They kicked me out of school [NYC public schools and the United Federation of Teachers]

Jewish World Review ^ | 4-5-06 | John Stossel

[SJackson]

Last month, 500 angry schoolteachers assembled outside my office. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) was furious that "Stupid in America," a "20/20" show I did on education, suggested that some union teachers were lazy. They shouted that I didn't understand how difficult teaching was, and chanted, "Shame on you!"

Randi Weingarten, head of New York City's union, took the microphone and hollered, "Just teach for a week!" She said I could select from many schools. "We got high schools, we got elementary schools, we got junior high schools!"

I accepted. I even said I'd let the union pick the school. I thought I'd learn more about how difficult teaching is. Above all, it was a chance to get our cameras into schools — something the N.Y. bureaucracy had forbidden — so we could show you what was really going on.

But it won't happen.

[SJackson]

I'm sure the purpose was "charitable", thus legal, but how can a public school get away with sending students to Cuba.

[Mears]

I suppose the trip to Cuba was considered "educational" or maybe even "charitable". They know the way to play the game.

[Lunatic Fringe]

"Just teach for a week!"

Hey, why don't you try working a real job? You know, one that expects you to work 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

I'd love to teach for a week. It would be a nice vacation from real life.

[FormerLib]

Stossel sticks 'em with the truth again!

[geezerwheezer]

Your screen name says a lot about what you don't know about teaching. Most teachers work between 50 -65 hours a week and get 8 weeks off in the summer. This time is usually spent in taking state and federally mandated classes for their specialties in teaching, and are not paid for by the state. For you to write "get a real job" is insulting to a profession that honors, yours and mine, the teaching of a child. Are there goofoffs in the teaching profession? Of course there are, just like folks who have "real jobs", but to denigrate a whole profession shows you to be one of the failures of that profession, and you ought to be ashamed of your writings.

[conservativewasp]

I've known some teachers, public school teachers, none of them were particularly motivated in life. Nor were they particularly bright. I also noticed that the el-ed majors in college were as stupid as the phys-ed majors. Teaching doesn't pay well, so only a handful of gifted people go into it, motivated by a strong desire to teach. The rest seem to be doing the best they are capable of, which isn't much.

[webboy45]

My wife is a teacher and it can be tough. Especially when parents could care less and administrators are more interested in appearances than in substance. But, John is partly right. There are some lazy and some poor teachers. Our son had a lazy teacher at a private school, so it isn't just public school teachers that are bad.

[Triggerhippie]

I'd love to teach for a week. It would be a nice vacation from real life.

Spoken like someone who has never been there...

[HamiltonJay]

I got nothing against teachers, but please don't try to play the victim card... I live in an area where the median household income is about 40-45k... there are school districts that are paying 70-80K or more a year for 9 months of work, and benefits that most private sector jobs can't remotely match.

The problem with teachers isn't that there aren't true professionals in the field, there are... but there are a lot of bums too.. left over hippies.... never worked in a real job type folks as well. And these folks should be gone, but the union protects them at the expense of childrens education.

Some of the most liberal folks I have met in my life are teachers. Don't get me wrong, some of them are great people, and I spend time with them socially routinely... but they definately view the world in an unrealistic way on many issues. Worse are ones that not only have those sorts of political leanings, but they believe thier job is to make sure their students espouse them too.

For every 1 truly dedicated professional teacher who understands teaching is about education, not indoctrination, and busts their butts in the public school system... I would say there is at least 1 who is either a complete bum, lacky or leftist pinko. And in some of the more urban and blue areas of the country I'd say the ratio may be as high as 5 to 1 Bum V Serious Professional.

[Grendel9]

Uh...
Teaching is NOT an 8 hour day IF the
teacher is truly concerned about the
students' learning process.

There are hours spent preping each
lesson...until you've taught that
lesson plan at least 10 times. Then
you can cut the prep time by half.

I spent about 1 hour reading and
evaluating each research paper...
over my Christmas and Easter holidays!
That's about 135 papers each semester.
I spent so much time reading them that I
could recall what was on the next
page if I had read that same paper
the year before. It happens once in
a blue moon. Of course, there is the
alternate method that some instructors
use: weigh the paper rather than read
it! (The joke used to be 'throw them
down a stair case; the ones that go
the furthest get the A's')

Also, there are the weeks "devoted"
to a quick 10 minutes to eat and
off to cafeteria/playground duty...
no extra pay in my day. (I retired
in '92)

Every teacher was expected to "sponsor"
a student function. Mine was "Chess Club."
That meant staying after school two days
a week plus travel to other schools to
compete in chess tourneys. You'd get
back to school about 6:30 p.m.
No extra pay. My other "paid duty"
was critiquing Speech Contests, which
meant getting up at 5:30 every Saturday
a.m. and traveling at least 25 miles to
another school. Arrive back home around
4:30 p.m. Pay...$25 for the day plus
gas. Overnighters or weekend jaunts
to judge the larger tournaments paid
the same except room and meals were
covered by the School Board.

