Kent teachers suck!

[Ice Cap]

I sit here reading through all these posts and many of you have some very good points.

Teachers do have a large impact on the development of children. Not nearly as much as the parents but they do play a large part.

I have no doubt that teaching is hard work but lets face some simple facts.

Does a teacher work harder than a guy that spends his days doing manual labor? I think not. Does the guy digging ditches all day get equal or better compensation than a teacher? I think not. So that point holds no water in my book.

Another point I haven't seen brought up is that fact that getting teaching credentials is the easiest college degree there is. When I was going to school there were many folks that could not cut the degree program I was working on and they decided to become teachers instead. I asked around my office yeaterday and many people here had similar stories of folks changing to teaching because it was easy. This leads us to the good ol laws of supply and demand. If it was a difficult degree program there would be far fewer teachers available therefore salaries/compensation would be much higher.
When is the last time you heard of a teacher shortage?
Lots of teachers available with minimum skills required for the degree equal lower pay scales.
Another arguement I see is that teachers should be paid six figure salaries due to the fact that they are responsible for the well being of the children. Does that not also apply to baby sitters. Should they be paid $50.00 an hour to watch your kids? I don't think so.

Teachers were aware of what they were getting into when they chose their careers. If they don't like it then they should find other work. Seems pretty simple to me. If enough teachers change careers then there would be a shortage. Once there was a shortage then salaries would be increased to attract people into the teaching field. See how that works!

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

I keep seeing and hearing comments about the perception that a crappy teacher can't be fired because of the Union.


Simply put, That's not true.

If the administration weren't so damn lazy they could simply audit/assess the poor performing teacher's abilities and document their findings and compare them against other teachers within that school district.
It would take some paperwork and diligence on their part but it's easy enough if they've been doing their job all along.
All companies who have Unions I know of have this ability.

Unions exist to protect good workers from dishonest abusive companies.
It is not their goal to protect horrible, non productive workers.
The Union only does well if the company does well. Why would they want a company (or school administration) to be forced to keep a worthless employee who brings nothing to the success of the company or district?

 

[Ultralord]

Are they going to obey the court order???

 

[winter brew]

I sit here reading through all these posts and many of you have some very good points.

Teachers do have a large impact on the development of children. Not nearly as much as the parents but they do play a large part.

I have no doubt that teaching is hard work but lets face some simple facts.

Does a teacher work harder than a guy that spends his days doing manual labor? I think not. Does the guy digging ditches all day get equal or better compensation than a teacher? I think not. So that point holds no water in my book.

Another point I haven't seen brought up is that fact that getting teaching credentials is the easiest college degree there is. When I was going to school there were many folks that could not cut the degree program I was working on and they decided to become teachers instead. I asked around my office yeaterday and many people here had similar stories of folks changing to teaching because it was easy. This leads us to the good ol laws of supply and demand. If it was a difficult degree program there would be far fewer teachers available therefore salaries/compensation would be much higher.
When is the last time you heard of a teacher shortage?
Lots of teachers available with minimum skills required for the degree equal lower pay scales.
Another arguement I see is that teachers should be paid six figure salaries due to the fact that they are responsible for the well being of the children. Does that not also apply to baby sitters. Should they be paid $50.00 an hour to watch your kids? I don't think so.

Teachers were aware of what they were getting into when they chose their careers. If they don't like it then they should find other work. Seems pretty simple to me. If enough teachers change careers then there would be a shortage. Once there was a shortage then salaries would be increased to attract people into the teaching field. See how that works!

Some good points....but some I have to disagree with. I have many blue collar friends with no more than high school education (including myself) and all make 80-100K doing manual labor....including Boeing workers that do little and have almost zero responsibility....their work is much less demanding on ones life than the teachers I know.
A baby sitter is just hired to watch...not to educate thousands of kids. And have you priced daycare?
My point is.....IF teaching was higher paid, THEN districts could be more demanding of the education required.....as you indicated, who wants to go to the effort of getting a difficult degree if the job doesn't pay well? It would eliminate the "oh well....this is too hard, I think I'll take the easy road and get a teaching degree" mentality.......that is the last type of people we need educating and inspiring youth. JMHO
But....it'll never happen that way, it costs too much $$. Money better spent on law enforcement and prisons to house the next generation of baggy pant wearing punks.

