Get Schooled

By Ernest

March 27, 2006 09:51 AM | Link to this

Without question, retired teachers would be an excellent pool to tap into to help backfill these positions. Unless they are hurting for money, many that I know aren’t interested in going back to today’s classrooms.

IMO, this was a key point from that article:

**Education experts say smaller settings improve student discipline and learning. But costs in terms of teachers, trailers and taxes could be great.

Other states, such as California, struggled to find enough qualified teachers when they reduced class size. Some schools were forced to hire educators without full credentials.**

Is this another election year ploy? That big sucking sound we hear is coming from our pockets to pay for this. This could be the precursor for modifying the education funding formula.

By SET

March 27, 2006 09:59 AM | Link to this

Are retired teachers able to manage in the politically correct environment prevalent in these government schools? Maybe the recent retired. If they’ve been gone too long - 4 years? Their return will just highlight their old school’s decline if there has been a decline.

My elderly aunt recently retired. She does go back as a sub but picks and choses her assignments to exclude ghetto schools completely. She worked them before retirement. She even did extensive house visits in her particular assignment. I’ve heard the stories. She says she never will get closely involved with the ghetto dwellers again.

But she is still an unabashed liberal who believes the government can fix everything and everybody. She never worked in a private business in her life.

Retired civil servants in CA are beginning to leave this state for lower cost of living places (Red states). If they sub there I wonder what their experiences will be compared to here?

By Becca

March 27, 2006 10:36 AM | Link to this

If they want retired teachers to come back, they should consider having another pay step.

By Leia

March 27, 2006 11:19 AM | Link to this

Retired teachers need to understand that they have no “support” if something happens. You can get fired without due process - ask Mr. Youngblood!

By OldSchool

March 27, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this

My retired teacher/husband is in constant demand as a sub. He taught Georgia History and Social Studies to 6th, 7th and 8th graders for 31 years at the same school. His students consistently passed every standardized test (Social Studies related sections) thrown at them and continued to do well in high school.

He has been asked to teach half days here at our high school but will not even consider it. Who can blame him? He can substitute whenever and wherever he likes or enjoy the freedom retirement offers.

We have several retired teachers teaching 2 blocks a day in our math department.

As to job security, what better position to be in than to be able to walk away when you want. Contracts can be negotiated and if you are needed badly enough, you can set the terms. We have several who have done just that.

By OldSchool

March 27, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this

My retired teacher/husband is in constant demand as a sub. He taught Georgia History and Social Studies to 6th, 7th and 8th graders for 31 years at the same school. His students consistently passed every standardized test (Social Studies related sections) thrown at them and continued to do well in high school.

He has been asked to teach half days here at our high school but will not even consider it. Who can blame him? He can substitute whenever and wherever he likes or enjoy the freedom retirement offers.

We have several retired teachers teaching 2 blocks a day in our math department.

As to job security, what better position to be in than to be able to walk away when you want. Contracts can be negotiated and if you are needed badly enough, you can set the terms. We have several who have done just that.

By Becca

March 27, 2006 11:44 AM | Link to this

Only if they do something stupid, Leia.

By Leia

March 27, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this

Becca - you’d be surprised how many “regular” teachers do something stupid and are still in the classroom! But, I do get your point.

By MMM

March 27, 2006 11:54 AM | Link to this

I think many teacher leave the profession due to the poor working conditions. It would be interesting to know how may actually think the magnitude of this class size reduction is enough to make them reconsider.

On the other hand, teaching in a trailer with no windows isn’t going to be much of an incentive.

By labmom

March 27, 2006 11:58 AM | Link to this

Teachers who retire after 2003 can not return to the classroom full time unless they “come out of retirement”. Those who retired prior to that date can work full time and still draw their retirement pay. I’m not sure the state will find enough recent retirees willing to go back into the workforce for full time employment.

By C.R.H.

March 27, 2006 12:05 PM | Link to this

I think some retired teachers may take some part-time positions. I don’t see them coming back in droves! Many teachers retired for a good reason and the younger retirees are starting new careers. I can’t say I blame them.

