major

[OUnabomber]

You know what, I can do both (supervise or teach)--at least at the high school level. I want no part of fifth graders LOL. I would put my constructive credit/apprenticeship/trade learning phase up against pretty much any teacher I've encountered. However, I do give a great deal of credit to those educators who have helped, taught and mentored me. I would never diminish their contributions to education or my continued development. Clearly their wealth of applicable knowledge has shown me a lot of things about teaching that I wouldn't otherwise know. Conversely, I'd venture to say they've learned a thing or two from me--at least that's what they've told me.

Please don't misunderstand. I'm in no way undermining the value of those who came up through the traditional route. It's "traditional" with good reason and God bless those folks because they're the bedrock upon which we "non-traditional" types must rely.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not diminishing you as a teacher as I'm sure you do a fine job. I'm just saying there are way too many people that are alt. cert. or have emergency certification teaching in todays schools. We gave a pretty good raise with the promise that it would attract more people to go into the profession, but from what I have seen it hasn't worked. All we have now are a good number of the same ole bad teachers making more undeserved money. Nothing has changed

 

[WP76]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not diminishing you as a teacher as I'm sure you do a fine job. I'm just saying there are way too many people that are alt. cert. or have emergency certification teaching in todays schools. We gave a pretty good raise with the promise that it would attract more people to go into the profession, but from what I have seen it hasn't worked. All we have now are a good number of the same ole bad teachers making more undeserved money. Nothing has changed

Absolutely no argument from me. As a previous poster said, the core of teaching is passion and a burning desire to help others to learn the material and grow intellectually. Good teachers do that by bringing their hearts and souls into the classroom every day. As you said, the ones who don't are obvious and do a grave disservice to their students and fellow teachers--regardless of the size of their paycheck. Thank you for your obvious and significant dedication to our profession.

 

[Sooners83]

Sadly with these days of NIL..he has most likely missed a huge opportunity to show his worth. I am quite sure that he was shown exactly what he needed to do and didn't do it. I can't feel sorry for him at all. I would be curious to know just where he ranked in his incoming class as far as potential academic risk. I am sure the University did everything it could to try to help him, the failure is totally on him.

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

With the recruiting of full scholarship student athletes having little to do with being educated by the colleges that recruit them to win games and attract TV money, stories like this are neither shocking to the public or shameful to the colleges.

It's excepted, the norm in cfb and certainly the NFL. I cringe almost everytime I have to listen to a player with a mic in his face. It's so obvious in my opinion.

 

[DallasSooner73]

That was my point. Our education system is failing kids, period.

I'm sorry, but that's not exactly true. It is certainly failing some, especially with the inherent bias they include in the slant of their teaching. But some kids just aren't smart enough to do college work. College classes aren't for everybody. The idea that everybody should have a college education dumbs down a college education.

If a player that has the kind of support that OU offers, requires of their athletes, his failing his academics is almost always for one of two reasons. Either he's just not trying, or he's just not able. There are surely occasional exceptions, but not many. OU's

I'm not talking about guys 30 or 40 years ago. Some academics in those days were abysmal. But that's to the case any more.

 

[OUnabomber]

I'm sorry, but that's not exactly true. It is certainly failing some, especially with the inherent bias they include in the slant of their teaching. But some kids just aren't smart enough to do college work. College classes aren't for everybody. The idea that everybody should have a college education dumbs down a college education.

If a player that has the kind of support that OU offers, requires of their athletes, his failing his academics is almost always for one of two reasons. Either he's just not trying, or he's just not able. There are surely occasional exceptions, but not many. OU's

I'm not talking about guys 30 or 40 years ago. Some academics in those days were abysmal. But that's to the case any more.

Agree. Probably didn't do squat in high school and was severely underprepared for college level work. If you can't pass all your classes with all the help OU is probably giving them then I would guess there is a lack of effort.

 

[JConXtsy]

Teaching may be granted or bestowed on individuals in many different ways but the true skill of transferring knowledge is in one's core personality. Capturing one's attention and curiosity and successfully transferring knowledge over an extended period of time is god's gift not given to many. In my uneducated opinion, this gift radiates whether the teacher is addressing grade schoolers or combat ready soldiers. I have met and known a few and the one common trait they all seemed to share was that they wanted to be teachers for as long as they could remember.

Awesome post. Totally agree.

