From the Harford County Education Association:
HCEA’s commitment to advocate for the education profession begins at an early age. This commitment is reflected in The HCEA Future Educator Scholarship.
The HCEA Future Educator Scholarship awards $1500.00 to a well deserving public high school senior pursing a degree in education. To be considered for the scholarship, students are required to submit an application, and current transcript. All applications must be received by April 7th. The HCEA Scholarship Committee will select three finalists based on their applications.
All finalists must participate in an interview on May 10th between 5 PM and 6 PM to be a candidate for final consideration. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered.
Any HCPS graduating senior who is pursuing an education career can apply here. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1J5nwVzS-MrLhy7p-GK5WhiM3Pddwg58TnG5K3EStlvg/viewform?edit_requested=true
Seriously…you should collect applications…then give scholarships to graduating seniors who swear not to ever become public school teachers.
No really…you are actually ENCOURAGING kids to enter this job? I say job, not profession, beacause in a profession, people are treated as having expertise, and are recognized as having authority in their field. Does this sound like teaching??? Do teachers get to choose anything about how, when or why they will do anything? Teachers are not given any bit more regards than your average waiter or waitress; they serve what they are told to serve how they are told to serve it and are evaluated on how close they come to reciting the corporate mantra. Teaching is NO place for anyone with an IQ above 100. Anyone who can think on their own or has even the slightest degree of creativity will find themselves completely at odds with a system that claims to encourage creativity, but subscribes to a system of evaluation that punishes anyone who dares to stray outside of the rigidity of the evaluation system currently in place (UNLESS they are administrators, in which case, the teacher evaluation system is a tool for them to use to advance their own agenda, with the full blessing of even higher administrators).
Please, parents…if you have any love for your children at all, PLEASE do not allow them to become a teacher! What was once a noble profession has been turned into a miserable job by endless layers of management whose expertise is micromanagement. Your children, should they become teachers, will be judged on how well they can adhere to a cookie cutter approach to teaching while being rated on a checklist of criteria that is so semantically nebulous that any administrator can change the meaning of any of the criteria on a whim, based on their own personal needs, aspirations, or vendettas. They will be endlessly told how valued and cherished they are when their time is needed, then told how worthless and greedy they are when it comes time for the step increase promised by the same people who were telling them how valuable they are. They will be told to think outside the box (i.e. “we can’t help you, you’re on your own”) so many times that they won’t even know what a box is. They’ll be endlessly told that they need to differentiate for the unique needs of the kids, while again, being judged on how well they can teach under a streamlined list of criteria. In a few years, after they have knocked themselves out to prove that they are worthy of being entrusted with the task of caring for and educating children, after they find out that the student loan payments, the rent, the car payments, don’t stop coming just because they care about kids, and just because the school system has deprived them of pay increases, they will be burned out- much to the satisfaction of the school board, who will never have to pay them on the masters scale or beyond the first 2 or 3 steps- they will decide they are too intelligent and ambitious to be stuck in a job where deceit and politics are the order of the day, and they are nothing but pawns who are being taken advantage because they have kind hearts for children. That, and they’ll see their college freinds who are now making double what they are, and realize that as admirable as it was, it was not what they thought teaching children are all about. Then they’ll end up going back to school to persue a real career, if they can’t immediately make the jump.
Parents, save your kids all the disappointment and frustration, and get them into another career choice from the get-go.
And even if they still decide the become teachers, PLEASE….NEVER, EVER, EVER let them take a job in Harforsd County Publuc Schools…where dreams go to die!
So sad but so true.
I agree.
If you are currently a teacher you need to leave the classroom immediately. Please do not wait until the end of the school year. After your comments, it is evident that you can not be effective in the classroom and you are the instrument of what you believe has become a failed system. Take you own advise, Get Out, Get Out now before you harm our children even further.
Perhaps YOU would be ineffective in a job simply because you have become disillusioned by the riff-raff involved, but that’s where professionalism comes in. My primary care doctor left the practice after 25 years; when I expressed how surprised I was, he shared with me how unhappy he had become with the profession, and that he had felt that way for many years. He was an outstanding physician in every sense, and one could never have guessed how he felt, because he never let it effect his work as a doctor. Professionalism.
