Well, this is good news!
Ohio Governor John Kasich’s proposal that teachers should be required to “job shadow” a business to learn about “the real world” has been shot down (thanks to Ohio Algebra Teacher for sharing!).
Democrats’ counterproposal that Kasich be required to spend 40 hours annually job shadowing people who work in public schools. That won’t pass either, but it was a nice response.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Governor Kasich, to be kind, is sort of a phony, a “blowhard!” (having met him three times during the NH primary). A “moderate” — how, in which way? Certainly, not on education.
How many people in the business world have had to report child abuse to protective services, buy groceries, and wash clothes for their “customers”, help pay for funeral costs, talk to parole officers, or take away a knife from someone? I’ve done all of the above. Plus I’ve had to help my students take cover when there was a shooting in my school’s parking lot. There is no more artificial construct than the business world–except the world of politicians.
thank god – what else do we need to do to prove ourselves worthy ?
Shadow a business in the “real world”. Really?!?!?!?
Anyone that thinks teaching isn’t real, is a total idiot, an ignorant idiot, a biased blowhard. I’m restraining myself so I don’t say what I’m thinking as I write this comment.
I’ve been a U.S. Marine, fought in Vietnam, and worked in the private sector for 15 of the 45 years I worked to earn money and nothing was as challenging and demanding as working as a classroom teacher.
In fact, if I lost my CalSTRS retirement and had to go back to work, I’d rather return to the Marines and fight in Afghanistan, Iran, Syria or even Korea. I do not want to ever return to the classroom as a K-12 teacher – not in the U.S.
“. . . worked in the private sector for 15 of the 45 years I worked to earn money and nothing was as challenging and demanding as working as a classroom teacher.”
Exactly! Those who so cavalierly comment negatively on the teaching profession have absolutely no effin clue. Like yourself, Lloyd, I worked in the business sector for many years until I was 39. Teaching was by far the most demanding (and also most rewarding) job I’ve ever had.
Many though do realize teaching is much more than just “babysitting” and many have commented over the years “I don’t know how you do it, I couldn’t stand being a teacher.” It takes a certain type of person to be an effective teacher and there is no “one way” to get the job done.
Until this country learns to utilize the untapped resource that is the vast experience and knowledge of the seasoned and practiced teachers we will continue on a path of insane educational malpractice.
Shot down? What a shame. Someone must have given Gov. Kasich the heads up that if he allowed teachers to experience the working conditions of those in the “real world’ Ohio would have a tremendous teacher shortage on their hands.
Like Chris Christie, Kasich’s clear condescension in how he “sees” and describes teachers is a glaring signal for both the current and coming crisis.
Politicians need to give up trying to fix us. We are just fine. Kasich is no mental giant. He should slither away.
Really? Because it seemed like such a genius-level idea!
Kasich should get some advice from a businessperson. His budget projections for the state were way off:
“Lawmakers needed to cut some money to state programs largely because the state collected fewer income taxes than expected, as the state’s economy experiences slow growth. Ohio has collected 3.7 percent less in income taxes than it projected for the past nine months.”
Kasich promised that if he cut taxes revenue would go UP because the economy would boom and they would collect more, even at the lower rates.
It’s the same thing Trump is promising right now.
Public schools will take another hit due to Kasich’s poor budgeting.
If former Congressman Kucinich runs for office, all Ohioans should support him. In a public forum on Monday, he said, “Charter schools are a multibillion dollar boondoggle that forces Ohioans to subsidize private school education with money that is supposed to go to public schools. If you want to send your kids to a private school pay for it.”
I think all Ohio teachers should shadow Gov Kasich as he takes time from his busy schedule to enjoy his free benefit of working out at the Ohio State Patrol Academy’s fitness center and taking time off for travel to promote his new book. Will the State of Ohio receive profits from the sale of his book? He authored it while employed by the State.
I agree with Lea S. As a former teacher, I have shared many of her experiences which also include working for one month in two consecutive years for no paycheck as the district ran out of money to meet payroll-yes, this was a rural public school district in
Ohio . Every employee in that district continued to show up daily to provide high quality education for the students. I have also worked with local police when a parent “forgot” to pick up their 6-year-old after school on a Friday night. I have counseled 6-year-old students during numerous times of trauma: the sudden death of a classmate, the murder of a father in front of his family, the suicide of a parent, and the death of a parent who was shot while burglarizing a home. The list goes on.
If I may reiterate what I posted above with an addition:
“Until this country learns to utilize the untapped resource that is the vast experience and knowledge of the seasoned and practiced teachers LIKE DIANE we will continue on a path of insane educational malpractice.”
New rule: you must job shadow a teacher for a full day before you spout off about your reform idea.
Full MONTH!
xx,
mgh
I have lived in Ohio long enough to know that I will NEVER be a Kasich fan – not even a little bit. His ideas have always been very short-sighted – at least for as long as I have been paying attention to Ohio govt.
But then, I don’t think that ANY politician has a clue about what education is about unless they started their careers as teachers — and I think it is a demonstration of outrageous ego that they believe they know better what is needed in the classroom than trained education professionals, experienced “in the trenches!!!”
IMHO, if they want to legislate something, mandating a paid TA in every single classroom would do more than ANY of their corporate capitalist myopia.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
OMG, I think about inviting legislators to my class every day and letting them be in charge. I think their opinion on real world jobs would change right away! PS- I worked at ‘a real job’ for many years..teaching preschoolers is much harder (but more fun!)
Do it, Jenifer!