Extras from week 8

I'm playing a little bit of catch up.  I may have taken a few extra days of fall break! 

In reading our text and delving into criterion-referenced assessments, my mind wanders to the state of public education in our state - an antiquated system that seems unwilling to change, a seemingly impossible feat, but also no simple solution or model to change to!  It's easy to complain about standardized testing.  It's easy to complain about teachers being evaluated based on the results of standardized testing.  Most agree that change is needed.  Almost none agree on what those changes should be.  The truth is teachers should be evaluated on their performance.  I feel sorry for teachers who complain about teacher salaries.  You didn't decide to become a teacher to become rich, but like so many, you feel entitled to a raise, but why? In the real world, people don't receive a raise every year.  (Teachers say they don't because the payscale doesn't change every year, but the truth is the payscale adjusts based on years of experience and education received, so teachers receive more pay this year than they did last year, and will receive more next year than they did this year.)  Everywhere else but in education, that's called a raise.  Do quality teachers deserve a higher salary?  Probably.  Does every teacher?  Definitely not.  I don't know what the right answer is.  I am very intrigued by self organized learning environments, but find it hard to imagine a South Carolina where this education model would exist.  Fewer teachers but with higher salaries and a decreased need for brick and mortar schools would certainly save tax dollars over time.  Enough for now - I've expressed some very unpopular opinions and probably should have done so anonymously!