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How does performance based pay for teachers work?

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:02:38 +0000

Let’s say you have 2 teachers in the same high school: Teacher A teaches Gifted and Talented English, has 60 students a day and Teacher B teaches general English and has 150 students a day.

Now will teacher A get more pay if her students score better than teacher B’s students on state testing?

I think that it is based on the progress of students. But I personally don’t think this would be fair to the Gifted teacher. How much more are they going to be able to learn? A lower student has more to grow.

How to report a falsifying educational qualifications?

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:02:13 +0000

I want to report a case of a person working in my friend’s company with fraud educational qualifications. How to report this.? Is there a law using which we can complain against this fraud of educational credentials?

First, before you even step into this mess, what business is it of yours? Is it something that affects your life that you are willing to mess up someone else’s life? Also, how do you KNOW s/he falsified their educational qualifications? You don’t work for the company, so you didn’t see the resume or sit in on the interview.

With that said, you could just call the HR department and alert them to the possible fraudulent activity. They will either check on it or let it go. Since you don’t even work for them, I wouldn’t expect to get too much of a response.

I would either tell my friend to do their own dirty work or just let it go.

Why do teachers ignore it when kids call each other names or pick on others?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:56:49 +0000

For teachers, or anyone who knows, I see time and again kids in school picking on the ‘ugly’ or the ‘poor’ kid with no interference from teachers or staff, particular in 4th and 5th graders.
Is there some sort of teaching that says teachers are not to interfere when kids are interacting this way? These picked on kids come home, sometimes, in tears. What do you say?

My only insight is that the bystander kids have to be empowered to do something and say something. I think most of this goes on in places in school where adults are not around. A group of kids who show they will not tolerate bullying of one of their members is the best defense. It has been shown time and again that if just one person steps up, others will follow. We need to really work on this in the early grades so people do step up and start that chain reaction.

What educational purchases can I write off on my taxes?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:56:25 +0000

I am a college student in Louisiana, and I was wanting to know what educational expenses I can write off on my taxes. I bought a $1500 laptop this year, and I have proof that I am required to have it for my computer science major. Also, I have receipts from textbooks I have purchased this year that total up to about $500. Can I write these things off on my taxes?

You would not be able to get a tax benefit for any of those items.

Students receive tax benefits by claiming either the tuition deduction or one of the education credits. You are permitted to claim whichever gives you the most tax savings, although you cannot claim both. Both the deduction and the credit are computed using "qualified educational expenses."

Qualified educational expenses do not include books, computers, or other supplies. An exception is if those items must be purchased from the school as a condition of enrollment, but that is rare.

Goofy – Teachers Are People

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:57:25 +0000

A short film from 1952 about being a teacher.

Duration : 0:6:19

[youtube dMdTBep3W9c]

Blue Balls Educational Video Funny

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:57:11 +0000

Blue Balls, a Educational Video from the movie “Extreme Movie”. The only good scene the movie had in my opinion. Blue Bally tells you all you need to know (And screws your girlfriend lol).

Duration : 0:2:40

[youtube T7GbCrREOM4]

Taylor Mali on what teachers make

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:26:23 +0000

Taylor Mali, slam poet, gives his mind on what teachers make.

Duration : 0:3:8

[youtube RxsOVK4syxU]

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:26:10 +0000

http://www.ted.com Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes — including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

Duration : 0:20:3

[youtube iG9CE55wbtY]

Can teachers give students a ride in their car to a fundraiser?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:25:51 +0000

I’m just curious. I teach at a small school. I’m not planning on doing that, but I’m a teacher and I’ve seen the other teachers use the school van instead to transport a small number of students to field trips, fundraisers, etc. I don’t understand why you couldn’t just take them in your car?

Is it for liability? But if it’s liability, is it still liability if it’s in the school van when you’re driving?

Pardon me for not knowing; I’m a first-year teacher and I’m still trying to learn the ropes. Thanks for your time.

What the others said is 100% right.

It’s not really about liability, its about protection from potential scandals.

Although I am sure there is a liability issue as well. If you have an accident where you are driving them in a school van it is the schools insurance that is on the hook not you. You get into an accident in your car and a kid is hurt the and the kid’s parent’s lawyer comes looking for payment the school is going to say "hey you drove them in your car, that your problem." So there is that.

However the real reason is what everyone else said. You should never be alone with a student, period.

In the American Criminal Justice System you are innocent until prove guilty, right? Yes in all cases EXCEPT, EXCEPT, EXCEPT!!!!!! In cases of teachers having misconduct with students. This is no joke. If a student says a teacher did something to them, BAM!!! They are fired, pretty much on the spot.

And there are more than a few cases where a person was fired, and then later it was found out the student lied. In my city a janitor was fired for having sex with a student and he lost his job, his wife, his home and people treated him like common criminal and then weeks later it was found out the girl lied.

I mean students can lie no matter what you do, but the last thing you want is there to be a record that you make a habit of being a lone with students so if a student lies on you at least you can say "I am never a lone with students, so this could never happen." It is a teachers only defence.

What exactly is: educational assistance allowances, or other nontaxable sources of income spent for education?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:25:21 +0000

I am trying to determine what I am going to be able deduct for tuition on my taxes because I also had loans. What exactly is educational assistance allowances or other nontaxable sources of income spent for educational purposes? Are loans considered apart of these mentioned categories?

A simple way of answering your question is: to get a tax benefit, the educational expenses must be "qualified" asnd you must have paid them with your own "after tax" money.

For the Hope & Lifetime Learning Credits and the Tuition and Fees deduction, qualified expenses are Tuition and REQUIRED fees. Optional fees such as parking do not count.

Paying with your own after tax money means money that is taxable to you, past,present or future. Money out of your bank account was previously taxed. Loans will be repaid with after tax money, so they count as paid by you with your money.

Examples of tuition assistance that is not taxable income to you and thus cannot be counted as "money that tyou paid are" : Employer paid tuition reimbursement plans, scholarships and grants, 529 and Coverdell ESA plans.

In each case the very receipt of these IS the tax benefit.