My ex was a 5th grade teacher in a bad area of Dallas. She asked me to come and present to her grade for career day. I refused until they promised to let me present 2-3 hours. Before that day, I kept getting warnings from her friends about how bad the kids were and how much they were going to punish me.

In my spare time at work, I made a bunch of silicon microchips that each had their school name, year and grade.

The day I presented, I went through physics slowly while showing them real life chips that I had made for them.

These kids that were reportedly bad and going to cause me problems were silent and respectful for the entire 3 hours.

They weren't bad kids. They were mesmerized. I'm usually a cynical jerk, but I'll admit that experience was humbling to participate in.

 

[Scottsdale.Sooner]

Awesome post. Totally agree.

My ex was a 5th grade teacher in a bad area of Dallas. She asked me to come and present to her grade for career day. I refused until they promised to let me present 2-3 hours. Before that day, I kept getting warnings from her friends about how bad the kids were and how much they were going to punish me.

In my spare time at work, I made a bunch of silicon microchips that each had their school name, year and grade.

The day I presented, I went through physics slowly while showing them real life chips that I had made for them.

These kids that were reportedly bad and going to cause me problems were silent and respectful for the entire 3 hours.

They weren't bad kids. They were mesmerized. I'm usually a cynical jerk, but I'll admit that experience was humbling to participate in.

Good for you!! You captured the key to transferring knowledge. You have no idea how many of those kids you made indelible mark on their interest in learning and succeeding. I am certain a few of them will carry the memory of your presentation for the rest of their lives. We all should have those experiences in school as early and often as possible. I know I have such experiences.

 

[OUnabomber]

Awesome post. Totally agree.

My ex was a 5th grade teacher in a bad area of Dallas. She asked me to come and present to her grade for career day. I refused until they promised to let me present 2-3 hours. Before that day, I kept getting warnings from her friends about how bad the kids were and how much they were going to punish me.

In my spare time at work, I made a bunch of silicon microchips that each had their school name, year and grade.

The day I presented, I went through physics slowly while showing them real life chips that I had made for them.

These kids that were reportedly bad and going to cause me problems were silent and respectful for the entire 3 hours.

They weren't bad kids. They were mesmerized. I'm usually a cynical jerk, but I'll admit that experience was humbling to participate in.

Kids are usually pretty well behaved when a new person comes in that they are not familiar with. The real challenge is teaching every single day for a year or two. I don't care who you are or how entertaining you thing you ca be....you will have issues. That is where classroom management and mental toughness come into play.

 

[bcsoonerfan]

I'm sorry, but that's not exactly true. It is certainly failing some, especially with the inherent bias they include in the slant of their teaching. But some kids just aren't smart enough to do college work. College classes aren't for everybody. The idea that everybody should have a college education dumbs down a college education.

If a player that has the kind of support that OU offers, requires of their athletes, his failing his academics is almost always for one of two reasons. Either he's just not trying, or he's just not able. There are surely occasional exceptions, but not many. OU's

I'm not talking about guys 30 or 40 years ago. Some academics in those days were abysmal. But that's to the case any more.

A couple of you have taken my point and extrapolated it into something I did not say or imply. It's annoying, so let me make it clearer.

Certain children, for whatever reason, are the "can kicked down the road". The education systems failure is ignoring these kids because it's easier. So a kid like Major, whatever the why for his deficiencies, is moved along and ends up somewhere he never should have been. That doesn't alleviate his burden of effort or the importance of education instilled by his parents or lack there of.

 

[DallasSooner73]

A couple of you have taken my point and extrapolated it into something I did not say or imply. It's annoying, so let me make it clearer.

Certain children, for whatever reason, are the "can kicked down the road". The education systems failure is ignoring these kids because it's easier. So a kid like Major, whatever the why for his deficiencies, is moved along and ends up somewhere he never should have been. That doesn't alleviate his burden of effort or the importance of education instilled by his parents or lack there of.

And you're making assumptions about him specifically that you have no basis in fact. And as for the system generally, most places, the low end kids get a lot more attention, than the average kid.

There are certainly exceptions.

 

[bcsoonerfan]

And you're making assumptions about him specifically that you have no basis in fact. And as for the system generally, most places, the low end kids get a lot more attention, than the average kid.

There are certainly exceptions.

I'm not making any assumptions. There are numerous avenues that could have led to this point. My initial statement was that I can have some empathy.

