Education talk

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Thu May 10, 2018 10:31 pm

Nineteen NC school districts are now closed for May 16 teacher rally in Raleigh. Teachers are using personal days (at a cost of $50 each of filled by a sub) to participate. My district has over 1000 teachers confirmed off. The board met tonight to decide if schools would close, but decided not to decide and will have superintendent do it.

Freddy Rumsen
Posts: 35313
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:50 am
Location: "Order is the only possibility of rest." -- Wendell Berry

Education talk

Postby Freddy Rumsen » Thu May 10, 2018 10:40 pm

They said something on the Charlotte tv at 5pm today that there were several school districts closing because not enough substitutes could be found.

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Thu May 10, 2018 11:39 pm

Yeah, Charlotte schools called off last Friday.

count2infinity
Posts: 35611
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 2:06 pm
Location: All things must pass. With six you get eggroll. No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney.
Contact:

Education talk

Postby count2infinity » Fri May 11, 2018 8:04 pm

So after a year plus from my thesis defense, I'll finally have all the paperwork submitted to get my degree. It's been a long freaking road, but there's finally light at the end of the tunnel.

In short: my advisor is a real piece of work.

Full story: About 4 years into my Ph.D. he called a meeting with me and one of my collaborators (a professor in the physics department) to pretty much tell me that he had too much on his plate with the number of students that he had, so I was pretty much on my own to finish my degree and my collaborator would assist in helping me finish it. Well, my advisor is a prick, and my collaborator is an awesome dude, so no skin off my nose. I'll work with him instead. My advisor informs me the spring before I defended that I need to defend that summer as he doesn't have funding for me to go past the summer... in fact, my collaborator funded my summer work. Okay, fine. I get everything put together, write my thesis, set up the defense date, defend, and pass.

I thought that was the end of it. lol, nope. My advisor decided to take a stand on my paperwork. He decided he was not signing off on my dissertation until I published two more papers. I didn't particularly care, as I had those papers written for months to that point. So I sent them to him for review: crickets. A week or two later I send a follow up asking if he had a chance to read them: crickets. Keep in mind that at this two weeks later point, I was already working at my new company. The deadline passes for me to get my degree conferred that semester (fall of 2016), so I follow up again to potentially graduate in the spring: crickets. This summer I see my collaborator at the store and we talk for a bit. He said to send him another e-mail and CC him on it so he can see the communication on the papers: still crickets to both me and my collaborator's attempts to communicate with him.

By the 1 year mark from my defense with zero communication from him, I pretty much thought that the whole thing was dead. Ph.D. not happening, I'd have to tell my boss (who wouldn't fire me over it, he's happy with the work that I'm doing). I'd have to tell my family, my friends, etc. All these people had no idea this was going on, as far as they were aware I had my Ph.D. As a last ditch effort, I sent the program manager (she's more or less the head administrator for the department) an e-mail asking for advice on what to do. My advisor has all the power in this relationship. He has no obligation to sign anything he doesn't want to sign or do any work he doesn't want to do when it comes to me and my degree.

She sent me an e-mail yesterday saying she's obtained his signature on all my paperwork. All I had to do was sign it and get it back to her. I said that I'd have to get my committee's signature on the sheet as well, she said not to worry about it and she'd take care of it. My god, this woman is my absolute f*cking hero. So May 2018, 22 months after I've passed my defense, I'll finally have my degree. And my advisor can walk backwards through a field of dicks.
Diploma got delivered today. It's officially official rather than just official. Again... advisor... suck it.

Freddy Rumsen
Posts: 35313
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:50 am
Location: "Order is the only possibility of rest." -- Wendell Berry

Education talk

Postby Freddy Rumsen » Fri May 11, 2018 10:16 pm

Nice

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 2:00 pm

One NC Representative's response to protests tomorrow is to say that teachers are "union thugs."
State Rep. Mark Brody, a Republican from Union County near Charlotte, posted a letter on his Facebook page Friday criticizing teachers who plan to march on May 16 instead of teach.

"Why is it that they cannot figure out that in about 3 weeks the school year will be over and the legislature will still be in session?" Brody posted. "Let's call this what it is, Teacher Union thugs want to control the education process!" he posted. "I am speaking up because I don't want Union County schools, and for that matter all NC school systems, to turn into Chicago. Let the Union thugs get their way now and we are half way there."
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politi ... 78129.html

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 2:01 pm

He's not wrong. #steamingtake

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 2:09 pm

What part is he correct about?

