Welcome to the website of the ONLY Aggressive
Teachers' Association of the South!

A.P.E. Is Now Nationwide!!!

A.P.E. is the most aggressive teachers' association in the South. A.P.E. never leaves a member behind, and A.P.E. never takes the administrator's side over a teacher, as some unions do. A.P.E. understands that teachers are treated like dog shit by school administrators today. Teachers Join A.P.E.; with A.P.E., you will never be left behind, and your voice will be heard. We continue to fight hard to stop what A.P.E. calls “Bad drive-by evaluations of teachers." Lazy ass administrator abuses their power by using the evaluation process to destroy a teacher's career. A.P.E. calls these “Bad drive-by evaluations.” They come into your classroom unannounced, evaluate you when they are not scheduled, and mark you low in communication. They score you low under communication when even they cannot communicate. This area under communication is used mainly because the administrator can be subjective. These administrators wait until it's time to give you your summative, end-of-year review so they can mark you down as negative for the year. This negative summative is recorded at the Georgia Professional Standard Commission (PSC). If you have received two of these adverse summative reports within five years, then the PSC suspends your certificate until you have had a chance to re-mediate your deficiency, but how can you re-mediate if you do not have a certificate to get another teaching position? The A.P.E. teachers’ union knows some teachers waste money on lazy teachers' associations in Georgia. They don’t aggressively protect teacher rights, but the A.P.E. teachers’ union will destroy any administrator who abuses its members. The A.P.E. teachers' union in Georgia is the most and ONLY aggressive teachers' union in Georgia. If I were a teacher in Georgia, I would be a member of A.P.E. The A.P.E. teachers’ union has saved so many teachers’ careers that I have lost count. I started this union because I know teachers' are tired of being treated like shit and are looking for an aggressive teachers’ union to fight back against abuse and provide the peace of mind they deserve. I knew A.P.E. would be unstoppable when we first organized because we decided to do our best to destroy any administrator who attacked our members. 

Why You Don’t Need Liability Insurance, and Is It A Scam In Georgia?

When I first started representing classroom teachers, my mentor Dr. John Trotter taught me about the myth of liability insurance; he said the State of Georgia provides strong sovereign immunity protection for teachers.  This sovereign immunity (meaning the State and its agents – including teachers – cannot be held liable for negligence) is detailed in the Georgia Constitution(Article I, Section II, Paragraph IX).  Sovereign immunity is also detailed in statutory law (O.C.G.A. 20-2-992 and 20-2-993; even strengthened by O.C.G.A. 20-2-1000, which was enacted in 1995 and which states that local school boards must provide an attorney for teachers if they are sued for disciplinary actions and further states that parents must pay all reasonable court costs, etc.). 

GAE, AFT, and PAGE keep pushing this need for liability insurance.  Why? In my opinion, I believe they think it’s an excellent make-money scam.

I decided not to continue this fake myth of liability insurance. 

Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA

Scan or click the QR code above to become a member today!

R.I.P. Dr. John Rhodes Alston Trotter

December 31, 1953 - July 3, 2021

• American Public Education has been getting worse and worse as the years pass, and not one of the so-called school “reformers” (including the billionaires who suddenly have taken an inordinate interest in public education) appears to know even the questions much less the answers.  Their so-called “solutions” are as useless as teats on a boar.  Nothing will improve.  In fact, their so-called “solutions” will only exacerbate the problems and drive public education into the ground which just may be their aim. 
  • Besides the parents, classroom educators have more direct contact with our children than any other adults in society.  In an age when our young people are constantly tempted by illicit drugs, sex, violence, negative peer pressure, and malignant media images, the professional teacher has the gargantuan task of establishing a positive influence in the classroom, serving not only as instructor but also as counselor, doctor, nurse, psychiatrist, detective, security guard, probation officer, referee, social worker, and surrogate parent.  What is perceived by many in society to be a rather genteel career is, in actuality, a rather daunting undertaking.  The classroom educator faces other nemeses which often make his or her job frustrating:  Bureaucratic red-tape and voluminous paperwork (which often seems irrelevant to the job of teaching children); unruly students; lack of parental concern; student apathy; overcrowded classes; incompetent and insensitive administrators; unprincipled principals; unfair evaluations; and a lack of administrative support in disciplinary matters, just to name a few.
  • 
    
  •     Does this sound dismal and hopeless?  Well, it could be.  However, the classroom educators keep inspiring, keep motivating, keep teaching.  Why?  Because, despite the daily frustrations that the teachers encounter, they are energized by the quality interaction that takes place between them and the students and by watching a child’s eyes light up when the child finally grasps a concept.  Most of the rewards for being a teacher are intangible by nature.  A hug or a note from a child, expressing thanks for the help that a teacher has given; the appreciation expressed by a parent; the nod from a principal or a colleague for a job well-done; and, of course, a feeling of personal satisfaction for knowing that, as a teacher, he or she made a positive difference in a student’s life.
  • 
    
  •     In a sense, the classroom educators are the only real educators in a school system.  (Supervisors and central office administrators are sometimes called educrats because they function within the bureaucracy but do not interact daily with students in a learning situation.)  Teachers are in the trenches and on the front-line every day.  They interact with children every day.  They know what works and what doesn’t work.  They know which theories and methodologies are good and which are bad.  They know what works for them and what doesn’t work for them.  But too often they are mandated to teach from the same “cookie-cutter” method or from the same theoretical base.

Norreese Haynes's Teacher Bill of Rights Passed by the Clayton County, Georgia Board of Education

Note:  When serving on the Clayton County (Georgia) Board of Education, co-author Norreese Haynes proposed and secured a unanimous vote for this Teacher Bill of Rights.  But, today, the current superintendent and school board just ignores this policy which garnered much media attention when it was initially passed.  Each school board in non-collective bargaining states should pass such a policy and actually abide by it.