 

[JConXtsy]

I'm not making any assumptions. There are numerous avenues that could have led to this point. My initial statement was that I can have some empathy.

You know you truly have a fundamental problem when you're getting empathy from BCSooner. 🤣

 

[OUnabomber]

And you're making assumptions about him specifically that you have no basis in fact. And as for the system generally, most places, the low end kids get a lot more attention, than the average kid.

There are certainly exceptions.

You are exactly right about this dallas. Most of the time the smarter kids in class are forced to slow down in order for everyone else to catch up. Its unfair to those that want to learn and succeed

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

You are exactly right about this dallas. Most of the time the smarter kids in class are forced to slow down in order for everyone else to catch up. Its unfair to those that want to learn and succeed

I blame this on the overpaid administrators/district board members.

 

[bcsoonerfan]

You know you truly have a fundamental problem when you're getting empathy from BCSooner. 🤣

It doesn't come along often.

 

[CTOkie]

Doesn't a high school athlete's academic ability factor in during recruiting ? Shouldn't academics be prioritized over size, speed and the number of stars a so-called recruiting "guru" puts out ?

 

[BoomerSooner86]

Oh I'm not saying the school system is all that great. Especially these days when it seems like half the teachers aren't even certified. We gave them a raise that would supposedly improve education and it hasn't (no surprise). However, society is flawed as well. You try and keep a student out of the football game because of grades and see what happens. You will have the parents, principal, and coach in your room asking you to give little Johnny a bunch of extra credit fluff to get his grade up so he can play. Our priorities are all screwed up

It's on the student to do the work even if the teacher is a great teacher they can't control if the student deos the work or not yes I know there's teachers that don't seem to care.

 

[OUnabomber]

Doesn't a high school athlete's academic ability factor in during recruiting ? Shouldn't academics be prioritized over size, speed and the number of stars a so-called recruiting "guru" puts out ?

Are you kidding? Academics isn't even prioritized in high school. These colleges have so many "tutors" that they probably figure they can get just about anyone to pass.

 

[CTOkie]

Are you kidding? Academics isn't even prioritized in high school. These colleges have so many "tutors" that they probably figure they can get just about anyone to pass.

It was a rhetorical question. I've been to classes at OU from 1968-70 and I know how athletes are regarded in the classroom.

 

[modestmoz33]

WP just curious if you are a cert. teacher? My wife and I have been for over 20 years. Our little school keeps hiring people from DHS, etc. that have never taught before and are certainly not certified. Whats the issue? Not enough teachers out there? Lowered standards? I don't get it. I can think of no other profession that goes out and deliberately tries to hire people that aren't even licensed in that profession.

As far as being pressured I can tell you that teachers are hired and fired based on whether or not they can find a football coach. Schools will hold out for a coach that can teach math rather than hire a good certified and experienced math teacher. They can talk all they want to about academics being first but when push comes to shove its football and everything else is secondary. Their reasoning is that a kid might get a scholarship and make something of himself if we can just get him out there on the field. They seem to be much less concerned about him actually being able to read and write. He goes to college and the cycle continues and we end up graduating people that are no prepared.

I heard a very interesting CLE by state senator Carrie Hicks, who is a teacher. One of the issues is that although Oklahoma finally raised teacher salaries, so did all of the surrounding states - so we’re still way behind. She also said there are 3800 teachers due for retirement this year, and less than 1000 scheduled to graduate from OK institutions (in educational fields)

 

[OUnabomber]

I heard a very interesting CLE by state senator Carrie Hicks, who is a teacher. One of the issues is that although Oklahoma finally raised teacher salaries, so did all of the surrounding states - so we’re still way behind. She also said there are 3800 teachers due for retirement this year, and less than 1000 scheduled to graduate from OK institutions (in educational fields)

Interesting...I'd have to investigate that a little more. I'm not positive about the starting salary, but I believe most teachers in my district make around $40k....many a lot more. Not too bad if you ask me. They will never realize that the main issue about why people aren't going into education is not the money. Its the other total nonsense that you have to deal with from students, teachers, administration, and the morons at the state dept. of education.

 

[coeSooner81]

most schools in North Texas having a starting pay 52K

 

[OUnabomber]

The average teacher salary in Oklahoma is 54k. Average salary of all other occupations? 47k.