US teachers union head lawyer on its "power"

[DukeP]

Its quite simple: You get what You pay for.

The teachers of my kids will get as much pay as I can possible afford.

Teaching is about the most important profession bar none.

Teaching ought to be a valued and respected profession.

Posts like this thread is more a part of the problem with the education systems of today than just about anything else.

Society is based on generations teaching each other. No teaching = no society.

~~DukeP~~

[Dr Mordrid]

An example of their hubris is "MEA Weekend": a twice-a-year weekend when the MEA holds its conventions. They never choose to do so during summer vacation or during another holiday break, and their conventions run Friday-Saturday instead of Saturday-Sunday.

The school boards never protest; they just put it on the calendar and in the absence of older siblings or other relatives the parents get to scramble for daycare.

[cjolley]

Well, not now of course.
When I was teaching 25 years ago...

my how time flys


PS Assuming by "you" you mean me personally.
If you mean generically, then what good would ungraded homework be?

[TransformX]

You grade homework..!?

[cjolley]

Take my schedule as an example:

5 classes per day

15 students per class (average)

1 page of homework per day (average)

4 homework days per week

5x15x1x4 = 300 pages of homework to grade each week (minimum, no tests, quizes, projects, etc)

Who would set themselves up for that kind of weekend?

[Dr Mordrid]

Then we have a bumper crop

[cjolley]

There are plenty of other jobs where people don't work a normal 8 hour day either and make less then a teacher and don't get paid OT. I've known several teachers and most of them work just a regular day and maybe work a couple hours on the weekend to do grading...

So, your solution is to entrust your kids education to 7-11 employees?

And any teacher who only gets around to grading papers once a week is derelict.

[GT98]

You forgot to mention that teachers work 11hr/day and have to go to school in the summer to keep up their certificates.
$56,682 average? Wow, not here. When I was a teacher I made $11,600. That was in 1983. $12,400 in 1984. No health insurance either.

There are plenty of other jobs where people don't work a normal 8 hour day either and make less then a teacher and don't get paid OT. I've known several teachers and most of them work just a regular day and maybe work a couple hours on the weekend to do grading...

[cjolley]

Can you name a job that only requires you to work 180 days a year? In my home state, the avg Teachers pay is $56682 a YEAR! I've been looking for a new job, and I've seen jobs requiring a CCNA and 4 year degree only paying 40K a year!

Then lets not bring up that I'm paying $3600 a year for Property taxes on a 976 Sq ft Condo to pay the teachers in my town.

I'm all about making a decent living, but at times, enough is enough. I knew a teacher who had a 3 degrees and was making 75K a year...I used to work in a School System and all the education system is about is Politics.

You forgot to mention that teachers work 11hr/day and have to go to school in the summer to keep up their certificates.
$56,682 average? Wow, not here. When I was a teacher I made $11,600. That was in 1983. $12,400 in 1984. No health insurance either.

You are right about the politics though...

[cjolley]

Problem is the administrators are also members of the NEA and the board cow-tows to them as well because the state board is also run by the NEA. It's a huge damned scam. Period.

Boy do you ever not live in Oklahoma.
We should swap states.

[Dr Mordrid]

If you are going to lay blame, lay it on the right parties

If the union negotiator are able to run right over the schools, the school should get better negotiators....

Problem is the administrators are also members of the NEA and the board cow-tows to them as well because the state board is also run by the NEA. It's a huge damned scam. Period.

[GT98]

Can you name a degree requiring profession that pays less than teaching in public schools?

Can you name a job that only requires you to work 180 days a year? In my home state, the avg Teachers pay is $56682 a YEAR! I've been looking for a new job, and I've seen jobs requiring a CCNA and 4 year degree only paying 40K a year!

Then lets not bring up that I'm paying $3600 a year for Property taxes on a 976 Sq ft Condo to pay the teachers in my town.

I'm all about making a decent living, but at times, enough is enough. I knew a teacher who had a 3 degrees and was making 75K a year...I used to work in a School System and all the education system is about is Politics.

[Tjalfe]

and while on this topic.. this site was discussed on CBC radio this morning

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/

the one teacher in Canada said she made some $900 from it on the last year and has bought stuff from it too.. so much for claiming they need more prep time, as is brought up at every contract renewal, which always seem to fall at the most inconvenient time for a strike.. never during the summer
If I got paid to produce material for work, and then went off to sell it for personal profit, I am pretty sure my company would have a thing or two to say about it, yet the teachers here seem ok with it. CBC mentioned some 200000 registered users

[Technoid]

If you are going to lay blame, lay it on the right parties

If the union negotiator are able to run right over the schools, the school should get better negotiators. It its hampered by politics then you know how to fix it

And any variation of the "will somebody please think of the children" meme of argumentation should be taken out and shot

[cjolley]

The point is he put the teachers needs secondary to the needs of the kids

It's a LABOR UNION it has a fiduciary responsibility to the teachers.
Does the School Board have the kids or the tax payers as it's ultimate responsibility?

Can you name a degree requiring profession that pays less than teaching in public schools?