WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTACT JeffArtis.com? WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE CONTENT IN JeffArtis.com? PLEASE FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING FORM AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU. THANK YOU.
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/28/11
* The President was smart to wait for support from the Arab world before going into Libya. In this day and age there is nothing wrong with waiting to get the facts before getting involved in any type of military operation.
* I never understood those who wanted to rush into Libya. We did not know who was in charge of the rebel units. We did not know who was supporting the rebel units. We did not know the objectives of the rebel units. We did not know how the Arab world felt about the Libyan situation. We did not know if the other countries in the world would support American intervention in Libya. We did not know what we needed to know to make a smart decision about the situation in Libya. Now we do.
* Americans need to stop being such sissies. We were right to bomb Libya. President Obama had no other choice. Innocent people were being killed. Something had to be done. Frankly, Gadhafi should have been dealt with years ago.
* Republicans/Conservatives/Tea Party folks just need to shut up. First they said President Obama needed to show leadership, quit dragging his feet and go into Libya. After President Obama went into Libya they said President Obama should not have gone into Libya because he didn't have a clear plan. Those folks need to make up their minds, if that is possible. Republicans/Conservatives have had decades to deal with Libya and Gadhafi and didn't. They have no credibility on the Libya issue.
An 1894 showdown between anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells and temperance leader Frances E. Willard revealed the grip that racial resentment had over the American suffrage movement.
* We still have the same problem today between White and Black women. White women want to talk about how hard it is for them in Corporate America. I say try being a Black woman in Corporate America. As a matter of fact, try being a Black woman in America period.
* UCONN basketball, SEC and Ohio State football show that if you cheat "the right way" in the NCAA you can still play for a championship and still go to bowl games.
* A message to Chris Brown. MAN UP! QUIT CRYING! Chirs, when you are a celebrity who beats the hell out of your girlfriend, people are always going to ask you about it. Get over yourself. Getting mad and throwing a temper tantrum only shows what a punk you really are.
* There is a bill in the Florida legislature that will address the issue of "sagging," the practice of wearing your pants below your behind. The bill is aimed at those students who sag while in school. I am all for the bill. Before anyone says the bill is unfairly aimed at Black youth, remember that White kids sag, too.
* And now we have something called, "Facebook Depression," a new problem where people worry and feel sad because they don't have enough friends on the social website. Only in America.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU FRIDAY WITH MY ANNUAL "APRIL FOOLS ARTIS BLOG"
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/18/11
* I am already talking to my grandson about school. My grandson is three-years-old. I am already telling him that he has to make good grades in school and he has to go to college. My grandson knows anything less will not be good enough and will be a huge disappointment for me.
* Parents, it's never too early to tell a child what is expected of them. Frankly, it is the job of a parent to tell their children what is expected of them. The earlier a parent gives their child expectations and goals, the better.
* By the times I was 4-years-old I knew what I had to do in life. My Mom told me four basic things. 1) "Don't feel sorry for yourself for not having a daddy." 2) "Don't go to jail because I won't come to see you." 3) "Graduate from high school." 4) "Graduate from college." I always knew that anything less would not be good enough for my Mom. There was no way that I was going to disappoint Mom.
* I freely admit that I goofed off in school and in college in spite of having excellent teachers and excellent college professors. Still, I never forgot what Mom said I had to do. As a result, I never felt sorry for myself for not having my father around. I eventually stopped doing the things that could have landed me in jail or prison. I graduated from school. I eventually graduated from college. I had to. I had no other choice. That is what my Mom wanted.
* Why did I goof off in school? One reason I goofed off in school was being a good athlete. Being a good athlete has its perks. During my time in high school, if you were a good athlete and you could come close to being able to spell “college” you could get into most universities. Remember the movie, “Forrest Gump?” There really was a time not too long ago when being able to run fast and jump high meant you could go to college regardless of your high school grades. As such, I got accepted into James Madison University, then Madison College, with a “C” average before I took my SATs.
* Another reason I goofed off in school was I got tired of all of the hell I was catching from other Black kids I went to school with for making good grades.
* I made excellent grades in school until the 7’th grade. During 7’th grade being constantly called an Uncle Tom, a White Boy, a wanna-be-White boy, a college nigger, professor, a House Nigger and called other names by the Black kids I went to school with because I made good grades wore on me after a while.
