I didn't think teachers could strike

[Leah]

Compared to a real job it is glorified babysitting. Not only that but teachers only work nine months a year. Being a teacher is hard because you have to put up with bullshit, not because incredible results are expected.

Now your just fucking with us, right? Compared to a 'real job'? Really? That's extremely insulting.

[Broncojohnny]

Exactly. I was going to reply to that, but I thought for sure he didn't mean it the way I understood him to mean it. Apparently, I was wrong. Dang. I guess even though I have a Bachelors and Masters, I'm in an unskilled profession.


This.


Not necessarily. I have seen GREAT parents at a loss on how to get their kid to give a shit. They have tried going to parenting classes, read books, worked with the school to do what they could and their kid just doesn't CARE. It's like an addict, you can't help them until they are ready to accept it. Now, on the flip side of that, I have seen kids excel even though they came from the shittiest home situation and parents that were never there.

People want so badly to assign blame as to why test scores are bad, or why kids fail when in all reality, it is very individualistic. Desire and persistence can be modeled, encouraged and even imposed, but in the end the kid has to make an effort.

*edit* I want to specifically respond to this: "Kids only fail when parents fail, there is no such thing as a hardwired "bad kid"."

Actually, yes there is. I have had a handful of students that I could tell you that no matter what intervention was performed, this kid was going to end up either in jail or dead. There is such a thing as a hardwired bad kid.

You are overqualified for the position IMO if you have a Masters. I am on my phone, it is hard for me to type my usual dissertations. Lol

[Leah]

You are overqualified for the position IMO if you have a Masters. I am on my phone, it is hard for me to type my usual dissertations. Lol

Just wow.

[Broncojohnny]

Now your just fucking with us, right? Compared to a 'real job'? Really? That's extremely insulting.

I meant real job only in the sense of the hours you put in. Not many jobs get weeks off in summer. As for the skill part of my comments, the numbers don't lie, it is basic economics, if the job required a tremendous amount of skill the pAy would be higher. Teachers with ten years experience wouldn't be making 55 K a year.

[Forever_frost]

Holy hell, you're retarded. The system is fucked from the top down. Teachers are NOT the problem. They are bound to what the legislators give them to work with. Standardized testing doesn't actually teach anything at all.

You know where Texas school budgets go? Football programs. I'm sure that is the teachers fault too.

You missed my point. Teachers are the grunts. They are who are looked at when your kid can't read at 17. It is the teachers however who are responsible for fighting against the district to get rid of the bad teachers and administrators to actually get things done.

[Leah]

I meant real job only in the sense of the hours you put in. Not many jobs get weeks off in summer. As for the skill part of my comments, the numbers don't lie, it is basic economics, if the job required a tremendous amount of skill the pAy would be higher. Teachers with ten years experience wouldn't be making 55 K a year.

It's like talking to a brick wall. You guys are never going to change your minds because you are the end all, be all of knowledge in an area you have absolutely no experience in. Way to make yourselves look good!

[Forever_frost]

The grunt enlist, jackass. They signed up to be there. They are working with other grunts and officers who enlisted & work together in order to succeed. Teachers are working with kids & parents who don't want to be there, many of who have the great ambition in life to get on the wellfare roles to get free shit & who see zero gain in working toward anything gainful. So how's it the same when a teacher can't get a kid to give a fuck as when its people working toward a shared goal again? It isn't fair to be penalized when you bust your ass daily & run up against a brick wall trying to get some cooperation & give a shit going.

And teachers enlist. They sign the contract to work x time for x pay. Or am I wrong? You are working with people who don't want to do what you want them to. Congrats, we did too. We have to cover down when soldiers and the group we're training doesn't want to be there, doesn't have teh skills to be there and shouldn't be there. Sounds like it's pretty damned close to me. You are also missing the last part of my little rant. Teachers should be able to rid themselves of those who have no interest in learning. Send them to trade school, teach them to sack groceries and dig ditches. School should be for those who want to be there.

[Leah]

It is the teachers however who are responsible for fighting against the district to get rid of the bad teachers and administrators to actually get things done.

Explain to me how I'm supposed to fight the district to get rid of the bad teachers?

[mschmoyer]

It's a rock-and-a-hard-place issue. If you have 15 kids to teach, a smart teacher can make them all pass tests all day long but then the district comes along and adds 15 more and the same scores are expected. Good-effing-luck. It's an impossible task.