Some of the best teachers I’ve had turned out to be some of the most frustrated with the BS. What made them so effective is that they made it a personal mission to protect their students from a system that sees them as lottle more than test subjects. Professionalism.
So again, maybe you don’t have the ethics or fortitude to bust your a%$ at a job where you’ve become disillusioned, but that’s not how everyone works. It’s definitely not how I work. And I have stacks and stacks of letters and notes of thanks from parents and kids to prove it.
You need to get out of the classroom now before you harm anymore of our children. It is evident that you are not happy and have become negative about your profession in addition to indicating that Harford County Schools are the worst. Folks like yourself can never be effective in the classroom as students see your negative mindset about the teaching profession.
GET OUT, your are harming our children!
Billy Boob,
I think in your case genetics would limit success in any learning environment.
Oh…and I don’t know a single teacher that wants their own kids to follow in their footsteps. I am only one of a multitude of teachers who have had their passion systematically beaten out of them.
Since you have no passion for teaching our children you must leave NOW. You no longer have the capability to teach our children. PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU don’t remain in the classroom and harm anymore of our children.
If you saw me at work, you would never guess that I am as disillusioned as I am. I’m always smiling, having fun helping the kids, making them laugh, and doing anything I can to help them succeed.
You can believe whatever you want. I’m harming the kids, I’m an ugly spinster who never married, I throw cafeteria pizza at children when they need help tying their shoes, that I am incapable of performing my duties ethically, responsibly, whatever. I am completely at ease with your discomfort, your begging and pleading with me to do something that would make you feel better.
But I still have a few years before I get full retirement, so it should discomfort you to know that I’ll be “harming children” for several more years.
Keep robbing those teachers of pay increases while creating ridiculous demands and using a horrendous evaluation system (don’t worry…I have that beat too. All my evals have been thumbs up)! There are plenty of disillusioned teachers in the system, and many, many more in the works!
“If you saw me at work, you would never guess that I am as disillusioned as I am. I’m always smiling, having fun helping the kids, making them laugh, and doing anything I can to help them succeed.”
So, now you are telling us that you fake it at work. You are really disillusioned, however, since you cover it up we would never know. Sounds to me like you are really a bomb that could explode at any minute. Keeping all that pent up anger inside while you put on a false front is very unhealthy. You previously used your primary care physician as an example of someone who realized they no longer were happy in their profession and quit after realizing their unhappiness and before it began to affect their patients. You should follow their lead and Get Out before you harm our children any further.
Wrong again! I never said I faked it at work. I said I don’t let my feelings about my employer and the direction they specifically, and public education in general show in my teaching. If you want to call it “faking it”….awesome! I am in complete favor of you thinking whatever is most disturbing to you! It won’t change a thing. So go for it! And thanks so much for your concern about my health, but I assure you, I am in wonderful health thanks to wonderful friends and family, healthy habits and outlets, and just generally being a happy person, even in the face of disillusion.
My doctor could afford to leave because of the money he made, and the job he was entering. As I said, I am too close to a full pension, and have other obligations that prohibit me from leaving just because I don’t like things. That’s what happens when you are a grown-up…you have to put up with some things for the sake of others.
I haven’t harmed any children, but I’m entertained by the thought of your discomfort with such a thought. So keep going with it! Your believing such things doesn’t automatically make them reality, but you’ll be the only one who suffers for such thoughts. Enjoy!
I am not a HCPS teacher. I am not one who believes that young people should avoid at all costs becoming a teacher, especially in Harford County. That person is you by your own admission. You are the one, as part of the system, who tells us that the system is a failure. Yet you want to assure us that even though the system is a complete mess and no young person should ever be allowed to become a teacher, you remain, above all of this, an effective teacher of our young children.
I submit that you are a fake. Either here or in the classroom. Hopefully our children are getting an education in spite of your claims of being totally disillusioned by, as you put it, the riff-raft that manages/leads the HCPS system.
Thank you for your submission. Once again, please keep subscribing to the most negative assumptions you can imagine, and please ponder them as you lie in bed each night.
