Posts by Bryan Wells11

jadetinker85 said:Is he actually surprised? If he were working in a school, he wouldn't be so worked up about it.
I’m a little too old to be acting this shocked. 🤔

What an actor. What a breath of fresh air for the future of the American education system. Quite the visionary and philanthropist, isn't he?

mistydrifter73 said:There's a meeting this Thursday in Washington, D.C. for all those elementary school principals involved in the pilot program.

I wonder if Radovanov’s proteges have come up with some catchy little chant for the project, similar to how Divjakičin’s crew used to act with the Los Angeles Lakers.

hiddenseal14 said:Actually, I am not a supporter of this full-day school model at all, but it is patently obvious that this shift is coming and that we are facing a total overhaul of the elementary school concept.

I can only speak for my own school, given that NYU allows for a certain amount of autonomy regarding how they organize classes and breaks. Up until now, our seventh and eighth graders have followed a schedule of three 7-hour days and two 6-hour days. Electives were built right into the schedule, and everyone attended. At NYU, however, they’ll be looking at four 7-hour days and one 6-hour day. On top of that, there's lunch and an extra A2 period. Previously, kids were finished by 2:00 PM; now, they won't be out until 3:15 or even 3:30 once you factor in lunch. And make no mistake, this part is mandatory.

How many students or classrooms does your school have?

Drew Gonzalez75 said:I know all about subject-specific teaching, and the only people heading into those schools are the ones who couldn't find anything better to do.

Oh, really? What an incredible insight you've provided there. I guess I'm curious, though—what exactly is bothering you about these poor souls who "couldn't find anything better"? (Haha, as if sitting in an office is some kind of hardship). You seem a bit contradictory to me. Look, we chose this struggle ourselves, so there's no need to be jealous.🙂

Jason Morgan said:No one in the education sector is going to jump through hoops for a measly few extra dollars until the entire support system for everyone involved is actually overhauled. Frankly, we won't see any movement until institutions like the Department of Education and the SSA finally start doing their jobs properly.

Exactly. This just goes to show how completely detached the Department is from reality and what’s actually happening on the ground. The idea that people will just swallow increasing levels of stress in exchange for a measly thousand or two more on a salary that’s already among the lowest for those with a Master's degree—it’s just not realistic.

And no, things aren't getting better. These days, when doctors, nurses, and judges demand (and likely receive) better working conditions, they get attention. But for education? Right at the start of these stretched-out, delayed negotiations, they were told there was no justification for asking for more money because—get this—"the cost of living hasn't risen." Etogac.

Drew Gonzalez75 said:Alright, genius, why don't you explain exactly what’s wrong with my statement? Are you suggesting teachers need rest because, what, they work with kids? What about the rest of us working long hours—is our job somehow less exhausting than teaching children?
Maybe they’re just looking to pad their years of service toward a pension. If that's the case, what were they even doing in the classroom if they found the kids so impossible to deal with?☕ I suppose I should have seen it coming. Teachers College is actually an incredibly demanding school—it’s right up there with MIT when it comes to being a target for jokes. It’s a classic cycle: you spend all your time complaining about the workload at college, only to carry that exact same attitude into your career. You moan about the stress, then complain that the job isn't fulfilling enough. It never seems to be enough.

If they want to go work somewhere else, let them. Honestly, I’m just worried about how much bread they’d burn through with all that "hard work" they claim to be doing—unless, of course, you count the rare exceptions. As for full-day schooling, it’ll happen eventually. People can cry and complain all they want, but it won't change anything. Even Bloomberg's mother couldn't talk his way out of certain realities, so why should these people be any different?

Good grief, you guys are going to have an aneurysm. Calm down; maybe one day you'll actually love your jobs.
And it isn't just "teachers" working in schools—have you heard of subject-specific instruction or high schools? Most of those roles are filled by professors coming from the Philosophy Department, or STEM programs, etc. Do people really act like getting a degree in Physics is easy? Well... I wouldn't say it is, unless you happen to have some different information.
Everything got lumped together in one post, and now you're imagining some connection between parents and educators that doesn't exist. Wierd. No, chin up—maybe you're just blinded by a bit of temporary jealousy.

driftingranger2 said:So, Fuchs just knocked it all out...The mandatory part of the CN should be wrapped up in about an hour.

