RM> Most teachers in elementary school have virtually zero time
 RM> available during the school day to do anything beyond what
 RM> they already do; this despite having to handle "only" a
 RM> group of 20+ students...  Add to that the time required to
 RM> plan and correct AFTER hours, and there really is little
 RM> opportunity for this type of personal contact on an ongoing
 RM> basis...
 RM> At the secondary level; ie, middle and high schools, a
 RM> teacher has SOME time during the day, but this is often tied
 RM> up with students also (extra help, makeups, etc)..  They,
 RM> too, must do a lot of the work after hours, and they usually
 RM> have in excess of 120 students to handle each day.  The
 RM> logistics of what you suggest, while seeming reasonable to
 RM> you, are really NOT reasonable when one considers the reality
 RM> of the situation..
LP>You forgot to add faculty, leadership, team, department & student
LP>activity planning meetings, substituting for other teachers because we
LP>have so few subs, preparation of designer curriculum for students on 504
LP>or special ed Individual Education Plans, updating the current
LP>curriculum, completing an inventory & ordering supplies, duty coverage
LP>in halls or on the field or in the courtyard, documentary paperwork such
LP>as the failure notices (mid-term progress reports) & ineligibility
LP>notices, as well as the staffings (many of which I cannot attend, as
LP>they are held while I teach, however I am still expected to provide a
LP>report) & counseling referrals & administration surveys, in-services &
LP>bureaucratic red tape.
Too true....
 RM> The best we can usually do is to keep on top of a couple of
 RM> kids over a short period of time, and let ALL parents know
 RM> periodically how things are going with warning notices, five
 RM> week notices, report cards, etc..
LP>It's triage, Ron, pure & simple.  I run from one bleeding casualty to
LP>the next.
Thankfully I don't have it quite so bad as you!   ;-)
I'm waiting, however, for a very heavy shoe to drop... Seems
the state has noticed that there aren't too many minorities
in our honors programs, and that minorities are 
disproportionately represented in special education.  Want 
to bet that our honors programs will shortly "sleep with
the fishes"?  I imagine we'll also see a dumping of some of
those SE kids into mainstream classrooms.  I have no doubt
this will really benefit our educational program.... %-{
I'm 49 and will have to teach to 62... I don't mind the 13
years so much, but if I have to watch the systematic
dismantling of excellence in favor of "fairness" over those
years, it's going to be a very long stretch of time indeed!
As it is, the gradual eroding of standards aggravates the
Hell out of me, but at least we're pushing the capable
students a LITTLE!  If the honors and AP go, our brightest
will coast through school with good grades, but end up
knowing substantially less in the process.  By hook or by
crook, these bureaucrats are determined that everyone will
graduate, and graduate knowing the same amount of material;
that this will be less than some are capable of learning
doesn't seem to faze anyone..... Really depressing....
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 * MR/2 2.26 * It's OS/2, Jim, but not OS/2 as we know it.
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