What teachers really want to tell parents.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

There is a cartoon . The left side depicts education 30 years ago. The kid has an "F" on an assignment and the parent is shaking their finger at the student. The right side depicts present day education. The kid has an "F" on an assignment and the parent is shaking their finger at the teacher. (I wish I could find it)

It is because we have gone from the Land of Opportunity to the Land of Entitlement.

Getting a good education used to be an opportunity. People made the most of it. Those who worked hard, succeeded. Those who didn't work hard, didn't.

Now education is seen as a right, an entitlement. And many of the people with this mentality about education can't be bothered to lift a finger to contribute to the process.

This is why I made my original comment. Until our culture changes, education will not change. Teachers cannot change it. Schools cannot change it. Until parents learn what it means to be responsible individuals and teach their children to be responsible individuals, it is only going to get worse.

The previous comment about teachers being the new race discussion is very accurate. Part of this stems from the union attitudes that no longer fly with many Americans. A few years ago the union in Michigan tried to pass a law that teachers would always get a raise no matter what the economic conditions in the state. It was soundly defeated. Because of what is going on in the economy, the average middle class taxpayer finally realizes that their tax dollars are paying for the teachers getting a guaranteed raise. When the average taxpayer can't even find a job or keep health insurance, why in the world would they vote for such a thing? It doesn't mean they don't value teachers. It means if they have to choose between having extra $$$ in their pocket every month to feed their family or give the teachers a raise... What do you think they will choose?

Funding for education and teachers used to be a sacred cow and it isn't any longer. The ever increasing funding for education is over. I'm not advocating either view. I'm just stating the facts that are there for everyone to see.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

The previous comment about teachers being the new race discussion is very accurate. Part of this stems from the union attitudes that no longer fly with many Americans. A few years ago the union in Michigan tried to pass a law that teachers would always get a raise no matter what the economic conditions in the state. It was soundly defeated. Because of what is going on in the economy, the average middle class taxpayer finally realizes that their tax dollars are paying for the teachers getting a guaranteed raise. When the average taxpayer can't even find a job or keep health insurance, why in the world would they vote for such a thing? It doesn't mean they don't value teachers. It means if they have to choose between having extra $$$ in their pocket every month to feed their family or give the teachers a raise... What do you think they will choose?

Funding for education and teachers used to be a sacred cow and it isn't any longer. The ever increasing funding for education is over. I'm not advocating either view. I'm just stating the facts that are there for everyone to see.

In the small town I grew up in, the people in the big houses on what we called Snob Hill are, increasingly, teachers. It's kind of hard to get people to feel sorry for them having to pay union dues and their own health insurance when most of them are living better than 90% of the people in town.

However, that doesn't mean that I think they should cut the funding to the SCHOOL. Funding for education and teachers' salaries are two different things. I'll gladly pay anytime for more teachers to keep the class sizes smaller, updated textbooks, etc. I won't gladly pay, however, so the current tenured teachers are making almost 6 figures a year. I believe most people agree.