I am sad tonite. The financial problems of the state have reached the fairly stable school corp. where I teach kdg. We learned at the end of the day today that 4 of our paras (3 of whom help in kdg classrooms) were told that they will not have employment after the close of school on Monday. They were devestated and we were greatly saddened. My para will be back, but she was told that she most likely will not be in my classroom. She and I have become extremely close over the past 3 years and work so well together. Not a great way to start the weekend.

I'm sorry to hear that. I also work for a school district. My hours were cut by 16% and I will now have to travel 2 hours one way to work. But, I have a job. Over 300 school teachers and staff were laid off in my area.

Its so sad to hear of more people losing their jobs, esp. when its so hard to find a new one!

We are thinking of parochial school for our son next year. He is in kindergarten this year and will be in first grade next year.

We were told this week that one teacher will be cut from each grade and the classes combined to save money. So now there will be 24 kids in his class next year, and no aids. That is one teacher to teach 24 kids how to read. By herself/himself.

I volunteer a few hours a week right now, but I have a younger child and it's hard to find a babysitter for me, so until he is in school, I can't volunteer many more hours.

What is going on with our country? It's ridiculous! We are robbing our children and not even giving them the education they will need to fix our mistakes. It's a tragedy.

ETA- we have not priced parochial school yet, but are thinking that it will be an investment in our son's future and well worth the money. Even if we have to go outside our religion, which we would have to do in our area.

Also- if the school was a daycare, it would be illegal for them to have that many kids per caregiver. Why should we expect daycares to provide 1 adult per 8 kids, but our teachers to care for and TEACH 3 times that?

Ok, sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now. LOL!

Lisa, I know I'm old, but in the early 60's when I was in 1st grade, there was 1 teacher per classroom and 30+ kids in that classroom. No aids, no nothing...I learned to read, so did your parents.
I was very active at school, when my boys were growing up. I held every office in the PTA and then some. So I do understand your dilemma.
OK, I'm off my soapbox, too.

When school districts cut teachers and aides why don't they cut from the top. I wonder how many jobs could done away with on the district level. Possible build school with usable teaching areas, Use the money for education not fancy buildings.
My soapbox: Back in the 50's and 60's students were taught respect at home. Where has respectand dicipline gone? Many parents don't care where their kids are, as long as they don't have to take care of them.

I absolutely agree with the respect taught at home thing. I am in my son's classroom enough to see how much of the teacher's time is spent controlling disruptive kids. She does a great job and I am not knocking her at all- she is wonderful with keeping the kids in lines and other "crowd control" techniques. She shouldn't have to spend so much time doing that.

When I was these kids' age I called every adult "Mr." or "Mrs." without fail. It's the norm now for all kids to call adults by their first name. DH and I tell our kids to say "Miss Emily" or whatever, because our friends actually get kind of offended when we tell the kids to call them Mr. or Mrs. X. They say it makes them feel "old". Well, they are! They are the grownups!! Act like it!

I also think there is a problem in society in general with the nuclear family. I think there are only maybe 25% of the kids in my son's class where the parents are together, much less married to each other. So many of them say things like, "oh, we have that at my dad's house" or "I am at my mom's this weekend so I can't come over". The kids are all so matter-of-fact about it. I realize that there are cases where divorce is necessary, but it can't be this often. (Although there are days when I wouldn't mind one!!! LOL!)

I hate to see these cuts. These kids are our future and we are shortchanging them. I agree years ago there was one teacher for 25 students but there were mothers who didn't have to work and could help in the classrooms too. Kids in my class knew they had to behave or they had to answer to their parents. And most had to answer and were taught respect. Times have changed and so have schools. We need to take care of our kids because they will be taking care of us someday.

EXACTLY what we've been grousing about. We had 30+ students in our classrooms, too, and didn't have an assistant NOR any parents volunteering. The only time I remember a parent in class was on a special day and our parents were invited to come and OBSERVE. I have my opinion on what they DON'T need to be teaching in classrooms....they need to spend more time on the 3-Rs.....And they need administration to BACK them with problem students. My SIL is retired as of yesterday from teaching. She has told me some awful stories about students and what they do in the classroom and her hands are tied. The way education is failing our children is a damn shame

I recently looked at my second grade class picture and counted 32 of us and one teacher. Aides were unheard of and so was being disruptive. The disruptions were things like tornado drills, fire drills, half the class being absent for measles or chicken pox. The things kids got in trouble for were chewing gum, bailing out of the swings, and one boy had to stsnd in the corner in the trash can for eating his crayons!

