Trends to Omit Basic Skills for Teachers, Guest: Sue Smith, 30 year teacher

Summery / Comments:

Episode News:

1. New Jersey to Drop Basic Skills Test For Teachers
2. Grant High School Teacher (Portland, OR) threatens kids who don’t show up to support teachers on the picket line.⠀
3. Parents, Teachers and Lawmakers speak their piece on parental rights in committee meetings

Episode Topic:

In today's episode of Parents' Rights in Education, we're talking about the importance of parental involvement in education. We're also discussing a troubling trend of states lowering the basic skills requirements for teachers.

Our host, Suzanne, emphasizes that restoring local control to school boards is the key to fixing the problems facing public education. She believes that states should not be passing blanket parental rights laws, as these laws are often ineffective. Instead, we need to focus on holding our local representatives accountable for protecting our rights.

Suzanne also highlights the fact that many states are now removing basic reading, writing, and math skill requirements for student graduation and teachers. This is a dangerous trend that could have a negative impact on the quality of education that our children receive.

We need to stand up for our rights as parents and demand that our children receive the best possible education. We can do this by getting involved in our local school districts and supporting candidates who share our values.

Episode Guest:

Suzanne talks with Sue Smith, a retired school teacher about her experience in the classroom and about current happenings in the classroom.

Transcript

Hanna  0:01  
Welcome back to the parents rights and education podcast. We are a grassroots movement of millions of parents and allies standing together, speaking as one to protect children and ensure parents crucial role in their child's education is protected. We come alongside millions of parents and allies and equip them to stand up for their rights by free trainings, membership and community support. You can join this movement for free by visiting parents rights in education.com. And hey, if you love the work that we're doing, please leave us a five star review. Your review helps us get out our message and allows us to keep advocating for parents rights. Thanks so much for being here. Let's get into today's topic.

Suzanne Gallagher  0:38  
Well, it's great to be back everybody. I hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving. I know mine sure was we're still eating turkey probably will be for the next at least the rest of the week. Love that bird. Okay, let's get straight to the news. In New Jersey, New Jersey is going to draw up basic skills test for teachers. The New Jersey Education Association is pushing a bill that will eliminate a basic skills test for new teachers covering reading, writing in math. They claim that the test presents an unnecessary barrier to hire a new teachers. What? So they don't have to know how to read they won't be tested on their writing skills. They don't have to understand math. Now, if the teachers do not know the basics, how can they teach them to students are well, in that case, how can they teach it all? Okay, next story. Grant High School teacher this is in Portland, Oregon, famous Portland, Oregon, is on strike. Okay, and this one teacher in Grant High School is threatening kids who don't show up to support teachers on the picket line. What I teacher made a social media post directed at students saying if they do not show up on the picket line now to support teachers, she will not write them letters of recommendation in the future. You see how juvenile This is? Okay, third story. Parents, teachers and lawmakers speak their piece on parental rights in committee meetings. Now this is taking place in Wyoming. The Wyoming Legislature met in a joint Education meeting to discuss various topics. One being the Wyoming parental rights and education bill. The draft legislation passed 10 to four. Well, that's good news. Now the majority of public commentators who are in favor of the bill, however, some like Kirk Schmidt, a former school superintendent, believed an all encompassing state approach won't solve issues between children, the school and parents as effectively as guess what school boards can he say did, you cannot make a policy that's going to take care of all problems. You're not going to make a statute that's going to take care of all problems. So the bill is now headed to the legislative Service Office for legal review. Before being introduced to the Wyoming Senate.

Hanna  3:32  
Do you love the work we're doing here at parents rights and education and want to know how you can become more involved. Become a member for free today. By becoming a member you can connect with your local leadership, gain access to our free training, good advice, and stay up to date with the latest issues joined today for free by visiting parents rights in education.com/join. That parents rights in education.com/join.

