School system

[barbless]

ok before we get all totally automated and go to online schooling, I have some barely used and just like new Encyclopedia's for half the price I paid for them. Ok, if you pick up you can have em. WTF is an Encyclopedia your kid will ask. Tell em to google it!!!!
School is good for interaction with others. Life experience happens.

[hal53]

Just for once when these cutbacks are announced I would like to see the teachers, front line workers etc. decide where the cutbacks are. Not the school boards, not the unions, not the top heavy administration, let the people that are carrying the weight decide what they can do without

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by hal53

Just for once when these cutbacks are announced I would like to see the teachers, front line workers etc. decide where the cutbacks are. Not the school boards, not the unions, not the top heavy administration, let the people that are carrying the weight decide what they can do without

[bessiedog]

Originally Posted by hal53

Just for once when these cutbacks are announced I would like to see the teachers, front line workers etc. decide where the cutbacks are. Not the school boards, not the unions, not the top heavy administration, let the people that are carrying the weight decide what they can do without

If the cuts have to be. Then boy! This makes sense. ( anyone notice... I didnt just go all ‘hells no to cuts’.) if we are in bad bad shape... then let’s get er done.)




But I seriously wonder if our financial house is as dire as forecast?
I looked at all the major GDP projections from most of the big banks.

2020 - 2022 are supposed to see some pretty decent growth. Hmmmmm.

What’s the accurate story here?

[hal53]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

If the cuts have to be. Then boy! This makes sense. ( anyone notice... I did r just go all ‘hells no to cuts’.




But I seriously wonder if our financial house is as dire as forecast?
I looked at all the major GDP projections from most of the big banks.

2020 - 2022 are supposed to see some pretty decent growth. Hmmmmm.

What’s the accurate story here?

The province is not in great financial shape, gotta let the big money boys see that they are doing something so the credit rating can get upgraded after 4 years of down grades and financial mis- management

[Dynamic]

Deleted

[Big Sky]

I think the OP is onto something.

I read in the paper that many classes in Calgary have 40 students in them, taught by just 1 teacher. The learning conditions are difficult and student achievement suffers.

I read that teachers and their union feel that if these classes had only 30 students in them, that teacher would be much more effective and student success would improve.

The report on student achievement that gets published in the paper each fall shows that schools with lower class sizes have scores that are much higher than the provincial average. Typically, these are private schools with classes that have 20 students working with one teacher.

The most exclusive private schools that lead the province in student achievement will have approximately 10 students and one teacher in a class.

There's only one conclusion that can be drawn!!! If there were no students in the classroom student achievement would soar to never before seen heights.

With no students in the classroom, there would be no need for teachers. The cost savings would be astronomical and Alberta's budget problems would be solved.

Here's a nifty graph that lays out the theory for those folks that are visual learners. The trend is oh, so obvious!

[Trochu]

I will offer my services of teaching zero students for $11,400.00. I doubt they'll get a better offer than that.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

....but you'll never teach him to think or have good societal values.

Disagree entirely, as I parent, I feel that is one of my biggest responsibilities.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by ruffy71

Our boys have always done well in school. But as they got on into high school and were hoping to get into UofA sciences, they needed to keep their marks as high as they could.

We did not turn to buying an extra computer, or new software. We hired a flesh and blood tutor to come to the house for an hour a week with pencil and paper.

One on one, human being to human being.

Outside of our school taxes, the best educational money we ever spent. Hands down.

In the cities, high school classes are usually 35 students. Sorry, you just don't have time to give that individual attention that students like your son needed. Most think we are whining, but there is a critical mass at which the students suffer. I've watched it go from 25-35. Not good folks. Kids are the ones that pay the worst price.

[sewerrat]

The ones that worried about too many kids in a classroom, and want the best education, attention to your child? Ever thought about moving to a smaller community with a high school, that have less than 20 kids in a classroom. Many of these small community schools are closing because of low enrollment and the cost of maintaining these buildings. So these kids from a small community or rural school will have to go somewhere. Just a thought

[ESOXangler]

Originally Posted by sewerrat

The ones that worried about too many kids in a classroom, and want the best education, attention to your child? Ever thought about moving to a smaller community with a high school, that have less than 20 kids in a classroom. Many of these small community schools are closing because of low enrollment and the cost of maintaining these buildings. So these kids from a small community or rural school will have to go somewhere. Just a thought

Yup sure did. Close friend even did commit and moved to a smaller community. Then they closed the school and he cant sell his house. And his kids are riding the bus for over an hour now.
I grew up riding the bus for over an hour. It ain't fun!