The old man is just talking nonsense; he clearly doesn't care.

mistydrifter73 said:Found this in a Facebook group. These were some choice words from Josip Burušić (the special advisor to the Secretary of Education regarding all-day schooling) at a meeting for CDŠ in San Francisco:

"...there’s been way too much laziness."
"If you enjoyed yourselves, then fine, you enjoyed yourselves..."
"Things have been easy for you long enough; it's about time you actually started doing something."
"I honestly don't know why you guys even get a paycheck. If it were up to me, I wouldn't give you a dime."
"Teachers have gotten used to coasting, and now that they actually need to work, suddenly it's an issue."
"The only people showing up to the public forums are the ones who aren't working. I personally checked their teaching hours to see for myself."

Nothing beats feeling like your hard work is actually recognized. 🎉 😍

Absolutely disgraceful. Based on such low-level remarks alone, this "highly esteemed" special advisor to the Department should be forced to resign. Watch this guy—he was actually checking who participated in the public forum, apparently? Is he trying to import some old-school habits from his hometown into America? Or is this just the standard operating procedure for the Republican Party?

wanderingbadger44 said:Thank you so much for posting this. Truly, from the bottom of my heart.

I am completely fed up with people talking about "three months of summer vacation" or comparing us to retail cashiers whenever we mention our salary.

I remember the first lecture by the late Professor Anić back at the liberal arts college. He told us all that he congratulated us for choosing such a noble profession, but noted that it has always been underpaid and that no teacher has ever become wealthy through teaching.

I remember thinking to myself then—even if the pay is just average (or even below average for someone with a Master's degree), the job itself is decent because the hours are flexible and it can be done remotely. I won't be stuck in an office for eight hours a day tethered to people I don't necessarily have to like, nor will I be stuck commuting during rush hour every single day...

Over time, every single one of those perks has vanished. All that's left is the peanuts for pay and an ever-increasing, crushing workload of administrative duties.

And now, while other professionals enjoy remote work and flexible schedules, I’m expected to sit in a classroom for eight hours straight amidst the constant noise and chaos of teenagers, all for that same meager paycheck?

And yes, I am a professor. My diploma says I earned that title, even though my own parents address me with "Ma'am." They can't even bring themselves to say "Ms. Perzić," and I suppose their convictions prevent them from calling me Professor.

I studied back when a college degree actually meant something.
Nowadays, even that isn't clearly stated on many diplomas; instead, young colleagues are labeled as "Masters of Education," which is basically just a fancy Latin way of saying "teacher."

The benefits, the flexibility, and the social prestige have all crumbled.
The pay has remained stagnant for decades—barely hitting the average.
The responsibilities and obligations are growing, and soon, even the hours will increase.

My heartfelt support goes out to all my colleagues fighting to maintain full-day instruction. 👍 As for me, I won't let them trap me; I'll look out for myself.

Tell me about it, sister. I enrolled in English studies just before the curriculum overhaul; you had to pull top grades and crush the entrance exams, but once I arrived at the university in Chicago, I knew I belonged there (ah, youth). And the program was no walk in the park. When I finally got that diploma stating I was a professor, I felt like I had truly achieved something. Then you get into an Elementary School and the first thing they hand you is a contract for an "English Teacher" (what a shock). Even if the kids call me "Professor" instead of "Teacher," I'll take it—not for my ego, but to preserve the dignity of the profession, or whatever is left of it.

I still have many years of work ahead of me, and if the full-day school mandate passes, I'll be hit by it. But worse yet, it will hit my children—my oldest is already past 7th grade, and the little one is starting from scratch. I just can't accept that.

hiddenseal14 said:1. And who exactly is claiming that absolutely nothing in the Congress proposal is any good? We had 1,000 people participate in the public consultation out of 60,000 total in the education sector. Out of 3,000 comments, 80% just say the Congress plan is "bland" or "I won't do it"—what kind of actual argument is that? It's completely worthless.

2. Then there’s the claim that they want to work only 4 hours a day because otherwise they won't have time for a private life. That is also a pathetic excuse. If you want that much free time, you might as well not work at all so you can have time for everything.

3. Or the idea that kids will be stuck in school all day. Kids are already in school until 2 or 3 PM without even getting lunch, so that argument is equally nonsense.

4. "Parents will complain about this and that..." Please. Most parents actually benefit from this setup, so that's just another useless complaint.

5. "Teachers will quit en masse." Oh, really? I see. Maybe if you're living in New York City you can afford to be picky about your job, but in the rest of the country, you can't—and education is still an area where people pull rank just to get their foot in the door.

