Fidgety: What Do Teachers Make?

May 31, 2009

What Do Teachers Make?

An oldie but goody. It's worth repeating.

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One

man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued,

"What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in

life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what

they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.

"To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher,

Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?

"Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You

want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make

a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through

40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5

without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I

make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the

table.). "I make kids wonder. I make them question. . I make them

apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility

for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write.

Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make

them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not

the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn

everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique

cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students

feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their

heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God,

because we live in the United States of America. Finally, I make them

understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and

follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." (Bonnie paused one last

time and then continued.) "Then, when people try to judge me by what I

make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high

and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what

I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make Mr... CEO? His jaw dropped, he went silent.

No comments:

Origin of The Rubber Room...(From Rubberroommovie.com)

Exact specifics as to when, why and how The Rubber Room came into being are next to impossible to come by, although wild speculation abounds. The likelihood is that, rather than being consciously created by any one person or group, The Rubber Room slowly but surely developed over a period of years through a process of trial and error, whereby teachers deemed unfit to remain in the classroom where "reassigned" to the nearest empty and available administrative space.
The term "The Rubber Room" appears nowhere in the formal legislative code governing New York City schools. When a New York City educator is sent to The Rubber Room, that educator is not openly or specifically told that he or she will be going to a place called "The Rubber Room". Moreover, if you telephoned an official in the New York City school system and asked for directions to "The Rubber Room", you may very well likely receive a response, possibly masked in faux confusion, telling you that there is no such place called "The Rubber Room". Nevertheless, "the room" undoubtedly exists and, because it has no official name, those three provocative and inflammatory words, "The Rubber Room", make up the default epithet by which it has come to be known, even by high-ranking school officials, many of whom find the phrase distasteful.
The exact meaning behind the words "The Rubber Room" is a topic of hot debate, particularly for occupants of The Rubber Room itself, some arguing that it is a reference to a padded room where mentally ill patients are placed, others proposing it is a room where once normal people are slowly and steadily driven crazy, still others believing it to be simply a generic allusion to a prison cell. There are even some -- more than one might initially suspect -- who claim to have been present during the exact moment when the phrase was coined, or even to have coined it themselves. Aside from etymological differences, however, almost everyone agrees that "The Rubber Room" is a pejorative term used to describe a room where New York City teachers are sent, usually involuntarily, to sit idle day after day while still collecting their salaries, often for months and sometimes for years at a time.
Over the years, many have made efforts to eradicate The Rubber Room entirely. For example, in March 2002, then Chancellor Harold Levy vowed to close The Rubber Room after becoming frustrated with a particular case, and in January 2004 Randi Weingarten, UFT President, called for an unconditional end to all of New York's Rubber Rooms. Despite best efforts, however, "the room" remains. http://www.rubberroommovie.com/

Do not believe...

Do not believe because you read it in a book,
Do not believe because you saw it on television,
Do not believe because science says so,
Do not believe because a famous person says so,
Do not believe because a wise person says so,
Do not believe because a wise person believes it,
Do not believe because your best friend believes it,
Do not believe because everyone else believes it,
Do not believe because others have believed it for a thousand years,
Do not believe because you've heard it many times before,
Do not believe because you are told you must,
Do not believe because others expect you to,
Do not believe because it gets you accepted
Do not believe because it will make your parents happy,
Do not believe because it will get you noticed,
Do not believe because you want to believe,
Do not believe because you can't afford not to,
Do not believe because it helps you cope,
Do not believe because you'd go mad if you didn't,
Do not believe because you must believe something
Do not believe because there's nothing else to believe,
Do not believe because it feels good to believe,
Do not believe because it makes sense,
Do not believe because your eyes tell you it is so,
Do not believe because it is your own experience,
Do not believe because it feels true,
Do not believe because you know it is true,
Do not believe any of this, Believe only that you are,
And do not even believe that,
For that is beyond belief.

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