Suzanne Gallagher  3:58  
I want to emphasize the importance of parents rights in K through 12. Education. Our organization's very name is the most important issue facing public education today. It is the issue of our time, and is at the heart of all things wrong with K through 12. Public education today. The question before us is how to fix it. And the answer is restore local control in school districts all across the country. I agree with Kirk Schmidt of Wyoming who believes an all encompassing state approach won't solve issues between children the school and parents as effectively as local school boards can win parents rights and education was conceived in 2011. I sat at the table with cohorts and encouraged them to name it. Parents Rights in Education. recent efforts to pass comprehensive legislation from Florida to California in an effort to fix the problem. Sounds great. But the responsibility to create real change rests with you and me at the local level, in our own school districts, even Florida with their new law is having problems reining in the progressive Stranglehold. The analogy I like to share is pretty good. Imagine if you noticed a teen speeding through your neighborhood at 50 miles an hour after checking the speed limit statute, you know, that's not right. And if something is not done, it may happen again. And someone could get hurt. Right? So the next time you see it, you get their license plate number and maybe even a photo or a video of the driver and report it to the local authorities who should do something about it. Later, oh, you find out that they don't care because the driver is somebody's relative or friend or or they just don't have time to deal with it. Oh, and eventually someone gets hit by this individuals recklessness, then what? Now sometimes authorities will get the message, but often, a lawsuit is in order. This is pretty much the same scenario, as you might find in a public school situation. If people are deliberately breaking the law, it's incumbent upon citizens to stand up for the victim. We have laws on the books protecting parental rights and education. Clarification of these principles are stated in two federal laws, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, or PPRA. And the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, f e. R P a FERPA we have to hold our representatives accountable, accountable to protect our rights. Those folks are local school board directors, and if they don't protect our rights, we have to replace them and support the good directors who will protect them. Have you noticed the latest trend in education, states are passing policies removing basic reading, writing and math skill requirements for student graduation. And now, teachers are not required to know how to read write or do math either. According to a Washington Post article by Mariah Z Bollin get up in September of 2022. She stated many states have loosened job criteria over the years to draw more people into the teaching profession. In 2019. Only 15 states required that candidates pass a basic skills test, which measures whether they have a grasp of math, reading and writing. According to a report from the National Council on teacher quality, many states allow people to work on short term licenses while they are still in teacher prep programs. As I just reported, this trend has continued. So it's not new. They're just doing more of it. My guest today is a veteran elementary school teacher, whose experience and knowledge of the public school status is insightful and shocking. Stay tuned. Hey,

Hanna  8:30  
parents, we know it's super overwhelming fighting the battle of advocating for your rights and your child's education. That's why we created the parents center. Within the parent center there is free training, membership opportunities, a place for you to get advice, share your story and find an affiliate near you. Visit our website, parents rights@education.com to see the parent center and utilize all the tools we have available for you. We are here to support you. Okay

Suzanne Gallagher  8:57  
guys, we've got a great guest today, Sue Smith. Sue is a retired elementary health and PE teacher. After almost 30 years in full time teaching. She also has experience on serving on an Oregon School Board in the town of Beaverton Beaverton school district. So welcome, Susan, thank you so much for being a guest on our program today.

Susan Smith  9:26  
It's a pleasure. Thank you.

Suzanne Gallagher  9:29  
Is there anything that you'd like our listeners to know about you other than your service, as a teacher and serving on the school board? What about personal life? Any anything in particular that you think is would be helpful?

Susan Smith  9:43  
Well, we recently moved to Arizona, but I'm saying I am still very much involved in what's going on, specifically in the Taggart Walton School District, supporting years that are still working there. I also have been really involved in the Freedom Foundation and That is educating teachers about the union. I was a member of the board of the teachers union, and Tiger, Tualatin. And I learned some things that made me change my mind and quit the union. So I've been to a couple of teacher conferences. I was at one this last September. And it, it was, I can't remember September and October. But regarding, yeah, 200 teachers were there. And so there was a plethora of information about what's going on in the United States with education, and it's quite similar. So it's not just happening in one pocket. It's happening everywhere,

Suzanne Gallagher  10:47  
everywhere. And so we want to remind our listeners also, that teachers, there are some excellent teachers just like Sue Smith, who have dedicated their lives, they love children, they love teaching. But things aren't going so well. These days, I want to share a few facts about the tiger, Tualatin school district and a recent survey that they did Susan and get your feedback. And then we want to hear more about some news that just came across your desk today. So here's an interesting survey result. When it pertains to workload teachers say that they're not able to get their work done. 64% of teachers feel as though they're being overloaded with work. This one teacher stated, I work at school nearly 10 to 12 hours a day. And I'm still behind, there are so many kids who would cry and yell and get easily frustrated. I have to call for help. It seems unreasonable to plan for so many things, and only one hour a day. And sometimes we have meetings so we don't even get time that day. It has taken a toll on my body and my mental state. Is that your experience?