6. There will be plenty of unqualified teachers because there are plenty right now. Honestly, in the Los Angeles area, everyone is highly qualified except for the physics teachers. Even in the most remote areas. Believe me, I worked there for years.

By the way, I am a linguist myself. Greetings, 🙂

Times have changed, and we need to accept that. We aren't going to work 20 hours a week in schools anymore. We aren't going to be paid the exact same amount, whether someone teaches 16 hours or 22 hours. Those who work more should earn more. Period. That's just how it works. What we ought to be doing is pointing out specific organizational details that need changing rather than just screaming "I won't do it!" like a bunch of whiners.

Besides, this is just a pilot program for 50 schools; it isn't the final version of the Congress plan that will be rolled out to every school nationwide in four years.

On these online public comment portals, you have to register with your full legal name and Social Security number. I’m convinced most people are too terrified for their own livelihoods to speak up. They're scared someone will snitch to the Department of Labor because they dared to voice a negative opinion about their bosses.

Who on earth is only working four hours a day? I’m pulling four to six hours daily just dealing with classes, exams, and essays that I have to take home and spend an entire week grading, calculating scores, and figuring out percentages. Then there's the endless data entry into the school portal—logging specific learning outcomes for my 130 students, writing up meeting minutes, drafting reports, and managing spreadsheets both in the system and elsewhere. Between my role as a teacher and a homeroom advisor, I’m also prepping for parent-teacher conferences, keeping parents updated, answering emails and calls, and juggling various school projects. I don't know. If you really only work four hours a day, then good for you—or maybe you just value yourself so little that you actually enjoy making things harder for yourself? Is that some kind of masochism?

What kind of kids are we talking about here—kids in second or third grade? Maybe some older students if they absolutely have to show up for an elective computer science class after they've already headed home and eaten. The little ones in after-school care get a proper lunch every single day.

As a parent, this just doesn't sit right with me. I want to be there for my kids. If people are in a position where they absolutely cannot be with their own families, then fine—let them have the option for all-day coverage. But I don't want that for myself.

We'll see about that.

It’s going to happen; it's inevitable. We’re seeing new generations come through where job-hopping to find better opportunities is considered perfectly normal. I support that movement. Honestly, I’ve always been that way myself, even long before it became the modern standard. 🙂

Hey there, fellow linguist. Sorry, I need to take a moment to break this down. 🙂)

Carl Bishop2 said:You brought students with special needs into this conversation, even though my primary point was about how computers can benefit students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and immigrant children (to help them better learn the language and integrate more smoothly into society). So, I hadn't mentioned kids with learning disabilities until now.
And then Africa decided to call me out over things she just imagined—forgive me for responding to posts where I'm being questioned or singled out.

But seriously, we can get back to the computers now.
I don't have a firm opinion on how much teaching staff is needed in the A2 section because I just don't know enough about the specifics.
What do you think? How many specialists or teachers should be in a classroom of 25 students—where, say, four of them require accommodations, like in a 5th-grade A2 setting?

As for me, I just want world peace and to save the whales and dolphins. I do this work because it's my calling, not just a job; my paycheck is a child's warm smile, and I feed myself and my family by soaking up the sunshine.

Anthony Harris2 said:Either they’ll get called into the counselor's office, there will be some big "heart-to-heart" with the kid and the parents, maybe run a little workshop during homeroom—and then what? The teacher keeps preaching about non-violence, but the whole thing just hits a dead end because there are zero actual consequences. A few talks aren't going to change a bully, especially when most of those issues stem from deep-rooted problems at home anyway. During homeroom, all we can really do is talk and hope someone is actually listening. I don't know how it works in other districts, but in my school, parents usually start breathing down our necks when kids transition from elementary to middle school. They seem to think homeroom teachers are somehow omniscient—like we’re supposed to know every single whispered word or playground spat happening in every other classroom. Honestly, regarding that fight between the two classes mentioned earlier—as a teacher, I'm often at the mercy of whether the kids actually trust me enough to come forward. And once again, we’re back to square one: talking and hoping it actually makes a difference.

