Teachers For Change : Bring Back Public Employee Strikes

I have taught students ranging from five years old to nineteen years of age. Hence, being an educator, I have learned that learning is always shifting, therefore I must keep improving with the incessant changes. As a little girl, I have always dreamt of being a teacher and I have carried out that dream. My career journey started as a substitute teacher, a floater between classrooms, an assistant teacher, a teacher, a center supervisor, and an educational supervisor. I presently work as an Educational consultant for Danya International LLC. As an Educational Consultant, I able to review and aid with the learning environment of teachers and educational management in a school

Taking on the role as a teacher puts me in a leadership role. I chose for my artifact the ESO online training from Mr. Moss, EDEE 4330 Math class. Math seems to be the subject across the board most people is afraid of, but the ESO training provided fatal information for student’s success. I understand that I am responsible for setting an example for my students that I would be proud of them to emulate. I would love for my students to follow in my footprints and make a difference in others’ lives. It has been said, “it takes a village to raise a child”, and I know that I can be most effective when I reach out to families, colleagues, and the community, to employ the approach. It takes all that to raise well-adjusted productive members of our community, being it locally or

April 1st 2016, more than 340 thousand students had to spend the school time in churches, libraries, parks, or other places without teacher. It was an April Fools' Day but the Chicago Teachers' Strike was not a joke. Not long after the first strike in 2012, the Chicago Teachers Union walked out again. Thousands of teachers and their supporters gathered at schools and City Hall, shouting that they protest for low wages and unfair labor practices. Karen Lewis, the CTU President, says that they hope this "act of war" can bring pressure to the governor Bruce Rauner, so that they can have changes like better pensions, fairer raises and more autonomy on school work. Obviously they did not get what they want from the first

I continued teaching for two more years until my daughter was born. During that time, I was voted for three years in a row as "Students ' favorite teacher." However, I grudgingly left teaching to be able financially to support my growing family. I started an environmental consulting business with my wife who is a biochemical engineer and was working as an environmental consultant for a firm in Orange County. For the next eighteen years, I developed and managed a successful company called Ecotek. Though, teaching was always on my mind and the part that I enjoyed the most about Ecotek was the environmental training and the presentations that I did for my clients. My three children are in college now, but four years ago I started hearing that inner voice telling me to follow my bliss. I knew that I wanted to go back to teaching, so I took several assignments as a substitute teacher to see if I have what it takes to be a good teacher. I found out quickly that I want to teach and that I enjoy it, school administrators offered me several long term substitute positions and soon enough, within a year, I left the business to my wife and started teaching biology full time at Lynwood Unified School District. It has been four happy years since I returned to the teaching profession. As a biology teacher at Firebaugh High School, I feel that

According to the Chicago Suntimes, the article “Illinois Public-Employee Union Members Vote To Authorize Strike”, the author John O’Connor reports tens of thousands of government workers starts a strike against governor Bruce Rauner. The main reason for the strike was caused by two-year budget cut. There is a big difference between first term governor’s budget and current governor’s current budget. Since the last year’s contract expired in June 2015, “ Rauner wants a four-year wage freeze, increased employee contributions to maintain current health coverage, and a 40-hour workweek instead of a 37 ½-hour one”(Connor). Therefore, the Illinois Public-Employee Union wants to protects employees’ right.

Greetings to you all! I am Erika Kennedy. I currently live in Georgia where I am a first grade teacher. I have been teaching for 15 years and I don't consider it a job, but my purpose in life. I enjoy what I do and count it as a privilege to be able to make a difference in the lives of students and families where I am invested. Honestly, as I considered my next steps in my career, somehow I always knew that I was destined to do more than just that of a classroom setting. Others often encouraged me to step up more in the area of leadership, however, I sat back waiting for my turn to take the lead. Soon I realized that I didn't have to wait on others to push me into the position that I desired, but that I can set my own career path. Staying

While observing during my fieldwork assignment I had the pleasure of speaking candidly with quite a few teachers. It was Chanel Thompson’s conversation that stood out to me most. It seems we are like minded in many ways. Currently she works at Francis Elementary, a school that is currently plagued with the daunting tasks of trying to enrich not only the academic careers but the lives of its students. Francis Elementary is one of the many Houston schools that services children that fall in the bottom of the lower middle class, in terms of socio economic statuses. Like me, Chanel stated that she picked this profession because of the impact she would have on various children that she would teach from year to year. After teaching for just four short years she still feels the same way. She went on to say “Teaching will be the hardest yet most rewarding job you will ever have.”

