Page 16
Dispirited
(Continued from page 14)
tention-deficit disorders,
autism, or learning disor-
ders, while others use Eng-
lish as a second language.
Another effect, Cohen
said, has been elimination
of specialists who teach
music, art, shop and P.E.
Classroom teachers have to
pick up the slack, which
usually eliminates prep
periods they may have
used in the past.
“One result is that
teachers are spending more
and more time outside the
classroom preparing lesson
plans and grading assign-
ments,” Cohen said.
Half of the survey re-
spondents said one of the
most significant changes
they face as a result of
budget cuts has been the
advent of “no-frills teach-
ing,” which translates into
more lectures, fewer spe-
cial projects, less group
work and cooperative
learning, fewer electives
and fewer hands-on learn-
ing opportunities.
“In other words, most
of what we have learned in
the last 25 years of educa-
tional best practices are
going out the window be-
cause of the budget
squeeze,” Cohen said.
Teachers also are be-
ing affected on the bottom
line, the OSU survey
found. Nine out of 10
teachers report that they
have experienced a nega-
tive salary effect from
budget woes, either
through salary reduction,
the number of “cut days”
lopped off the school year
or through additional per-
sonal investment in the
classroom.
Wrote one: “I have
paid for more materials
this year…file folders,
glue sticks, etc. We have-
n’t had a real raise in
years.”
Others say they are
spending less on the class-
room out of necessity --
they simply cannot afford
it. More than one-fourth
(28 percent) of the respon-
dents say they or their part-
ners have had to get an-
other job to make ends
meet, or that they were
seeking additional employ-
ment. And they have had
to do major belt-
tightening. Noted one
teacher: “We have had to
eat a lot of oatmeal be-
cause of the salary cuts.”
Cohen said 73 percent
of the teachers surveyed
say their health has been
adversely affected by the
public school budget crisis.
Stress, depression, anxiety,
sleeplessness, and weight
problems are common-
place, she pointed out.
“Despite the impact of
the budget on teachers,
their greatest concern is
what effect the fiscal
crunch has on the school
children and their ability to
learn,” Cohen said.
“Teachers in the sample
are an altruistic group, yet
clearly the stresses on
teachers cannot mean good
things for students.
“When nearly three-
fourths of the teachers feel
their health is at-risk, that
means that burnout and
attrition are serious risks,”
she added. “Hopefully, this
study will provide support
for teachers in the field and
encourage Oregon to pro-
vide a stable funding base.
It also means that we need
to prepare prospective
teachers in our schools for
the reality of teaching.”
OSU students assisting
in the survey were Aaron
Barnes, L. Earl Fonville,
Andy Hordichok, Jeannette
Smith, and Kathleen
Smith.
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 21, 2004
ALARMING SITUATION - Illi-
nois Valley Fire District fire-
fighters responded to a re-
ported structure fire on
Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 8:25
a.m. They found a small
amount of smoke in a mobile
home in the 200 block of
Schumacher Street at Hussey
Avenue. District Division Chief
Joe Feldhaus said that there
was no fire, but that the prob-
lem appeared to be related to
a dusty wall heater. American
Medical Response stood by at
the scene with firefighters.