Funding for public schools is based on local taxes with help from the State and Fed govt sometimes. It's a really unfair system. I taught for 38 years and watched the modest community struggle to provide really good schools for their kids. Your bright, extroverted kids will be fine in a class of 32 unless they get bored. But not all kids learn the same way. Quiet kids get lost and confused kids become disruptive.
I think the best you can do is develop a real partnership with your child's teacher. Read all summer. Read anything. It really helps. Write a journal TOGETHER. Draw & collage.Use the computer creatively, not just to play games. Oh you know...

i am so sorry for you. we feel your pain....

My DD is a 3rd grade teacher . they told her 3 weeks ago, that they are closing her school down for good. she will have to head to one of two other grade schools in the city. at least she will have a job. they pink slipped 10 other teachers.

I am also employed by the school board. We had no teachers lose their jobs yet but, no new hires. On my job, the school board installed GPS monitors on the buses to track our every move.

Pam, that is sad...I have been having fits for days now. I live close to Fort Wayne, IN and they are cutting jobs right and left. Now they are going to out source the janitor jobs to save money. What really makes this bad is that the Head honcho of the FWCS is paid over $220,000! She is the highest paid in the schools in Indiana. Even Indy doesn't get paid that much! Cut her pay in half and maybe the schools can make it.....

One of the sad facts of life is: some parents aren't teaching and disciplining their kids, bc they never experienced it, so they don't quite know how...the other half to this sad fact:
some of these parents WERE taught and disciplined and still don't pass those teachings and discipline on to their offspring :shock:
That group should really be ashamed of themselves.
Appropriate, loving discipline from parents, becomes
SELF-DISCIPLINE once the kids mature.
So many in this country have no self-discipline, so that gap is filled with all sorts of machinations and trouble.
I hate to see our school systems affected like this.
Some teachers give what parents don't.
One day we are all going to be REALLY old and these kids are going to be running the country and be our caregivers! :shock: yikes!

I feel for each and every one losing school positions. Our kids need you. Parents will have to become more involved if they want their children to get a good education. And I realize that few parents want to take the time and some just don't have the time. I grew up in a rural area where we had about 30 kids in each class, no kindergarden, just first through twelveth. Teachers did a wonderful job "policing" and teaching. We had no teachers' aids, but we did have "classroom moms" who came in now and then to help out, not everyday. My grandchildren are the fourth generation to this same school (their father, me, my mother all attended this school) At the end of this year the board had to make decisions to cut expenses. Instead of cutting people they voted to do away with some programs. There will be no summer school this summer; there will be no child work days this summer, when school starts in the fall children who play sports will need to pay a fee to do so. This is not the first year expenses had to be cut. About every 8 to 10 years the economy and schools in this area see this happen. We will get through it. Reinstate programs and live "high on the hog" again.

This is a difficult time of year for so many people who work in school systems. I'm one too.

Our school district actually did cut at the top but of course the bottom gets it too.

I wish that parents would be more involved with schools. There are problems in schools, and problems in homes, so both need to come together and start collaborating.

That is sad. Losing a job is devastating and when it involves teaching children, really sad. Our children are so important.

I was in grade school in the 40's. We had 35+ kids in the room and many times war refuges who did not speak English. There was no special help for them and no federal aid for education. Amazing what we learned anyway. The discipline was strict.

I work as a parapro in a school system after spending many years in the corporate world. I lost 10 days pay this year but did not lose my job because I work with the English as a Second Language Program and this program has some separate funding.

Our classes are smaller than the average but the main reason that a parapro is needed is the paperwork. The volume is incredible. Copies of everything go to 3 or 4 other places. There is no way a teacher could teach all day then complete the paperwork required. It is unbelieveable in this day of the computer.

that is so sad, they just closed a school in Madison County, Indiana and lots of teachers lost their jobs