Charlie Rose - National Teacher of the Year

The American public school system has long been under scrutiny and in
crisis. However, there is growing sentiment that large scale reform could
be possible. In anticipation of the 2008 election, I have been conducting a
series of interviews on education, sponsored by the Eli and Edythe Broad
Foundation.



Most recently I spoke to four of our nation's best teachers, all of them
recent winners of the National Teacher of the Year award. Here is some of
what Michael Geisen, Jason Kamras, Kimberly Oliver, and Kathy Mellor had to say about standardized testing, merit pay, and other features of the current educational climate:

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• National
• Teacher
• of
• the
• Year
• education
• school
• learning
• teachers

[abflabby]

We NEED the arts in order to maintain our sense of innovation. Who do you think came up with our iPods, hybrids, and favorite movies? CREATIVE PEOPLE! As an art teacher, I have seen kids hate school but love coming to art because they have a chance to express themselves without reservation. Plus it has been proven that kids involved in the arts have high SAT scores and Asia does have a HIGH respect for the arts, just look at the opening of the 2008 Olympics.

[Chandlerbin2006]

Tinkerers.. the problem is systemic.

[Lindawatcher]

My favorite teacher was a sexy middle aged woman I had for 8 th grade math. She was a stern lady If the boys messed up or were unruley she would take the boy into her back room- tie him up legs spread open and she would slap his crotch very hard repeatedly till he passed out! Mercy was begged for but nver-ever given Second offense was her using a narrow wooden paddle for even great deaper agonizing pain. The girl would have their breast spanked and nipples twisted all the way around

[dinamo4889]

@MondoBeno Wow in that case might as well go teach English in Japan the pay is around 40 a year free rent/utilities and the students are extremely disciplined. Not to mention private lessons as a side for young professionals $ 20 2000 yen an hour cash per person usually 3 people per in a lesson inside the agency apartment not to mention free dinner and drinks for moi afterwords. All I have to do is speak English with them most the time we used to just chill and drink beer and talk.

[MondoBeno]

Here's the problem with merit-based pay:

1. Teachers can easily fudge records and tamper with the tests.

2. Some teachers get stuck with classes where all the kids have emotional problems and aren't getting the treatment they need.

[MondoBeno]

@dinamo4889 Yes, 33 thou a year isn't much, but a lot of great teachers took the job for two reasons:

1. Great hours

2. Teachers were supported

3. None of those silly state standardized tests to worry about

You'd be surprised how many teachers would take a pay cut if there were less stress.

[dinamo4889]

@MondoBeno 33.000 a year is this a joke no wounder the best quality people are either in the military or the financial sector. What kind of reasoning is this? let me improve the system by giving no incentive for qualified people to stay in the field.

[DrKerrPhD]

One teacher-of -the-year I knew couldn't read or write at a fourth grade level! She was at the top of the salary scale though! She was placed in that school for many years because of Affirmative Action.

[corkygimpo]

wrong you may have designed the asthetics but no art graduate had any role in the FUNTIONALITY of those things. ARt is equal to PE in that it boosts confidence for some of the kids that dont do well in more concrete real subjects. Art is useful in illiciting creative behaviour but a good science teacher can put that into his lesson also.

[SweetPearlyGems]

wow. can we say the black girl looks more like kelly from destiny's child. hmm.

[MariaWWE123]

my teacher is the teacher of the year for dod schools

[abflabby]

oh btw, my comment is suppose to be a respectful response to takheads' comment. My capital letters does not mean I am yelling at anyone.