Yeah, parents expect the homeroom teacher to be just as plugged-in as the previous teacher who spent almost the entire day with them, every single day, and only had one class to worry about. Meanwhile, I have an average of 130 students. They are all equally "mine," and I have to give everyone equal attention and instruction.
Also, parents expect the teacher to handle things that are strictly parental responsibilities (not all parents, obviously, but generally speaking, whenever someone loses it—like on a Friday afternoon after an exhausting work week—they find it very easy to vent via email to the teacher about everything under the sun). And they ruin my weekend. I've told myself so many times not to check emails over the weekend, but it happens... A screenshot of a kid's WhatsApp conversation lands in my inbox. Things you don't want to see or even know about. Things that are completely outside your professional scope or expertise. Dealing with insults, profanity, and vulgarity among 11 or 12-year-old girls. What did we do about it?? What did the school do?? Kids are fighting on smartphones their dear parents bought them, using internet provided by those same parents, and wandering around local parks at odd hours (did the parents even approve that?). None of this happened at school or during English class, but what was our response?? It gets especially volatile when the conflict between the offended parents is bigger than the conflict between the children; then the accusations start flying, and the new trend is threatening to call Child Protective Services and whatnot.
What I find most interesting is that in eight years of being a homeroom teacher, I haven't received a single email or call complaining about my teaching or my specific subject. Instead, I always, exclusively, lose my mind because the homeroom teacher becomes the garbage bin for complaints regarding: other teachers/subjects, everyone's behavior, peer relationships, and just general grievances people feel the need to direct somewhere.
By far the hardest and worst part of the job.

I I almost forgot to mention—the judges are asking for a salary bump of up to $1,400. Give me a break. The administration is immediately countering with $300 (which is about what they offered those public school teachers who were barely scraping by $100 over several installments, right?). Let’s take a moment to compare the efficiency of the American judicial system against international standards just to see where we actually stand and if these people even deserve such raises. I’m talking about the group of judges whose case files sit gathering dust in drawers for ten years, or the ones handing out slap-on-the-wrist sentences to rapists and pedophiles.
Don't get me wrong, everyone should fight for their own interests, and I'll always support that, but why is it that we're constantly being asked if we've "earned" our keep?
Back during the strike in 2019, when we were demanding coefficient increases, the AP kept droning on about how they needed to form some sort of commission to review, coordinate, and debate those magical coefficients, but nothing ever actually happened. Then, just recently—right as inflation started spiking—I caught a news clip on TV about how the folks in the ruling administration just went ahead and raised their own coefficients themselves. They just showed up, signed the papers, and called it a day. It's pathetic. Truly.

hiddenseal14 said:That loan is just a tiny fraction of the total budget earmarked for this project. The rest was pulled from various European Union funds via grants meant for educational equalization. The total secured figure is roughly $1.3 billion.

Listen, people, this isn't going away, and it certainly isn't disappearing overnight. We have to accept that the traditional elementary school model is changing, and the way salaries are calculated is shifting as well. What we really need to do is focus on iron out the contentious details.

As for the opinion that the local school board is useless? Honestly, such views are shallow and contribute nothing to the conversation.

If something is wrong, you should push back. I know, it sounds utopian, but that’s my stance. I will never understand why people just shrug their shoulders and swallow whatever garbage is served to them. As if the geniuses sitting in that Department of Education are some kind of visionaries or messiahs. And then you have all those Fuksić types, Mamić types, Lovrić types, Piletić types—intellectual giants, clearly. And we’re supposed to let them force their project on us? A project that will impact generations of children and thousands of professionals in education? Please.
When I graduated with my English degree and started looking for work within the system (and mind you, I’ve worked in the private sector too; I didn't take the easy path from college straight to a permanent teaching job through some connection), I entered this profession knowing exactly what it looked like—what was expected of me, and both its pros and cons. I’ve said it a hundred times: what provides an advantage to a specialist in this field (not to be modest, I'm tired of this submissive attitude that we are all just "poor little teachers") is the schedule. It offers enough freedom to either work on school projects, grade a mountain of papers (which is always the case with language arts), or dedicate time to one's own family, provided you're organized. I calculated that the peanuts they pay for my knowledge and expertise are somewhat compensated by the flexibility of my non-standard working hours (though when I work afternoons, I lose the whole day and don't see my kids until evening, but whatever...). Now, some bureaucrat is going to calculate my "active hours" and conclude that I just have to accept being paid peanuts while simultaneously handing over my knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, and motivation overnight—all while stripping away the one perk this job actually offers? I guess they could have started by talking about salaries, comparing them to the US average or those high-end systems we claim we want to emulate, before moving on to these other whims.

