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Thanks for the info.

BTW, I forgot to say that I think it’s great your daughter never joined a teacher’s union. That takes some guts since I’m sure she had been pressured now and then. I wish all teachers today were like your daughter. When I think back at all the wonderful and dedicated teachers I had, it’s sad to think how much the profession has changed with union influence.

Constant pressure to join the union. She left the classroom several years ago to help teachers on literacy programs half-time and work one on one half days with students having reading problems. She is strictly apolitical (a good thing, I guess, as most of my family are moderate dems). Had a lot of criticism for Bushs’ no child left behind as she felt teachers were teaching for test results rather than responding to the child's need. She now faults Obama’s stimulus as she feels the admin is scrambling to get all the funds they can, with no thought as to where the need is greatest.

As for the old time teachers, they were the best. In my one room school, the teacher taught til the lessons for the day were finished. My over-protective mother would become very upset on the nights I trudged home in the winter after dark as the teacher got involved in a particular lesson and went way over closing time. You would think that my two sisters and I would be at a huge disadvantage when we went on to a bigger town to High School where our peers had the perks of music, art, gym, cafeterias and school buses. Despite this, all three of us graduated second in our class. Most of the credit is due this dedicated teacher.