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I, in general, love teachers. That being said the teachers unions have hijacked too much power and they only seem to care about their power... I'm not saying all the teachers, but certainly enough to keep the unions strong, the bad ones practically can't get fired...... at least here in Ca. They pay and benefits are through the roof, as are all public employees here. It's a major issue, the pensions and health benefits are costing the state billions of dollars.
Every time you turn around there is another proposition on the ballet to get more money for schools. The LAUSDs budget is larger then some countries at 7.3 billions dollars and some study found out that only smallish portion actually makes it to students... so much is lost in the bureaucracy....
I wish I had a job that had very little accountability and the killer benefits, and job security of the teachers here in So Cal....
That documentary, "Waiting for Superman" really outlines the whole subject nicely...
But, like I said, I really do appreciate the hard working teachers that try and make a difference.... it's a tough job, and I certainly don't know if I could deal with some of the kids, at least in public schools..... a lot of them are monsters... LOL
I went through most of my school life doing packets with teachers not actually educating the students.
The school I went to had many old teachers who were retiring out within a year, or some of them going through mid-life crisis and just not caring. We had one teacher who was going through a divorce, walk around handing out packets at the beginning of the class, then going back to sit on his desk and falling asleep.
I wasn't happy with my high school experience when it came to teachers and the education I got.
WOW! What the heck is going on with the education system that prompted such passion from that young man, that was disheartening. Not to say, I don't have a clue. I'm with chow, I have much respect for educators, my sister was a special needs teacher in a very difficult area of NYC. In my youth, once listed English teacher as one of my interest, I was told I should aim higher by the person that was counseling me at the time. There's not much of a higher aim than to aspire to be one of those, people,within the educational profession that bring forth the best out of our youth. Wish I realized that back then. Plus my writing would probably have continued to improve and remained in tact as I aged. Sigh.
never heard of this packet thing, what is that
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chowhound
I, in general, love teachers. That being said the teachers unions have hijacked too much power and they only seem to care about their power... I'm not saying all the teachers, but certainly enough to keep the unions strong, the bad ones practically can't get fired...... at least here in Ca. They pay and benefits are through the roof, as are all public employees here. It's a major issue, the pensions and health benefits are costing the state billions of dollars.
Every time you turn around there is another proposition on the ballet to get more money for schools. The LAUSDs budget is larger then some countries at 7.3 billions dollars and some study found out that only smallish portion actually makes it to students... so much is lost in the bureaucracy....
I wish I had a job that had very little accountability and the killer benefits, and job security of the teachers here in So Cal....
That documentary, "Waiting for Superman" really outlines the whole subject nicely...
But, like I said, I really do appreciate the hard working teachers that try and make a difference.... it's a tough job, and I certainly don't know if I could deal with some of the kids, at least in public schools..... a lot of them are monsters... LOL
Am embarrassed to say, I thought you were posting a link to the new Superman movie. LOL I was going to comment on how much I'm looking forward to seeing it. However, the documentary, looks much more interesting, I will be sure to check that. It's going on wait, just went over to my local library site and put it on hold. YAY, I should have it in the coming week.
What is this 'packet' nonsense. I've never heard of this......
Packets are just a bunch of worksheets on the same concept/topic, stapled together. It's busy work. Nobody learns from packets. Well, some students do...but the majority of students do not.
Most teachers I know do not use packets and worksheets to teach. They do have their place but they are just a tool, not a teaching strategy (which was the argument this boy was making).
As for the pay and benefits, I don't agree with unions but without unions you have a state like NC. The benefits are mediocre and the pay is terrible. My family would be at poverty level if I was the sole earner and that is not an exaggeration. The teachers here finally got a 1.2% raise (first one since 2008) and it takes 15yrs to hit 40K here.
That said, I don't teach for the money but it would be nice to be fairly compensated. I do love my job though.
Packets are just a bunch of worksheets on the same concept/topic, stapled together. It's busy work. Nobody learns from packets. Well, some students do...but the majority of students do not.
Most teachers I know do not use packets and worksheets to teach. They do have their place but they are just a tool, not a teaching strategy (which was the argument this boy was making).
As for the pay and benefits, I don't agree with unions but without unions you have a state like NC. The benefits are mediocre and the pay is terrible. My family would be at poverty level if I was the sole earner and that is not an exaggeration. The teachers here finally got a 1.2% raise (first one since 2008) and it takes 15yrs to hit 40K here.
That said, I don't teach for the money but it would be nice to be fairly compensated. I do love my job though.
It seems like the south in general doesn't pay as well.... but yeah, need to have something between what we have here and what you guys have there......
I've mentioned before that I've toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher, I don't think I could handle the pay cut at this point.... although the bennies are good.....
Packets are just a bunch of worksheets on the same concept/topic, stapled together. It's busy work. Nobody learns from packets. Well, some students do...but the majority of students do not.
Most teachers I know do not use packets and worksheets to teach. They do have their place but they are just a tool, not a teaching strategy (which was the argument this boy was making).
As for the pay and benefits, I don't agree with unions but without unions you have a state like NC. The benefits are mediocre and the pay is terrible. My family would be at poverty level if I was the sole earner and that is not an exaggeration. The teachers here finally got a 1.2% raise (first one since 2008) and it takes 15yrs to hit 40K here.
That said, I don't teach for the money but it would be nice to be fairly compensated. I do love my job though.
I had a science teacher who would have us copy notes for days on end from sheets she put on the overhead projector. I remember nothing from that class.
Chowhound: I think we are about the same age . . . remember the mimmeographed (sp?) pages we used to get when we were kids? Picture those stapled together. A stapled "packet" on whatever topic in history that is being covered at the given time, same with science, etc.
Who taught modern day cro-magnon man who to use a computer? Neanderthal man was more advanced then some of these window lickers... Makes me appreciate my wife and how we function.
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There's not much of a higher aim than to aspire to be one of those, people,within the educational profession that bring forth the best out of our youth. Wish I realized that back then. Plus my writing would probably have continued to improve and remained in tact as I aged. Sigh. 
I was going to comment on how much I'm looking forward to seeing it. However, the documentary, looks much more interesting, I will be sure to check that. It's going on wait, just went over to my local library site and put it on hold. YAY, I should have it in the coming week.