About Stephen Whitworth
Stephen Whitworth is a life-long fan of newspapers and alternative media who got his start in the student press a hundred years ago. He moved to Regina in the fall of 1998 and
Prairie Dog recklessly hired him nine months later. It was a terrible mistake and the publication deeply regrets its inability to get rid of him. When Whitworth’s not adding typos to the hard work of
Prairie Dog’s many terrific writers, writing hilarious (to him) headlines and finding inventive new ways to make the paper late for its bi-weekly press deadline, he enjoys reading magazines, newspapers and alternative comics, listening to music, playing board games, and drinking and eating. He has a cat and
seven six pet snakes (R.I.P, Fred).
Matt Damon looks like a 30-something from Regina with his head shaved like that. All he needs is a goatie, Riders shirt, and about 30 extra pounds, BAM, he’s in.
Well, he’s an actor, so I certainly turn to him when it comes to the best way to run the system.
I think, just like nursing, if you don’t have a calling for it, you have no business being there. A bad nurse/teacher can have a major lasting impact.
That being said, there should be a better rating system for them, and the ones who earn it, get paid better.
That would be called merit pay, Sean, which flies in the face of seniority and therefore won’t happen.
And would be a logistical nightmare anyway.
(For example, how do you measure the effectiveness of a teacher? By the performance of their class on standardized tests? We already know that kids from affluent homes tend to do better on such tests, so this would become a situation where teachers who work at schools where the students come from wealthier homes get paid more. Which defeats the purpose of encouraging better teaching. Just an example off the top of my head.)
Also, Seanbot, Matt Damon’s profession doesn’t invalidate his opinion. For a guy who complains as much as you do about the unfairness of generalizations (see: your constant complaints about this blog’s supposed Christian-bashing), dismissing someone’s well-stated opinion just because they’re an actor is pretty darn bold.
Also, I agree completely with your second paragraph.
Two words: Ronald Reagan. Oh, and two more: Arnold Schwartzenegger.
Now, re: teachers, good school divisions (Regina Public being one such) have put in place a lot more mentoring and guidance for new teachers as they find their feet. There are also ongoing opportunities for professional development, as well as assistance for teachers going through a rough patch but who have the will to do better.