Anthony Harris2 said:And what about the kids who aren't actually bullies, but they have ADHD, mental health struggles, or issues stemming from a rough home life? They end up disrupting the whole class—kids who are probably just counting down the minutes until they can finally go home. In some perfect utopia, they’d be working with school psychologists or specialists, but let’s face it, our schools are woefully understaffed in that department. On top of that, you've got students with IEPs who struggle to stay focused for even half the day; forcing them to sit in a classroom until 3:30 PM is just unrealistic. There needs to be an option for CN. If some kids want to stay, fine. But everyone else? They should be able to study after a break—walking around, reciting things out loud, or even just lounging on the couch in the evening. We can't just lump every single student into one giant, messy category.
@Bryan Wells11, I'm with you 100%. And honestly, what about the parents who see victimization in every little thing? The ones who take every joke personally—which basically teaches their kids to be just as sensitive—or the ones messaging classmates online pretending to be kids themselves? We can work on prevention at the school level and talk sense into the students until we're blue in the face, but there's nothing we can do about raising the parents.

Exactly. But anyone working outside the system doesn't realize the sheer number of combinations we deal with here. We have to navigate bizarre situations and incredibly nonsensical behavior. There are endless life stories and circumstances that leave our hands tied, forcing us to operate within extremely narrow margins just to manage everything. Honestly, I get overwhelmed by how problematic this gets. I constantly wonder why I, as an English teacher, am expected to play psychologist, social worker, priest, and whatnot. Why isn't this being handled by the people actually trained for it?

Carl Bishop2 said:Honestly, the easiest way to prevent kids from being bullied would just be to pull them out of school entirely—it’s certainly simpler than actually doing the hard work of preventing violence in the first place.
I mean, regarding that little kid this person wasn't even extorting—and let's assume he wasn't lending him money at some predatory interest rate, but rather using blackmail instead—why didn't anyone come forward? Maybe he didn't know who to turn to, maybe home doesn't feel like a safe haven, or maybe he just held onto hope that the bullying would magically stop on its own... perhaps none of this would be happening if we actually focused on real prevention. Even now, certain behaviors are still brushed off as "just kids being kids" rather than being identified as actual bullying. And who is actually conducting these school violence surveys among the students? Is anyone? What do we really know about how often this happens or what the different forms of violence look like? All we know is that physical abuse is down compared to before, and that’s about it.
None of this has anything to do with the daily curriculum. I'm not talking specifically about Fuchs's CN, just speaking generally.
Fuchs is running an experiment right now, and I suspect we'll see some changes depending on how things progress.

Violence prevention is happening constantly, but what people wearing rose-colored glasses fail to grasp—perhaps because they don't work with children in an American society quite like ours—is that some behaviors are unfixable, at least within the scope of what a school can provide. Quite a shock, isn't it? As a homeroom teacher, I spend roughly 70% of my advisory hours working on some form of violence prevention, whether it's physical, emotional, or that incredibly pervasive cyberbullying (which is nearly impossible to prevent unless a parent is 100% involved and knows exactly what their child is typing and sending in group chats). There are endless discussions, workshops, role-playing exercises, educational content, and films, yet it doesn't matter—some kids will always be bullies, and some will unfortunately remain victims. And I am "just" an English teacher; my job isn't solely the rehabilitation of lost causes, you know? Nor is it limited to that one specific class where I also serve as the advisor. If we had actual, fully equipped professional teams in our schools, if we had social services that actually took action, if we had synergy between institutions, and if we had draconian pedagogical measures (which I strongly advocate for, given my years of experience), then we might actually have something to talk about.
What kind of surveys or theories are you talking about? I'm telling you how it works on the ground, among the kids. Why didn't he speak up? Good grief. What if the other kid threatened him with something we can't even imagine? Or do you honestly think kids aren't capable of being that malicious? Do you really think two workshops at school on the topic of bullying would make a bully suddenly see the light and repent? Not a chance.

