White House pushes to address US teacher shortage

Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced it is taking action to tackle a US-wide teacher deficit brought about in part by low salaries, as it coordinates with online organizations and unions to boost recruitment.

First Lady Jill Biden, herself a longtime community college educator, was set to present the initiatives later in the day at the White House.

"Too many schools are struggling to fill vacancies for teachers" and other critical school professionals, the administration said in a statement as it called for increases in teacher pay.

"On average, teachers make about 33 percent less than other college-educated professionals," the White House said, pointing out that after accounting for inflation, the average weekly wage for public school teachers increased just $29 between 1996 and last year.

While the US executive branch does not have direct control over teacher hiring or pay at the federal level – that is the responsibility of state and local governments º it nevertheless hopes to take indirect action.

The White House announced new initiatives by three online companies aimed at showcasing public school job opportunities, steering graduates towards careers in education, and holding nationwide virtual hiring fairs for teachers.

The US departments of education and labor issued a joint letter Wednesday to school districts urging them to boost teacher pay through use of emergency relief funds distributed from late 2021 to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House also highlighted an initiative by several labor organizations that are coordinating to expand teacher apprenticeship programs.

And it urged teachers to take advantage of student loan forgiveness mechanisms for which they are eligible.

Agence France-Presse

China considers banning teachers from sexual relationships with young students

China is considering following Western countries in banning teachers from dating young students, according to a circular released to solicit public opinions.

The draft of School Protection Order for Juveniles was issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday and, if passed into law, requires primary and middle schools to prohibit teachers from dating students or having sex with them. The current age of consent in China is 14 years of age.

Other predatory behaviours that “hurt students’ physical and mental health” listed in the document include molesting students by groping or intentionally touching particular parts of their body, flirting, teasing, or making sexually suggestive comments.

Teachers are also banned from displaying or circulating messages, books, magazines, films, videos, or pictures that contain pornographic information to students.

The order also contains specific clauses on sexual harassment, by asking schools to establish safe management of dormitories, camera surveillance, and mechanisms for preventing, reporting, and dealing with sexual harassment incidents.

Among other regulations being proposed is a ban on schools revealing students’ rankings in tests and from publicising previous graduates who were enrolled by prestigious higher-level schools.

Teachers found violating the rules would receive disciplinary punishment and prevented from joining any award competitions for a period of one to three years. If the schools’ principal is responsible for an incident or found to have failed in their duty of care, they could be removed from their job for up to five years, the document said.

The public can send feedback about the order before April 23. It’s unclear if the order will be passed or when it would be put into effect.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the latest order is to make clear to schools their duties as a way to support the country’s revised Law of the Protection of Juveniles that will be implemented in June.

A 2014 regulation governing teachers’ ethics has outlawed 10 specific activities, including sexual harassment or having an “inappropriate relationship” with students.

But regarding the definition of “inappropriate relationship”, different people have different ideas, Xiong told the South China Morning Post.

As a result of the absence of a clear definition of this term, it’s difficult for schools and the education department to deal with the case if the teacher involved is single, he said.

“In some cases, teachers accused of sexual harassment claimed this was an injustice by arguing the relationship had been consensual, Xiong said.

“Normally the teacher will be assigned to other schools, instead of being punished for an ethics error,” said Xiong.

“With the future implementation of the teacher-student dating ban, this kind of thorny issue will be treated smoothly since it’s not right for them to date in the first place,” he said.

Some people objected to the banning of teacher-student dating, arguing that dating is every person’s legal right.

“But they don’t understand that a teacher can use the power from his position to induce or force students to date with him or her. If a teacher is dating a student, he or she would often give privilege to the student. This is unfair for other students,” said Xiong. “So banning teacher-student dating is essentially to avoid interest exchanges.”

He urged the state authority to extend the ban to universities.

Maggie Yang, a Shenzhen mother of a 15-year-old girl, said she agreed with the teacher-student dating ban.

“I think dating is the business of adults. How can we tolerate that a teacher dates a minor student?” she asked. “This rule should have been made earlier.”

-South China Morning Post

NBA stars, celebs help fans learn English on website

Rising New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin has not only sparked NBA basketball interest in Taiwan, he may also inspire fans to learn English, according to people at the website "English, baby!"

With 1.6 million registered members and about a million hits a month, the educational website (www.englishbaby.com) has been using National Basketball Association players and celebrities to draw visitors to their English lessons, taught by guest stars who explain idioms associated with their work.

"We're really excited about that," Jason Simms, of English, baby!, said in a telephone interview from his Portland, Oregon office about the emergence of Lin on the NBA stage.

"There are lots of businesses out there that are tied to the enthusiasm for the NBA in Asia. We, like many people, were very disappointed when Yao [Ming] retired. It seemed like that might put a damper on that trajectory," he said about the Chinese star who played for the Houston Rockets.

But thanks to Lin, the 23-year-old Taiwanese-American sports sensation and media darling who propelled the struggling Knicks to several victories and sparked a craze dubbed "Linsanity," the trajectory may continue.

"We're really excited that Jeremy Lin is back to connecting the conversation between Taiwan and China and the United States about basketball."

China makes up the biggest audience for the service, comprising about 25 percent of the site's members, followed by Turkey at 7.1 percent and India, Brazil, Egypt and the United States. Taiwan is No.7 on the list at 2.2 percent.

John Hayden, who taught English in Japan and decided students advanced faster armed with cultural, as well as language fluency, started the company 10 years ago.

At first actors were used to stage conversations. But about three years ago he got the idea to tap into the Asian interest in basketball by inviting players to participate in an impromptu lesson, explaining a basketball term and engaging in a chat, which is accompanied by sub-titles on the screen.

NBA players including All-Stars Dwight Howard, of the Orlando Magic, and the New York Nicks' Carmelo Anthony, and Shane Battier, of the Miami Heat, and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks have participated along with singer Sheryl Crow, DJ Girl Talk, and rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

"A lot of players just perk up at the mention of China because they do interviews every day at media sessions during the season, but they don't get a lot of chances to speak directly to the fans in China," said Simms, who catches players at practice when their teams are in Portland to play the Trail Blazers.

"A lot of these players do tours and promotional events in China in the summer, but during the season they are mostly speaking to the American audience. This gives them a chance to reach out internationally."

The strategy seems to be a hit with teachers and students. The website receives lots of emails and comments, according to Simms.

"People say, 'Thank you for teaching us the real English. This is awesome. To know what this stuff means, I feel more confident I can talk like a real basketball fan,'" he explained.

"Sometimes we get stuff from teachers saying, 'I brought this video into the class and they really liked it.' As an educational outlet, our goal is to be complementary to a classroom experience." - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com