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 2:15 pm

Nuking the school year with three weeks left when the legislative period is open in the summer is tactical. Personally I'm for it, I'm vacationing there in July and if they're still in school then awesome, beaches will be less crowded.

I have a super low tolerance for people that go into any profession that sucks and then complain that it sucks, though. Like building a house next to a race track and complaining about the noise; you either knew what you were getting into or should have known.

I'm a product of NC public schools (in part).

NTP66
Posts: 60740
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Education talk

Postby NTP66 » Tue May 15, 2018 2:18 pm

"It's another example of the disrespect educators are getting from some legislators in the General Assembly," Jewell said, adding "It's the state's responsibility to fund public schools. We're $2,600 below the national average in per pupil funding."
That's not insignificant. Source: http://www.governing.com/gov-data/educa ... -data.html

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 2:19 pm

I thought I was in the political thread, sorry. Wouldn't have been so flippant otherwise. My mistake.

NTP66
Posts: 60740
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Education talk

Postby NTP66 » Tue May 15, 2018 2:20 pm

Product of the NC public school system and can't even read. SAD!

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 2:20 pm

Bingo.

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 2:30 pm

"Nuking the school year"? What are you talking about? It's a one day protest. Making a protest when schools are out of session for teachers would not be a protest at all and would accomplish nothing. The year won't be extended, so sorry, beaches will still be crowded for you.

Your second point.... I just don't understand this. I got into something that I like doing for the most part. Teacher pay was decent, not great when I started. It improved. I moved here, and the pay, which was lower than PA, was frozen. So while I never expected to have pay that was high, I also didn't expect it to be this low. To use your analogy, it's like building a house next to a race track and knowing full well it's noisy, but then an airport gets built on the other side of your house. But I guess I should just leave and find something different to do because I should have known better. Why not try to improve upon what I enjoy doing? Why not try to make it better?

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 2:37 pm

I thought it was obvious I didn't put a lot of thought into it...

DigitalGypsy66
Posts: 19674
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:33 pm
Location: Iodine State

Education talk

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Tue May 15, 2018 2:50 pm

At least the teachers have unions in NC... :cry:

Well, as for teacher salaries, the market will correct itself. Already here in SC, rural and some urban districts are struggling to get enough teachers. One rural district has 39% percent foreign born teachers here on work visas, because not enough teachers want to work in their district. SC colleges aren't graduating enough education majors to make up the attrition rates from year to year (retirements, leaving the profession, etc.) Salaries will have to go up to maintain test score levels etc. They may have to -- gasp -- raise taxes!

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 3:00 pm

NC doesn't have a union. Party of the problem with Brody's comments.

DigitalGypsy66
Posts: 19674
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:33 pm
Location: Iodine State

Education talk

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Tue May 15, 2018 3:31 pm

Oh wow, I thought they had a weak union. I guess he meant Union County? Or he just lies.

NTP66
Posts: 60740
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Education talk

Postby NTP66 » Tue May 15, 2018 4:22 pm

Look at his FB page. That will tell you all that you need to know about his competence.

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 5:46 pm

No, don’t think he meant Union County. He does not like unions and seems to feel that teachers in a non union state are acting too much like a union for his tastes. His original post was also filled with grammatical errors, which was kinda funny.

shafnutz05
Posts: 50377
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 7:27 pm
Location: A moron or a fascist...but not both.

Education talk

Postby shafnutz05 » Tue May 15, 2018 6:10 pm

I thought it was obvious I didn't put a lot of thought into it...
Hey now....weren't you the one that said I was the worst poster because I made outlandish/controversial statements, and then when I was called on them, I backtracked and threw my hands up? :P

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 7:01 pm

My post had the hashtag #steamingtake...

;)

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 9:59 pm

It’s not an uncommon take.

dodint
Posts: 59154
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Location: Cheer up, bіtch!
Contact:

Education talk

Postby dodint » Tue May 15, 2018 10:02 pm

Regardless, thinking I was in the PDT I painted this nuanced situation with a broad policy brush in a cleary tongue in cheek fashion, then apologized. Not sure what more you want.

MWB
Posts: 8173
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:04 pm

Education talk

Postby MWB » Tue May 15, 2018 10:36 pm

Just because I reply to your post doesn’t mean I want something from you. You said it was tongue in cheek (sorry, didn’t realize that); I’m just saying it’s a common sentiment.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Morkle, MrKennethTKangaroo and 111 guests