Where not inconsistent with Georgia law, federal laws and regulations (including IDEA 2004 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act), or State Board Rules, the Board endorses the following rights for each full-time teacher serving in Clayton County Public Schools.

(1) Each teacher shall have the right to associate with an educational organization, association, or union. This freedom of association shall not be abridged, and a teacher shall not suffer reprisal for exercising this right.
(2) Teachers shall have the right to express constructive criticism in an appropriate and professional manner and, where not in conflict with the adopted curriculum and/or board/school policies and procedures, school board members and administrators shall respect the right of teachers to exercise professional judgment and independent thought in the improvement of the educational system.
(3) A teacher shall not be coerced, threatened, or intimidated to change a student’s grade if the teacher can demonstrate that the student earned the grade in accordance with the school’s grading procedures.
(4) If a teacher, in her/his professional judgment, states that a student needs to be removed from that regular classroom environment for a period of time or the remainder of the school day, as the case may be, because the student’s misconduct is materially and substantially disrupting the learning processes of other students, the administrator shall respect the teacher’s professional judgment. At a minimum, the administrator shall not return the student to that classroom on that day unless the teacher has otherwise indicated. The administrator shall not unnecessarily undermine the teacher’s disciplinary authority in the classroom. Notwithstanding anything else in this policy, an administrator, after investigation, may take appropriate action against a teacher who may abuse the right to remove a student from the classroom.
(5) No administrator shall write a negative job rating on a teacher based on hearsay evidence from a statement(s) by students, parents, or fellow teachers or administrators, et al., without first giving the teacher the opportunity to state her/his side of the story.
(6) Each teacher shall be afforded the opportunity to participate in an annual evaluation of each administrator at his or her school. These evaluations shall be conducted in a way that assures each teacher confidentiality and anonymity. A summary (e.g., the average score for items on a Likert-type instrument) of these evaluations shall be forwarded to the superintendent who in turn shall send copies to each school board member.
(7) No teacher shall be discriminated against on the basis of the teacher’s race, sex, age, religion, nationality, disability, or exercise of the freedom of association.
(8) No teacher shall be the object of administrative favoritism, nor shall the teacher be treated capriciously or arbitrarily. No teacher shall be exposed to unwarranted embarrassment.
(9) Each teacher shall be afforded access to an equitable transfer policy; and
(10) The teacher of the year at each school shall be nominated and selected solely by the anonymous votes of the teachers at the school.
From the book, "THE MACE MANIFESTO by Trotter& Haynes

Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA

Reality:
The educrats run around like they have received the latest dispensation from on high…the latest twist for the curriculum, the textbooks or computer application, the latest programs and staff development courses for the teachers, and the latest pedagogical methods that the teachers just have to adopt. Yes, these educrats who are a complete burden on public education go trotting out to conferences all over the country and staying in the best hotels and eating at the finest restaurant all in the phony game of learning more about the latest wrinkles for the local curriculum…all at the expense of the taxpayers. It’s all a bunch of bull. Pure bull.
Fads come and go, like yesterday’s adolescent clothing styles, but to hear the gravity in the voices of these edurats is burdensome. There is nothing new under the sun. No, not one thing. The students just need to be taught how to break down words and learn to string them along for complete sentences/thoughts and later into cogent paragraphs. They need to be taught the basic of mathematics, using the old reliable thing called rote memory to be able to pull facts and concepts like the multiplication table right off of the top of their heads. You don’t need new textbooks or applications to teach such basic facts and concepts. We would do well to use the same textbooks that were used 50 years ago to teach these facts and concepts.
The 1972 Rand Report, commissioned by the President’s Study on School Finance, concluded: “ Research has not identified a variant of the existing system that is consistently related to students’ educational outcomes.” In my research, I found that the study was completed over 47 years ago, but the same principle holds true today. All of the hype about the latest teaching methods is just that, hype.
JUST LET TEACHERS TEACH! … ok I feel better now lol

Standardized test have become the false gods of American Public Schooling. The so-called school reformers(really, they are school “ deformers want more and more standardized tests for our public schools. These educrats logic goes like this: If we keep testing the children, then their knowledge and skills will increase. No, they will probably be even more academically malnourished because all they will receive as far as academic nourishment in the classroom is the tough husks of test preparations.
No meat. No protein. No essential fatty acids. No carbohydrates for energy. Just the dry husks of the corn. Not even the corn kernels. This dry, shallow “ curriculum “ ( if you want to call teaching for the test a “ curriculum “) is so narrowly tailored for the standardized tests ( only testing verbal-linguistics and math- analytical skills) that it reminds me of academic anorexia nervosa.
Constantly testing our school children is analogous of constantly weighing the hogs. Just because you constantly weigh the hogs doesn’t mean that the hogs will gain weight. In fact, you will keep the pigs from gaining weight by removing them from the slop.
Lol. Hog farmers would never put up with the Federal or State Governments mandating that they constantly weight their pigs. We would see a Pig Revolt!
 I have forgotten more about public education than these educrats, policymakers, and superintendents will ever know about public education. This is why I started A.P.E. to push back against this mess and to protect teacher rights

A.P.E. was there when I needed them.

A.P.E. Attorney Jonathan Ross kept this teacher from getting arrested this morning by an irate and irresponsible parent. Teachers, join A.P.E. today. You’ll Never Find Peace of Mind Without A.P.E. Great job Jonathan. 

This teacher is protected by A.P.E.

