The Life of a Teacher in Ohio

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/14/teacher-ive-loved-my-very-difficult-job-but-now-ohio-has-made-it-impossible/

I hate "woe as me" teacher comments, complaining about being over worked and underpaid. We signed up for this. I also hate teacher bashing articles, complaining about unions and summers off, talking about their one bad experience they had with one teacher 3 decades ago.

I piss off students all the time. I have a student this year who hates me with every fiber of her being, and I guarantee in 20 years she will remember me and still hate me. I'm also, as her mother said at conferences, "the first teacher who called her bluff and held her accountable." So again no shit, she's going to remember me as "that bitch" for the rest of her life, and if it improves her work ethic, I'm ok with that.

I've also been told by multiple parents and students this year that I'm the nicest and most supportive teacher they've had. I'm ok with that too.

Here's the thing; everyone has an opinion about teachers, because everyone in their life has interacted with a teacher. They are aware of good teachers and bad teachers, because everyone has had both. The problem is, no one says that about other professions, at least to those extremes. Every person in the United States has an opinion on how to fix public education, especially politicians in the state of Ohio.

Disclaimer: I believe teachers should be evaluated. I also believe our pay schedule should not be based solely on education and experience. I also am a proud union member, who does not always agree with the NEA party line.

That being said, I have been ranked "Accomplished" by the state two years in a row, based on observations by administration and student test scores. My students have surpassed their same aged peers on state mandated reading math assessments each year because of me. Administrators have also noted my classroom organization and efficiency some of the best they have ever seen. That ranking doesn't seem to matter though.  Here is how I spent my week.

Monday

6:00 am- 7:40 am: Filling out my OTES (Ohio Teacher Evaluation System Pre Conference/Post Evaluation Reflection document)

7:40-3:00: Teaching all subjects to all students, including gifted and special ed in the same class

3:00-4:05: Staff meeting evaluating our grading system

Another 2 hours, after my 45 minute drive home completing grades

Tuesday

6:00 am-7:40: Completing my Reading SLO  (Student Learning Objectives), a document to show how I am evaluating all students in the 6th grade in Reading

7:40-3:00: Teaching all subjects to all students. including gifted and special ed in the same class

3:00-4:30 Completing my Math SLO (Student Learning Objectives), a document to show how I am evaluating all students in 6th grade in Math

4:30-6:00 pm: Reading up on the Resident Educator Program, year three and filling out 20+ pages of paper work about my classes to submit to the state

6:00-8:30 pm: Getting my materials ready for next week to record myself teaching to then submit to the state.

Wednesday:

6:00 am-7:40 Setting up a required survey though a privately funded agency where my 11 year-old students get to rank me in multiple areas on a scale from 1-5 (1 being the worst, 5 being the best)

7:40-8:55: In my post conference OTES (Ohio Teacher Evaluation System) with the building principal, this meeting I am ranked accomplished (the highest ranking possible) in 7/8 areas including differentiation, classroom environment and assessment. I am then informed that I am not a "fully accomplished teacher" due to my professionalism because I do not verbally participate in our state mandated Teacher Based Team meetings.

8:55-3:00: Teaching all subjects to all students, including gifted and special ed in the same class

3:00-3:15: Met with a parent who accused 6th grade teachers of not addressing stealing because her daughters Cross Country sweatshirt had been missing for 15 minutes

3:15-4:20: Mandatory Teacher Based Team meeting that was supposed to be about the new state test we were giving (the 3rd version in 3 years created by a 3rd different company). The agenda was changed because the state has pushed back the deadline for sample questions for the test we will be giving in March for the 3rd time. We then talked about Google Forms for an hour because the state requires us to be there, even though the same politicians can't meet their own deadlines.

Thursday:

6:00 am-7:40: Created sub plans, completing progress reports for Special Education students

7:40:-8:50- Met with Math teacher to pull test scores students to determine who has grown during the first 9 weeks in reading and math

8:50-3:00 You know, taught students

3:00-4:00 Met with rest of 6th grade team to determine who will be honored at end of 9 weeks assembly based on test scores, attendance and home work completion; all data we had to track down on our own

4:00-4:30- Completed Sub plans and materials

Friday

8:00-3:30: Training by the state on how to write compliant Individualized Education Programs. It was the same training I took two years ago when I started my first Intervention Specialist job. At the end I was supposed to fill out on a form what I learned from the meeting. I stared at the form for 5 minutes, trying to come up with something new I learned, then I got up and left.

In short, while I don't fully agree with the drama of this article and the description of "teachers running between places". I hate how many hoops I have to jump through, trying to prove to the state in 8 different ways how I am competent at my job.