Districts want more children, more minority children, more special ed children, winning football teams...anything to grab more cash from the feds. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

My wife was expected to begin teaching 32 (!!!) 3-year old pre-k students how to read. She was happy to go a day without one of them crapping on the floor. Spent 100% of the day disciplining the babies. All because a school district needed more cash to fund a new school and renovations....common theme I'm starting to see here.

[Dlachance]

Your full of shit. Some kids are just bad kids. You have no idea how much time we spent working with my son on school work, or how he was raised.

I don't give a shit what you went through. Maybe if parents raised them properly, they would respect parents and listen to them. Maybe if they are raised by a wise parent, they will not get messed up with the wrong people. It's funny how some parents take much credit for their kids being good, but when things turn sour, fingerpointing insues. Kids WANT to be raised with strong hands and guidance, not to be lost in the world. Do you know what 90% of male drug addicts have in common? The absence of their biological father in their life. Furthermore, if parents took advice from the man upstairs on how to live and especially how to raise and treat children, results would be better. But hey, no ones perfect I guess.

Now your just fucking with us, right? Compared to a 'real job'? Really? That's extremely insulting.

Teaching looks to be one of the most difficult things to do. Men generally don't have any idea and believe it is some feminist cookie cutter job. As a teacher, you are serving the community and should be respected, if you are a good teacher.

[Forever_frost]

Now that is the question Leah. Do you know who the teachers are around you who are shit at their jobs? I'd point it out. Everyone in the unit knew who the shitbirds were and they were treated like it. You are saying you can't go to your admin and say "Look this person is a dick, can barely read themselves and I'm pretty sure that People magazine isn't needed for math class."

I'm not attacking good teachers, I'm attacking bad teachers, administrators and my favorite...unions.

[Broncojohnny]

It's like talking to a brick wall. You guys are never going to change your minds because you are the end all, be all of knowledge in an area you have absolutely no experience in. Way to make yourselves look good!

Not at all, I just think you tend to think every teacher is as smart as you are and has your good intentions. The profession has been overrun with slackers IMO and they manage to get by because of politics and nonsense. Unions just make that situation worse. So expectations have been dumbed down to the point where all you need is for the kids to pass a test like the chicken at the state fair that plays tic tac toe. The bottom line is you need more overqualified teachers and they need to be paid more but they also need to be held to a higher standard than getting the kids to pass a test.

[Dlachance]

Teachers should be able to rid themselves of those who have no interest in learning. Send them to trade school, teach them to sack groceries and dig ditches. School should be for those who want to be there.

Best point made in thread.

[FATHERFORD]

With my wife being a highschool biology teacher and team leader... I agree with Bronco Johny..

She has a bachelors and is overqualified for the job.. Why? Because the state pretty much creates and forces teachers to use some BS lesson plan to pass a useless test.

I've told her time and time again to get out that BS job and do something that makes money. Even with her summers off and "large" vacations she still averages about $6-7 an hour. Not to mention how much money I put in personally to get these little shits to maybe do some work. The only way she can get some of these fuckers to even care if she passes out candy. I'm talking full candy bars. Lets not forgot all the school supplies I had to buy for her class room.

She has employees are her team I wouldn't trust turning a door knob, much less teaching my children. These are also the same POS's that only work from 7:35 to 3:10 everyday and say fuck the kids.


55k a year... SHE WISHES.

[Leah]

Not at all, I just think you tend to think every teacher is as smart as you are and has your good intentions. The profession has been overrun with slackers IMO and they manage to get by because of politics and nonsense. Unions just make that situation worse. So expectations have been dumbed down to the point where all you need is for the kids to pass a test like the chicken at the state fair that plays tic tac toe. The bottom line is you need more overqualified teachers and they need to be paid more but they also need to be held to a higher standard than getting the kids to pass a test.

Now, this I can get on board with.

Seriously, I just sent this IM to Chili:
I really have no arguement except I just want people to respect the profession and people who dedicate their lives to teaching. I know I have it easy right now, but I haven't always and know many teachers that work their ass off. I'm not complaining about any part of my job-just the acknowledgement that we serve a purpose and are a needed part of society. Is that really too much to ask?
Argh a darg!!

This is really all I'm saying. Yes-there are shitty teachers, yes some need to move the fuck out of education because they are only here for a paycheck and could give two shits about educating your child. All I'm defending is that it is not a 'glorified babysitting' position, nor is it an unskilled profession. Are there teachers that don't know what the fuck they're doing? Hell yes, but most of the time, that is the admin's fault for placing them in that position or they are one hell of a salesman.

I'm just asking for the respect that *most* teachers deserve and to not be belittled by the few bad seeds.