The major thrust of any of the statewide or nationwide school reform efforts is to blame the teachers for all of the ailments in public education. If the students aren’t learning, then it’s the teachers’ fault. There is really no articulable philosophy of education in the United States. Johnny can’t read it’s the teachers fault!
The politicians, policymakers, educrats, and superintendents don’t know what the heck is wrong with public education. They only know to blame the teachers. So, these educational bozos only know to immediately blame the teachers if the students aren’t learning. At A.P.E. we do not allow our members to be abused by this backward philosophy. Unlike GAE & PAGE, A.P.E. represents ONLY teachers NOT Administrators!

Protesting the Dougherty County School System, demanding a principal be fired. According to this news article I said," A principal thinks that he's going to talk down to this teacher and use a racial slur according to what she's telling me. We're not going to have it."

Georgia Public School Administrators Should Support Classroom Teachers!

Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA

I often wonder why a few Georgia school administrators merely want support classroom teachers. In contrast, other administrators act as if it is a sad sign to support classroom teachers.
These administrators in the latter pretend to support teachers, then go behind the teachers’ backs and destroy their careers. These same administrators smile to the teachers’ faces while getting their assistant principals to do their ‘dirty work.’ When the assistant principals are not willing to do this ‘dirty work,’ the head administrator start a paper trail to get rid of the assistant. Theses fake administrators are “Masters at Conning Educators (MACE).
I believe, when teachers work their backsides off for theses administrative ‘Cons,’ such administrators should be very appreciative by showing extreme gratitude for the sacrifices and hard work of the teachers. Georgia teachers are passionate about their work in Georgia classrooms. Their time in the classrooms begins as early as 4 am each morning, and they often leave as late as 8 pm every evening in most cases.
So, why aren’t the ‘Cons’ appreciative.? I have learned down through the years when people think they are entitled to something; they always act out in bad faith. These administrators do not understand why teachers love what they do. Some ‘Cons’ have never had the amount of dedication even close to what most Georgia teachers have chosen to give.
One of my APE members once told me a story of working three jobs and going to school to become a teacher. She told me many times she wanted to give up, but she just kept going. This teacher did all of this while raising two teenage children.
You see, when you know about hard work and sacrifice, you make better decisions than the person who feels entitled. You understand that a bad action causes a bad reaction. The good principals think about what would happen if they non-renewed a teacher. The entitled principals only think about themselves and give little care about what would happen to the teachers if said educators lost their jobs or certification.
Georgia teachers must be aware of these ‘Cons’ and be protected by a thick-skinned and assertive teachers’ organization like APE. Why APE, you say? Because APE does not care about these administrative ‘Cons,’ we seek them out to be dealt with legally. We believe it is a waste of our time to negotiate with theses ‘Cons,’ and for this reason, we aggressively and strategically set our focus to subdue that administrator legally.
Georgia Teachers Rise Up!
Norreese L. Haynes BSBM, MSA

If you are sick and tired of being bullied by administrators and school superintendents, Georgia classroom teachers rise. I have made it one of my life goals to support classroom teachers in Georgia by starting the teacher's organization, the Association of Professional Educators (APE). APE always has and will always be a teacher's organization that will fight back aggressively against the power that be which is, "abusive school systems and their incompetent superintendents. APE fights when the other teacher's organization is afraid to why? Because these other teacher's organizations allow these same administrators to join their weak organization, they are scared to push back against these abusive administrators in fear of losing them as members. APE represents Only teachers, not administrators!
Now, let's talk about leadership. Leadership is leading, not following. Making teachers return to schools during a pandemic without a safe plan for returning is not leadership. These superintendents think leadership is getting paid a lot of money harassing teachers and supporting students misbehaving while kissing the butts of school board members. They have no real shame if they did; they would stand up against schools' reopening during a pandemic. They would tell the trLike the great John Lewis, A.P.E. is always getting Into Good Trouble! Necessary Trouble!

A.P.E. Attorney Jonathan Ross, Represents A A.P.E. Member In A Hearing.
 A.P.E. teachers organization Is the only teacher’s organization fighting aggressively to protect Georgia teachers from COVID-19.   A.P.E. will continue to fight to stop the reopening of Georgia's schools until it is safe to do so. Teachers, join the fight with us.

• 
  
  

• The Double-Edged Sword of Being a Teacher During a Global Pandemic
  Bobby L. Wilson, Founder & CEO of Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (MAUF)
  
  When I think of teachers, I think of the role that they play in helping produce our national and
  global leaders. It confounds the mind to realize that none of our leaders would be where they
  are today without teachers. Now, as we are faced with a global pandemic, the very leaders
  who have benefited and who are benefitting directly from the commitment and sacrifice of
  teachers, are willing to put those very teachers’ lives at risk by forcing them to return to their
  classrooms without the maximum protection possible against a deadly virus.
  
  It was a teacher who pulled me aside as a middle school student and encouraged me to
  straighten up, fly right, and think about my future. It was a teacher who put me in a car and
  drove me to the college campus, a trip that completely changed the trajectory of my life. It was
  a college professor (teacher) who encouraged me and showed me that I could do great things
  with my life. I am who I am today because of the guidance that I first received from a teacher in
  a small, rural town in Bay Springs, MS. Yes, I am an advocate for teachers.
  
  During these unprecedented times of a global pandemic, the definition of “essential” or
  frontline workers seems to change according to the will of whoever is in power. The double-
  edged sword for teachers is that they are frontline workers when it is convenient because,
  without them, schools cannot operate. Yet, when it comes to protecting this group of frontline
  workers, the CDC and Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp say that although teachers are essential
  workers, there are not essential enough to receive the vaccine in round 1A unless, of course,
  they are 65 years of age or older.
  
