The first letter to teachers read: All of this, and more, will
be shared with you in detail at the 2013-2014 Teacher Academy
this summer. You will have a choice of attending one of two weeks: the week of
July 29th, or the week of August 5th. For those who miss both
weeks, you will be expected to make-up the 5 days during the first semester of
school by participating in five Saturday sessions.
A few hours later after I am sure a few inquiries from
the union we got this: As a follow up
to the email below, please be advised that attendance at the Teacher Academy is
strongly encouraged, but not required. Participation, or lack thereof, will not
be factored into your evaluation. We strongly encourage you to attend one of
the sessions and look forward to seeing you there.
Another change was point’s teachers would get for attending.
The union initially said: No, you will
not get your daily rate because this is not mandatory. No points will be
offered.
But the latest e-mail
form the super said: You will
earn Master Plan points for participating in the Academy, and while
participation is not required, it is strongly encouraged.
If your head is now spinning yours isn’t the only one.
Welcome to Duval County
This is an example of the union being more concerned about their power and control than actually improving student achievement.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how the union gets blamed for something the district initiated, care to elaborate? I'm not sure if you understand what the union does and does not do.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...If Duval County summer training sessions are anything like those in St. Johns, the "Teacher Academy" will be a huge waste of time. Uninspiring PowerPoint presentations and hours listening to confused trainers apologizing for their lack of familiarity with the topic at hand. For once I'd like trainers to practice what they preach and present their lessons as "best practices."
ReplyDelete