* Being constantly told by the Black kids I went to school with that I was not really Black, that I was trying to be White, that I was not a real Brother and being asked, “So you think you’re better than me,” because I made good grades in school also wore on me. Plus, since the first grade I also had to fight other Black kids I want to school with because I made good grades. The whole conflict over me making good grades in school just got to be old. It was simply easier for me to be dumb.
* I went to school from 1963-1975, a transitional time in America. In 1963, when I started to go to school, I expected certain things from the White kids I went to school with. Even when I graduated from high school in 1975, I was still never surprised by the things I experienced in school from White kids. I used White racism as a motivating factor to make better grades. When a White kid called me a nigger, I was determined to show that White kid just what a nigger actually was. In my early years of school, every time a White kid called me a nigger, the higher I wanted my grades to be. Frankly, I enjoyed being the smartest kid in class. I took pride in my grades.
* That changed in the 7'th grade. By 7’th grade, when the White kids I went to school with were actually less hostile to my grades in the school than the Black kids I went to school with were, I decided that making good grades in school just wasn’t worth it.
* The sad thing is it's still that way today. Little has changed. Too many Black kids are catching hell in school from other Black kids simply for making good grades. Too many Black kids are going through the same thing I went through when I was in school. It is time to stop this madness.
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/16/11
FROM THE BLACK REPORT.COM:
* A study released Monday shows a growing gap between graduation rates for White basketball players and Black basketball players at colleges and universities in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament.
An annual report by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found a 2 percent overall graduation rate increase to 66 percent for Division I players, but showed the graduation rates for White basketball players is increasing at a higher rate.
The gap has grown from 22 percent in 2009 to a current level of 32 percent in. White basketball players show a 91 percent graduation rate, which is up 7 percent. Black players have a graduation rate at 59 percent, up 3 percent from last year's study. This is the third straight year the gap has increased.
* I did not play basketball in college. I ran track. I went to college to run track. My goal in college was to make the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. I knew I wanted to eventually get my college degree. But, being a track star and making the 1980 Olympic Team was THE most important thing to me when I went to college in September, 1975.
* I could not have cared less about going to class or care about my grades in my classes when I got on campus. In my first 10 minutes on campus, my head swelled to the size of a beach ball. People knew who I was. Girls were very friendly to me. On the first day of classes, my professors told me I did not have to come to class if I did not want to. My grade point average was 1.25 after my first semester of college. It wasn't that I could not do the work. It was that I did not have to do the work to stay eligible to run track.
* After my first semester grades came out, my track coach told me that normally I would have been kicked out of school for such low grades. But, since it was my first semester in college, I didn't have to worry about that. He went on to tell me that all I had to do to stay eligible for track was to pass 12 hours or 4 classes a semester. But, if I didn't or couldn't do that, all I had to do was go to summer school to make up the difference. My coach thought he was doing me a favor and cutting me a break. He figured I would get it together and become a real student. He and I both knew I could do the class work if I wanted to. I promised my track coach that I would do better in class. I lied.
* Telling me that me that all I had to do to stay eligible for track was to pass 12 hours or 4 classes a semester and if I didn't or couldn't do that, all I had to do was go to summer school to make up the difference was like telling a kid he could take home any toy in the toy store and not have to pay for it any time he wanted to. To make a long story short, after 5 years of college eligibility, (I sat out one year), my college class work showed that I was only a second semester sophomore with a grade point average not even close to a 2.0, a "C." It was now 1980. I had wasted 5 years.
* I wasn't stupid. I could do the work. I just did not have to do the work. As for my Olympic dreams, injuries got in the way. I was the first athlete at my college to make All-Conference in track and I made a name for myself in my event. But, I missed qualifying for the Olympic Trials in 1980 by .02 of a second, literally the time it takes for a heart to beat. I cried like a family member had died after my last track meet because I had failed to meet my Olympic goal. I shed no tears over my college transcript.
* In September, 1980, I told myself, "Jeff, it is time to stop screwing around. It is time to graduate." Going to school part time, I eventually graduated from college with a double major in Social Science and History with a minor in Education in 1984. When I graduated, I had raised my grade point average to a 2.001. My GPA in my college class work since I graduated is a 3.5. Soon, I will begin work on my Master's Degree. So my story has a happy ending.