  Within this current educational dilemma, teachers are being subjected to the greatest degree
  of inequitable expectations. Teachers are experiencing in real time inequity even within local
  school districts. The exposure of classroom teachers is far greater than it is for upper-level
  employees—superintendents, principals, etc.—who are not required to share their workspace
  with several other people, especially students. Teachers, by the very nature of their job, must
  welcome any students, or as many, who opt for face-to-face instruction even though physical
  classrooms are not designed to maintain the “required” six-foot of social distance and may not
  have proper ventilation.
  
  
  
• When the CDC decided that schools could reopen “safely”, they did so without soliciting input
  from the people most impacted by their decision. Despite their most recent recommendations
  suggesting that it is “safe” for teachers to return to the classroom, they offer no suggestions on
  how to limit exposure to a deadly virus, especially in marginalized or underserved communities,
  where districts cannot ensure proper safety measures are in place to protect them. Many
  teachers are using their own resources to purchase classroom cleaning supplies. Teachers are
  justifiably concerned about their own well-being because the CDC has no remedy for students
  who refuse to wear their masks properly or who fail to report exposure. With all due respect to
  our President, no place is completely safe from Covid-19 exposure and schools are less safe, not
  more.
  
  The recent situation in Elberton, GA that is still making headlines today is, in my opinion, unjust
  and unjustified. An entire community is being denied additional vaccines because a decision
  was made at the community level to vaccinate teachers. According to local leaders, this
  decision was a move to prevent waste of a vaccine that is already in short support supply by
  administering the doses to its “frontline” workers—teachers. Who is better equipped to make
  decisions for the good of the local community other than its local leaders—the independent,
  community-based organizations such as the clinic that was charged to administer the vaccines?
  
  This example of the double-edged sword is that teachers are “essential” enough to be forced
  back into schools with our nation’s children, but not essential enough to be protected from a
  virus that puts their lives are at risk. With the more contagious Covid variant spreading rapidly
  across the US, how does the government maintain that schools can reopen if they do so
  “safely” without vaccinating the teachers? It is not the scientists, federal or state government
  who have their finger on the pulse of local communities, but rather it is the local community
  leaders themselves.
  
  A national research project that focuses on justice, equity, and inclusion has shared strong data
  to suggest that ICBOs are better equipped to make decisions for their communities. Afterall,
  who knows the community better than the people who live in the community? Another
  example of the double-edged sword is a matter of inequity as it relates to teachers being
  included among essential workers. Vaccines are being administered to teachers, but only those
  who quality as senior citizens anyway. If decision-makers and providers would listen to the
  voices of the local communities, their procedure could be more equitable and there would have
  less reason to punish local communities for doing what is in the best interest of the community.
  
  As a former educator, current independent community-based organization, and designated
  Covid-19 emergency relief center, I am deeply disheartened by what happened in Elberton, GA.
  Instead of being praised for making a sound, local decision, the entire community is being
  penalized because the Covid-19 agreement did not include the voice of the community. To add
  insult to injury, it seems clear that the policy is more of an “I know what you need”, power and
  privilege, more than it is about communities. The communication between policymakers and
  this local community seems to have been unclear and poorly disseminated.  Otherwise, why 
• move to raid the clinic rather than acknowledge inequity marginalized communities, and how
  local leaders chose to work through those challenges by trying to save its teachers.
  
  As a community-based organization, allow me to lend some ideas towards the solution.
  President Biden has declared a national emergency. I would like to suggest first that teachers
  be allowed to continue virtual instruction until all teachers can be vaccinated. Another option
  is that the government could consider allocating funding to create mobile vaccination units to
  help close the disparity gap between essential workers. These mobile units would be operated
  by retired school nurses and supervising physicians and who would travel from school to school
  within districts to administer the vaccine to its teachers. Mobile vaccine units would provide
  teachers with the protection needed alleviate some of their greatest fears, frustrations,
  anxieties, and concerns about not being treated equitably as essential workers.
  
  The question of security and eliminating waste could be answered by school leaders who would
  agree to provide the exact number of vaccines needed for their staff. The vaccines would be
  shipped directly to the community’s medical facility who, in turn, would distribute to the
  community-based organization that would supply the mobile units according to the information
  received from the schools.
  
  As the conversation continues and data continues to emerge on our response to Covid-19,
  showing respect to our frontline workers—the teachers, is critical. Forcing schools to re-open
  “safely” without vaccinating the teachers is only going to lead to more school closures and
  educational delays. The double-edged sword cuts both ways
  A.P.E. in Newton County fighting back against teachers’ brutality.
  A.P.E. Chief Special Counsel Gabriel Daniels, Aggressively Represents An A.P.E. Member In A Wrongful Termination Hearing. Another Happy Member.

Ms. Karolyn Sutton, a new A.P.E. Member in Clayton County School System is celebrating after her victory
Strategizing with Mr. Danny Tukes at Atlanta Public School Central Office"
Ms. Cathy Gillespie, a new A.P.E. Member in Douglass County School System is celebrating after her victory
"Norreese Haynes, Dany Tukes, and Leroy Walker is celebrating a hearing victory" 
"Ms. Loretta Keith, a new A.P.E. member in Clayton County School System is celebrating after her victory"
All Georgia public schools are trying to become charter schools and, get rid of teachers' rights. What!


Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA 

In my book, Public Education A Warehouse for Children I outline how public education warehouses children. Note the solution to this problem is to start the conversation of solving it. But no one has. Why? Is there any money in solving the problem? Or is there money in warehousing children? Public schools work the same as corporate America; they make money off the people who love their products, but in this case the products are children. Who loves public education products? People who make money selling testing material, books, and consultants who try to convince public school systems to buy into their products. They don’t give a damn about the kids.They target public schools infiltrated with gangs and troubled children because dysfunction can lead to a so-called “transformation”.
The truth hurts, but here it is: They make money off urban school systems or city schools because they know that they can be easily prostituted due to the problems they face, like the lack of parental involvement. So, shitty consultants convince urban school leaders that they have the answers to their problems, and they have fancy ideas with a fancy price attached. These consultants know the real problem because when they are out with their friends, they talk about how these so-called urban schools are behind as a result of the lack of parental involvement. And oh yeah, I forgot to mention the code word for urban is Black School Systems.
I now want to address the elephant in the room. The problem with public education is that the thugs are running the schools No urban school leader really wants to kick them out because these same thugs have a price tag. The state and federal government pays around $22,000 per student, and if that student needs special education, the price leaps to around $24,000 per student. You do the math. This is why teachers catch hell for removing thugs from the classroom or sending too many students to the office. The administrators send them right back, asking the teacher to follow their classroom management plan or simply fire them. The average first-year teacher makes around $38,000 to $40,000 a year. If they send just two students to the office and they get expelled, that school system loses around $48,000 a year. God forbid the teacher sends three to five students, and they all get expelled. That total adds up to $120,000 per year, so you are definitely getting fired! See? It’s easy to get rid of a teacher, more so than a thug student. It’s important to be protected, like the members of the Association of Professional Educators (APE). School systems fear APE more than any thug students because APE is more dangerous.
Running an urban school is the easy part, or any school for that matter. If I were the principal of an urban school, the first thing I would do is establish order. The universe is in order, so shouldn’t everything else be? The second thing I would do is let all of the thugs know who I really support: the teachers. So don’t try me, I believe the responsible adults, and any amount of crying from the kids would be a waste of time forme. Lastly, no free passes! If a teacher wrote them up, something is going to be done. If a teacher tells them to leave their classroom and they don’t, I would go down there and remove them myself, let the police put them in handcuffs and march them the long way around. The other thugs need to see them and know that if they crossed me, the same thing can happen to them, too. Do this consistently, and the other thugs will catch on fast! You come to school to learn or get the hell out! When an urban school superintendent or principals become willing to follow my philosophy in order, we will see real change in public education.
I find it funny that some administrators think that bad curriculum keeps students from learning. Curriculum is not the problem. Establish discipline, and you can teach anything. Teachers love what they do, they’re professionals. They know how to teach; they just need support from their administrators. Administrators need to honor their teachers. If you do this, they will love you and work hard for you. If not, who gives a shit? APE will just have to destroy you.


AN EXPLORATION INTO THE FACTORS INFLUENCING TEACHERS' JOB SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS:
A Case of Georgia Public School Teachers
Norreese L. Haynes
(Master Thesis 2017)


In 2015, the Georgia’s Department of Education in its research revealed that Georgia has a record of more than 100,000 teachers with the annual turnover rate of over 10%. Year, 25 percent to 30 percent of Georgia’s new teacher employment emanated from former teachers who have “had a break” from teaching for a period. The objective of this research is to know if teachers’ job satisfaction can result in a decreased in their turnover rates.
The literature review supports this assertion explaining theories backing up teacher’s job satisfaction and turnover rates. Also, diverse research was done on job satisfaction and its variables, such as pay and benefits, staff support, training and development, recognition, teachers’ evaluation, etc. And how it affects diverse factors was shown.
To determine how job satisfaction impacts turnover rates, 40 Georgia teachers were surveyed on various issues as it impacts their job satisfaction. The result reveals that although lots of the teachers have looked for alternative teaching profession within the last few months/year and a handful of the teachers have also looked for a new job outside of the teaching profession in the past one year; job satisfaction will reduce the high turnover rates among Georgia teachers. With regards to the study’s hypothesis, the result revealed that for Georgia teachers, pay and compensation do not influence their job satisfaction.
With this result, all stakeholders within the Georgia region had been encouraged with practical key action points that can gradually but certainly reduce the high turnover rates experienced within that region.

Chapter II
Literature Review
Introduction
Job satisfaction is a very important factor that has ripple effects on the so many areas and stakeholders within the public school system. Obtaining and retaining quality teachers is a continuing concern that is facing educational leaders at all levels.
What Is Job Satisfaction?
The term Job satisfaction does not have a universally accepted definition (Demirtas, 2010). Job satisfaction can be described as an increased state emotionally due to the appreciation of one’s job experience (Demirtas, 2010). To improve teaching qualities and the high rate of teacher’ turnover, it is very crucial to sustain and ensure teachers’ high job satisfaction. (GU, 2016). Job satisfaction is the degree to which individuals feel positively or negatively about their jobs (Song & Alpaslan, 2015) Job satisfaction is seen as an individual’s attitudes and feeling toward his/her profession (Sunal, Sunal, & Yasin, 2011). A teacher’s job satisfaction comprises of content with the profession and content with the work environment. (OECD, 2014)
Importance of Teachers Job Satisfaction
High job satisfaction enables teachers to deliver quality teaching, and this makes their students more successful (Demirtas, 2010). Teachers’ job satisfaction impacts student achievement (Ronfeldt, Loeb & Wyckoff, 2013). Students experiencing high teacher turnover score lower on standardized assessments (Ronfeldt, Loeb & Wyckoff, 2013) Job satisfaction are closely tied to teacher turnover (Green, 2014). Job discontentment and turnover have a negative impact on students’ ability to learn and their teachers’ work settings (Ronfeldt, et al., 2013). The evolution and preservation of social capital are distorted, including staff companionship, community, and credence (Ronfeldt, et al., 2013; Van Maele, Van Houtte, 2011)
Job dissatisfaction and turnover impact all students. With increased teacher turnover, students experience low score on standardized assessment. The effect of a teacher’s satisfaction and also attrition can include, but not restricted to dissatisfied teacher’s students who also affects the students negatively (Ronfeldt, et al., 2013).

