Good Job Charlie Crist

[Dave Gray]

My old lady worked really hard to get nationally certified.  She's a teacher, by the way.  It came with a small salary bonus (which she desperately needs, because her salary is peanuts).

It was in a bill to get cut in a bill recently, and Crist vetoed it.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/01/crist-vetoes-cu.html

He also kept funding for a few other education programs.  I don't know if it was political pressure or what, but I surely think its a good decision, especially because it only rewards the best teachers.  That program is no joke, and to complete it, you must be serious and competent.

So...good stuff Charlie Crist.

[StL FinFan]

People need to realize that the only way to improve education is to attract the best teachers with salary incentives.  I heart teachers.  Congratulations to Ms. Dave.

[Dave Gray]

Thanks, STl,

Another thing, too -- She just got certified.....like a few weeks ago.

Had this happened now after she's been working towards it for 2 years, it would've been devastating and demoralizing.

[run_to_win]

People need to realize that the only way to improve education is to attract the best teachers with salary incentives.  I heart teachers.  Congratulations to Ms. Dave.

Agreed, but that's only a very small part of the problem.

It doesn't matter how much your spend on "manufacturing", if your raw materials don't meet standards then your final product won't meet standards either.  

Public education is a right, an entitlement.  There is no minimum standard of behavior or effort that students must maintain to retain this entitlement.  My local elementary school has a group of 5th grade sexual predators who follow girls into the bathroom.  Two restrain the girl while the 3rd fondles her.  I think he's lost the right to attend school but the district disagrees.  The guardians refuse to act.  These boys are clearly on the road to raping a student.  Then the district will be spending money fighting lawsuits instead of educating children.  

The learning process of motivated kids is constantly disrupted by the unmotivated.  It's not a rich vs poor, smart vs not smart, black vs white issue.  It's mainly a motivated vs unmotivated issue.  Yes, there are other factors but why are should the motivated students suffer.  

Programs like "No child left behind" simply hold the motivated students back to the level of the unmotivated.  I'm not advocating leaving students behind, but I find holding motivated students back equally objectionable.  

We need a "dual school" system to separate motivated students from unmotivated.  

[Buddhagirl]

Horray for Crist and Ms. Dave!  Boo for you using the term "old lady".

[Dave Gray]

We need a "dual school" system to separate motivated students from unmotivated.  

I think you're starting to see this.  I went to high school in an advanced placement program, where the pace was more rigorous than the other students.  It was available, if you chose such a route.

Also, we're doing these things in Florida called "Academies", where its splitting kids up into their areas of interest, and the curriculum focuses on the subject matter -- for example "police", "rotc", "fire", "construction", etc.  It's almost like you're declaring a major in high school.  It helps keep kids that maybe aren't college-bound still maintain interest in school, and on a track towards a respectable job.

[Phishfan]

Hooray and congratulations to your old lady Dave.

[Brian Fein]

I have been overall pleased with the job Charlie Crist has been doing.  Aside from this whole "everyone must have insurance" crap that he's pulling, I think he's done a great job as our governor.

[Sunstroke]

Also, we're doing these things in Florida called "Academies", where its splitting kids up into their areas of interest, and the curriculum focuses on the subject matter -- for example "police", "rotc", "fire", "construction", etc.  It's almost like you're declaring a major in high school.  It helps keep kids that maybe aren't college-bound still maintain interest in school, and on a track towards a respectable job.

I hadn't heard about this, but it sounds like a damned good idea...

and congrat's to Ms Dave on the bonus!

[bsfins]

congrats to err soon to be Mrs Dave....

[bsmooth]

I think you're starting to see this.  I went to high school in an advanced placement program, where the pace was more rigorous than the other students.  It was available, if you chose such a route.

Also, we're doing these things in Florida called "Academies", where its splitting kids up into their areas of interest, and the curriculum focuses on the subject matter -- for example "police", "rotc", "fire", "construction", etc.  It's almost like you're declaring a major in high school.  It helps keep kids that maybe aren't college-bound still maintain interest in school, and on a track towards a respectable job.

They have been doing something similiar to this in Europe for years. Kids are determined before they hit high school who will go to trade school and who will go to college. In Japan you can only apply to one college so you had better be able to make it in there are you are screwed.

[run_to_win]

They have been doing something similiar to this in Europe for years. Kids are determined before they hit high school who will go to trade school and who will go to college. In Japan you can only apply to one college so you had better be able to make it in there are you are screwed.

I think this is the other extreme and I wouldn't support it.  While we tend to sacrifice the college bound kids for the sake of the non-college bound, they seem to be sacrificing the non-college bound for the college bound. 

Kids turn on to education at different times.  Some early, some late, some not at all.  A late bloomer should still be able to choose his path.

[SCFinfan]

Dave, this is wonderful news! Congrats to both of you.

[Dave Gray]

I appreciate the kind words.

I'm happy on 2 levels -- 1, the selfish one of getting a small increase in household income, but really, it's about having a governor who respects hardworking teachers.

It's grinds my ass to hear RTW badmouth teachers because I come from a family of them -- both parents, and my soon to be wife.  I now know he's talking about the bad ones only, though.  Still, it's hard to see people I know work so hard their entire lives and really care about their job, but be dragged down by a mentality that it isn't important.  I think education is really important to turning around a good future for us.  ...and I hope that there are more incentives for teachers to continue to improve and incentives for those who don't to find another line of work.

I think that programs like this are a great way.

[run_to_win]

It's grinds my ass to hear RTW badmouth teachers because I come from a family of them -- both parents, and my soon to be wife.  I now know he's talking about the bad ones only, though.  Still, it's hard to see people I know work so hard their entire lives and really care about their job, but be dragged down by a mentality that it isn't important.  I think education is really important to turning around a good future for us.  ...and I hope that there are more incentives for teachers to continue to improve and incentives for those who don't to find another line of work.

You misunderstood my posts.