Irishman

My issues with the licensing changes are: 1. It was dirty politics, plain and simple, that got this passed. Most legislators had no idea this was inserted into the bill. It was buried fairly deep (page 17 of a 40 page bill). 2. There is no practical application to be gained from the change for a large majority of teachers. And for those that would benefit from....it is highly likely they have been doing these kinds of things for PD any way.

Younger people, like Ellenwood, may not get this. 🤣🤣🤣

That was an awesome moment in the show; TOTALLY set him up. I did not expect that little twist at the end of his life 🙂

I think it is still a ripple effect. Suicide rates are high too. Indiana is one of the highest ranking states for attempts and death by suicide. Columbine put things in hyper focus. People see an avenue to 1. Get the most attention possible. 2. Inflict a large amount of damage, injury, and/or death in a short span of time. Suicide follows the same pattern, seeing friends or family members do it, seeing the attention gained. The common denominator though, as far as the individuals go, is mental health, and/or medications.

I agree with Dany killing Tyrion, but I think Arya kills Dany. I agree that Sansa will be on the throne though, and Jon remains as King of the North. As far as that scene above, how cool would it have been for Dany to ride up to look Cersei in the eyes before charcoaling her.

You should see some of the things the union has actually kept from happening. The 15 hour externship had been one of them, but dirty politics at its worst pushed it through at the 11th hour; to the point that AFT, ISTA and even the DOE and Dr. McCormick were unaware. That said, I will say that teachers have been their own worst enemies in Indiana. Even after ALL of this in the last 10 years, there are still teachers who will say there are other issues that are more important, and vote for these people any way; which has led us to having a supermajority that cares little about the people of this State. Add to it that a number of districts have been gerrymandered so bad, it literally eliminated competition; further diminishing our voices.

I am thinking Denaerys sealed her fate here.

Kirk....saw the other day, Will Wheaton is now the age Patrick Stewart was when TNG started. 😳

My concern is that even trained professionals have failed in these instances. Coach K does bring up some questions that are not being addressed. The big one being liability. Insurance companies are already saying they will not cover accidents. We have heard of several accidents, or misfires across the country already. The one issue of liability that has not been addressed......what if an armed teacher does nothing in a given situation? Does that open the school up to more lawsuits? One additional concern I have, if a teacher is in a situation of exchanging fire before police arrive; all police know is there is an active shooter. If they see a gun in hand, they are firing. They are not taking time to ask questions. Just way too many questions in my opinion; and I think it changes the whole dynamic of the teacher-student relationship.

I agree 100%...and arming teachers is NOT a solution either.

I may have missed something, but I have not heard anyone claim they want to give them voting rights while in prison. But an honest question, if someone is a convicted felon and has served his/her time, is there a valid reason they should never be allowed to vote again? I know for certain they are allowed to work the polls on election day, so why should they not get to vote?

Agreed. When I taught in Indy Catholic schools, then Archbishop Buechlein was vehemently opposed to them as we were seeing what was happening with them in Milwaukee's Catholic schools. Quite the dramatic shift from those days.

All kidding aside, I admit I use it when talking with friends. However, I would never think about using it in a formal setting, like at work. It is amazing how much that word, along with many others, comes out so easily while we are in the hallways between classes. I cover communication skills in my classes and really try to stress to my students that there is a way to talk in a formal setting and a way to talk just among friends.

I used to think that privatizing the system was the ultimate goal. I am not so sure though. If the system were completely privatized, there would be a LOT less money going to those schools. The goal in my mind, is that tax dollars go more toward these "choice" schools than what goes to public schools. More investment means greater profit to their lobbyist friends.

Word from Dr. McCormick's office is that yes, you are good if you start now.

Back to this question... some "fun" stats to consider. From Forbes Magazine, looking at average pay increase over the time span of 2002-2017, Indiana ranked 50th out of 50 in the nation, with the average increase over that time of $6,900. From USAToday, the average teacher salary in Indiana is 38th. That poll includes US territories as well. So, what is the goal? there is no doubt in my mind that legislators put teachers more clearly in their cross hairs this session. There is now a requirement that two bargaining sessions have to be done in public, allowing for public comments. There was also a bill that started as saying that if a teachers' association was slapped with a unfair labor practice complaint, it would be fined $5,000. the original bill had no such penalty for district administrations being slapped with a fine for a ULP. The bill was later amended to include administrations; but here is the rub. If a district gets hit with a ULP, the money to cover the fine comes from the general fund, while the money to pay the penalty for an association comes out of the pockets of teachers. And now we have this 11th hour change to licensing. So the questions arise, what is the end game here? Are we trying to keep the great teachers we have? Are we trying to attract teachers from other states? Are we trying to make the profession attractive to young people so they consider it a career option? Politicians claim the teacher shortage is a national problem. While that may be true, the fact is a number of states are trying hard to fix it. Even Alaska, who ranks first in that Forbes poll, has seen an average increase of $27,000. Sadly, Indiana's politicians are interested in destroying the concept that teaching is a career path. They do not want teachers staying more than 5 years. The mindset is that the high turnover will weaken local associations. Buuuuut, membership in districts in this area has increased. I hope that happens in other areas as well.

So many teachers logged in from yesterday through today, it crashed the system. lol

GREAT questions.....what IS hilarious about this; both chambers had a chance to increase pay by 5% this session. Both refused. The common reason......They did not want to get too involved in local decisions.

Many, especially inner city ones, are now HEAVILY reliant on voucher money.

I think there is a conspiracy to limit my free speech....ducking technology

Vicious

I am certain at this point in life, I will always laugh. 😂🤷🏼‍♂️

The Wendy’s twitter is savage.

I was able to, no problem.