Superintendent to Teachers: You're All Fired!

Before Gallo starts firing anyone, she need to add 25 minutes to her day, provide tutoring before and after school for the students she claims to care about, eat lunch with students once a week, submit to more rigorous evaluations, attend weekly after-school planning sessions with teachers and participate in two weeks of training during the summer break. AND she should be paid a teacher's salary for doing it!

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The whole story isn't being told here. They should be compensated for the extra time they're putting in. And as for teachers being over paid, that's BS. I saw a statistic once that babysitters are actually paid more per child per hour then teachers, and babysitters are not required to teach! Teachers are people who are paid to care for a room full of children and teach them academics, correct behavior, etc... and they deal with a lot. What is the situation in the homes, the neighborhood the school is in, how much funding does the school receive, and more... there's too many variables involved, and I don't think firing all the teachers is going to fix anything, in fact I think it'll make things worse... what's going to happen to all those teacherless kids?!

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Yes, as as former teacher of 25 years, I believe that there are bad/lazy teachers--as well as bad cops, bad doctors, bad nurses--who stand outside their patient's room discussing their date from the previous weekend--bad politicains, bad athletes! BUt, please, do NOT blame the whole profession! I have seen this trend in the past 20 years of so now. Bash the teachers who are making SO much money and ONLY working 10 months a year! That is such BS! I was a teacher in Florida in the 80's and we were the WORKING POOR! Do you know how it made me feel that a cocktail waitress was making more money than I did--in a professioin that I loved! Back then, we got a whopping $200 a year step increase! Yes, the old agage really is true. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Many cities in the US cannot get teachers! Education here is in a crisis situation. Those of you who have little children or no children at all yet should be VERY concerned! You don't like what your teachers are doing? Great! Educate your little darlings at home! And, I'm SURE that your 15-yr old daughter will listen to every single word you say!

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To those os you who think teaching your brats is so wonderful and teachers make so much money.... GO FOR IT. I'll bet you've never even been in a classroom to see what these young criminals who pass for students are capable of. Teachers are not paid for a whole year. They are paid for the time they work. Many have more jobs to earn money. Most new teachers are under FIVE year education programs to just enter a classroom. ANY other profession pays more money and usually has LESS stress. Teachers deserve every penny they get and it should be doubled.

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Holding teachers accountable for student test scores is tricky business. If teacher pay decisions, rehiring decisions, firing decisions, etc. are going to be based on student test scores, then it reasonably follows that ALL social service fields should be awarded or punished based on THEIR outcomes. Medicaid administrators and staff should be fired if their clients overuse their benefits or become ill with preventable diseases. Childrens' Services workers should be fired if their clients beat or neglect their children. WIC workers should be fired if their clients' children become overweight or malnourished. Financial advisors should be fired if their clients go into bankruptcy. My opinion: Cleaning house by firing 100 teachers and replacing them will result in no change if the social factors are unchanged. Teaching is indeed a "social service" field, and the products and outcomes of social service type interventions are inherently highly variable, based on demographics. It is a foolish woman that will fire 100 teachers.

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I am fed up with both parents and teachers. However, sorry you don't get more compensation for working harder - most of the private sector has no pension and their companies quit contributing to their 401K, they have taken pay cuts or no raises and according to productivity figures are all working harder for less. The public sector - teachers included - can take their lumps too - work harder for less - the rest of us are - and quit whining.

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I won't add a comment as to what to do or what not to do. What I will state is this. Just as the Captain of a ship or Pilot in Command of an airliner or even a Cessna the superintendent is responsible for everything in his or her perview and sadly, she has fallen short. This crisis didn't just crop up overnight I am sure but rather over a long period of time. Had regular corrective measures been initiated several years ago, a few minor ones here and there, there probably would not be this present crisis in her district. It all falls back on responsibility.

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Teaching comes from the heart. Many of us work an average of 10 hours a day and 5-6 hours on weekends, including Sundays, just to be able to cope with what is heaped on us. During the summer - the two months "vacation" many people think as teachers' "perks," we are taking required classes for us to keep our license, or "learn" new strategies.

It takes a leader to turn a school around. Threats do not work - because teaching is a work of the heart.

And, it does take a "village" to educate a child. The teachers are working. What is the rest of the villagers doing?

Teachers are required licenses to teach, but people who have no business spawning can do it any day and any time they please.

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They should fire more teachers around the country, There over paid, and underworked. They have the public into thinking that they are underpaid. Teachers unions ruined the public schools. Parents have to be stupid to, cause when the teachers get payraise, and benifits, there taxes go up. If your salary is paid by tax dollars, they shouldn't be allowed to have a union. It's the tax payers who suffer.

