Comments on: From death row to desk rows; a lawyer turns teacher to change lives and futures before it’s too late http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/ Your source to discuss and learn about education in Atlanta, Georgia and the nation Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:30:34 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: D smith http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-34440 D smith Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:53:14 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-34440 Hi i actually, go to martin luter king middle school, he is a awesome teacher he even on a case rite now with tony Anthony davis. hopefull he helps him. he's been i jail ever since he was 19 and is now 45. he is in jail b' cuz of a crime he didnt convect!! the reason i kno this is because mr. dunn told me and my class. ~ hes a greate teacher!!~ Hi i actually, go to martin luter king middle school, he is a awesome teacher he even on a case rite now with tony Anthony davis. hopefull he helps him. he’s been i jail ever since he was 19 and is now 45. he is in jail b’ cuz of a crime he didnt convect!! the reason i kno this is because mr. dunn told me and my class.
~ hes a greate teacher!!~

]]> By: catlady http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15881 catlady Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:52:27 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15881 Thank you Ms. Downey. I guess my vision is going, too. Did not see that it had been sprung this morning when I checked. Thank you for being an active participant in this blog. I look forward to seeing what catches your interest every day, even if I don't comment. Thank you Ms. Downey. I guess my vision is going, too. Did not see that it had been sprung this morning when I checked.

Thank you for being an active participant in this blog. I look forward to seeing what catches your interest every day, even if I don’t comment.

]]> By: Tonya http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15826 Tonya Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:33:37 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15826 My husband went from probation officer to special ed teacher for many of the same reasons; plus he has always had a gift with children. He is passionate about his work and the children he deals with. But as to why more men don't go into teaching, only one thing springs to mind: money. The pay discourages many men from pursuing the field...just the truth. My husband went from probation officer to special ed teacher for many of the same reasons; plus he has always had a gift with children. He is passionate about his work and the children he deals with. But as to why more men don’t go into teaching, only one thing springs to mind: money. The pay discourages many men from pursuing the field…just the truth.

]]> By: Sarah http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15813 Sarah Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:27:40 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15813 I am very proud for this man; however, could we have a topic that involves more people? I am very proud for this man; however, could we have a topic that involves more people?

]]> By: Maureen Downey http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15811 Maureen Downey Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:09:18 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15811 Catlady, This is the comment from you that I sprang last night. It appears in the blog on using student data to rate teachers, Maureen In an fair, objective world it would work. However, kids are not widgets. Not only are they not tuned to a fine variance, but many are actually OPPOSED to learning anything. And they don’t just mess up for themselves; they screw up the whole class. Complicate that with tests that are not vaild and reliable. (see CRCT) Notice that in second grade most of the CRCT is read to the student, but in third grade they are on their own. So comparing a fair cohort won’t work with that. Add to it some schools have 70% turnover from year to year. You gonna decide about a teacher based on 8 students (who may not have moved because they lack the resources to do so), I’d be all for pay for performance if I could get a class whose success depends mostly on my work, if they could be fairly/competently evaluated, and if the class situation could be completely controled by me: discipline and ways to meet the GPS, instead of having those decisions taken out of my hands and made by those who have been out of the classroom for decades. Catlady, This is the comment from you that I sprang last night. It appears in the blog on using student data to rate teachers, Maureen

In an fair, objective world it would work. However, kids are not widgets. Not only are they not tuned to a fine variance, but many are actually OPPOSED to learning anything. And they don’t just mess up for themselves; they screw up the whole class.

Complicate that with tests that are not vaild and reliable. (see CRCT)

Notice that in second grade most of the CRCT is read to the student, but in third grade they are on their own. So comparing a fair cohort won’t work with that.

Add to it some schools have 70% turnover from year to year. You gonna decide about a teacher based on 8 students (who may not have moved because they lack the resources to do so),

I’d be all for pay for performance if I could get a class whose success depends mostly on my work, if they could be fairly/competently evaluated, and if the class situation could be completely controled by me: discipline and ways to meet the GPS, instead of having those decisions taken out of my hands and made by those who have been out of the classroom for decades.

]]> By: Maureen Downey http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15810 Maureen Downey Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:07:31 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15810 Catlady, There are no comments by you in spam. I sprang one last night around 8, but there are no others. Maureen Catlady, There are no comments by you in spam. I sprang one last night around 8, but there are no others.
Maureen

]]> By: DeKalb Conservative http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15809 DeKalb Conservative Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:46:30 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15809 You don't see / hear stories like this too often. This was a great story to share. You don’t see / hear stories like this too often. This was a great story to share.

]]> By: catlady http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15803 catlady Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:53:15 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15803 Ms. Downey, my articulate, pity comment of last evening on teacher performance pay is still not appearing. Ms. Downey, my articulate, pity comment of last evening on teacher performance pay is still not appearing.

]]> By: catlady http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15800 catlady Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:48:53 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15800 In the book "How the Poor get to College", which looks for a common thread among the most unlikely to attend college who DID end up there, the thing that stands out is having SOMEONE, family member or teacher or social worker, who said to the student, "You can do this. You belong there." In at least one case, the person drove the student to the college and pushed him out the door. The common thread for both pieces is that each person needs an advocate. That used to be your parents, but far too many p arents have abdicated their role as "guidance counselor" for their children. So the schools/teachers struggle with being the advocate for 30-150 kids per year, and it can't be done. Sounds like a call to me for parents, male and female, to "man up." In the book “How the Poor get to College”, which looks for a common thread among the most unlikely to attend college who DID end up there, the thing that stands out is having SOMEONE, family member or teacher or social worker, who said to the student, “You can do this. You belong there.” In at least one case, the person drove the student to the college and pushed him out the door.

The common thread for both pieces is that each person needs an advocate. That used to be your parents, but far too many p arents have abdicated their role as “guidance counselor” for their children. So the schools/teachers struggle with being the advocate for 30-150 kids per year, and it can’t be done.

Sounds like a call to me for parents, male and female, to “man up.”

]]> By: Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/26/from-death-row-to-desk-rows-a-lawyer-turns-teacher-to-change-lives-and-futures-before-its-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15797 Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:03:29 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2522#comment-15797 Good for his students and Mr. Dunn! But where are more Mr. Dunns? More dads? More men? Good for his students and Mr. Dunn! But where are more Mr. Dunns? More dads? More men?

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