‘Teachers attend mandatory training meetings and seminars. In order to advance, teachers must constantly attend classes in college for additional degrees.’
this is not unique to the teaching profession; many other professionals are required to do the same, and are expected do so within a more limited time frame...and perhaps you can name a bona fide profession which enjoys more time off than teachers...
‘I have seen first hand the administrative crap teachers are forced to endure’
sorry, but again, this is not unique to teachers...
‘They are not paid anywhere as well as you seem to think’
I seem to think they are paid a wage commensurate with numerous other professionals needing certification of some sort; is that an incorrect thought...?
‘Your view of the school system is terribly incomplete.’
don’t know about that, but one thing we do know, my view is one you don’t like...
‘It is a hostile work environment.’
many other workplaces are hostile; are most of those who work in these other hostile situations government employed, unionized workers who up and walk off the job when something doesn’t please them, thus extorting taxpayers to come up with redress of their grievances...?
The crap comes from above, not the teachers. Think about this: Principles and county level administrators advance by achieving goals set by the feds and state legislatures. Those goals are most easily met by changing grading and testing standards so that more kids graduate, whether they meet standards are not. Creative grading is forced upon the teachers. Teachers want to teach, administrators want their advancement points. While training in industry typically succeeds in improving the technical skills of the workforce, teacher training is largely used to set new standards and techniques which are designed to meet the numbers, not necessarily improve the learning environment. Oh, they will always claim that research has shown that these new techniques can teacher faster and deeper.
Your grievances with teachers as the bane of education is largely misplaced. Teachers cannot buck the rules because they will be black-balled statewide, loosing their source of income. Where does that happen in industry? Industry does not have such a hold on their workforce.
If you want to solve the educational failures in our Nation, aim higher.