* Many college athletes in my situation are not so lucky. They do not graduate. They go back to their communities as academic failures. Many are embarrassed by the fact that they did not succeed in college. Who is to blame?
* The academic standards for college athletes is different now than they were when I went to school. Still, as they say, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The athlete has an obligation to get their studies. However, it is the coach and the school who share that obligation in making sure the athlete does what he or she is supposed to do in the classroom. After all, every college and every college coach tells the parent(s) of an athlete they will be taken care of if their child attends their school.
If my college track coach would have told me, "Jeff, in order for you to stay here, you must maintain a "C" average," I would have maintained a "C" average. It is that simple. I had the smarts. I did not have the drive. To fill that void, college coaches must demand the same excellence in the classroom that they demand on the playing field, especially from Black college athletes. That did not happen to me. As a result it took me 9 years to graduate from college. Some athletes, especially Black athletes, do not graduate at all.
* Again, I do not blame my college coach for what happened to me. Like most coaches, he felt I would eventually get it. What my college coach did not understand was that athletes like me, who are full of ourselves, who have big heads, who are convinced that one day they will be playing with the "Big Boys," need a constant, good swift kick in the butt to get their studies. These athletes need constant monitoring to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing in the classroom. That's just the way it is. I know. The athletes who fail to graduate from college are just like me.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU FRIDAY
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/14/11
* Just a reminder. The Roanoke, Va. Public School System is having Parent/Teacher Conference Day on Wednesday, March 16’th, from 2 P.M. until 6 P.M. I hope to see you.
* I do not like political witch hunts. I do not like political grandstanding. I am against the Congressional hearings on the so-called threat from radical Islam. I am more worried about being killed by some fool driving while on a cell phone, being killed by a gang banger, being killed by a racist or being killed by a drunk driver on a Saturday night than I am worried about being killed by a radical Muslim.
* Do not get me wrong. I am concerned about any threat to America. However, I do not believe there is a boogie man behind every door, or as the Right would have you believe, a threat behind every door of a home or Mosque that a Muslim either lives in or worships in.
* There are people out there who would love to destroy America. No one can deny this fact. Destroying America is their goal. Destroying America is what they live for. Destroying America is what they are willing to go to prison for. Destroying America is what they are willing to die for.
* Some of these people are Muslim. Most of these people are not.
* Some of these people are from the Middle East. Most of these people are not.
* Some of these people pose as law abiding Americans or friends of America. Most of these people do not.
* Most important, law enforcement has done an outstanding job catching those who would like to destroy this great country of ours, including those who are Muslim, usually with the help of other Muslims. Go figure.
* The hearings on the so-called radical threat to America are a waste of time and money and serve no purpose other than making the Muslim community more of a target than they already are. We should be ashamed.
* Please say a prayer for the people of Japan as they recover from the earthquake and tsunami.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/11/11
* According to the Southern Poverty Law Center the number of White-supremacist hate groups reached a record high in 2010 due to anti-immigrant feelings, rage against a Black man in the White House and the continuing rise in the number of America’s nonwhite residents.
* "There's no question that Obama's election drew people into the hate world. These groups' [online] servers were crashing on the night of the [2008 Presidential] election from all the traffic," said Heidi Beirich, director of research for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
* According to the Spring 2011 SPLC Intelligence Report, there are 1,002 hate groups in America, a 7.5% increase since 2009 and a surge of 66% since 2000.
* The SPLC says that after a temporary decline, patriot groups are also on the rise. There were 824 of these groups in 2010, a 61% increase from 512 of these groups in 2009, but lower than the 858 documented patriot groups in 1996. Patriot militias (armed paramilitary groups) rose to 330 last year from 127 in 2009, a leap of 160 percent.
* The SPLC also says so-called nativist extremist groups, which directly confront immigrants and their employers, rose during the same period by 3%, from 309 to 319. Hate, nativist extremist and patriot organizations total a current 2,145, a 22% increase from 2009.
* Against this backdrop we have folks on the Right who are doing and saying anything and everything for votes and ratings, both radio and television; including the use of fear, hate and racial stereotypes to get elected and/or to stay elected and/or to get higher rating and a fatter pay check.