What I actually think is amazing is that you are floored by the fact that there is a teacher or teachers who are disillusioned and frustrated, and consequently would not want to see their own kids or other kids enter the field. Really??? Did you really think using a loophole to withold step increases for all those years would have no effect on the morale of the teachers? Some of those people were denied in excess of 25 thousand dollars, while their counterparts in surrounding counties took theirs to the bank. You don’t think that has had any impact on their attitude towards their employer? There are teachers in the county with 40 plus kids in their classes; they are expected to do their best with all these kids…but is that the best that Harford County, the 48th wealthiest county in the country, can do? Teachers….you all do your best…while everything we give you is marginal. In fact, because we won’t fund this, won’t fund that, we expect you to work even harder to compensate for systemic inadequacies. And for that, you will be amongst the lowest paid teachers in the state. Then when you complain, we will call you greedy and not worthy of teaching because money is clearly more important to you than the kids. Then the school board will tell you that in order to give you a pay increase, they will have to cut programs and lay off other teachers.
And you actually believe that my disillusion is a solo act? You must be the single most naive person in Harford County, if you think that all that has been done to the teachers in the past ten years has not taken a toll on their morale. And sorry, but adults with responsibilities can’t just quit their jobs when they become disillusioned. So my advice would be, if you don’t want to have scores of teachers all feeling the way I have described, don’t tell them their work is priceless, then treat them like they are worthless.
Rest easy. Billy Bob! Professionalism is the rule of the day! If you can’t imagine teachers being able to carry out professional duties in spite of frustration, that’s probably because you can’t imagine yourself being able to do it. But teachers do it daily. So you probably shouldn’t be a teacher either.
Sweet dreams!
I have been a resident of Harford County since 1984, and during that time I have heard repeatedly a small number of teachers who are never satisfied with management, or their compensation.
Your comments regarding the state of education, not only here in Harford County, but education in general, I simply do not take seriously. Do I believe you are frustrated, mainly with what you believe to be inadequate compensation. But there is a big difference with being frustrated and posting to others that they should never let their children become teachers, especially in Harford County. You crossed the line of just expressing your frustrations and providing specifics by exclaiming to others that their children should NEVER become a teacher.
If you wanted to have a conversation about specifics within the HCPS as they apply to you individually you should have done so. Who knows, I may have even agreed with you on some of the issues. But, when you feel the need to tell me as a parent that my child should never become a teacher it translates to me that it is also time for you to leave the profession.
And yes, I do have sweet dreams, mostly about my children, who can become anything they want, including being a teacher and I will encourage them all along the way.
Billy Bob,
It is his/her right to free speech as is it yours. If you don’t like it, change the constitution or move to Russia.
Billy Bob- again, I’m so happy to hear how much what I think effects you. Please keep viewing everything I said in a way that most disturbs you.
And also…please, please, please, if you have any degree of concern for your children, DO NOT let your kids become teachers. You get taken advantage of and then when you express dissent, they claim your dissent is evidence of incompetence.
I would never teach or encourage my children to be taken advantage of. In fact, they are just the opposite. They speak out and actively pursue change with entities that can effect change, rather than post their delusions on an online forum.
@libertarian says
“It is his/her right to free speech as is it yours. If you don’t like it, change the constitution or move to Russia.”
Indeed. However, I am the one who is satisfied with our education system so there would be no reason for me to move to Russia. On the other hand, Happy in HCPS is the one who is unhappy with the system. Perhaps they should consider leaving since they are unhappy and fear being outed as incompetent if they overtly complain.
Billy Bob –
“rather than post their delusions on an online forum.” as you have also chosen to do which is protected speech. Post your opinions but respect the right of others who you may or may not agree with to do the same.
Happy has every right to post their delusions on an online forum. I have every right to comment on their posting.
translation: Billy Bob has learned that Billy Bob has the right to post his own delusional comments.
No, it’s ok! I have no problem at all with Billy Bob claiming that I’m delusional. Hillarious! Think about it…I’m making commentary based on my experiences as an HCPS teacher. He is not a teacher. Yet, somehow he is convinced that his ideations about the current state of teaching are more consistent with reality than mine, and goes so far as calling my commentary, based on actual experience. “delusional”!
It is possible that Billy Bob simply does not want to know that many teachers are demoralized, probably because he is projecting his own ethic on them: “Unless I am personally satisfied with my employer and current trends in my field, I am unable to to perform quality work”. He therefore fears that the children are actually being harmed because disillusioned teachers can not possibly be competent.
He also thinks he is going to convince me to quit, or at least feels that he is doing his civic duty by doing so. Now THAT is delusional.