By Leia

March 27, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this

Becca - you’d be surprised how many “regular” teachers do something stupid and are still in the classroom! But, I do get your point.

By Zoe

March 27, 2006 12:29 PM | Link to this

My mother retired in 2000. She swears she will never go back to teaching. The reason she left was because the students behaved so terribly. She taught at an Arts Magnet school where the majority of the students were there through audition. If she left a situation that most teachers today would consider pretty cushy, how does the state think they can convince retirees to go to the high needs schools that actually need certified teachers? Until there is more support for teachers in the classrooms and administrators actually in the schools (as opposed to the adminstrators in the central offices), there will always be a teacher shortage- especially in high needs schools. Certified teachers can pick and choose where they want to work in Georgia. I’d rather have big classes with support from the administration than small classes with the kids that make my life miserable because the AP is afraid to suspend them because of NCLB attendance requirements. That might be an interesting topic- how many administrators are afraid to give OSS to deserving students because NCLB requires a certain attendance level and OSS counts against the attendance requirements.

By Leia

March 27, 2006 12:35 PM | Link to this

Becca - you’d be surprised how many “regular” teachers do something stupid and are still in the classroom! But, I do get your point.

By OldSchool

March 27, 2006 01:08 PM | Link to this

This link to the TRS website might clear up some of your questions about retired teachers returning to work: http://www.trsga.com/shared/SubPage.asp?source=edu&targetAudience=1&section=59

If it doesn’t work, try the www.trsga.com site and click on the Retirees section.

By Becca

March 27, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this

I totally agree, Leia, it just seems impossible to get rid of a teacher if he/she does something stupid, doesn’t it. However, I have seen several veteran teachers terminated because of stupidity.

By Robert

March 27, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this

Why didn’t the legislature do something about high school class size? Why is it that only elementary and middle schools get this law? High schools don’t matter?

In fact, the wonderful GA legislature recently INCREASED class size for high school science classes. Why the double standard? We, in Georgia, don’t care about high school science?

What message is being sent, here?

By OldSchool

March 27, 2006 01:11 PM | Link to this

http://www.trsga.com/shared/SubPage.asp?source=edu&targetAudience=1&section=59

The above link or a visit to the trsga.com website might answer those questions about retired teachers returning to work.

(And, sorry for my earlier double post.)

By Elise

March 27, 2006 02:51 PM | Link to this

OH MY GOD YES! My mom and grandmother are retired teachers. They have been my tutors for my 2 children who are now 17 and 19 thru the years… Both have A averages in PUBLIC schools, and one received a scholarship to a very good university….SO I will say again….Please, Please bring them back!

By Elise

March 27, 2006 02:54 PM | Link to this

I would like to add though that neither will go back. They always say that the children are too disrespectful these days and they are limited to the amount and type of discipline they can perform.

By G

March 29, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this

I retired last year and have since gone back to work, but not in teaching. Part of the problem after 30 years is that there is little intellectual stimulation in what you do unless you change fields. Once you have your subject matter down pat, there’s often little new thought in your subject area, though pedagogy and bureaucratic requirements are constantly changing and require a never-ending learning cycle.

And therein lies a part of the problem: I went into teaching to teach the subjects that I loved, not to spend 25-50% of my time on magagerial or piddling bureaucratic garbage that has nothing do do with learning and everything to do with covering some administrator’s butt. I now run an office, where at least I know up front that’s why I’m there.

By Retired Teacher

April 7, 2006 02:55 PM | Link to this

I retired in 2005 and I’m still certified for 4 more years, but the only way I would ever consider going back is if there were better common sense guidelines in place for this testing craze. The CRCT tests are pure smoke and mirrors. The passing score means nothing. The state can’t even interpret the laws concerning testing, and the test is too easy for most average students and too hard for many special ed. and ESOL kids. There is way too much politics involved in teaching now, and very little there to actually help most kids. Teachers and kids are very stressed-out over things that really don’t contribute to a well-rounded,educated child.