Teachers Job Satisfaction in Public Schools
In the area of education, many studies on teacher’s job satisfaction have been carried out (Demirtas, 2010) Research has revealed that an increased job satisfaction will result in a decrease of teacher turnover (Ingersoll, 2011). It was also discussed that increased job satisfaction for teachers could result in increased enjoyment and motivation for both schools and students, which leads to student success (Demirtas, 2010).
Based on empirical research and counsel of researchers, district leadership and school, The National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015) identified ten standards that explain educational leadership. This includes assisting and developing the curriculum of the school, maintain teachers that are effective, dedication to the school’s mission and vision, sustaining a wholesome school environment, supporting the teacher’s development professionally, authorize teachers to perform and supervise staff resources effectively (As Cited in Burk Hauser, 2016).
Duyar et al., (2013), discovered that the curriculum, managing, teacher’s supervision and also support provision, Teacher’s priority was connected to the growth of job satisfaction. 2.5 Teaching

 
Profession in Georgia
The recent cut cost budget strategy by the state has affected the k-12 education. Based on the research for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Johnson et al. (2011) reveal that the depletion of education funds has resorted the school board to look for ways of reducing spending and still provide a good education for all students ( as cited in Mayer, Wiley, Wiley, Dees, & Raiford, 2016). To buttress the point, Cara Moore (2012), explained that “A once upon a time predictable and stable career have all of a sudden turned strained and tentative due to changing demands, and a higher reason to improve outcomes.”
Teaching is a career for those that can adjust to the changes and who can show these changes to the society. Teaching is for individuals who continually renew themselves, who are yearning for research, productive, creative, and responsive, who is advancing in its communication skills, and who have a positive state of mind towards the profession (Tok, 2013). Over the past five years, the report showed that newly employed teachers in Georgia leave the workforce within their first five years of teaching at a percentage of 15%. The Data also revealed that over 40% of newly employed teachers in Georgia, where out of the teaching job in 2015. Depreciation of Georgia’s teachers (High School) was the highest in the midst of all other subgroups in 2014 (Stephens, Hall, & McCampbell, 2015)
According to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission statistics (2015), reveals that 44 percent of public school teachers in the state resign in their initial five years of work. With regards this statistic, the findings of a Georgia Department of Education survey shows that 2 out of the three respondents reveals that they are unlikely or very unlikely to encourage teaching as a career to a prospective high school graduate. Teacher Remuneration and rank is little in Georgia (Smith & Persson, 2016) Teacher salaries are thrice below the coveted standards reported by teachers (Ingvarson et al., 2013). However, notwithstanding the low remuneration, teacher turnover is yet low (Public Policy Research and Training Center, 2014). This is possibly as a result of the overall increasing teacher’s unemployment rate, which prevents the teachers from taking the risk that they can get another job. Keeping up qualified and viable teachers is a key calculate the effective science education of secondary school understudies (Ronfeldt, 2012)

Measurement of Job Satisfaction
Job Satisfaction and Salary, Benefits, and Reward
All jobs and professions give a form of remuneration and rewards to individuals under them as a form of compensation for the time, knowledge and their expertise that made use of. The influence of salary, benefits, and rewards cannot be over-emphasized.
Research has shown that the salary of the first year has a distinct influence on a teacher retention. It was discovered that almost all new teachers that are (97%) having a salary of forty thousand dollars or more are more likely to come back to teach in the second year in comparison with 87% who earns less than forty thousand dollars ( Gray & Taie, 2015).
Akali (2010), in his research, concluded that the components that affect the job satisfaction and performance of teachers consist of Pay, recognition, promotion, and the condition if work

Job Satisfaction and teacher’s performance
The performance of the teacher anchors on the characteristics of the teacher, which comprises of: Features of the students (Opportunities for learning, and academic activities), teaching factors involved (This includes Lesson structures and communication skills), aspects of learning, Knowledge base and the classroom. (As cited in Chamundeswari, 2013, P 2). Indhumathi (2011), revealed that there was an association between performance and job satisfaction. (As cited in Chamundeswari, 2013). A research work carried out by (Usop, Langguyuan-Kadtong, Askandar, Usop, & Annierah Maulana Usop, 2013) on the relationship between job satisfaction and work performance in Philistines using a sample size of 200 public school teachers. The result reveals a satisfying relationship between job satisfaction and work performance

Job satisfaction and job retention
According to Spear, Gould, & Lee, (2000), the framework of policies are constructed to expand retention is as a result of the assumption that teachers will remain in the teaching profession if there is satisfaction in their job as well as associated conditions.(as Cited in Usop, Langguyuan-Kadtong, Askandar, Usop, & Annierah Maulana Usop, 2013).