Susan Smith  12:05  
I'm trying to answer without crying? Oh, yes, it has been my experience. I'm currently mentoring a teacher in the tiger Dalton school district who's having a real rough time as well. I would like to talk about the disruptive students. That is one of the biggest parts of the problem in teaching right now is that they've changed how they deal with disruptive students specifically, and I'll talk about Tiger Walton. They talk about inclusion. And what that looks like now is instead of having a separate classroom, for disruptive students, or students who are struggling, being educated, they are incorporated into the classroom. So what that looks like is for instance, I will give an example that happened to my one of my peers is there was an autistic child that stood in the classroom and flipped a pop bottle in front of her as she was trying to teach a math lesson. I taught physical education, as you said, and they taught in a gym, which echoes this start of a school year, I had a kindergarten student, and this was many years ago. So I'm I'm being confidential. Okay, she was autistic. And her mother insisted upon coming to the class with her. And the school allowed it. I started my kindergarten classes with going to the center gym circle after they did their little warm up. And I would talk to them I'd be in the center of the circle, and they'd be on the outskirts of the circle. And I tried to tuck in this little girl wouldn't stop screaming at the top of her lungs. I had a really difficult time with that. So after every class, I would go in my office between classes and I would cry. Hmm, it got to the point where the mother came one day when I stopped her outside my my gym. And I said I really need you to please take her out when she's disruptive. Well, that resulted in me being written up. And I was it I was written up it wasn't a formal write up but I was written up. She she went to the file the Civil Rights something or another or whatever. And I was supposed to allow the student to come into my classroom and scream. And the children were told by the way to ignore, ignore, ignore. And the administration expected me to ignore it too. And I couldn't Old.

Suzanne Gallagher  15:00  
That's crazy. That's crazy. Crazy. So on that note also that the survey included a section on behavior, and only 3% of teachers describe student behavior is very safe. I'll quote one who made a comment, I do not feel comfortable going into the hallways during passing time. Kids ignore adult corrections, flip them off or tell them to eff off. The kids are in control, not the adults.

Susan Smith  15:32  
That's true. And that sounds like middle school. But I will tell you that I went to happy hour with some friends when I flew back to Oregon, this hole. And they have kindergarteners telling the teachers to eff off.

Suzanne Gallagher  15:50  
Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I like Ah, yes, this is bad.

Susan Smith  15:56  
Yes, that's the kind of stuff that's going on. And for instance, I substituted last fall. And I had a disruptive student. And he was told he was supposed to sit right up at my desk, and I gave him a math test. And I gave the cardboard, you know, around the desk so that kids couldn't cheat, see each other's iPads. And he was being disruptive. So I said, That was enough. And I took his iPad and I said you need to go sit out in the hall and at the school I was substituting at they have no doors in to the classrooms. So he was I could see him, right. Okay, well, the kids were doing their tests, the principal marched down and she said to me, what is he doing in the home? And I told her that he was being disruptive. And she said, Well, I want him in the classroom as much as possible, rather than asking me or what she could do to help me and taking him. She said this in front of the children. And that's the kind of thing that happens.

Suzanne Gallagher  16:56  
Okay. Okay, so undermining staff, and embarrassing you in front of your own students. Okay. Lastly, I thought this was really telling one of the survey questions said teaching as a career only. Let me say this 70% of teachers would not recommend teaching as a career. This individual stated, although I enjoy teaching, I am approaching the end of my career, and I would not recommend it to a young person seeking it as a career, the policies, pressures, politicization, and change in student behavior makes it a challenging profession for someone new to the field. Would you recommend teaching? Absolutely not. Wow. Okay. Well tell us what's going on and tiger to Alton right now.

Susan Smith  17:41  
Well, let me get it for you. Was just posted today. Okay. group of parents who've gotten together after the hazelbrook incident. And his book incident is where a trans student attacked a girl. But it's deeper than that. Okay, so it's, it's deeper than that. It's been going on for years. So,

Suzanne Gallagher  18:06  
so hold on just a second. So when you say a trans student, this is a boy who is presenting as a girl Correct? Who attacked a female student?

