Short rants.

[Don Quixote]

So....

http://now.msn.com/living/0218-nomophobia.aspx

Big surprise about the 18-24 crowd....

[The Wedge]

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Therefore, my daughter is clearly insane.

[Don Quixote]

Existential blues.

[Crazy O]

Could this day get any worse.

[The Wedge]

Could this day get any worse.

You should never ask that question.

[twoBshorty]

ETS is such a racket. Praxis test fee: $80. Registration fee (non-refundable): $50. How can the freaking registration fee be almost as much as the cost of the test? Ticketmaster has nothing on these mobsters.

[Crazy O]

You should never ask that question.

[Don Quixote]

ETS is such a racket. Praxis test fee: $80. Registration fee (non-refundable): $50. How can the freaking registration fee be almost as much as the cost of the test? Ticketmaster has nothing on these mobsters.

Damn right it's a racket. GRE fees are a crock, too. Then all the score reporting fees every time a school needs a score, which is the vast majority of the time in grad programs.

[JDubs]

Agreed. All of education is becoming a racket, but you guys should see the cost of the LSATs or, heaven forbid, the bar exam. I'm hoping I can afford to pay it off so the MSBA doesn't send Fredo to break my kneecap.

[crissfan172]

ETS is such a racket. Praxis test fee: $80. Registration fee (non-refundable): $50. How can the freaking registration fee be almost as much as the cost of the test? Ticketmaster has nothing on these mobsters.

My actuary exams cost about $200 each. So...it could be worse.

[lordbrook]

ETS is such a racket. Praxis test fee: $80. Registration fee (non-refundable): $50. How can the freaking registration fee be almost as much as the cost of the test? Ticketmaster has nothing on these mobsters.

My wife has already taken and passed two of these Em Effers and she still has to take another two just to prove that she's qualified to teach 7th graders about cell division. I guess her two bachelor's degrees (Sports Science and Biology) and one master's degree (Health Education) aren't good enough. We have to pay for them too. WTF?

[twoBshorty]

Damn right it's a racket. GRE fees are a crock, too. Then all the score reporting fees every time a school needs a score, which is the vast majority of the time in grad programs.

Between two takes of the SAT, three SAT II's, the GRE, the PRAXIS, and all the reporting fees, these people probably have about $850 of my money since 2004. And they totally have you over a barrel. If I don't take the PRAXIS, I can't get certified. So I grit my teeth and shell out the $130. And I hate them in the process.

[lordbrook]

Between two takes of the SAT, three SAT II's, the GRE, the PRAXIS, and all the reporting fees, these people probably have about $850 of my money since 2004. And they totally have you over a barrel. If I don't take the PRAXIS, I can't get certified. So I grit my teeth and shell out the $130. And I hate them in the process.

My wife just paid for hers last night and we are down $220 for the test and study guide and all that crap. No test, no job.

Since this is a rant, let me rant for a moment. These Praxis tests are to verify that teachers can actually teach the subject they graduated in. Not a bad thing in general I would think. As a parent I know I wouldn't want Jack Black teaching my kids music because he didn't understand how to teach them math, so I get the need for the test. What kills me though is that generally speaking, anyone out there looking for a teaching job is going to know the subject matter well enough to pass a test on it. They just passed many tests on it or they wouldn't have the degree. What I wonder is why aren't the teachers that have been there for 20 years required to take any tests? They are the ones that are so jaded they are just going through the motions until they hit retirement age. Now I know that I'm speaking in generalities, but the anecdotal evidence from my wife confirms it. They (the multiple educational oversight boards both local and national) make it so that teachers have to jump through so many GD hoops for garbage pay that many of them say it's just not worth it. Is anyone surprised there is a problem with teacher retention? Prior to the economy crash nearly half of all teachers left the profession within their first five years. Now that number is decreased greatly but I would say it's due to lack of other opportunities rather than new teachers suddenly loving all the garbage they have to go through just to make a crap salary. Just to be clear, I don't think that all teachers that have been in the profession for a while have given up, I'm just saying that a lot of them have and they are the ones that are a real threat to the quality of education, not the new teachers that still have a desire to teach.

[twoBshorty]

Ah yes, the study guides. Haven't bought those yet. That'll probably run another $150; the one everyone recommends is expensive. But I'll wind up paying it because, again, I have to pass this. Not the time to cheap out.

[Don Quixote]

My wife just paid for hers last night and we are down $220 for the test and study guide and all that crap. No test, no job.

Since this is a rant, let me rant for a moment. These Praxis tests are to verify that teachers can actually teach the subject they graduated in. Not a bad thing in general I would think. As a parent I know I wouldn't want Jack Black teaching my kids music because he didn't understand how to teach them math, so I get the need for the test. What kills me though is that generally speaking, anyone out there looking for a teaching job is going to know the subject matter well enough to pass a test on it. They just passed many tests on it or they wouldn't have the degree. What I wonder is why aren't the teachers that have been there for 20 years required to take any tests? They are the ones that are so jaded they are just going through the motions until they hit retirement age. Now I know that I'm speaking in generalities, but the anecdotal evidence from my wife confirms it. They (the multiple educational oversight boards both local and national) make it so that teachers have to jump through so many GD hoops for garbage pay that many of them say it's just not worth it. Is anyone surprised there is a problem with teacher retention? Prior to the economy crash nearly half of all teachers left the profession within their first five years. Now that number is decreased greatly but I would say it's due to lack of other opportunities rather than new teachers suddenly loving all the garbage they have to go through just to make a crap salary. Just to be clear, I don't think that all teachers that have been in the profession for a while have given up, I'm just saying that a lot of them have and they are the ones that are a real threat to the quality of education, not the new teachers that still have a desire to teach.

Bingo. It's a big reason why I never bothered. I didn't have to take the Praxis or anything else to become a TA. I was allowed to teach at an AAU institution, but I cannot teach in city or county schools. My reviews were favorable enough, and better in the second go-round than the first. I have no desire to go through: pedagogical training that can really be taken care of through in-services; a boatload more tests; and NCLB/Race to the Top/Latest Government Oversight Crock of S^&*; followed by no respect from students, parents, and administration.