Job satisfaction and school Support
According to Richard Ingersoll (2013), most teachers tend to leave their teaching profession because of poor admin support, dilapidated work conditions, poor salaries and absence of the ability of teachers to influence school decisions ( as cited in Barth, Dillion, HUll, & Higins, 2016). When a teacher's sense a poor support for their work, there is no motivation to do their very best in the classroom. Also, when the teachers are not contented with the working conditions, there is a probability of them is changing schools or totally leave the teaching profession Akhtar, S. N., Hashmi, M. A., & Naqvi, S. I. H. (2010).
Leadership in schools is a very important factor in teacher retention. An effective principal establishes and encourages professional collaboration and continuous improvement. (Barth, et al., 2016). According to Bogler and Nir, (2012), when the management of a school notices and rewards teachers, then they become committed. Also, due to this, there would be a need in them to upgrade their performance and this leads to job satisfaction (cited in El-Hilali. &Al-Rashidi, 2015)

Job satisfaction and Parent involvement /Satisfaction
Isaiah (2013), was of the opinion that involvement in school gives the parent a chance to watch and monitor school activities. This will enable parents to be corporate with teachers in the completion of school tasks and assignments. With regards to the students, with their parent’s involvement, there are fewer behavior issues, better grades and increased academic pursuits in comparison with students with less parental involvement. Also, he argued that the involvement of parents plays an important role in learning and teaching which is seen as a determining factor in teacher’s satisfaction. He was also of the view that synergy between teachers and parents is increased with parental involvement ( El-Hilali.&Al-Rashidi, 2015)
Kimiya (2011), was of the opinion that Involvement of parent is linked to increased achievement of their children in mathematics and language, enrollment in the more tasking academic program, increased academic persistence, good behaviors, good attendance and decreased dropout rates. (As cited in Mbogo, 2015). Parent participation can include phone and written communications, school function attendance, volunteering service by parents, attending parent/teacher conference, assistance with homework’s, involvement of the parent in decision making, etc. (Mbogo, 2015)

Job Satisfaction and Teachers' involvement in decision making
Mentoring and collaboration of teachers can strengthen social supports and collegial relationships that build positive work environment and adds to job satisfaction (Burns, Darling-Hammond, 2014). Included is the fact that teachers who engage in leadership roles and perceived that their input in school decision making is appreciated have better job satisfaction than the others perceived that they are voiceless and isolated.
Reduced or hindered teachers’ involvement in decision-making, and poor working conditions are one of the most common reasons for teachers turn over. Job satisfaction of teachers which is associated with the Teachers' work performance includes; a teachers’ commitment, motivation, and involvement in the job (Burns, Darling-Hammond, 2014)

Job satisfaction and Colleagues
Interrelationship between teachers and their colleagues can either bring about job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. For example, in a research work carried out by Thekedam (2010), in which instruments such as working conditions, supervision, colleagues, pay, the job, promotion, security are used as determinants of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, the result reveals that working condition was ranked high for satisfaction. Mustapha, (2013), also carried out a research on job satisfaction which was measured via interpersonal relationship and work load. The result revealed a positive association between interpersonal relationship and job satisfaction (cited in Nizam & Adil, 2014). According to Akhtar et all. (2010) job satisfaction level can be affected by both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, supervision, quality, Workgroup interpersonal relationships and the extent of success and failure on the job.

Job satisfaction and Nature of Work /working conditions
According to Josanov-Vrgovic & Pavlovich (2014), the most regular component of a teachers job satisfaction includes working conditions, teachers' behaviors, students' development, autonomy of teachers, schools culture and climate and teacher interaction with students
Chang, & Kim (2011), also observed that working conditions have emerged as the main source of teacher job dissatisfaction and teacher turnover. (As cited in OECD, 2014). Chandrasekar (2011) reveals that institutions need to be observant to develop a work environment that will develop the employee’s ability to be more prolific so has to increase the profitability of the institution. He was also of the opinion that interpersonal relationships play an important place in job satisfaction (As Cited in Raziqa & Maulabakhsh, 2015).
In a research work carried out by Raziqa & Maulabakhsh, (2015), on how the working environment impacts job satisfaction, using a simple random sampling in collecting data from over 200 employees in Pakistan, a positive relation was discovered between working environment and satisfaction in the job. Bakoti´c and Babi´c (2013) while analyzing the association between job satisfaction and a teacher working conditions through the use of quantitative technique using work conditions, salaries as variables. The result reveals that those who work under poor working conditions have their total job satisfaction hampered (As Cited in

Job satisfaction and Stress
Research reveals the 51% of the teacher go through lots of stress several times a week. Teachers in grade school experience stress more within a week in comparison with middle school teachers or high school teachers (59 percent vs 44 percent vs 42 percent). Tehseen & Hadi, (2015), Teachers experience an increased stress level due to higher demand. This result in a potential of being dissatisfied with their job (Moore, 2012). Ferguson, Frost, Hall, 2012; Green (2014), were of the opinion that gloomy work stress can result in anxiety and depression and is connected with poor job satisfaction. The combination of depression, stress and anxiety are a negative result of job satisfaction as (cited in Smith, 2016). Moore, (2012), reveals that teachers experience an increased level of stress due to pressure and demands. Occupational related stress with a need to improve student grade positions the teacher at a risk of job dissatisfaction.
Antoniou, Ploumpi, Ntalla, et al., (2013), inquire into the degree of stress and burn-out in teachers and their ability to cope with it. It was revealed that primary school teachers experience an increased stress level in comparison with secondary school teachers (As cited in Nizam & Adil,
A synopsis from my 150-page thesis. We want every teacher who visits our website to know that APE knows the issues.

No! You Cannot ‘ape’, A.P.E.! If We Are Correct In Our Analysis, You Should Have Already Joined.
Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA

Case 1.

It’s obvious that Georgia teachers are treated unfairly. When animals run the zoo, there’s bound to be problems. It doesn’t surprise me: when students act out in class, administrators blame the teacher, like they somehow control their students through hypnosis. I say that’s hogwash. Parents should hand over their kids’ birth certificates, and stop wasting money on babysitters because, look! We have all of those things in one person! The teacher plays mommy, daddy, good cop, and bad cop. When teachers discipline, like mommy and daddy should, suddenly the teacher’s the villain.


