Comments on: A Dead Horse Named Frozen Assets http://www.edwize.org/a-dead-horse-named-frozen-assets Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Sherman Dorn http://www.edwize.org/a-dead-horse-named-frozen-assets/comment-page-1#comment-43256 Sherman Dorn Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:15:31 +0000 http://edwize.org/a-dead-horse-named-frozen-assets#comment-43256 <strong>Unions and masters degrees...</strong> Kevin Carey asks, Why do unions support pay steps for masters degrees? As an historian, I think the question is a bit backwards, but then I think the same of many other policy questions. After all, bureaucratically-oriented salary schedules e... Unions and masters degrees…

Kevin Carey asks, Why do unions support pay steps for masters degrees? As an historian, I think the question is a bit backwards, but then I think the same of many other policy questions. After all, bureaucratically-oriented salary schedules e…

]]> By: curious3 http://www.edwize.org/a-dead-horse-named-frozen-assets/comment-page-1#comment-42857 curious3 Fri, 30 Mar 2007 04:04:32 +0000 http://edwize.org/a-dead-horse-named-frozen-assets#comment-42857 Hey Leo, Based on what I know, I agree strongly with you that graduate teacher preperation programs "do precious little to prepare novices for the challenges of teaching". Also, I am always mystified that we require teachers to get advanced degrees, but we give them several years in which to do it. If the degrees are so important to teaching, why do we give teachers so many years on the job before they have to complete the requirement? It seems that you agree that the whole system is screwed up. Can't the UFT support suspending the requirement completely until a system is created that can be shown to have some positive effect? The major current effects seem to be: 1. Discouraging many people from entering or staying in the profession because they are burdened with a useless, frustrating and time-consuming requirement; 2. Diverting teacher time that could be spent on educating kids towards time spent on a useless degree; 3. Enriching the schools that offer the degree programs. My sense is that effect #3 is, sadly, winning the "dead horse" race at the moment. As usual, the race isn't very close. Ken Hey Leo,

Based on what I know, I agree strongly with you that graduate teacher preperation programs “do precious little to prepare novices for the challenges of teaching”. Also, I am always mystified that we require teachers to get advanced degrees, but we give them several years in which to do it. If the degrees are so important to teaching, why do we give teachers so many years on the job before they have to complete the requirement? It seems that you agree that the whole system is screwed up. Can’t the UFT support suspending the requirement completely until a system is created that can be shown to have some positive effect? The major current effects seem to be: 1. Discouraging many people from entering or staying in the profession because they are burdened with a useless, frustrating and time-consuming requirement; 2. Diverting teacher time that could be spent on educating kids towards time spent on a useless degree; 3. Enriching the schools that offer the degree programs. My sense is that effect #3 is, sadly, winning the “dead horse” race at the moment. As usual, the race isn’t very close.

Ken

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