students’ email inboxes. Leaf has committed to being available to college counselors, educational consultants, teachers, and students who have questions about the book or SAT/ACT prep in general. The download is available free at http://www.brianleaf.com/index.php/SAT-Critical-Reading-and-Writing.html. For more info, visit www.BrianLeaf.com.

What used to be offered freely at workshops and seminars is now for sale on the internet: tested lesson plans written by teachers, for teachers. Selling lesson plans is nothing new, as there have been books published for decades, readily used by classroom teachers to supplement their district’s adopted curriculum. But you had to buy the whole book, and few teachers ever used the whole book.

Now a teacher can search several websites for a lesson plan or worksheet on a concept and buy just the lesson plan they need. Prices range from fifty cents to several dollars, depending on how many printables are included. Some school administrators are questioning this practice, but there aren’t any clear cut rules about what can and cannot be done with a lesson plan created by a teacher under contract.

Teachers spend a lot of time adapting, testing and fine tuning their lesson plans, and feel that since the final product is their own, they should have the right to distribute it as they see fit, either for free or for a fee. Some people feel adding money to the equation is setting up a roadblock to the free sharing of information, so vital to the first year teacher’s success. Others see no problem with charging money for lesson plans, since many teachers pump the money right back into their classrooms in the form of resources they would not normally be able to afford. And many teachers continue to freely give their lesson plans to colleagues in their own districts.

Recent statistics released by the current administration show that more than half of the jobs created or saved were in the field of education. State departments of education report that stimulus money averted the need for layoffs to balance the education budget. Remember when the stimulus package was being introduced? The focus was on how jobs in the construction industry would be saved.

The reality is that a little over twelve percent of the jobs saved or created were in construction, as compared to fifty-one percent for education jobs. The administration asserts that the stimulus program is delivering as promised. 3.5 million jobs will have been saved or created by the end of 2010. Some criticize how the stimulus money is being distributed. Republican leaders are asking when the promised private sector jobs will be delivered.

Economists note that the rate of unemployment in a state does not correspond to the number of jobs created or saved by each state’s stimulus money. Michigan, with the highest unemployment in the nation (15.3%) reports creating or saving about twenty-two thousand jobs. But Rhode Island’s 13 percent unemployment rate, third highest in the country, saved or created only two thousand jobs with stimulus money. California created or saved more jobs – more than 100,000 – with stimulus money than any other state.

Although university students are very concerned about grades, most know little about how grading is actually done. Here are four surprising things about how grades are determined at the college level.

1. No more than ten minutes will be spent on grading your assignment, and often it will not be graded by your professor. Many large classes in large universities have assignments graded by graduate students or a professional grader from a private, third party resource.

2. The grading is actually quite objective, even on essay answers. Quality essay responses are easy to spot. And contrary to popular opinion, there is less grade inflation than you might believe. A’s are still in scarcity, and grading on a curve is actually not used as often as you have been led to believe.

3. Long answers can work against you. In an essay situation, it is best to state your main point up front, in the very first paragraph, and then end with a succinct summary or a thoughtful, novel conclusion. Fluff is easy to spot and will most certainly lower your grade.

4. Most grades don’t get changed on appeal. Professors cannot take effort into account; they can only reward accuracy and completeness. Second chances are rare, especially extra credit. It is best to accept the low grade and seek advice from the professor on specific strategies for improving performance on exams and essays remaining in the term.

A recent study highlights the true economic cost of high school dropouts.
For every high school dropout, society will pay nearly $300,000 in lost tax
revenue, increased public welfare and incarceration expenses.

Who are these dropouts? The study show that about 23 percent of
incarcerated dropouts are black, about 7 percent are of Asian descent,
another 7 percent are white, and about 6 percent are Hispanic.

The report analyzed 2008 unemployment rates to discover that 54 percent of
high school dropouts had no jobs, as compared to only 32 percent of high
school graduates.

To be a drop out in this decade is very different than being a drop out in
recent decades past. Our current economy’s need for unskilled labor is
rapidly diminishing. So the kinds of jobs available to a high school
dropout are disappearing right before our very eyes.

When our economy was largely based on manufacturing, being a high school
dropout usually meant quitting school in senior year, finding work at a
steel or automobile plant and making enough money to support a small family.
Those days are gone.

What can be done to meet the educational needs of six million high school
dropouts? Some civil rights and education groups are beginning a push for
new educational opportunities for high school dropouts. But those efforts
will be futile if there aren’t enough jobs for the graduates of alternative
education programs.