What happens next? Kids lie. They go to the front office, and now administrators are investigating everybody that dared do something constructive with the kids. They’re afraid of losing their jobs, and facing repercussions from the parents. Lazy superintendents fear the school board and school board members fear Election Day. But animals fear no one. Teachers face non-renewal and all because some kid told a lie, and the adults responsible for filtering out the fakes believe them. They destroy your career in the process.

Case 2.

Teacher dresses better than the administrator. The administrator non-renews teacher because they’re too lazy to dress up. The teacher holds a higher degree than them, communicates better with parents and staff, and even the janitor. A black administrator might get mad because the teacher didn’t pledge to be a member of their sorority or fraternity. This is crazy, and most of the time, non-renewal happens because of something personal, not a profession-based. Administrators kissed a lot of ass to get to their seat, and they want you to do the same. You won’t. You have the respect. You worked hard to achieve your degree and certification, but people fear the power they see in others that they don’t see in themselves. The plot is set to destroy your career and get you fired.

Case 3.

 Teacher joins a lazy ass teachers’ union instead of a real teachers’ union like the Association of Professional Educators (APE). Those other unions take money from good educators and then do nothing for them. When teachers get in real trouble, they cry out and there’s no help, even after paying into these unions for years. Why would you join a union that allows administrators in their union? So in reality, you cannot out ‘ape’, APE. APE will destroy any administrator who tries to abuse its members and if you are a member, you have nothing to worry about; APE has your back. It's not about color, these lazy ass administrators will destroy any teacher who doesn’t kiss their ass. They are bipolar: they like you one day and hate you the next. Don't allow these bipolar administrators to destroy your teaching career; fight back and join APE today.

Case 4.

Lazy ass administrators abuses their power by using the evaluation process to destroy a teacher's career. A.P.E. calls this “Bad drive-by evaluations”. They come into your room unannounced, evaluate you when they are not scheduled to, and mark you low in communication. They mark you low in communication when even they cannot communicate. This area is used mostly because the administrator can be subjective. These administrators wait until it's time to give you your summative, end of year review so they can mark you down as negative for the year. This negative summative is recorded at the Georgia Professional Standard Commission (PSC) and if you have received two of these negative summative reports within 5 years, then the PSC suspends your certificate until you have had a chance to re-mediate your deficiency, but how can you re-mediate if you do not have a certificate to get another teacher position?
 IF you have car insurance, you need teacher's insurance. Join APE today before you get HIT!

A Local Georgia Teachers Union Speaks Out!
Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA 

Georgia teachers have been treated like shit for years. It is very sad for me to sit here and write about our great teachers without telling the truth about how some administrators treat them. First understand, that teachers love teaching, but when they face school administrators treating them like unwanted trash each day, preparing to teach every morning gets harder. How can a teacher teach when they are harassed every day by their administrators? At the Georgia teachers’ union where I work, The Association of Professional Educators (APE), we fight to destroy these administrators because we believe they are evil. The A.P.E. teachers’ union understands why teachers leave their profession. It’s not all about the money.  
In my opinion, teachers stress from the lack of support from their administrators. They feel as if the administrator is more preoccupied with false testing instead of providing quality education to students. The A.P..E teachers’ union speaks out against the false priesthood of testing. We believe over-testing students is evidence of companies making money on testing material. These companies pimp school systems by telling them this is the new standard, or that this will help prepare students for the corporate world of technology. This is hogwash! Students need to know their timetables, the presidents, and skills to become productive citizens of society. Teachers know what students need best because they are the ones in the battle field of education each day. A.P.E. is an aggressive Georgia teachers’ union fighting back against these plantation tactics on Georgia teachers.
The APE teachers’ union knows some teachers waste their money on lazy ass unions in Georgia. They don’t aggressively protect teacher rights, but the A.P.E. teachers’ union will destroy any administrator who abuses its members. The A.P.E. teachers' union in Georgia is the most aggressive teachers' union in Georgia. If I was a teacher in Georgia, I would be an APE member. The A.P.E. teachers’ union saved so many teachers’ careers, I lost count. I started this union because I know teachers' are tired of being treated like shit, and are looking for an aggressive teachers’ union to fight back against abuse, and provide the peace of mind they deserve. I knew APE would be unstoppable when we first organized because I decided to do my best to destroy any administrator who attacked my members.
A.P.E. establishes balance in the Georgia teachers’ universe. We are the force that maintains order within the school system throughout Georgia. We are the forces that maintain order within school systems throughout Georgia. We will work with any school system willing to support the rights of Georgia teachers. We destroy any systems working against the welfare of Georgia teachers. Are we aggressive? You’re damn right! A.P.E. fears no one. People who abuse our members should fear A.P.E.

Now, let’s talk a little bit about these fake, ‘I-will-save-your-school-system’ superintendents. These superintendents do not have a shoe-fits-all approach or a magic pill to raise test scores. They just look to raise their salary so they can retire with a little more in their pocket. I’m sure some of them mean well, but to be clear, there is no magic pill to raise the test scores. Just ask Atlanta Public Schools (APS), the worst cheating scandal in history. Just google, “Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal”.
Superintendents are recycled. They go from one school system to the next preaching the same shit: I am for children”. If they are for the children, why do they leave from the district that pays the most, and preach the same shit? I have said it for more than 18 years: raising test scores takes order in the school, discipline, and support for teachers. If a superintendent is not willing to call out slovenly parents, and throw the thugs out of the schools, test scores will always stay low.
Administrators, the eyes of A.P.E. is upon you!


"You'll never find peace of mind without A.P.E."
           Norreese L. Haynes, BSBM, MSA



 What Can A.P.E. Do For Me?

• Aggressive Representation When You Need It
• Evaluations of Administrators 
• Street Pickets In Front of School or Central Office
• School Visits
• Grievances* Tribunals*Letters* Rebuttals*Hearings