This blog is an opportunity for Georgia teachers (and teachers in other states as well) to speak out about their concerns, outrages, frustrations, and so forth. We firmly believe that you cannot have good learning conditions until you first have good teaching conditions. So many administrators cannot see this or do not want to see this. They are myopic, mean-spirited, and incompetent. Instead of leading by inspiration, they try to lead by intimidation. The top-down, heavy-handed management has been shown to be a failure not only in business and industry, but also in the schooling process. This is a little secret that I learned years ago as an administrator: If you respect and esteem the teachers and allow them to exercise their professional knowledge, judgment, and wisdom, then they will go the extra mile for the students, the parents, and the admininistrators every time. It is a matter of respect.
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Recent Posts
- Meet with MACE Leaders. Just Call the MACE Office (770.716.2727).
- MACE Explains Effective Education!
- Teacher Blame Syndrome (TBS)
- MACE Knows the Issues!
- When We Had Discipline!
- You Cannot Ape MACE!
- What has MACE Done for Me Lately?
- Two Pertinent Articles are Reprinted… The MACE Thesis & Why You Came to MACE!
- Hey Calhoun County School System, the Eyes of MACE are upon You!
- Hey Superintendent Richard Autry, What in the Hell is Going on Out in Rockdale County?
Georgia Teachers Speak Out! 
I always tell parents: “There is no such thing as a bad student, just bad teachers.” – Concerned AP
Ned, I know you say this in jest! I know you! Some kids, in their current state, are indeed “bad.” Occasionally, a bad teacher will come along, but there are many, many bad administrators out there! Ha!
can anyone recommend a good lawyer to take on aps?
I am trying to find out if it is legal for a principal to make teachers spend their planning periods doing office work, please help, no one will give me an answer
Rosie, I recommend that you call the MACE Office at 770.716.2727.
Been reading you at Maureen’s blog. For some reason, I thought you were Black, (not that it matters one way or the other). Also the way you write I thought you were a lawyer. As I read the letters after your name here, I see I was at least right on that one, (again, not that it matters). Keep up the good work.
Fred, I looked in the mirror this morning, and I was still white! Ha! It’s difficult for me to get a good tan. Freckles? Yes. But, a lot of Scottish, English, and Irish blood! Now my sons and daughter have great skin complexion. I am jealous!
DDear Union Activist:
I am a researcher and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State University. Those of us in education all know the long and hard hours teachers work. However, there is no empirical data that I have been able to locate on this issue. I have a survey up and running, approved by Kent State University, which takes about 10 minutes and asks prek-12 full time classroom teachers about this very issue. Although early response has been good, the only way that a survey like this will be powerful is if the total number of respondents in very large. The larger, the better.
If you are a full time PreK-12 teacher, would you please consider taking my survey, and passing it along to other teachers as well? Thanks so much. Ihttps://kent.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsSurveyEngine/?Q_SS=8euAdqRBKqcGbQ0_7OjwAHmWx5Bskzq&_=1
Thank you in advance for considering your help. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at wkasten@kent.edu
am pasting the URL below. Simply copy and paste it into your browser.
Would you consider helping me by sending this survey to your members? Having empirical data of this sort should be good data to help advocate for teacher work and working conditions.
Here is the URL for the survey. I am hoping for a snowball effect if respondents will then send it on to others:
Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://kent.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsSurveyEngine/?Q_SS=8euAdqRBKqcGbQ0_7OjwAHmWx5Bskzq&_=1
Thank you in advance for considering your help. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at wkasten@kent.edu or 330-676-0613.
ear Teachers:
Bibb County Schools is asking for some intelligent assistance to save our schools. A petition is in the works requesting an external audit to investigate excessive spending abuses in the school system and other discrepancies. Over two dozen links are listed that detail these diversions from the education of our students. Please explore this fiasco and help our community. http://www.change.org/petitions/save-our-schools-by-performing-external-audit-and-investigation-over-spending-abuses-and-any-other-discrepancies
As a current high school English teacher, I am very concerned about TKES. I have excellent scores and work hard each day to do the best that I can. I am told that I “have nothing to worry about.” Even so, I simply feel that the assessment system is unfair. How can test results of one EOCT-course teacher who is not allowed to see a GA Milestones test be compared with another teacher who created her own SLO? How will a teacher supervising a student-teacher be impacted? After 16 years, I am considering exiting a profession that I love. I want to help my students learn, but the stress that I feel is tremendous. I want my students to be successful, but success cannot be measured on one exam.
Just wanted to say this is such an inspiring blog for those of us that work in education. I wish we could give specific examples of incidences where we have been treated like mud by the top dogs. I think if the community really knew what went on behind closed doors, most people would be shocked – I would never treat children the way I have been treated. I will say I would never believe it until it happened to me. But….we need our jobs and are too scared to say anything so as always the little man gets pushed in the corner. Thank you for at least giving some of us a little hope and a voice.
Dear “Thanks,” You are very welcome! It is amazing how teachers are treated…by other adults (administrators). It is sickening too. Just unconscionable behavior! Our mantra at MACE from the very beginning (20 years ago) has been this: “You cannot have good learning conditions until you first have good teaching conditions.” The EDAs (Educational Dumb Asses) just don’t get it! Hang in there and feel free to send in information, and we will keep it confidential. Our sources so often want confidentiality, and we don’t blame them! Even the membership at MACE is confidential.