C4T#4

Summary


I posted a comment for Bill Ferriter who teaches 6th grade language arts in north Carolina. See his blog at The tempered Radical His April 11,2012 post titled Calling Out #atpic Nation included his view on how professional learning communities are reaching their potential for changes in teaching and learning environment in schools. In his opinion, from my observation, the PLCs are only giving lip service. His point is that there is a simple explanation for the difference between what our PLCs are versus what our PLCs should be. He is convinced that we are sold out to standardized test. He asked the question "Are you so concerned with your own position and/or reputation that you've stopped advocating for what is right for our students?

Yes, we have image problems that effect how we will change the environment of teaching. Because I believe that most people will just go with the flow rather than change the system because change can be scary. As a future educator I want to engage the students in a learning environment that sparks their interests and motivates them so that they don't want to miss a day of school.

My Comment

Hi Mr. Ferriter,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I agree 100% that teaching is more than burping back facts! As a future educator I feel passionate about doing what is right for the students by teaching them to be resourceful, creative, and to communicate effectively. They need to feel confident they can solve problems in our world. We do need to make time for the skills that matter the most.
Thanks for your post,
Cyndi Ford

Summary

I posted a comment for the second week on The tempered Radical The title of his April 28 post is Why I NEVER recommend Teaching as a Profession. First, he wasn't talking about his students being the reason for not wanting to teach, but with the political system being the reason. His post was in response to Phil Berger wanting to create a merit system and do away with teacher tenure. Find the article Senate leader Berger proposes changes to teacher employment rules This is a quote by Berger "Until we get the policy right, I don't think the taxpayers of this state are prepared or should be asked to put more money into the public schools then we are presently." Of course, Bill Ferriter says " He's not even CLOSE to getting the policy right." So, this is the interesting part for me because as stated in his post research has shown that what Phil Berger is proposing will lead to worse results. You will need to watch in this RSA Animate talk This is a very enlightening post by Mr. Ferriter.

My Comment

Hi Mr. Ferriter,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Your post is an eye opener on some issues I will face as a future educator. I know I will face many challenges as an educator and I appreciate your passion for teaching and sharing the frustrations that go along with the job.