* Is it only a matter of time before the fuse of fear the Right has lit explodes the time bomb of hate these hate groups have in America due to their paranoia about “their country being taken over by undesirables who are not real Americans, i.e. White?” Yes, this is possible.
* As I write this, Congress is having unnecessary hearings on the threat of Muslim extremists in America. When are we going to have hearings on the explosion of these hate groups in America who have historically posed a greater threat to American security than any Muslim extremist group ever could?
* Republican William O’Brian, Speaker of the House of the New Hampshire legislature, wants to keep college students from voting in the states' local and statewide elections. I guess O’ Brian has not heard of the success Liberty University has had in turning Lynchburg, Va. into Republicanville, Va. by using the college student vote.
* There is a bill in the Texas legislature that wants to allow college students to carry guns on college campuses. If this legislation becomes law, it will become official. The State of Texas has lost its mind.
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/9/11
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
* I do not feel sorry for Charlie Sheen. The guy got fired from a job that paid him almost $2 million for every week he worked for being stupid. He blew it. Too much booze. Too many drugs. Sheen only has himself to blame for his problems and for the train wreck his life has become. Frankly, I am tired of rich guys whining about how hard their lives are. Sheen needs to quit being a victim, start being a man.
* I wish the Miami Heat would quit crying. Winning a championship in any sport is HARD. The Heat celebrated winning an NBA championship before the season even started. The Heat thought they would go through the NBA like a hot knife goes through butter. They are cocky, arrogant and egotistical. Frankly, as a sports fan, it is fun watching the Miami Heat lose. The Miami Heat have become the NBA’s version of the Dallas Cowboys, the team you love to hate.
* When are the courts going to put Lindsey Lohan in jail? Enough already. Another rich whiner.
* From the, “Sad, But True Files,” Supreme Court Justice Antone Scalia claims women do not have protection from discrimination because a woman’s right for protection from discrimination is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution, including the 14’th Amendment. Having Scalia on the Supreme Court these days is just plain scarey.
* House of Representative member, resident bomb thrower and Tea Party favorite, Michele Bachmann says the Obama Administration is a “gangster government.” I am convinced that Bachmann meant to say or wants to say the Obama Administration is a “gangsta' government.” But, saying "gangster" instead of "gansta'" would make it too obvious that Bachmann isn't above playing with racial stereotypes in her sad and futile attempt to get Americans to turn against President Obama.
* Malcolm X’s daughter, Malikah Shabazz, was recently arrested for theft. While it is true that in America we are innocent until proven guilty, if the charges against Ms. Shabazz are true, I have to ask, “What were you thinking?”
* I like Tyler Perry. I enjoy his work. I watch his shows. I watch his movies. People, especially Black people, need to get off his back. Lighten up already.
* Mike Huckabee got into trouble last week for his comments on single moms. I agree with some of what Huckabee had to say. As far as I am concerned, if a grown woman wants to have a baby without a man or without being married and that woman can take care of that baby by herself that is her choice. And it is none of my business.
* When it comes to teenagers having babies, I feel differently. Most teenagers are not ready for the responsibilities of parenthood. And let's be honest. With all of the available forms of birth control out there, there is no excuse for the teenage pregnancy rates we have in this country. Too many teenage pregnancies are the result of personal irresponsibility and selfishness both on the part of the boy and the girl. Too many teenage pregnancies are the result of the boy and the girl trying to play an adult and saying, “Look at me. I am an adult now. Pay attention to me.” In these cases, it is always the child who pays the price.
* You have to love young folks. Young folks keep saying, "Real talk," and, "I have to keep it real." But when adults keep it "real" with them, what do many young folks do? They go running to Momma. Oh, the Barney Generation. You have to love them.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/7/11
* Today is the 46'th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." On March 7, 1965, Alabama State troopers attacked and savagely beat civil rights protesters in Selma, Alabama for trying to get the right to vote. To those civil rights workers who were beaten that day, I say thank you for your sacrifice.
* The United States Supreme Court has decided that members of the Westboro Baptist Church had a First Amendment right to picket and protest at the funerals of American servicemen and women. As tasteless, tacky, classless, ignorant and Un-American as the Westboro Baptist Church is in their practice of picketing and protesting at the funerals of American servicemen and women, the Supreme court was right in their decision. In a free society we cannot pick and choose when to limit First Amendment rights.