I don't know what you're trying to say here. It’s just one word. If you have an actual point to make, then make it. Otherwise, why even post? kaže:
Just because "someone" benefits from a mountain of extra credit every single day, and just because "someone" can't seem to finish an assignment without help, doesn't mean "everyone" should be forced to deal with endless supplemental work and constant supervision. And that's how it goes for eight years. Eight YEARS!!!
Exactly—residency permits are there for those who actually want them or are required to have them. But let’s be real: not everyone wants one, and certainly not everyone needs one. And they definitely don't need to be stuck dealing with that for 8 YEARS!!!
Look, this isn't even personal. I’m not attacking you directly, but your posts are just way too overly empathetic toward a minority dealing with school struggles. It makes it seem like the majority is expected to constantly bend over backward just so that small group can fit in at any cost. Maybe it's just my take, but it feels like average or even high-achieving kids are being penalized—like they have teachers breathing down their necks for eight hours a day just to finish assignments they could easily do in their sleep.
If this actually happens, we’re going to end up raising and educating entire generations of completely helpless, incompetent losers. I guess it's inevitable at this rate.
They might as well just invent some sort of full-day care model for kids requiring individualized accommodations—assuming their diagnoses, like ADHD, don't strictly prohibit it. But if they go that route, those programs should be run by actual professionals—pedagogues, psychologists, special educators, and speech therapists—working in small groups or one-on-one. Anything else is pointless.
It’s honestly ridiculous to screw over an entire class for eight years just because of some scheduling nonsense. We're stuck with this eight-hour "workday" when the reality is a total mess: Ivan doesn't even have a proper desk, Stefan can't wrap his head around math, and Bara is struggling with dyslexia. It's just poorly managed.🙄

Exactly.
It feels like people have been playing the victim since their school days. Honestly, just hand over your pathetic little diagnoses and your endless list of grievances so these people with messiah complexes can pretend they’re performing some grand act of social good. It's exhausting—there is just so much empty, hollow sentimentality out there, from high-ranking government officials all the way down the ladder.
The reality is a total mess that doesn't serve anyone. There are students with diagnoses who belong in specialized classrooms or integrated programs with dedicated aides—that’s the only way this works, and frankly, it's the only fair approach for them, the other students, and the teachers alike. I guess my view is that kids with specific needs should be working with educational therapists and specialists who actually know how to help them master the curriculum based on their individual abilities. Professional support isn't optional; it's necessary.
That’s only one side of the story. We also have kids who struggle academically, so parents take them for evaluations just to get a piece of paper—and those papers can be used to justify just about anything. You end up with students where it's impossible to invest even the slightest bit of mental effort into modifying criteria, offering extra credit, or providing more time, because if you did, they'd just use those accommodations to pad their grades. Now, we're looking at a situation where all the kids are stuck sitting in summer school with them, endlessly repeating material they couldn't grasp in the first place.
Furthermore, you end up dealing with kids who have legitimate issues, yet their parents act completely oblivious and refuse any kind of intervention. So, you’re left struggling with these various disorders without even knowing where to begin.
Then you have the kids with behavioral disorders. In my opinion, they’re the toughest group to deal with—often dangerous to themselves and everyone around them. You practically can't do anything with them; they sabotage the entire learning process and cause daily disruptions, yet they just cycle through the school system without any meaningful change or improvement in their behavior. It honestly gives me the chills to think that, under this massive new plan, all children will be forced to spend twice as much time locked in rooms with them. Some kids are already desperate to just get home the second they finish class if there's someone like that in the room—or even just a typical bully without a diagnosis. Now, imagine having to eat lunch with them and then deal with that chaos all afternoon. It’s horrific. What a wonderful way to enrich the educational experience.
The most neglected group out there is actually well-behaved, polite, average, or even high-achieving kids. It sounds harsh, I guess, but that’s just how it is. We are constantly obsessed with some kind of collective rehabilitation and forced equity. It’s a grim reality.

Susan James said:The A2 program is meant to be a core part of the curriculum for everyone. Some students need extra review and simplified explanations, while others need advanced challenges to stay engaged. The idea is that one superstar teacher can manage all these different needs in the same space. But honestly, the math doesn't add up. How are you supposed to squeeze ten different subjects into those ten hours (spread over five days), especially when some of that time is already eaten up by homeroom periods? It's asking for teachers to provide support for every single subject—letting kids practice until they actually get it—while also nurturing talents in things like math or computer science and still finding time to finish all their paperwork.

This clearly shows exactly which geniuses designed this program; there is no way they have such a fundamental lack of understanding regarding how school operations actually work. So, let me get this straight: instead of having a review session on Monday and a makeup session on Thursday, I’m now supposed to run parallel review sessions, makeup sessions, and homework periods all at once? And how exactly is that supposed to function? I’d be doing this with just one class—but which one? I teach eight different grade levels, and I’m not talking about just eighth or seventh graders; it’s a mix. Which specific group am I working with, and when? And when will the "enrichment" or "equal opportunity for all" happen for my other subjects if I'm stuck working with the English group? These are bizarre ideas that insult anyone's intelligence.
By the way, I’ve also noticed that Fuksić loves repeating that empty cliché about how "equal conditions will now be provided to everyone," implying there "won't be a need for private tutoring" anymore—which is really just code for saving money. Basically, the ruling party assumes the general public has low cognitive abilities, hoping people will bite on this fake equality and these manufactured "super conditions" that supposedly benefit everyone, when in reality, they only benefit themselves.