Keep it up, Billy Bob! Enjoy all the cognitive dissonance that your negative thoughts can provide for you!
Good night, Billy Bob! Time for nighty-nite. Have to get up tomorrow and start planning lessons and gathering materials for the kiddos! It’s what disillusioned but professionally ethical, highly competent teachers do!
@Happy in HCPS
From you post today at 1101pm:
“If you saw me at work, you would never guess that I am as disillusioned as I am. I’m always smiling, having fun helping the kids, making them laugh, and doing anything I can to help them succeed.”
Well, of course we know how disillusioned you are, you have shared your disillusionment with us here on the Dagger.
Billy Bob…re-read your post, and see if you can figure out the logical flaw.
Oh, ok. I’ll just tell you.
Even though I posted comments about how disillusioned I am, you don’t actually KNOW who I am. Because my demeanor at work is in sharp contrast to that, and because you don’t know who I am, you would not be able to identify me as the poster of these comments, even if you were able to see me at work. In other words, you would not be able to watch me at work, and based on that observation, identity me as the author of these posts.
I hope that helps you. I’m a teacher. I like helping people.
Yes, you are a teacher, albeit by your own admission, a disillusioned teacher.
You are correct, we don’t actually KNOW who you are as you have chosen to make your allegations of disillusionment while not revealing who you actually are. Not a very standup action by one who claims a high degree of professionalism as you have done.
Yes, absolutely. Not using my real name here makes me less professional. You got it.
@Billy Bob, Happy may be disillusioned but he obviously isn’t stupid enough to use his real name here. The reasons are obvious.
Nor brave enough to reveal themselves to management and actually pursue change to a system that they feel is so totally screwed up they are willing to beg parents to discourage their children from ever becoming a teacher.
Disillusionment is, more than anything else, the result of finding out what happens when you are brave enough to reveal yourself to management and actually pursue change to a system that you feel is so totally screwed up. That’s when you realize that teachers are not “partners in education” with admin, any more than the lower enlisted in the military are “partners in national defense” with the commissioned officers. There is labor, and there is management, and management does not view labor as a source for enacting positive change, nor do they take kindly to suggestions for improvement from the labor force. The role of labor is to do what they are told; the more they can adhere to that, the better their evaluations.
You must be an incredibly naive person. Keep on explaining how you, who has never once, not even for a day, worked in the county school system as a teacher, know so much more about how this business operates than someone with almost 3 decades of experience in this system.
It has nothing to do with bravery. As I said, he isn’t stupid.
Almost three decades in a screwed up system and you have stayed around for all of it.
So you agree how vital and important teaching is, based on your above comments. Good. Now you can help when the teacher-bashers throw in their 1 cent. Thank you.
No, it has gotten progressively worse over the past 7 years or so, so I haven’t spent my whole career in this frame of mind. And why I chose to stay in it was based more on what responsibilities I had to others, not simply on what I would prefer. We’ve been through this already.
Why you care about what I do or did is very flattering. But again, you are extremely naive if you think I’m the only teacher, or only one of a few, who feels this way. My leaving, now, later, or way back when would do nothing to change what the system has become.
What has happened in the last seven years aside from teachers not receiving COLAs or annual step increases that has the system so screwed up and you so disillusioned?
Private sector companies would have trouble surviving with such a high level of employee dissatisfaction. Harford County Government should pressure a change in management.
Who posting in these comments are HCPS teachers and, how many times a week do you smoke marijuana?
Not and none, but I do enjoy a good bourbon.
Whew! After reading this losers book report of their apparent 3 decades of being a misreable employee of Harford County Public Schools, (I assume that’s what your acronym of “Happy in HCPS stands for) it certainly sounds like you have wasted your entire working life being misreable. Better you than me, and I’m certainly glad I’m not you.
Enjoy whatever it is you get for a pension and health care.
No, it has gotten progressively worse over the past 7 years or so, so I haven’t spent my whole career in this frame of mind. And while I may be disillusioned with my employer, I am extremely happy in other areas of my life.
Thank-you for your concern.
You should do what my teacher friend does. He calls it “Another day, another toilet.”
He is so angry and whines all the time he told me he returns his poor treatment back by taking a shit in a toilet in the employee lounge, then wiping his ass and flushing in another stall. Giving the impression someone walking around who didn’t wipe. Pretty hilarious.