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

If the cuts have to be. Then boy! This makes sense. ( anyone notice... I didnt just go all ‘hells no to cuts’.) if we are in bad bad shape... then let’s get er done.)




But I seriously wonder if our financial house is as dire as forecast?
I looked at all the major GDP projections from most of the big banks.

2020 - 2022 are supposed to see some pretty decent growth. Hmmmmm.

What’s the accurate story here?

Banks are making good growth which means debt is piling up at record speed.. We are in for a crash in the next 5-15 years. Country and personal debts have moved from trying to eliminate the principal to trying to service the interest rates. If interest rates ever rise bankruptcy is just around the corner for the majority of the country.

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Disagree entirely, as I parent, I feel that is one of my biggest responsibilities.

How old are your kids?
I had the same outlook...still do, but once they get into high school they are under way more peer pressure than you think. It's great that you set good examples when they are young...but it's been proven that once they hit their teens things can change...they are with their friends more than their family
https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolesce...ure/index.html
I supply most of EPSB school with their photographic equipment and have dealt with teachers for the last 25 years. A very good many of them are as concerned about keeping your child away from negative influences when they are not in your care as you are.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

How old are your kids?
I had the same outlook...still do, but once they get into high school they are under way more peer pressure than you think. It's great that you set good examples when they are young...but it's been proven that once they hit their teens things can change...they are with their friends more than their family
https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolesce...ure/index.html
I supply most of EPSB school with their photographic equipment and have dealt with teachers for the last 25 years. A very good many of them are as concerned about keeping your child away from negative influences when they are not in your care as you are.

I agree with that Bob, but I'm not sure how it's related to me disagreeing with GA that you can't teach someone how to think critically.

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by Trochu

I agree with that Bob, but I'm not sure how it's related to me disagreeing with GA that you can't teach someone how to think critically.

Sorry...mistakenly drew the conclusion that this was why we didn't need teachers...my apologies.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

Sorry...mistakenly drew the conclusion that this was why we didn't need teachers...my apologies.

[Okotok]

Originally Posted by artie

So I take it your with the Kenny party

"You're"

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by Okotok

"You're"

[wmd]

LOL i love comments like this from people that have no clue what there talking about. My wife is a v.p and you cant imagine what teachers have to do and deal with on a daily basis. They deserve every penny they get.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Disagree entirely, as I parent, I feel that is one of my biggest responsibilities.

Good on you, I feel the same, but a significant part of our student population lacks a stable home life or parents that undertake that. Schools are their last hope.

Grizz

[58thecat]

I feel for teachers cuz in many cases thier hands are tied, deal with dink parents etc but always admired the ones that were first in, last out and coached a school team or events. These are the ones the kids gravitate to, feel accepted and then really excel in the academics/athletics.
Tuff job for sure dealing with all what peoplekind can throw at them.

[OL_JR]

Don't see how more automation and less teachers will help even a little bit. We could completely automate the system and someone is still going to have to be there to try and administer some kind of control. Might as well be someone that actually knows the curriculum.

Heck thinking back to how I was in school if someone wasn't there to keep some kind of accountability who knows where I would have ended up. I didn't get along with every teacher but part of that was on me and looking back some teachers were just bad. Either way I'd argue that some of the most important life lessons I had in my childhood came from teachers but more so in a social aspect rather than academic. Good or bad.

Dealing with people in authority is maybe the most important life lesson a child can learn. Having a number and diversity of personalities in the teaching position happens naturally but is important imho. I'm sure there are efficiencies that could be had by utilizing technology but if if comes at the expense of teaching positions or classroom sizes I'm not for it.

[Iron Brew]

There are good teachers and there are bad teachers.

There are good students and there are bad students.

I left teaching because of job cuts. Loved the job. Got to the trades. Couldn't believe the pay raise and the much easier work load. I feel for teachers. I know many that have left and in other lines of work.

You want to talk about automation? Where are you going to automate? Presentation? Many PEOPLE (not just kids) need to see information in different ways. It is not a one size fits all thing and it needs to shift on the fly. Testing? They already have scantron etc. As I taught mathematics I wasn't a huge fan of multiple choice questions. Why? Because they were a huge amount of work to make a VALID multiple choice test. You want to know why test banks are kept hidden? That time is a huge cost to teachers and it is not easy whatsoever to make a valid test. 5 good multiple choice questions for a math quiz can easily take a couple of hours. 5 crappy ones... that's a different story. Online books? Not everybody has access to a computer at home.

Not saying it can't be done, but... I haven't seen a decent way of doing it. Let's hear your suggestion...