As for being a homeroom teacher—some of us are "perpetual" homeroom teachers, and anyone who works in a school knows exactly what that entails. Both the former principal and the current one always use the same excuse: "there's no one else available." That isn't true. There *is* someone else, but it's usually the inner circle of favorites who are practically hand-picked by administration out of their own pockets, or perhaps the crew that built a reputation for being "difficult," so the bosses won't touch them. Consequently, certain individuals end up carrying the entire burden of this miserable homeroom duty for a measly two hours of paid time. Given the current climate, that responsibility can push you to a total mental and physical breaking point because everything is irrational, particularly the demands placed on a homeroom teacher. I cannot tell you how many times I wished I could just focus on my own subject and enjoy my job, only to be constantly dragged down by these homeroom duties. But unfortunately, once they see you are capable, conscientious, and willing to sacrifice, you're done for. Am I really expected to choose this same misery for a 2.5% raise? Not a chance, not even then. But it will play out just like it always has—if everyone refuses, the principal will just come back and say, "There's no one else, so you're doing it." What then?

Andrew Doyle said:Raised standards? Are you talking about JPMorgan Chase, the Ministry, and the rest of them? Because under these rules, IT teachers are the ones getting screwed. Even homeroom duties are being lumped into "other tasks." I honestly wonder how many people will actually volunteer for this job now—it’s the kind of work that used to make people want to shoot themselves just to get out of it. Some guy from the Department showed up at the last meeting to answer questions for principals, and when asked who would be teaching the new subject, he just shrugged and said, "Well, IT teachers can do it then." Real smooth.
When you ask when music schools will finally get their turn, it feels like they expect us to work a third shift and basically travel to the kids' schools ourselves, rather than the kids coming to us.

At this point, the Secretary doesn't even matter; children are clearly the absolute last priority for these people. I wish they’d just tell us what kind of hallucinogenic trip they were on when they drafted this curriculum. Better yet, send the syllabus over to us so we can fully immerse ourselves in this absolute nebula of nonsense.

Higher salaries? Caring about kids and families? Give me a break. Who the hell are they trying to fool with that garbage?

And here is the kicker: this kind of crap passes through easily, just like everything else happening in this country. And what are we supposed to do? File formal complaints? Too bad, the deadline for that has already passed. They’ll "take it under consideration" while they swallow yet another delusional idea, laughing at the moronic programs they serve us, while the only thing that ever truly matters to them is the money.

Fixing up schools, building gyms, setting up cafeterias? Sure, why not. It’s not like it’s a church. This is a school—a place designed to breed obedient little followers for the Republican Party, brainless drones who will one day enthusiastically circle "YES" without question and suffer a total bout of amnesia every time they need to remember how much they’ve been robbed or lied to. It's a farce.

Which schools would even want to participate in this four-year circus? Based on what I know so far, it’s mostly the ones where the principal is a member of the Republican Party. I suspect there are others, but that’s just my observation thus far.

SIGNED!

Administrators get an automatic 25% raise.

Professors can only touch that famous 25% bump if they agree to stay late at school after classes end—which will basically be everyone since teaching alone won't meet the required hours anymore—to try and enrich exhausted, overstimulated kids with extra subject matter. Then, they have to volunteer for extracurriculars, and if they’re feeling particularly masochistic, take on the absolute worst job imaginable: being a homeroom teacher. That means for four straight years, you're essentially on call for anyone who feels like bothering you, drowning in endless paperwork, tracking every minor student mishap, and acting as a full-time mediator between students, their parents (who, God help us, often use their kids to fuel their own domestic battles), and various specialists. The list of duties for a homeroom teacher is practically infinite and just keeps growing. And what do we get for all that? A measly 2.5% "bonus," haha. I’m laughing so I don't cry. Bottom line: those teachers won't see a dime of that 25%, and it would be nice if the Secretary and his cronies stopped lying about it. After all, dishonesty is theft—oops, I mean, that's just how the Republican Party operates.