Political Nevada

The State of Nevada Education

Everytime the results come back in a comparison study concerning the quality of education in Nevada, someone will defend the poor quality of education by saying that the lack of money for reducing the amount of students by hiring more teachers is the reason. That is not the reason, that is an excuse.
There is only one reason for our poor quality schools, that is the poor quality teachers. Paying more to a poor or mediocre teacher will not improve their teaching skills, only more education and the true desire to teach is what will improve our schools.
When the teaching profession feels an attack on their profession, they immediately respond by displaying a teacher who is known for sacrificing their time and their money to help their students. The trouble with that defense is that those that are serious, hard working, who care for their students, are a minute percentage of the total teaching-staff of this state.
If the powers in this state want to have true top quality education they have to start with the current teaching staff and weed out any and all who are not quality teachers. Having a teacher who is teaching because they need to make a living is not the type of teacher who will agressively propel their students toward the future, they are the type of teacher that we have now, the teacher who accepts what the minimum requirements are for their students and is happy when the week is over so they can get away from the classroom and away from their students.
Will paying more money to teachers improve those that are already teaching? Definetly not; because if they have been allowed to teach during these past years at one salary, why would increasing that salary cause them to improve their teaching when they’re getting paid no matter how poorly their students perform! If teachers were paid according to the quality of their teaching, many would loose their jobs, many would be paid a living salary and only a few would be paid a good wage. However, in that scenario, if the incentive to improve is available in the form of increased pay, the smart ones who are basically good teachers might increase their knowledge and might improve their concern for the students. The operative word is might. But to get to that point in time it would be necessary to place all teachers in the state of Nevada in a holding pattern where they would be judged by an annual proficency exam and then by actual results. If they can’t pass a proficiency exam, why would you or I want them teaching our children or grandchildren? If they can’t get their students to succeed, why would you or I want them to teach our children or grandchildren?

Whenever school adminiatrators speak or write about the need for more funding the first items they list are for more schools and more school buildings. These schools cost in the millions of dollars, from 8 million to 18 million dollars. Money that could be spent for text books, for library books, for standard school supplies. Items that are usually third or fourth on their list after teacher’s salaries increases.

Since when is true education about the beauty of a school building? If more money for salaries is the answer, then less money for new schools should be the response. Why less money for new schools, because education is about the quality of the teacher and the teaching, not about the astetic beauty of a building. It should never matter where a teacher teaches, if they are incompetant, their teachings will be incompetantly taught and the student will remain under-educated.

The teacher’s union protects the teachers no matter what quality of teacher they might be. The union fights for their members and that is what they are supposed to do. so how can we improve the quality of those who was teaching our children. Stop listening to teh excuses and demand that a poor wuality be removed from their position. With enough aggitation the union will advise that teacher to improve or leave the profession that they obviously don’t enjoy.

There is a downside to what we might have to do, we might have to get involved, so maybe having poor quality teachers is better than making an effort to change the situation; after all it’s only the children that are being abused! Abused ? Any time our children are not getting the best possible treatment (education) that is a form of abuse!

Want better education for your children and your grandchildren? Get up, get involved and get rid of the poor quality teachers and replace them with teachers that care to be teaching.