Susan Smith  18:17  
Yes. Excuse me, I'm sorry. Tiger. Tualatin is trying to skew it. So it's all that one quote unquote hate incident and hate speech. So you know, they're bringing in separate they're talking about separate programs the parents are wanting changes in in behavior programs and they're still talking about the each program and the Each program has to do with basically saying you're sorry when you do something, but it's same game different name thing where as you know, they have packs behavior where you blow your harmonica and treat kids like dogs and they're supposed to behave and be quiet when you blow your harmonica, which was just ridiculous. I use Oh, my God tried to play songs on mine, but

Suzanne Gallagher  19:02  
oh, my gosh. So anyway,

Susan Smith  19:05  
let me read this to elementary school can no longer provide a safe teaching and learning space under the current conditions due to escalating student behaviors verbal abuse and physical violence. The other students safety, mental health and education are compromised every single day. Current district policies and practices are endangering both students and staff, outbursts, violence and dysregulated behaviors are only continued to worsen if we do not dramatically change what we are doing. We're not talking about normal misbehavior, as one might imagine, but rather about physical assaults and destructive behaviors. That would not be allowed any other any other public school districts in our area. teachers, administrators, counselors, secretaries, students, support specialists, nurses instructional class and when spared assistance as custodians and kitchen employees have left and are leaving at rates much higher than normal due to the unbearable stress at Durham Elementary, many of us end our day in tears. I can attest to that myself. Imagine how it is for students who unlike adults cannot choose to leave when it becomes too much for them to take zero consequence policies. And the belief in full inclusion cannot come with a disregard for all other students and stakeholders in the building. It's not safe, and the staff can no longer do the jobs under these conditions. And what is worse, students can certainly not learn and grow in this kind of environment.

Suzanne Gallagher  20:40  
Wow.

Susan Smith  20:42  
So I need to say that this is happening in every single school in the tiger to Walton district. But teachers wrote this letter and sent it to the superintendent today, and it was posted today.

Suzanne Gallagher  20:56  
Wow. What do you think? What do you think the administration and the school board? What do you think they're going to do about it?

Susan Smith  21:04  
It's hard to say I think we have a woke school board. And so it's going to be very interesting. The parents are going to have to get a very good law firm. And not only get rid of the superintendent, but also they're going to have to work on her staff as well, because she hired them.

Suzanne Gallagher  21:25  
Yes.

Susan Smith  21:26  
So what

Susan Smith  21:56  
 There's a packs behavior curriculum, which I mentioned to you earlier about the harmonica there I don't know if they're doing that with senior high kids but supposedly they were using some PACs behavior plan with they were moving it up to middle school kids. And if the children behave they get to pick a game out of quote unquote, Grammys wacky prize box, which offended me because I'm a Grammy.

Suzanne Gallagher  22:34  
Yeah, I don't like that. I do not like that. That's a

Susan Smith  22:37  
really stupid name. But weapon says, and you're just gonna die about this. These people come into your classroom, probably the DEI people, the dark department of equity and inclusion, and they count how many quote unquote spleens there are spleen spleen, so they're called spleens. And a spleen is when a student isn't doing what they're supposed to be doing. But they calm spleen because, you know, again, same game different name, they would feel bad if they called it misbehavior, or disruption or disobedience, maybe lack of following directions. And they count the streams. Also, there's part of the program is you write little positive notes to kids. And those are called Toodles.

Suzanne Gallagher  23:27  
Oh, all the teachers are taught how to write a turtle, that

Susan Smith  23:31  
the teachers on how to write a turtle and students write turtles to each other.

Suzanne Gallagher  23:35  
Oh, and they write toodles to so they encourage them to pass notes. Now, when I was in school, you were supposed to be spending your time passing notes to your fellow classmates.

Speaker 2  23:44  
I believe they do that in an orderly way. But yeah, I mean, I can talk for hours about what's going on in the school.

Suzanne Gallagher  23:51  
Okay, Susan. Well, we're gonna have you back. And why would you say that? diversity, equity, inclusion, and restorative justice and other programs like that are creating chaos in our public school today? from K through 12. Absolutely. Thanks for that. You're coming back. There's way more to talk about. I appreciate what you're doing. And kudos to Freedom Foundation for what what they're doing. We want our we want our followers to look them up. We could need to do more with Freedom Foundation. Get out of the Union now.

Susan Smith  24:31  
Absolutely. Thank you very much.

Hanna  24:34  
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. Keep up with everything we're doing. Check out our website, parents rights in education.com and sign up for our newsletter. You can also join our movement for free by visiting our website parents rights and education.com. To do your part in protecting parents rights. You can become a club 12 by 12 member by donating $12 a month. It takes all of us to make the change that we want to see. Thanks so much for listening to oxime

Transcribed by https://otter.ai