 

[Ice Cap]

I can't argue with that Mr. Brew other than you aren't just manual labor, you are a highly skilled employee in the aerospace industry!

 

[winter brew]

I can't argue with that Mr. Brew other than you aren't just manual labor, you are a highly skilled employee in the aerospace industry!

Ya....that's what I meant to say

 

[KevinW]

How about them Seahawks?

 

[winter brew]

How about them Seahawks?

Now THEY are overpaid.

 

[Ultralord]

Now THEY are overpaid.

hay your point would be

 

[yammadog]

I can't argue with that Mr. Brew other than you aren't just manual labor, you are a highly skilled employee in the aerospace industry!

What is this? some sort of political love in?.....you guys visit with ford and gravy at lunch? get a room....

 

[triple7]

So are the winers going back to work or not??

 

[whitefish]

My guess is they will return to work because they now possibly have something to lose. If they truly believed they had a case, they would continue the strike.

 

[skidoorulz]

Who's ready to go out on strike and demand money from the rest of the people that are out of work or happy to have a job...for now....

I don't think Eric is demeaning teachers in general. I think and agree that now is a BAD time.

While the rest of us have little to no security in the private sector, the public sector workers are demanding more. No one says teachers make too much money or don't deserve more, but not right now. No one is saying teaching isn't long hard work, but no one is saying that teachers are making a decent living with decent benefits. Everyone continues to identify how they are underpaid and under appreciated, not that they do have a pretty decent schedule and pay scale as compared to the rest of the middle income working world.

The teachers should get back to work and do this game when times are better. Heck, I've lost over 80% of my income in the last year and have very little security...I'm ready to take my degree and go get a teaching job. It'd be less hours and about the same pay at this point...plus some security in a GUARANTEED 180 days of work by law, which turns out to be about the same pay scale as some one that works 240+ days a year on average.

I appreciate the good teachers I had and loathe the lazy and crappy humans that tought me also that couldn't be fired because of the union. But thankfully I had more good one's than bad ones. The challenges that teachers have as far as behaviour, strike about that. Don't teach another kid until a parent or guardian shows up to meet and participate in each childs development. There's a good reason to strike!!

I also appreciate the teachers my kids have and think they deserve more for the commitment and effort and caring they give my boys, but if they where to strike right now, I'd be on the other corner telling them to get to work! I'm losing my house and I'm not in the position to give them more money right now. I feel for the parents that are getting stuck by the public employees in their neighborhood. Too bad some couldn't be fired and too bad they couldn't lose some money over not going to work. They will lose nothing in pay, just respect.

Yamadog you say it is bad timing. Is there ever a good time to be on strike? The district here went out on strike 7 years ago next month for 21 days. This was after working with no contract for 2 years prior to that because admin and the school board simply would not budge on anything. Finally enough was enough and they walked. Yes there were people like Eric saying FU teachers and flipping them off on the picket line but there were just as many people and more that brought the teachers food and drinks and coffee and other things. The same stuff was said back then that is being said now like this isn't a good time and I work for 6 dollars an hour and so on. The big differanc is that 7 years ago the economy was good and you could not find people to fill open positions no matter how hard you tried or how much you paid. But still people said this is not a good time. As I said there is no good time to strike. Now for the ones who say there isn't a teacher shortage. Check your facts people. There is a shortage because the teacher pool is aging and retirements are happening. More teachers are retiring than new people going into teaching. Also retention of new teachers is extremly difficult. A significant amount of young teachers choose to leave the profession after 3 to 5 years due to low pay and benefits and other things. With the education they have they can find work in the private sector for better pay and benefits. So the shortage of teachers is a growing problem that is spreading throughout this country. Now to the one who has lost 80% of his income and is going to loose his house and could get into teaching with just a few classes. I say do it. Take the dream job that everyone here is so jealous about. If I was about to loose my house and had little to no income and was as smart as this guy I would do it in a heartbeat. I would love to take that starting teacher salary job of say oh 20 to 30 thousand a year. (Here in Montana depending where your at. And sometimes as low as 18K in the really small schools.) Until you have filled out the app and took the job and have poured your heart into it for let's say 5 years, then you ain't got much to talk about. And then after those 5 years I'm sure your opinion will change.

