Posted on 09/07/2011 12:42:07 PM PDT by MichCapCon
In March, the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, sent a “Message to Congress” outlining its desired goals for K-12 public education policy and spending. Higher pay is a general theme, which fits in with the union’s ongoing “Be Proud to Say, I’m Worth Professional Pay” initiative. It quotes a study that praises the success of schools in other nations: “In South Korea, the average teacher earns more than a lawyer or an engineer.”
Yet the union’s core agenda protects a system that virtually assures that “professional pay” cannot happen. Engineers, lawyers, doctors, and so forth – even unionized pro football players – are compensated based upon their individual talent and accomplishments. There is no surprise when two lawyers in the same town, each 10 years out of law school, earn wildly different incomes based on different employment choices, ambition and talent. But such a situation is virtually unheard of with Michigan’s public school teachers...
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...
Lions or someone else?
If they don’t like the pay then don’t teach.
Then again, most of them would not even be able to gets jobs sweeping floors.
Demonstrating how ignorant many teachers are about economics, they tend to keep going to this worn out well of comparison with pro athletes. (funny they never compare to liberal news anchors or movie stars, but that’s another story).
It’s a false choice. People are paid based on the demand for their services and on how rare their ability is. The ability to teach is, I’m sorry, just not that rare. There is plenty of supply for the demand. There is constantly a shortage of excellence at every NFL position. False choice. It’s called economics.
Pro athletes are the elite of the elite of the elite in their chosen profession. Teachers statistically come from the lowest achieving academic student populations.
To be fair, teachers should be treated in the same manner as their leader Jimmie-P Hoffa should be treated.
They are all in the same Army, so treat them the same.
If they could play they’d get paid more.
80% are not qualified to teach right now.
Watching the Tiger game today and head the comment that with every win Justin Verlander gets, Mike Ilitch clutches his wallet a little tighter. LOL
You pay for that kind of performance or you lose it. Few teachers can achieve that kind of success but they would have a far better chance without their union. Teachers should be contractors and they’ll get paid what they’re worth.
Good point, and what the teachers don’t understand, and this really demonstrates how out of touch with the real world they are, is that while they fight school choice tooth and nail, it is school choice that would do for teachers what free agency did for pro athletes.
They should think about that. And tell their union to GTH.
“In South Korea, the average teacher earns more than a lawyer or an engineer.”
Lawyer? Maybe since Korea does not have the profit-driven lawsuit-happy system of the U.S.
Engineer? Almost certainly not. Many Asian countries define anyone with a technical job as an “Engineer”. Lab techs with 2 year degrees, for example.
On the other side of the coin, they should be able to be fired just as quick as these high paying NFL players.
I had a math teacher come to me once and complain the prin. would not let her take a professional day to see her son who was rotating to a temp assg't in Iowa from Iraq.He was an Lt in 101 and was on his second tour.He'd een seconded to some training assg't for six weeks and then back to Iraq. I talked to the boss who was adamant.She'd dock her pay. I said I'd make a call.She said call the union,they can't do anything.Told her I was calling Sean Hannity with the school name, her name, and the NYC Dept of Ed phone number. My math teacher friend got her day. But that's what professionalism meams to most of us.
These union-dependent, whiny government school teachers fail to realize that they’re OVERpaid ... compared to private school teachers.
Pro linebackers have to perform well, or else they lose their job.
The same can’t be said for union teachers.
And don’t forget, a “professional” just does it for money. An amateur does it for love. Just get someone to pay you for it, and you’re a professional. That’s it.
They seem to like the military analogy. How about we pay them the same as an incoming Army private and truly make them move up in rank before hitting higher pay grades? Liberals seem to believe our soldiers are paid too well, and have great benefits - perhaps it would open their eyes just a bit.
When linebackers suck, you can tell them, “Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook.”
It always amuses me how the variations of the word “professional” are consistently misused. Lots of people don’t seem to know what “professional” means.
I once knew an amateur teacher (private highschool). He was a retired naval officer, and taught physics and math. He literally took no pay. For some sort of liability reasons, the school had to put him on the payroll, with a pittance nominally going to him. He donated that back to the school.
If they are so worried about their compensation, I suggest they go work in South Korea.
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