pln 13

PLN 13

This week it was decided that all the teachers in a Rhode Island school district would be fired at the end of the school year. This decision was made after the school failed to improve on poor testing results over a two year period. The school is located in a very low income area of Rhode Island and many of the students are Hispanic with English as a second language. The decision to fire the teachers is difficult to understand. Due to the very challenging circumstances, the teachers are in a no win situation. The teachers were asked to work longer hours, eat lunch with students and provide tutoring after school with no additional pay. The job of school teacher is one of the most demanding jobs in America. The support and patience of parents and school board officials is critical to making teachers jobs successful. In addition to the unfair expectations placed on the Rhode Island teachers, this decision makes the career of a teacher seem very undesirable for today’s students.