If you can read this. Thank a Teacher. They cared enough to make a differance in your life.

Since you are reading this in English thank a Vet. They cared enough to keep this country safe.

 

[skidoorulz]

I sit here reading through all these posts and many of you have some very good points.

Teachers do have a large impact on the development of children. Not nearly as much as the parents but they do play a large part.

I have no doubt that teaching is hard work but lets face some simple facts.

Does a teacher work harder than a guy that spends his days doing manual labor? I think not. Does the guy digging ditches all day get equal or better compensation than a teacher? I think not. So that point holds no water in my book.

Another point I haven't seen brought up is that fact that getting teaching credentials is the easiest college degree there is. When I was going to school there were many folks that could not cut the degree program I was working on and they decided to become teachers instead. I asked around my office yeaterday and many people here had similar stories of folks changing to teaching because it was easy. This leads us to the good ol laws of supply and demand. If it was a difficult degree program there would be far fewer teachers available therefore salaries/compensation would be much higher.
When is the last time you heard of a teacher shortage?
Lots of teachers available with minimum skills required for the degree equal lower pay scales.
Another arguement I see is that teachers should be paid six figure salaries due to the fact that they are responsible for the well being of the children. Does that not also apply to baby sitters. Should they be paid $50.00 an hour to watch your kids? I don't think so.

Teachers were aware of what they were getting into when they chose their careers. If they don't like it then they should find other work. Seems pretty simple to me. If enough teachers change careers then there would be a shortage. Once there was a shortage then salaries would be increased to attract people into the teaching field. See how that works!

Are you kidding? Comparing a ditch diggers pay to anyone who has a college education let alone a teacher. That is just stupid. Unless the ditch digger is doing it with an excavator, then they damn sure makes more than a teacher.And then you say college kids who couldn't cut it in some other course of study dumps that and changes their studies to teaching and getting a teaching degree because it is the easiest thin in college. You should take over the tonight show. Teaching is a 4 year course at the minimum. 6 if you want a Masters and 8 for a doctorate. Boy that sounds easy why did'nt I become a Teacher. You can be a nurse with 2 years of schooling. You're funny.

 

[Ice Cap]

Skidoorulz I am just curious but how old are you and how far through the educational system did you go?

 

[diamonddave]

Wow...teachers strike when the fish are still biting. If the ocean wasn't full of fish, they'd go back to work.

 

[christian]

Wow...teachers strike when the fish are still biting. If the ocean wasn't full of fish, they'd go back to work.

.

great minds think alike lets go!!!! I could use a net lesson

 

[skidoorulz]

Skidoorulz I am just curious but how old are you and how far through the educational system did you go?

What differance does it make how old or how far through the school system I went? That has nothing to do with anything. But if you must know I am 51 and a high school graduate and my continuing education after high school has been 33 years in the school of hard knocks. Have done ok and don't owe a dime on anything I have including my house which I paid off the 30 year mortgage in 15 years, 8 years ago. And my wife and I paid for every bit of college education she took, with no help from parents or anyone else including our government. She only had one 500 dollar scholarship even though she was Validictorian at her high school. You see it seems that standouts in sports seem to get more scholarship oppurtunities than people who stand out in academics. I also beleive that sports should be cut in schools instead of teaching staff and textbooks when times are tough but no, that never seems to happen. I beleive eveyone has the right to a free public education but nobody has the right to play sports and it should not be paid for by the taxpayer. Pay for play is how a sports program in schools should be. Good enough answer for ya?

 

[Summertime Blues]

So only the kids whose parents have money get to play sports? I know for a fact the only reason some kids show up to school is for sports. Start charging kids who can't afford lunch to play sports they won't even be at school.....

 

[diamonddave]

.

great minds think alike lets go!!!! I could use a net lesson

Sure, let me know. But I just got back from Albacore fishing. Broke my bad foot, had to learn how to gaff tuna again (5 year absence)

wiff, fish makes a run. wiff, fish makes another run. 3rd time...got em, right in the a$$.

Too busy for pics.