Teacher Testimonials

 

Frontline Testimony on Classroom Needs:

How teachers would like to spend a portion of the school budget surplus! 

BACKGROUND

Class size

Official Caddo Parish class size policy is that no class should have more than 27 students. For classes with more than 27 students, the signature of the superintendent is required. As seen in these testimonies, many classes go over the policy limit.

 Copying

Copying instruction sheets is basic to every teacher’s curriculum. Yet there is no standard policy for copiers in Caddo Parish schools. Some schools allow access to the school copier. In others, teachers are charged per copy. In some schools, teachers have a monthly limit, and are charged when they go over that limit. In many schools, they are given a case or two of paper in August, and must provide their own paper when they run out.

 School and instructional supplies

Most teachers receive a credit of $50-per-year in a school supply catalogue. Is this realistic? As one teacher puts it: “Ha, ha.” Thus to function in their classrooms, Caddo teachers spend money out of their own pockets.

 

TESTIMONIES

 

Teachers are not allowed to use the copier. 

Teachers are not allowed to use the copier.  An aide has been assigned to make our copies, and we must turn in our request 3 days in advance. This is why Office Depot makes $ from me. 

Each year, we are given $50 to spend for our class for the following year.  The $ isn't given to us.  We just order the items from a catalog and then give it to the bookkeeper.  When the next school year starts, we are only given some of what we ordered.  

This is why I spend about $200 out of my own pocket each year for supplies and copies.  

 Of course, I give the children what they need.

The teachers’ copier is usually broken.  When it works, the copies have a large black streak across them.  I have been at other schools where you have to pay for copies.  That does not make sense.  What other profession is required to purchase their supplies to do their job?  Can you imagine a bank president being told he would have to pay for his plane ticket to go to other locations?  A soldier having to buy his gun?  Firemen purchasing their own truck and bunker gear?  Why are teachers expected to buy for their students and room? 

 I provide paper and pencils and folders for my kids in the beginning of the year. Later my kids will lose or tear up their folders, and they come in, saying, “My mom says you need to give me a new folder.” Of course, I give them what they need! Teachers will always pick up the slack, but it’s not right.

 I spend between $300-400 per year on things for my room.  This includes rewards, folders, pencils, paper, colors, xerox paper when my two boxes are used up.

No limit on class size after Hurricane Katrina.

I teach 6th grade.  We all have about 33 in a class.  We were told there was no limit on class size after Hurricane Katrina.  Having this many students in a classroom in middle school is extremely difficult, especially when about 1/8 of the students require individual attention due to 504 IAP's and Special Education IEP's. 

 It is very messy when you throw older repeaters in with true 4^th graders.

My highest class size is 24 students in the fourth grade.  Six are repeaters and should have been placed in a leap remediation class that never happened. Most are repeating because they have severe behavior problems. Our scores this year would probably be higher if I had more one-on-one time with the true fourth graders. The older kids have already had my material. It is very messy when you throw those students in with the true fourth graders who are new to the material. My students enjoy learning and love being in my classroom.  Anyone can stop by at any time and see lots of learning going on.  If they hear my voice raised, it is 99% of the time at one of the repeating students. Mixing 12 year olds with 9 year olds is not a smart idea at all!

I spend about $2000 out of pocket to make my own books for my students. This is a big expense for me! It is very effective, so I spend the money.  

Just another expendable teacher 

After Katrina I had 27 students in my classroom. I spent $625 this school year on classroom materials/supplies. As for copies at our school, we are allowed 40 copies per week. We have been told in the past that if our copies go over that, we will have to pay for them.

This will be my last year with Caddo Parish. I am finishing up my National Board certification and plan to move and teach elsewhere. I will miss the students – they are the sweetest in the world!  But I am typically given classes with immense behavior problems. So even with my great love for teaching, some things are not worth the pay. Major issues  are: SEVERE school-wide discipline problems that are simply ignored; teachers with little power to discipline; hands-off parenting; and an observable trend of delegating and passing the buck until the classroom teacher's burden is far too great.   

And I'm supposedly at a "GOOD" school. God help the other schools, I can't imagine! 

I am leaving Caddo like I came, full of hope and promise and excitement about making a difference in the lives of the children I have been called to teach. Sorry to say, these will not be Caddo children, or even Louisiana children.

Sincerely,

Just another expendable teacher!  

My husband takes many things to work to copy for me.      

My largest class size to date was 29 all day with three 504's coming in all afternoon. This is a total of 32 in one room.  If nothing changes, I'm looking at 27 - 29 third graders next year in a school where we are most likely going to be in stage 3 of remediation.

We get 100 copies a month if the copier is working.  However, I did not get any for the first year and a half because they never programmed my number into the copier!

So far this year I have spent at least $300 out of my own pocket.  $125 for a cartridge for my classroom laser printer. I would have spent more than $300 if the reading teacher hadn't taken pity on me and given me a lot of paper, pencils, and colored pencils. 

For several months last fall the office did not even have pencils and paper to give us.  My husband bought me a case of copy paper so I could print things at home, and he also takes MANY things to work and copies them there for me! 

33 to 34 students in the classroom

My classroom size average has been from 33 to 34 during the year.  The school rents a copier.  Each teacher who enrolls in the plan must  pay $.02 per copy which becomes quite expensive for some teachers each month. Due to the cost, I no longer use the copier.   