Tests fell every two-three weeks. All
were graded and returned on Monday a.m.
Impromptus and shorter tests were
returned the very next day because
kids lose interest if they don't
get immediate response.

Vacations entailed traveling to
places that pertained to my various
subjects, gathering materials,
photos/videos, and hands on cultural
items...to be used in class. Cost:
out of pocket but partially tax
deductible. My subjects did NOT
facilitate visits to Aruba or
Vegas.

The above pertains to high school
English classes covering English Lit.,
Modern World Lit, Ancient Lit., and
Frontier Lit....most college prep.

Now, back in the early days of my
career of 35 years, even MORE time
was spent in preping. The kids were
younger, so explanations had to be
repeated several times and several
different ways. All teachers were
responsible for covering Math,
Language Arts, Social Studies, Science;
everything but Art and Music.

Then there are the unexpected duries.
My first year out, my class included
a blind girl who suddenly had grand mal
seizure for the first time in her life.
Not great fun for me or my superintendant.
The nurse did come to the classroom...after
about 10 of the longest moments of my
life as I held the girl's head(it was
banging on the hard tiled floor) plus
trying to keep the rest of the class calm.

Still under the impression that teaching
is limited to a mere 10 hour day?

[toddlintown]

"We got...?"

NY English teacher?

[snowman1]

Yeah, well I have. When I went into teaching I expected to find the same caliber of teachers that I had when I was in the same school. Sadly to say that didn't happen, the new crop seemingly were there as a second notion. I tried to flunk 5 kids in my class and got called on the carpet for it as they were the super jocks in the school. I flunked them anyway, and made them take the course over as it was required. Most of them barely got to school before the kids and damned near beat them out the door at night. My teachers were there way before the kids in case they needed help and stayed way after the kids were gone.

[tiki]

It is the system. There are good teachers out there but there are too many bad ones and the bad ones don't get fired.

[Triggerhippie]

I am being completely serious here. Thank you for your service to this country.

[lovecraft]

I was a benefit consultant for several school districts in South Carolina. I'd agree with you, but your statement only applies to about 15-25% of teachers I've met and watched.

The remaining 75% did not care at all about those students and to them it was just an easy job with summers off where they showed little, if any, interest in their careers. I found them spoiled, whiny, and utterly oblivious of what's required to succeed in the "real world".

[Shimmer128]

Wow, what a martyr.

[Noumenon]

In may respects, it's less a matte of who is teaching, as opposed to what and how it is being taught. Most American institutions of education promote 'social justice,' fraudulent history, phony self esteem and sheepery. Real diversity - that of ideas - is nowhere to be found.

[texas_mrs]

It is the system. There are good teachers out there but there are too many bad ones and the bad ones don't get fired.

I know exactly what you mean. My daughter had a 7th grade math teacher last year that was very meticulous about their folders and she got a bad grade in the class not on her grades, but on the folder. I told her she was going to have to learn to be better organized. Yet 3 times during the year, the teacher claimed my daughter did not turn in homework and kept her in class to redo it. She even missed a field trip over it. All three times the teacher found the work that had been turned in on time, AFTER making her stay in. So in effect, she was holding the kids to a standard she herself did not maintain. No apology about it either. There were other problems with her as well & other kids were having the same experiences.

What I found out recently, though, was that (in Texas at least) unless you fill out a 2 page form that the school has and have it put in the file, no number of meetings with the principal or the teacher will have any effect on their job. I dont remember the name of the form, but you have to ask for it and they won't tell you about it. I already had 2 kids go throught school & never knew.

The person who told me about it heads our school board. He also says the file the school has on your kid belongs to YOU, not them. Before getting on the board, he ask to see his childs file and removed and shredded papers from his early years prior to diagnosis of the childs eyesight problems that he felt affected how his child was viewed by subsequent teachers. He says while they seemed stunned he did it, no one stopped him. I just love this guy - he is very no nonsense and very politically incorrect. He says the board reviews the teachers files each time before renewal of their contracts & there was nothing in this particular teachers file or she probably would not have been retained.

[lovecraft]

Sounds like your guy, though great, is on the fast track of making enemies on that school board. Tell him to watch his back, he might get railroaded for bringing common sense to the school board.

[texas_mrs]

I tried to flunk 5 kids in my class and got called on the carpet for it as they were the super jocks in the school.

After I found out my step-daughter and a friend from school were doing some serious drugs together, I called the other girl's parents. I spoke to the mom, who seemed very concerned about it, but didn't really say much. What I didnt know was the girls dad was the assistant coach of the girls basketball team! Both girls were on the team of course. Supposedly the school is very strict about such things, but I noticed neither girl ever came up for the random test nor were booted from the team over it. CYA