Three Cheers For The Teachers!!!

Tomorrow I register my kids for the upcoming school year(already). I so rarely read the daily Kos, that I do not know how I even stumbled upon this gem but I did and wanted to share it. I think everyone should thank a teacher this year as they have one of the toughest most underpaid jobs there is.

Here are some highlights of the blog:

Regularly I read people arguing that bad teachers are the fault of teachers’ unions.

That is so wrong it is ridiculous.

Teachers’ unions exist to protect the rights of all teachers.

The Bill of Rights exists to protect the rights of all persons.

In both cases, people who may have done wrong have their rights protected.

That does not prevent prosecution and conviction of criminal wrongdoers, nor does it prevent the discharge of bad teachers who refuse to improve or who cannot improve.

Because of the Bill of Rights vindictive authorities cannot use either the criminal justice system nor the land condemnation system to punish political opponents, people of minority religious views, newspapers that criticize them.

Because of teachers’ unions, under union contracts teachers accused of inadequacy or wrongdoing are afforded due process rights so that abusive administrators or school boards cannot improperly use the power of firing and disciplinary action against those they may dislike.

Remember this about unions. States with unionized workforces have higher standards of living and make more money – that is why the Northeast and industrial Midwest traditionally had higher standards of living than did the right-to-work states in the South.

Remember this about teachers’ unions. If you want to use test scores as a criteria, states with active teachers unions, such as Massachusetts and Connecticut, score far higher than right to work states such as Mississippi.

Also remember this. California, in which teachers are heavily unionized, discharges twice as many experienced teachers at twice the rate (percentage-wise) as does Mississippi, which is a right to work state.

Teachers’ unions are not the problem.

Read the rest here!

Share:

Related Articles

13 thoughts on “Three Cheers For The Teachers!!!

  1. “I think everyone should thank a teacher this year as they have one of the toughest most underpaid jobs there is.”

    You are an apple polisher. They are not underpaid and it is not a tough job unless they are teaching in the inner city.

    1. I won’t get into an issue about teacher pay here, but no matter where you teach, it is in fact a tough job. Every teacher deserves a ton of respect for the job he or she does!

  2. Pardon my language but holy shit, did you/they seriously just compare teachers unions with the Bill of Rights?

    Really?

  3. PartiallyBlue, what’s your experience with teaching?

    Knowing a few and being married to a college instructor, I know that they work damned hard, during the day and well into the night (correcting papers, preparing classes, etc.)

    We can argue about whether they’re overpaid (or whether others are underpaid) but seems like a pretty tough job to me.

  4. Most teachers are not underpaid (maybe the parachoial ones are) — but public teachers make average and above-average salaries in Wisconsin (and that’s not factoring in 9 months of work to most year-round employees). Then add in way above average pension and health benefits. I’m not going to say it’s not a hard job for some, but remember those beloved teachers unions you mention will protect the lazy ones who don’t put in time and effort.

    You say teachers unions exist to protect the rights of all teachers? If that is the case, teachers should stop trying to claim they are professionals (most professionals aren’t “represented”) and the unions should stop claiming they are all about the kids and good education.

  5. “Teachers’ unions exist to protect the rights of all teachers.”

    Like free Viagra! Even at the expense of other teachers jobs! Even when it’s obvious that budgets are strapped and we don’t have the money for such silliniess! It’s all about the children! “Every child deserves a great school!”

  6. Teacher’s unions are a great thing, indeed. Squeezing zero co-pay health benefits and little blue pills out of the tax payers at the expense of laid off teachers in an economy where everyone else is tightening their budgetary belts is impressive enough…these same unions then use their political muscle and amassed financial wealth to bestow upon favored politicians in order to get a federal bail-out for a temporary band-aid on the sucking chest wound that is Milwaukee’s fiscal problems. Yesiree…these unions truly are something to be respected…even feared.

  7. Unions are pure democracy in the work force. People banding together, electing representatives and bargaining as one. As has been stated over and over, you can get rid of any “bad” teacher you want you just have to do it correctly. Thats not too much to ask.

    In terms of the Viagra issue, how come everything is at the expense of the teachers? why is it not at the expense of the Bush tax cuts? or the reagan tax cuts? or the Graef no bid contract? Or the TARP bailout? Always seems to be money to buy political favors…

    1. “pure democracy?” What are you talking about? Banding together as thugs to force your employer into submission while eliminating an individuals ability to bargain for themselves is horrible. I work in a union environment (yes, teaching), and I would like nothing more than to drop the union and bargain for myself. Collective bargaining eliminates any incentive for the lazy worker to do any more than the minimum.

      My idea of pure democracy is having the ability to be the best you can be, and to be rewarded for going above and beyond; not sent home because you make your fellow union members “look bad” by “working too hard.”

  8. Why is it that when Obama preaches the virtue of making sacrifices in these tough economic times, certain special interests like teachers are exempt from that?

    If the male teachers deserve viagra because female teachers get something (the union’s fairness argument), why is the only solution being considered that of providing everything to everyone? Why not take away free whatever for the female teachers? They can then go out and buy it themselves if they need it so badly. Having a $0 co-pay for everything else, they should be able to afford this little blue pill.

    1. If the male teachers are getting Viagra, believe me, the females are getting something *wink*

Comments are closed.