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Boy, you guys. I respect teachers a lot. I'm not a teacher and I'm not married to one but I have two college-age kids and I've always respected the work done by teachers.
I mean, as long as you're not one of the ones you see on TV banging on garbage cans, blowing whistles, blocking traffic or occupying and refusing to leave government buildings then I'm on your side. I guess some are torn between acting like good union members and acting like professionals but my overall experience has been that most teachers act like professionals.
Apples and oranges. The editorial states the lowest rural starting pay is $31k. Wealthy Pinellas County's starting salary is $43k. Neither has anything to do with "national average". And BTW they say the shortage is 4,063 not 4,600. Let's start out by getting the numbers right so we can have a straightforward discussion.
The editorial also says teachers don't do it for the money. That's true, they do it for the professional respect, the benefits, and the job security.
Another thing, why are districts allowed to get away with paying a fine for crowded classrooms? If that's an option then there's no incentive for them to hire more teachers. Politicians who wrote the loophole into the law as well as those exploiting it need to be help accountable by the voters. That includes parents and the teachers union as well as administrators.
Not sure but what other professions do it for free? As a teacher I do it for the MONEY to pay my bills and keep food in the fridge and a roof over my head.
Must be. Florida has been a right-to-work state for years and the unions have no power and state/public employees are not allowed to strike. There was also this ridiculous paper shortage for a while in the ‘90s and teachers who wanted PAPER in my district had to buy it themselves. Most people are not in the union, do not care about the union, etc. There was a time after one of the smaller economic downturns when Hillsborough County (where Tampa is) only hired people in at Step 1-7, all of which paid the same. So for 7 years, you would get no raise. Do you think that would happen if unions were strong? Naturally, people preferred to go to adjacent counties where you could get a step increase after your second year or get recognized for your years of service.
Well, I am not in Florida but I think the unions are a bit off base by concentrating so much on pay. I think the working conditions ought to be more of a focus.
I suspect a lot of teachers would be willing to work for modest pay if some of these things happened:
- Principals and administrators back up the teachers when there's a dispute between the teacher and students or parents.
- Paperwork cut in half. Administrators to realize that no teacher can actually teach 5 classes a day of 35 students each and actually give each and every student an individual grade every day. That's nuts.
- Teachers allowed to send misbehaving children to the office with the expectation that the student will be punished and the teacher will not be penalized.
- Students grouped according to where they are according to grade level (don't try to teach sixth graders some of whom read at first grade level and some at eighth grade level, all in one room - the lower ones will be bored and act out, and the higher ones wil be bored and act out)
- Distinguish between special ed kids who have disabilities that can be managed with minor accommodations (wheelchairs, hearing problems, vision problems) and those who really can't be in the classroom with the other children without causing disruption (screamers, droolers, fighters). The kids who cannot be in the classroom without causing disruption go to their own classes.
- Quit implementing new curricula every couple years each of which comes with a huge new set of (expen$$$ive) materials, all new jargon, all new paperwork, and none of which actually change anything. At this point in time we know how to teach reading, math, social studies, science. We don't need any new stuff (the only purpose of which is to make money for con$ultant$).
There are some other things that the teachers' unions ought to be striking for, but these come immediately to mind.
Well, I am not in Florida but I think the unions are a bit off base by concentrating so much on pay. I think the working conditions ought to be more of a focus.......
In Maryland, the Associations, by law, can only negotiate salaries and benefits. Working conditions, class size, supply amounts are off the table and not negotiable.
Robot teachers. There is your answer. We just pay teachers from other cities to video themselves and have a short hand in the classroom to tend the students. Problem solved
Well, I am not in Florida but I think the unions are a bit off base by concentrating so much on pay. I think the working conditions ought to be more of a focus.
I suspect a lot of teachers would be willing to work for modest pay if some of these things happened:
- Principals and administrators back up the teachers when there's a dispute between the teacher and students or parents.
- Paperwork cut in half. Administrators to realize that no teacher can actually teach 5 classes a day of 35 students each and actually give each and every student an individual grade every day. That's nuts.
- Teachers allowed to send misbehaving children to the office with the expectation that the student will be punished and the teacher will not be penalized.
- Students grouped according to where they are according to grade level (don't try to teach sixth graders some of whom read at first grade level and some at eighth grade level, all in one room - the lower ones will be bored and act out, and the higher ones wil be bored and act out)
- Distinguish between special ed kids who have disabilities that can be managed with minor accommodations (wheelchairs, hearing problems, vision problems) and those who really can't be in the classroom with the other children without causing disruption (screamers, droolers, fighters). The kids who cannot be in the classroom without causing disruption go to their own classes.
- Quit implementing new curricula every couple years each of which comes with a huge new set of (expen$$$ive) materials, all new jargon, all new paperwork, and none of which actually change anything. At this point in time we know how to teach reading, math, social studies, science. We don't need any new stuff (the only purpose of which is to make money for con$ultant$).
There are some other things that the teachers' unions ought to be striking for, but these come immediately to mind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanArt
Robot teachers. There is your answer. We just pay teachers from other cities to video themselves and have a short hand in the classroom to tend the students. Problem solved
Thankfully you two aren't in charge of education policy.
Thankfully you two aren't in charge of education policy.
Well I agree the "robot teachers" if seriously proposed is pretty far out there, but why don't you comment on which of my proposals is a bad one?
- Principals and administrators back teachers...
- Paperwork cut in half...
- Teachers allowed to send misbehaving children to the office...
- Students grouped according to where they are according to grade level...
- [manage special ed better]...
- Quit implementing new curricula every couple years...
Administrators should not be given offices. Would likely cut down on accusations as well as improve discipline. Heck, maybe give them a few classes to teach.
Apples and oranges. The editorial states the lowest rural starting pay is $31k. Wealthy Pinellas County's starting salary is $43k. Neither has anything to do with "national average". And BTW they say the shortage is 4,063 not 4,600. Let's start out by getting the numbers right so we can have a straightforward discussion.
The editorial also says teachers don't do it for the money. That's true, they do it for the professional respect, the benefits, and the job security.
Another thing, why are districts allowed to get away with paying a fine for crowded classrooms? If that's an option then there's no incentive for them to hire more teachers. Politicians who wrote the loophole into the law as well as those exploiting it need to be help accountable by the voters. That includes parents and the teachers union as well as administrators.
When I worked as a teacher, I did it for the pay. And would have gladly accepted more pay. I certainly would not have done it for free.
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