A teacher taught their students' prodigious material all year and expected them to apply it all in one test. Some students did not perform on the test, and it resulted in the teacher receiving a lower salary than expected. When the topic of teachers getting paid by students’ test scores it bring countless topics to discuss. Teachers pay should not be based off their students standardized testing scores.

Edwin Louis Cole once said, “The pattern of the prodigal is: rebellion, ruin, repentance, reconciliation, restoration.” We often say that people should fight in order to win what they want. Teachers strike has been instigating arguments, however, it caused vicious circle that deepened conflicts and separations within society, rather than resolving problems. Teacher’s strike hurt not only students and civilians, but teachers themselves.

The issue of teacher shortage today is continuing to grow. The effects of the achievement gap are reaching the teachers, not just the students: “...good administrators and teachers, who are doing their best under difficult circumstances, will be driven out of the profession…,” (Boyd-Zaharias 41). The achievement gap is part of the reason teachers feel they are underpaid, which happens to be one of the leading cause in teacher shortage considering, “Teachers were paid two percent less [than comparable workers] in 1994, but by 2015 the wage penalty rose to 17 percent,” (Long). Being a teacher requires passion in order to stay in the field, especially if the money in teaching is decreasing. Money is an important aspect for people when it comes to their careers, therefore, fewer people want to become teachers. This lack of teachers and the lack of college students studying to become a teacher leads to unqualified teachers and larger classroom sizes (Ostroff). Both of these causes are eventually affecting students’ learning environments. I chose this issue in education for my project because I have personally felt these effects, and I know others who have as well. As a future educator, I want to see better wages and better benefits, but this can only happen with qualified, passionate teachers. I plan on being one of them, and I plan on sparking a change. I am a future educator fighting to end teacher shortage.

After many years in the classroom and several as a facilitator, there were many situations that I have observed and or been a part of that did not make me happy I found myself saying what I would have said or done if I was the principal of the school. My heart began to break for those students that were in classes with teachers that did not seem to really care about whether or not the students actually got it but more so doing the bare minimum to say that the skill had been taught. I saw children struggle. I saw children and parents with hurt feelings and then angered by the way a teacher had treated or talked to them. I even saw some teachers that just did not care. I wanted that to change. For years I put off going back to school. I got my Masters in Education right after I

Around us in our community there are social issues that are not always seen and some issues have a different meaning that what it is perceived. There has been some issues about school in my community. To be more specific, the high school teachers of Durham and peel region they have an issue with the school board and are on strike. There are many factors why the teachers are in strike and there are also many negative this has have on many students. The board and the teachers still have not came up with an agreement, and seem to be unable to come up with possible solutions.

With beginning teachers usually earning entirely less than other college graduates, the profession is at loss of top-notch, quality people who tend to find jobs seeking more money. Almost 50 percent leave the profession within 5 years, lured by higher pay and prestige elsewhere in the booming U.S. economy (World, 1999, par. 7). Starting teachers average a $25,735 salary in the United States compared to an engineer earning $56,820 or a physical therapist earning $56,600 (Engineer, 2000, par.1). And what signal does it send out about the value of good teachers and a good education when a 45-year-old teacher with a master’s degree earns $45,000 a year and a 25-year-old out of law school often starts at $80,000, considering a six year education for a master’s degree and a seven year education for a law degree (Greenhouse, 2002, par. 4)? A teacher is also given no compensation for the long hours spent basically in overtime work. The teacher’s day does not end when they leave school because if lesson plans, grading, or planning is not completed, it will have to be finished on their own time. Accountants, paralegals, and engineers all are compensated and get paid overtime for work that does not get completed in a regular day or if they want to stay and

Teacher Unions have evolved over time and have been essential in education equality and reform. Some now question the motivation behind these unions and whether or not they are now a barrier to reform, rather than a assistant. This paper will explore the evolvement of not only Teacher Unions, but the purpose and motivation behind said unions. Two of the most predominately known unions are American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association, NEA.

This past semesters has been an eye opening experience that has changed my views on teacher. Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a fourth grade teacher. However after being placed in a second grade classroom my views have changed. I liked the idea of teaching fourth grade because my fourth grade teacher was my inspiration in life. When I was in Ms. Petro’s class I enjoyed being able to watch the students progress over time. Being able to see the drastic improvements in little children is very rewarding and that is why I want to continue to teach lower grades. I have learned that being a teacher requires a special someone, a person who knows that sometimes you will have to deal with tough situations leaving you exhausted and feeling like you are not able to help more. But at the same time, being a teacher allows one to be a visionary for the world and those who surround you.