* The Roanoke Times newspaper has reported that over the past 5 years, Virginia has spent almost $5 million and conducting more than 5,000 DNA tests trying to prove the innocence of those wrongly convicted of committing a crime. Some may say this is too much money to be spending on such a thing when we are in times of budget cuts. I disagree. This is money well spent. Of all of the things that need to be held beyond reproach in America, our criminal justice system should rank Number One. America's criminal justice system needs to be beyond reproach.
* America has no business going into Libya. Libya is in a civil war that America needs to stay out of. Plus, does anyone have any idea what the anti-Gadhafi forces stand for?
* We do not need to use our oil reserves to lower gas prices. We should only use our oil reserves in an extreme emergency. I know people are hurting. But, this current gas price situation is not an extreme emergency. If our government wants to do something about the price of gas, it should address the problem of oil speculators on Wall Street driving up the price of a barrel of oil when there has not be a sharp cut in the supply of oil.
* Virginia's new abortion clinic regulations only mean one thing, the return of back alley abortions.
* Will Maryland pass legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the state? I hope so.
* I saw Congresswoman, Tea Party favorite and resident political bomb thrower, Michele Bachmann on "Meet the Press" yesterday morning. Watching her was a waste of my time as she refused to answer any of the direct questions that were put to her. That is the problem with bomb throwers. They usually offer no solutions for the problems that face us.
* Parents, SOL Tests are getting close. If you go to the "SCHOOL DAYS" page on JeffArtis.com, I have posted links to some resources you and your children can use to help better prepare for the upcoming SOLs in all subjects.
* You can also use the "SCHOOL DAYS" page to fill out the financial aid forms your child will need if your child decides to go to college, starting with the FAFSA form. Go to the "SCHOOL DAYS" page and click on the "FINANCIAL AID" page on the sub-menu. Don't pass up free money for your child to go to college.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/4/11
AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR POLITICIANS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS
Dear Mr. and Ms. State and Federal Politician and Elected Official,
In your zest to appeal to the lowest common denominator in an attempt to win votes in the next election, you have taken it upon yourself to demonize education and the teaching profession. Today, education and teachers are being blamed for everything from bad test scores, to the crisis in state budgets across America, to our bad economy, to athletes' foot.
I understand that as a teacher, I am an easy target. Few know what I actually do on a day to day basis. However, in your effort to demonize education and the teaching profession, you fail to mention that many of the problems I face in the classroom are of your making. What am I talking about? Well, let's see.
* Anyone can see that our lowest standardized test scores come from schools that are located in impoverished areas, which in turn have a low tax base, which in turn have the smallest amount of resources to make sure the children who live in that area get a quality education. What have you done to address the affects that poverty and a low tax base have on our education system?
* You want to give public tax dollars to private schools. I will give you credit in trying to fool people into thinking these schools, the schools that your friends send their children to, are not private schools. But, they are. Why are you trying to create an education system that is based upon those who already have the resources get more resources while those that already do not have the resources get even fewer resources?
* Not everyone goes to college. What have you done to make sure these children and schools get the needed resources for quality vocational training?
* Because your friends recently rigged and almost destroyed our economy and no one went to jail for their actions, some school children have decided that "the hustle" is better than getting an education. These students will not try to rig Wall Street and the banking industry as your friends have done. They instead hustle, making hundreds of dollars a day instead of trying to get an education. Often, this hustle happens while certain folks in law enforcement look the other way. Why? Because some of your friends and the children of your friends are some of that hustler's best costumers. What are you going to do to address this problem?
* What are you going to do about families who manipulate the school system to get free government money? There are students who attend school a minimum number of days to keep government benefits going to their families. It's difficult teaching a student when that student only attends school once or twice a week, if at all. The law says these students must be enrolled in school to keep getting these benefits. The law does not say they have to attend school on a regular basis to keep getting these benefits. Are you going to address this issue?
* I will be the first to tell you that there are teachers in our schools who have no business being in the classroom. I will also be the first to tell you that many of the best and the brightest college graduates no longer want to go into teaching. Why? It's simple really. They can make more money with more job security and less aggravation working in other professions. What are you going to do to help bring the best and the brightest back into the teaching profession?