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BETWEEN ME & MY CHILDREN, WE HAVE 45 YRS. IN SCHOOLS....YES, THERE ARE BAD APPLES IN EVERY PROFESSION....BUT THE #1 PROBLEM IS THE HOME LIVES OF THE CHILDREN.....NO TEACHER CAN OVERCOME THAT......

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Teachers spend less than 8 hrs./day with their students. During the other 16+ hrs. who knows what happens in their lives. And we are supposed to base a teacher's livelyhood on this? I would invite all of you union-hating-teacher-bashers to go spend some time in your local school. Unions don't grow in a vacuum. I have been member of NEA and the AFT and am currently working in a non-union district. I have also been on union negotiating teams in final arbitration before a strike (we never went to a strike) and one thing I can tell you is that no union will go to a job action over salary only. It is always in conjuntion with insurance, working conditions, evaluations, etc. The actions of this supt. are just imperious rants and she is trying to take unilateral actions in areas that are a part of negotiations. I would suggest she take a chill-pill, look in the mirror and try to find out why her staff won't just buckle under to her "orders". I would suggest that maybe her "military-style" leadership could be the cause. She is a perfect example of why unions are needed in some schools.

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This doesn't sound like a situation of just some students failing to meet desired education standards, but one where most students are falling behind. Certainly parents bear responsibility for supporting their children's education, but most of the responsibility belongs to the schools and their administrative and teaching staffs. Consistently underperforming teachers should be made to perform or be terminated. Teachers unions notoriously resist efforts such as performance-based pay and terminating underperformers. New York City has a significant number of teachers accused of all sorts of violations in addition to basic performance of teaching duties, and can't be fired because of their powerful union; and they're still drawing pay checks from taxpayers! Superintendent Gallo should be commended for the courage to stand up to the union and take action needed to meet the needs of her ultimate customers, the students of her district.

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How about firing the superintendent? Sounds like she needs to go first.

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Teachers work hard for what they have to put up with. They are extremely limited in what they can do in a classroom today, as far as teaching AND disciplining. I have a daughter & son-in-law both teaching and another daughter looking for a teaching job. My neighbor is also a teacher and has to put with a lot of abuse from students daily - and the administration is no help at times. It's getting so that all they can do is teach kids how to take a test with all the testing they have to do and forget about discipline!! Kids have no respect today, they know you CAN'T do anything to them, and need a good swat on the butt at times, even high schoolers. Dyln is so right about public vs. private schools. Teachers are NOT the only problem - PARENTS need to shoulder blame. EVERYTHING is the teacher's fault, even things that really have nothing to do with teaching a subject. You can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink it. Not everyone can be an A or B student either. So much has to be jammed into these students' heads today in a short period of time just to take a standardized test! It's absurd.

As far as getting compensated for some extra time - why not? Would people in another profession always work extra with no compensation - hardly!! Expecting teachers to tutor before AND after school in addition to getting there early to do prep work and stay after to do work for nothing isn't very smart. There's something called 'burnout'.

Teachers, esp. elementary, do put in a lot of extra work. They care about the students. You can only do so much. You can't even give a student a hug today - that's a no-no!

You teacher bashers ought to walk a mile in a teacher's shoes before opening your mouths! I have so much more respect for teachers since observing my own children as teachers. They have a very hard job - and yes, it can be a dangerous job, depending on the school you're at.

This superintendent should look herself in the mirror and see what she herself could do to improve her school - firing all teachers is NOT the answer at all. Trying to work WITH the teachers, not setting 6 demands, would certainly help. Talk to the PARENTS. OBSERVE classes herself to see if the teachers are actually doing the best they can.

Imagine going to a February and being given a termination letter and then be expected to finish out the current school year teaching!

Yes, teachers in some areas do get paid very well. Others do not. Some may get compensated for getting a master's degree, others do not, or only partial. And that is time-consuming in addition to doing school work.

Advice to parents: It's YOUR responsibility to make sure your child, I don't care how old, is RESPECTFUL of teachers, DOES his/her homework - sit down with your child if need be - give of YOUR time to know what's going on in school and YOU help with homework if he/she has questions. If YOU have concerns or questions, CONTACT the teacher and be informed - in a polite manner. You may be surprised to find out that YOUR innocent child just could be part of the problem in a classroom! YOU brought your child into the world, YOU'RE ultimately the one responsible, NOT the teachers. KNOW where your child is on school nights and WHAT he/she is doing - goofing off or actually doing work assigned? SPEND TIME with your child.

If parents do their jobs, the teachers' jobs would be a lot easier and they can devote their time to TEACHING and not as much time to DISCIPLINING, etc.!!

