02-02-2022, 08:03 PM
(02-02-2022, 08:37 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Many states in this country are facing teacher shortages because of compensation issues. In a lot of places, teachers have to work second jobs to make ends meet. Considering teaching is more than a 40 hour work week and they often have to pay out of pocket for things that the school division should honestly be buying for them anyway, it's pretty ridiculous. Sure, New York and California rank first and second in teacher compensation respectively, but here in Virginia where we rank in the bottom half of that list we can't keep teachers employed and any efforts to change that are blocked by the Republicans in the Commonwealth.
Hence my qualifier regarding the status of CA. If teachers are underpaid in a certain state, why is it the federal government's responsibility to fix this? Have your state compensate teachers adequately. I do agree with you 100% about out of pocket expenses, even here in CA parents have to supply much, if not most, of the school supplies the school uses for their children. Very progressive.
Quote:Which, does bring me to another thing with your list. Even those issues where you mention that things could be done at the state level, Republicans block those things there as well. The GOP strategy of taking over statehouses that has existed for the past few decades has made the GOP on the national and state levels pretty damn close to lock step. There may be the odd thing here and there that we see crop up, but for the most part if the GOP opposes it at the national level they also oppose it at the state level.
This would be a fair point, the initial person probably should have made it instead of quoting an inane tweet. I'm more than fine with educators being compensated fairly.
(02-02-2022, 10:55 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Dismissing Pre-K as pre-school and comparing it to college is a really poor comparison. You can make the argument that the data is conflicting on the benefits of Pre-K, but Pre-K is first and foremost an education program rather than a mix of child care and early education as preschool is. There's an argument to be made that a Pre-K program should be a necessity for children, whether it's public, private, or home.
I don't think it's some "far left" idea to say that public school may benefit by including a grade prior to K, and it's not even remotely close to suggesting that the govt should fun $40-80k worth of a person's post secondary education. I'm pretty sure you know that your comparison wasn't an intellectually honest one.
It wasn't a direct comparison, which I already know you are aware of. But it is absolutely in line with the Dem position that makes everyone reliant on the government for the things they want. You want pre-K? We'll pay for it! You want a college education? We'll pay for it! At some point we have to draw the line at what education is "optional" versus what is required. For a very, very long time we had that figured out, but then the Dems found a new way to lure in voters by offering free things that will be paid for by others.
Quote:On average, adjusted for hours worked and benefits (which tend to be good for teachers), teachers make about 11% less than similarly educated professionals. This gap was nearly nonexistent 30 years ago. There's also an expectation that educators should donate their time for free.
I will, as I stated above, again direct you to my point being about teachers in CA. I am not familiar with the situation in other states, but I absolutely stand by my comments as it pertains to CA.
Quote:Our education system is built on educators doing more than they're contractually obligated to without additional compensation. We don't get overtime pay for everything that we do. When our association "worked to rule" last year (we'd only do what our contract requires us to during contract hours) in response to our system not providing adequate covid measures, a local conservative parent group took to the local news to say that we were "throwing a tantrum" and did not care about the children. They accused us of causing children to be unable to play sports or have clubs, and they also said that student suicides will be our fault.
And I would support you in fighting against this. But you live in Maryland, a deep blue state. Why are you experiencing such a situation if the GOP is the one to blame?
Quote:Some of that tweet was vague and silly, but the GOP is actively hostile towards educators and treats them with disdain. It's part of the anti-intellectualism that has taken hold of the GOP in recent decades.
Most of that tweet was vague and silly. As for your point, I think the GOP's disdain for educators, as a whole, comes from their equally strident disdain for the GOP, especially at the college level. When I was in school I literally had one teacher whose politics I was aware of. It was my 8th grade English teacher who broadcast to the class her extreme left leaning positions. She even called my father a baby killer, in class, when she learned he had served two tours in Vietnam. Now, I certainly don't lump all educators into her category. But I absolutely see, from working with schools and helping with my nephews, that broadcasting political opinions has become much more prevalent in the public school setting. I had some amazing teachers in my life. My 11th-12th grade Biology teacher (Biology then AP Biology) had a huge influence on me and prepared me for college more than any other teacher I had. My 10th and 12th grade English teacher as well as my 11th grade Chemistry teacher and my 12th grade Civics teacher, they all had a huge influence on me. Also, I didn't know a damned thing about their politics or personal opinions. I am absolutely not hostile to educators or their significant impact on young lives. I am, however, very cognizant of how the climate in public schools has changed of late.
If teachers are under paid in some states I hope that changes, sincerely. But I do not think the states should be paying for optional education like preschool or college. If you disagree, that's fine, but I don't think it's being hostile to the teaching profession to say so.