* If a student does not measure up in the classroom and we fail that student, you cut our funding for that student. The same holds true if we put that student out of school for acting like a fool. Does this really make any sense? Why are you penalizing me for doing my job, the job you claim I am not doing very well?
* If you do not value our education system and the people who work in our education system, (and it is clear you do not), why should my students value education? After all, my students watch the news. They know what you are saying about teachers and our schools. You say our teachers and our schools aren't worth a plug nickel. Thanks to you, my students now believe what you say.
* And what about my students when they graduate from high school? Where are the jobs? Your friends are making record profits. Yet, your friends are not hiring anyone.
* Plus, you are cutting financial aid for higher education for those students who need financial aid the most. No jobs. No money to go to college. What are my students to do?
* As for No Child Let Behind, NCLB was a train wreck. NCLB did more to hurt education than to help education.
Let me close by saying that your ignorance about our education system and your ignorance about what teachers do in our schools on a daily basis is astounding, especially for a so called educated person. But, then again, you aren't really interested in improving our education system. You are only interested in scaring people into voting for you on Election Day.
Luckily, I love teaching. I love working with young people. As a teacher, I want to be held accountable for the education my students get in my classroom. Frankly, what you say about me as a teacher and about education in general is more annoying than anything else. Still, you say you want to have "an honest discussion about improving education." Well, let's have that honest discussion. And let's begin that honest discussion with what you are not doing to help me educate our young people. If you were a student of mine, I would give you an F.
Yours truly,
A TEACHER IN AMERICA
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
3/2/11
* One of President Obama's biggest critics in the United States House of Representatives, Rep. Paul Broun, of Georgia is at it again. At a town hall meeting last Thursday evening, Broun was asked, "Who is going to shoot Obama?" CNN.com reported that, "according to the Athens Banner-Herald, the question was the first the congressman faced at the town hall meeting and the question drew laughter from the crowd. Broun did not exactly denounce the comments, according to the paper."
* Broun is the Congressman who Tweeted during President Obama's State of the Union Address,
"Mr. President, you don't believe in the Constitution. You believe in socialism."
* In 2008, Broun apologized for comparing then-President elect Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. According to Broun,
"You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential," he said told an interviewer at the time.
* On Friday, Broun finally released this statement on the town-hall controversy:
"Tuesday night at a town hall meeting in Oglethorpe County, Georgia an elderly man asked the abhorrent question, "Who's going to shoot Obama?" I was stunned by the question and chose not to dignify it with a response; therefore, at that moment I moved on to the next person with a question. After the event, my office took action with the appropriate authorities. I deeply regret that this incident happened at all. Furthermore, I condemn all statements made in sincerity or jest that threaten or suggest the use of violence against the President of the United States or any other public official. Such rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated."
* I guess Broun's attitude about the whole controversy is better late than never.
* There is a lot of talk in the media these days about merit pay for teachers. Yes, I want to be paid for teaching excellence. I also think there are too many teachers nationwide who should not be a classroom. However, there are simply too many variables that go into teaching a class of students that would prevent making a merit pay based system for teachers fair and equitable across the board. What do I mean? Let me ask you a couple of questions.
* Who is the better teacher, the teacher that helps a "B" student become an "A" student or the teacher who helps an "F" student become a "D" student?
* Let's say you base teacher merit pay on standardized test results. Who is the better teacher, the teacher with a 95% pass rate on standardized tests who teaches students who try to pass the test or the teacher with a 65 % pass rate on standardized tests who teaches students who couldn't care less about passing the test?
* Who is the better teacher, the teacher who teaches a college prep class who has students go to college after high school or the teacher who teaches lower level classes who has students who struggle to graduate from high school?
* In a merit pay system, will older, higher salaried teachers be at risk for losing their jobs to newer, lower salaried teachers due to cuts in education? In a merit pay system, what happens to good teachers who may have a conflict with their administrator? Will excellent teachers or good teachers qualify for merit pay? If good teachers don't qualify for merit pay, how will these good teachers be viewed; will they still be seen as good teachers or will they be seen as bad teachers because they do not qualify for merit pay?
* These are just a few questions I have about a merit pay system for teachers. Frankly, I don't feel strongly either way. I am just not convinced that merit pay for teachers is the cure all for guaranteeing teaching excellence as so many like to claim.