Recent comments in /f/Pennsylvania

Realistic-kind837 t1_jbyeqfi wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

I'm relating it to the entire NYC dept of Ed. You're specifically calling my personal thoughts on it as weird that's why. Do I really need to explain this?

Maybe I shouldn't have posted at all since the heading is in regards to PA schools and I'm discussing NYC. I am not an educator. I live in PA and my children attend public school. Me and my children love the PA district we are in and all of the teachers here.

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ronreadingpa t1_jby9mhu wrote

Reply to How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

Brings to mind the perpetual shortage of truck drivers. And yet companies always seem to find people. How? Simple, lowering standards, immigration, and technology (many trucks are automatics).

Figure the same will happen with teaching. Already is. The last point about tech is one many teachers don't think much of in regard to qualifications. Virtual learning, which many teachers and even unions often advocated for, could also lead to less credentialed teachers replaced by teacher aides acting primarily as monitors watching over the students as they're instructed remotely.

One remote teacher could potentially teach several classrooms at once. Even for instances they can't, they could be located anywhere and hired as a contractor with minimal benefits. Many ways I see could play out.

I don't put much faith in school districts / taxpayers ponying up the considerable extra funds to do what some are suggesting. Instead seeking more shortcuts. They'll be exceptions of course, but in many places, the more well-to-do parents will increasingly seek out chartered schools, parochial schools, and private schools. Leaving the remainder, often including students with special needs, to the public schools to deal at the detriment of teachers, students, and the community.

In short, technology could allow schools to reduce their accredited teaching staff considerably. Combine that with lowered standards and immigration, the shortage of teachers will be mitigated. Not solved, but handled good enough to keep schools running.

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CltAltAcctDel t1_jby9gf3 wrote

Reply to Any scenic route(s) from DC up to the Pocono Township area? by CrownStarr

15 is a nice drive. 81 sucks but there are some nice views as you go through Schuylkill County (starting around MP 112). You can jump off 81 at McAdoo (rt 309). Follow 309 south for a short stretch then turn left at the first light. You’ll be on Ben Titus/Quakake Rd. That will take you to Weatherly. Follow signs for White Haven and you’ll be able to pickup RT 940.

Ben Titus/Quakake Rd is really nice. It’s a mainly flat and straight road that runs through a narrow valley.

Adding some more… take the first exit in PA off of 15 and head north on Emmitsburg Rd. That will take you straight through the battlefield and into the town of Gettysburg. Travel through the center of town and follow Business rt 15. You can follow that up to rt 394 where you can jump back on 15

Here’s the route. Godspeed

https://imgur.com/a/IPbVOna

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Fluid-Wrongdoer6120 t1_jby5e50 wrote

Reply to comment by redditmbathrowaway in How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

You seriously think it's a simple marketing problem? Like people/potential teachers aren't aware of the fact that you get a few extra months off as teachers?

It's basic supply and demand. It doesn't matter what YOU think is a fair wage for a teacher. If people aren't signing up, they obviously don't think it pays well enough.

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ktappe t1_jby4597 wrote

Reply to Any scenic route(s) from DC up to the Pocono Township area? by CrownStarr

How far off the beaten path are you willing to go? I ask because I can get you a drivethrough of the Brandywine Valley that will be gorgeous. But it will involve you going on single lane roads for about half an hour once you hop off I-95 in Delaware and drive north.

If you're willing, take I-95 into Delaware and exit at Route 141 North, before you get to Wilmington. Take 141 North until you turn left on Route 100 North. That will take you through Winterthur, an old Dupont estate. Make sure to turn left to stay on 100 instead of going straight onto 92.

This will take you up past the the Andrew Wyeth estate and Brandywine River Museum. It's a PA bicycle route, so watch out for riders.

This road runs into Route 1 which you can then take to 202 to the PA Turnpike and Route 611 North, which others have suggested. You'll just hit 611 a bit further north than Philly, which is a good thing.

Let me know if interested and I'll try to map it up on Google for you.

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steampunkedunicorn t1_jby3urw wrote

Reply to comment by OneHumanPeOple in Lawsuit: Western Psych staff mistook nurse's disabilities, injected him with antipsychotic meds by saintofhate

That's not really how it works. "Open beds" is sometimes used colloquially to indicate that a unit can take more patients, but literal "empty beds"/rooms can't always be filled due to mandated patient ratios. There's a massive staffing shortage and so the number of patients that a unit can take is heavily limited. People in charge of placements cannot see staff census, so they would not be privy to that information.

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invisiblearchives t1_jbxyx5l wrote

Reply to Any scenic route(s) from DC up to the Pocono Township area? by CrownStarr

15 north to 81 isn't incredibly scenic, just some normal rustic woodlands. Standard PA stuff. Probably still prettier than going anywhere near the philly sprawl.

As a Harrisburg resident, I really do think the river crossings near the city are quite beautiful, and you'd be driving right through there.

Plus, if you can manage a few hours, Gettysburg is right off of 15 and well worth the trip if you're a civil war buff.

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fire_stopper t1_jbxyrkp wrote

Reply to How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

My daughter is a Freshman on a Music Education track, at a college just across the river in NJ. She’ll earn a license in NJ on completion, but would need to add in some additional coursework to get one here. That’s certainly a hurdle to anyone coming here from elsewhere.

As it stands, given how toxic politics in this state are around schools and teacher pay, I’ve been encouraging her to look in and move to NJ when she’s done. I’m sure they have their issues, but I’ve an overall sense educators are typically treated much better on the other side than here.

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Allemaengel t1_jbxyccx wrote

Reply to comment by PACubsFan23 in Any scenic route(s) from DC up to the Pocono Township area? by CrownStarr

No problem. Last I heard, it was going to be closed through the majority of next summer.

Business owners in Delaware Water Gap borough are understandably pissed since it had just reopened after an earlier road collapse that required like 400+ segments of Jersey barrier to reinforce the roadway.

Apparently getting approval from the National Park Service to work on the cliff face in the Rec Area's going to take PennDOT some time.

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Superb_View_6430 t1_jbxx4kb wrote

Reply to comment by pocketbookashtray in How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

Yeah - it would be interesting to see the hoops parents jump through to claim “my child would never do that” while watching it play out. One of the most brilliant moments I ever saw was when a student abused a bus driver with a string of expletives - the administrator marched the student into his office, called the students mother, handed him the phone and said “tell your mother what you just said to that bus driver”. No more plausible deniability when you hear it out of your child’s own mouth.

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