4^th grade evacuees on a kindergarten level

After Katrina I had 27 students in my classroom. Another fourth grade teacher got two evacuees who were on a kindergarten and first grade level and not identified as special education. I was told SEVERAL times not to initiate testing/special ed. proposal/planning for them. One was a moderate to severe discipline problem. I received no support for these students.  

We have run out of paper and even staples at our school.

I am a Kindergarten teacher.  At one time I was up to 23 students with no help from a classroom aide.  I spend approx. $300 per year on classroom materials.  We have at times run out of paper at our school, and even staples! We were told there was no money to order more.  We are allowed 100 copies per month on the school copier.  However, it was broken for 3 weeks in November and the only ditto machine was broken as well.  We had to use our own money to make copies for the children. 

Some of the best first graders. I wonder why!

I recently asked what the ratio was for a first grade classroom.  I was told 1:20. This is a manageable number.  Two years ago, our first grade classes had 27 apiece and there was never any relief. The class was severely cramped.  It is only 19x29 and I have to provide centers for rotation.   

Fortunately, this past year we had 18 students each.  We have produced some of the best first graders this year.  I wonder why!  There definitely is a correlation. 

But now I hear that we have a huge group of kindergarteners coming up, and four possible retainees.  Why is it not possible to say, "I'm sorry, we're full"?  Better yet, plan on another first-grade teacher and avoid the inevitable hassle of the overcrowding.   

Didn’t pay to copy but had to buy the paper.

Three of my six classes have 28 students. I usually spend around $400 out of pocket. Our  copier is ok.  I didn’t pay to copy this year, but I did have to buy a case of paper. 

Spent $2,327.93 on my classroom.

This year all of our first grade classes topped out at 22. Then with mainstreamed special ed children, we had 25-26 students for some parts of the day. I personally spent $2,327.93 on my classroom, according to my tax filings.   

Largest class was 36

I think the largest class I have ever had was 36.  It was very difficult to deal with each student on an individual level.  I feel that 20 is an ideal class size, but that doesn't happen very often. I probably spend 500+ dollars a year on supplies (mostly ink cartridges, pencils, and paper).  We are given two cases of copy paper a year (one per semester). After that, we have to buy our own. 

We are given 100 free copies per month.  Once those are gone, you no longer have access to the copy machine.  We do have a reisograph. Those copies and the copies we make on the "purple monster" are free. 

35 students and no teacher aide.

My largest class size last school year was 35 students (no aide). Three of five classes had over thirty students. I spend an average of $800-$1,000 on supplies for science. We can copy a maximum of 30 masters; other copies are unlimited if we use the copier in the copy room.  There is a charge for the copier in the main office, but I do not recall what that charge is (I believe it is 5 cents per copy.) 

Go figure!

I am allotted $50 to $70 -- I can buy a few packs of pencils with that.  So I spend anywhere from $200 to $1000 a year on student incentives (stickers, pencils, etc.), supplies (lined paper, occasionally clothes even), and classroom needs (kleenex tissues, hand soap, cleaning supplies, ink cartridges, etc.). At our school, each teacher is given an access code for the copy machine in the "teacher workroom/lounge."  Some teachers are given a limit of 100 copies while others are given a limit of 50 copies each month.  I am one of the teachers who is allotted 50 copies each month.  We are then allowed extra "bulk" copies to be made by the office assistant but if she doesn't make them within the time needed, it fall back onto the teacher to make the copies. So many of our teachers have contracts with Mailboxes etc., Kinkos, or other copy stores.  Additionally, if the monthly limit of copies "goes over," then not everyone gets their allotted amount of copies for that month, regardless of how many copies they may or may not have used.  For example, if the office assistant makes 10,000 copies (I'm guessing at the monthly limit here) but I have not made my 50 for the month, and I try to make 2 copies, then I will be blocked out of the system until the following month when the system is reset.  

Go figure!!! 

$50 for the year. Ha ha!

We were able to order $50 from M & S for everything we would need next year. Ha, ha! I claimed over $600 on my income taxes as expenses. We get 200 copies per 9 weeks, then we have to make and purchase our own. Again, what a laugh! 

In the 30’s

We have had full classes this year. My numbers have been in the 30's all school year, and I have just recently received 6 new students (primarily from out of state). 

I’d spend even more if I could.

My class sizes are 26, 26, and 27, which I think is rather high. In Lafayette parish, their average class size for this grade level is around 22. I have always spent around $200 a year on supplies. I would probably spend even more if my tight budget allowed it. It's just something we teachers have resigned ourselves to--spending money out of our own pocket. We are allowed around 600 copies a month free, but with 80 students, that's not much. 

My classroom had been used for storage…

As for money spent out of my pocket this year, I looked up my receipts. $ 728.00. I was even shocked myself!  I was given a classroom that had been used for storage so I had to prepare it and supply everything from scratch. 

By the way, our students need vocational training

I have 13 special needs children ranging in exceptionalities from autistic, moderate, SLD, HI, and ED. We receive copies at school. Most of my outside spending is done on supplemental materials, bulletin boards and treats as part of my behavior plans. Roughly I would say my average expenditures are in the neighborhood of $300 -$400 per year.  

I wish the school board understood the need for vocational training, beginning at the middle school level. Due to testing, the ages of our school populations have increased as well as the dropout rate. We must provide these students with some skills so that they can earn a respectable living. We always think of programs for our top performing students, but we need to create some viable life options for those students who may not make it to college.

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