Posted on 03/14/2006 10:09:54 PM PST by RWR8189
Several hundred people showed up at my door Wednesday to teach me a lesson by offering me a job. They were unionized public-school teachers, and they wanted me to go into a school and teach for a week. "Teach, John, teach!" they chanted.
I wasn't expecting that.
I did expect them to demand an apology for my TV special on education, "Stupid in America," which was critical of union work rules.
I didn't expect one of the speakers to be so blunt as to complain that school choice, whose value I had shown in the broadcast, would "take money away from . . . our union leaders" and a special program they had built to pay college tuition for a special-interest group within their union.
And I was especially surprised by one history lesson they taught me: "Public schools are what distinguish democracies from every other system in the world," and a country without strong public schools "lends itself to authoritarian thinking."
Fascinating. I guess the Communists all went to private school. And I guess having a unionized government monopoly running most of our schools, and forcing students to attend those schools regardless of whether they or their parents approve of what's taught there, will make sure that the government can never indoctrinate our children -- and neither can labor unions.
One speaker took issue with my statement that schools already get plenty of money because she had to get thousands of signatures to get science equipment for her child's school. But the money is going into the school system, more than $10,000 of it per student per year nationally; the problem isn't funding, it's that the public bureaucracy had to see thousands of signatures before it would buy equipment. If we gave the $10,000 to whichever school each student chose to attend, thousands of signatures wouldn't have been necessary -- just a willingness to transfer to a school with science equipment.
Another speaker said the union's goal was to ensure that a quality education was "free and accessible to all of New York City's children, regardless of income . . . or geography." Ironically that's what school choice would provide. If the education dollars were attached to the student, then parents could pick a school for their kids regardless of geography or income. It would free parents and kids from the current education system's school-zone bureaucracy and give them real choice. Today, geography is often the only determining factor in a child's assignment to a public school. With school choice, you might be able to send your child to any school within commuting range, not just the one in your school zone.
Other speakers insisted that there are good public schools. I'm sure there are. But if a public school is good, it has no reason to fear school choice: Parents and students will choose it.
One theme the speakers repeated several times was a demand for respect for teachers and students. I'm filled with respect for teachers who do good jobs despite the public schools' restrictive rules. I even said on "Stupid in America" that "some teachers are heroes." I meant it. But I don't respect teachers who are lazy and incompetent. The union protects bad teachers at the expense of good ones, and of their students.
And I still don't see how it shows the students any disrespect to say that they should be free to attend schools of their choice in order to obtain a quality education that reflects their priorities. It seems to me that what fails to respect students is forcing them into a school system that has no incentive to concern itself with what they or their parents think, but just gives them whatever the bureaucrats deign to give them.
But I do respect students, and I do think good teachers are essential for kids to get the education they deserve. And I do think I have a lot to learn. So I would like to take the union up on its offer for me to teach in a public school for a week. I'm sure it will be difficult. I'm sure I'll learn a great deal.
But I'd like to give it a try.
John is my hero!
Bet that within 5 years, he`ll be right up their with Rush
Teachers' unions are very skillful at hiding behind the image of the hard working teacher and concealing how collective bargaining erodes effectiveness, retards income and benefits and rewards mediocrity.
BTTT
Take a gander at Union Leaders salarys (a few years ago) in Washington State.....
http://tpp.effwa.org/wea_salaries/salaries_2002-2003.php
Hey stupid...that's the damn idea!
I love John Stossel. I wonder how ABC puts up with him. You can bet that deep down they despise him.
John Stossel's taking on the Teachers' Union........PING
Big Stossel ping....he's great
Stossel ping!
Take them up on teaching. Yes, and if you really want to be gutsy try junior high in an inner city school.
My husband did that for 30 years. Had to break up fights, call in the police when someone showed up with a gun, almost broke his thumb in a locker handle as he was running to the office when a girl had a spontaneous abortion in his class, try to teach a 16 year old who could only write the letter N on a test, try to teach many in high school who could only read at a 3rd or 4th grade level. Midway in his teaching career, he transfered to another system, where he taught GED subjects. I asked him what kind of students he had there, he responded "juvenile delinquents, high school dropouts, court referrals, and middle aged mothers. It was an incredible drain on him and stress to our marriage.
I recommend that anyone who wants to enlighten the public on public education try walking in the teachers shoes for a while. There are certainly things wrong with the teachers union, but they wouldn't win representation if they did not encounter a lot wrong with school addinistrators.
I'm disappointed with him. I still have this 20/20 on TIVO and will watch again, but it sounds like he's bought into the delusion that warehousing children must be improved rather than thrown into the dustbin of history.
"...I didn't expect one of the speakers to be so blunt as to complain that school choice, whose value I had shown in the broadcast, would "take money away from . . . our union leaders" and a special program they had built to pay college tuition for a special-interest group within their union.
And I was especially surprised by one history lesson they taught me: "Public schools are what distinguish democracies from every other system in the world," and a country without strong public schools "lends itself to authoritarian thinking...."
Venal and stupid in two paragraphs!
The problem is that you can't get rid of the teachers union or bureaucracy or even limit their negative effects without competition. They don't want vouchers of other alternatives because the know they can't compete. They view their jobs as an entitlement and their leadership is an excuse machine for their failures.
What's wrong with public education is that its public. Walking in a public teachers shoes is pointless as the only solution is privatization.
Right. The problems are social, not economic.
But if that's true, why do teachers claim paying them more money is going to change the situation?
High ratings for his shows???? Nah...ABC would not do that cheap shot...uh,uh,uh...yes,they would and do!! Hoorah for John Stossel exposing the idiot teachers union and the idiot teachers.
I like John. I hate the public school system.
India, a nation which is just being born to a modern society, is 3/4's private. Their middle class is as big as our nation. While there still is a huge amount of poor people, there's incredible incentives for business to go there...why? Because their schools are producing far more engineers, while we're catering towards a market of service and high technology.
Ultimately we could lose out in many markets, because percentage wise we won't be able to create as many well-skilled workers. Our future depends on bright young people, and I think that should be one of the highest goals of the conservative-movement.
Free our schools.
Why do teachers think paying them more money will...
For the amount of stress experienced, teachers are paid a lot less then most white collar workers doing work of similar difficulty. My husband chose to stay with it because as an ex Army type he was not a sit behind a desk and get a fat a$$ type of person. There was also the satisfaction in later years of his former troubled students coming back to school to show off their wives and children and thank him for appropriate butt kicking.
Nevertheless, teachers in this country do not get the RESPECT or support they get in countries like India, which are stealing our jobs because they are better educated and work cheaper.
John is a straight shooter, and he certainly has plenty of guts to do what he does in the fascist dinosaur newsrooms that have come to loathe Bernie Goldberg simply for exposing them.
By the way, I remember John posting here a few years back.
I don't remember his screen name, but I wonder if he still visits?
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