Technology Titanic
Overwhelmed with new technology the district has “given”, some teachers feel they are on the Titanic and going down fast. But all the district is offering is more Bales busy work. Now we have literacy coaches who want to “facilitate” meeting grade level meetings by taking over the meeting for their “make work” exercises, not to mention “homework” assignments they put in our boxes. The ship is going down and instead of handing us life rafts the district gives us “interesting” papers on ice bergs to read as the water rises.
Who is not overwhelmed by having to learn new programs and new applications without any inservice time and no planning time to learn and implement all the craziness. How many hours are we to spend at school? Even the best elementary teachers are forced to give up at least two hours a day for free to the district above and beyond their seven and a half hours of paid times. Are we supposed to sleep at school, too? What more can the Bales and the district office demand of us?
District to teachers—“Shame on you teachers for thinking that you should have any time at home with your family.”
Who at your school is the unpaid technology person? You know that one person who knows everything about computers and that everyone else goes to after school. He or she has papers to grade and lessons to prepare but instead they are stuck helping all the other staff members for free. No pay from the district. No thanks by the district. Use 'em up, throw them away and never never do anything to help teachers be more effective in the classroom or give them time to prepare or extra pay for all their extra work.
Why doesn’t the district HIRE a technology guru?Or at least finance inservices on the new technology? AND why weren't these inservices given BEFORE school started in August?
Why is there no compensation for the poor guy or gal who has a multitude of other responsibilities who must try to explain how “new” stuff works to the rest of us? What happens at a school where there is NO ONE to help the less computer/technology savvy teachers? Where in our job description is it written hours of free unpaid time for figuring out complicated, complex and uncooperative computer technology is expected from every teacher?
New stupid Bales requirement--New technology like grade pro or some other way to get grades on report cards just so the printing “looks neat”. RIDICULOUS!!!!
Who compensates teachers for the time to learn and practice the program? Who pays them for the extra time to transfer grades?
New math like envision math has computer components and online components comes with a stack of CD roms that all have to be installed. Good luck with that. Installing CDs on our computers is like getting a camel through the eye of the needle gate in the Jerusalem wall. Impossible. But who at the district Taj Mahal on the hill cares about or even VISITS a site? What are district admins AFRAID to dirty their pretty little shoes by showing up at school site and talking with real teachers directly?
“New” copy machines that are broken down or jamming 70% of the time. Who can spend their entire recess and lunch time waiting in line for a chance to get to a machine that will not work when your turn comes? Some teachers going to Kinko’s after their work day and spending twenty thirty dollars of their own to make homework packets for their children.
All the poor teachers in their rooms hours and hours after school. One custodian on a giant campus is the only person who might hear them if a “bad guy” shows up. How safe is it for the district to demand teachers learn and put into practice all these programs during AFTER school hours? How fair is it?
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