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As a former teacher (over 15 years), I will say that teachers are far from overpaid for the jobs they do. They are, in fact, usually underpaid and overworked. The average teacher's salary in the US is $42,000 per year (this includes highly paid school administrators) and the majority of those teachers have spent well over $50,000 for their education and many hold graduate and post-graduate degrees. The average US salary according to a 2005 report was $42,000/year including professionals, high school grads and drop-outs. If you compare it to other professions (accountants, executives, lawyers, etc), they are extremely underpaid. As a teacher, my day usually began at 7 am and many days I didn't walk out of the school building until past 5 pm due to parent conferences, child study meetings, and staff meetings. I spent many weekends and evening still doing work at home. Regarding the summer vacations, teachers usually stay one week after the children end and return 2-4 weeks prior to the children returning. Many spend their summers taking college courses and completing in-services in order to maintain their certifications and improve their teaching skills.

Don't misunderstand me, in 15 years I've seen my share of horrible teachers and still see them sometimes when I drop my children at school. However, asking teachers that are emotionally and physically exhausted from dealing with children and their families for more is sometimes not possible for them to do. Remember they do have families and lives outside of the school building and the work day.

I've worked in inner-city schools, and the majority of the problems do not stem from poor teaching and/or administration, in most cases it's the child's home situation. Parents that are apathetic and don't care make for children that are apathetic and don't care. So the superintendent needs to take a look at the families and the community and see where they too are falling short of meeting the children's needs, not just the teachers.

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Right on Ms. Gallo !! I live in NJ which sounds like it is closely aligned with the thinking of your teachers. Teachers have too long been given a pass with the "POOR ME" mantra. We don't make enough money, we work long hours, etc. OOPs you forgot to mention your summers off.

Welcome to the real world of the 21st century, where you have to contribute to your health care and pensions. I have been retired since June and I do not have free medical and a pension of which I did not contribute.

Thanks to people like Ms. Gallo and NJ Governor Chris Christie for taking a stand against these Militant Teachers Unions across the country.

They not only are bankrupting our states and individual communities financially but also teaching a progressive ideology which is far worse than the financial issues.

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Everybody owes everything they have to a teacher. A teacher taught you how to read, write, speak, and how to do mathematics. You DID NOT achieve success on your own. Somebody, somewhere gave you an education and/or trained you. If Bill Gates didn't know how to read, write, or add 2+2, he wouldn't be where he is today. A teacher(s) EDUCATED him. In my opinion, teachers are severely UNDERPAID. And no... I'm not a teacher. I'm a firefighter, and people TAUGHT ME how to do that job...

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I notice that no one seems to see WHY these teachers don't want this. Teachers usually arrive at work around 6 AM, when they start getting ready for the school day. If they were to have to tutor in the morning, they would have to arrive at 4 or 5 AM. A lot of people think that teachers leave at 3 or 4, right after the children do, but they actually usually stay until 6 or 7, later if they have more grading to do. They also work from home a LOT. So if you add the tutoring, they would end up getting home around 9.

At lunch teachers plan-something that takes a LOT of time, because thanks to strict state standards, teachers have to find a way to stuff 9 hours of education into a 6 hour day. Adding 25 minutes onto the school day may not seem like much, but that's 25 minutes of planning, of elongating the ending subject, of having kids complain.

Attending weekly after-school planning sessions with fellow teachers means that teachers have to wait to do their planning until everyone else has figured out what THEY want-and if they have papers to grade? Well, they're just going to have to get up earlier to do them (2 AM?).

But I think that the WORST thing out of all of these is the two weeks of training during summer break. Do you have ANY idea what teachers are paid? Barely over minimum wage. And they are also expected to buy (for their classroom): books (like for a little reading center), any type of decoration, white paper (they are usually given a ream a month-500 sheets seems like plenty, but if you have 22 kids, thats about 22 pages a month. That's not even a worksheet a day! Let alone "packets", and basically anything that they run out of (and organizational tools). Teachers have to WORK over the summer, and go for classes so that they can keep their certification and WORK their minimum wage jobs where they often end up paying out more then they get...

Why do they do it? Because the sense of wonder you get when, after teaching a kid for 2 hours how to subtract, they look up at you, smile and say "I GOT IT!"... it makes your heart swell, and THAT is the best payment anyone can recieve.

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She needs to go through the proper procedure. Get it written into next years contract, and get it voted in.
If she is allowed to make these changes without going through the proper procedures, then we better look out for what will happen in the future, not only here, but in every school.

Do you want just anybody teaching the children?

If she is allowed to just fire all of these teachers, where is she going to find QUALIFIED AND LICENSED people to replace them?

Not all teachers are lazy.

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