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Jobs, Dell share stage, blast Teacher Unions
Mac News Network ^ | February 16, 2007

Posted on 02/18/2007 7:03:12 PM PST by anymouse

Last week it was the music labels, this week it was teacher unions. Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs on Friday spared no words in criticizing the state of public schools and the teacher unions, saying that schools were never likely to improve until principals could fire bad teachers. The Associated Press notes that Jobs shared the stage with rival CEO Michael Dell to deliver their vision of technology in classrooms. Jobs, who is known to be quite intolerant of what he calls incompetence at his own company, touted a text-book free classroom, but reiterated that no amount of technology in the classroom would improve public schools until principals could fire bad teachers. The report says that Jobs' words were quite strong, noting that the Apple and Pixar CEO "lambasted" teacher unions and likened schools to businesses with principals serving as CEOs. Teacher unions, he said, that the unions have directly contributed demise of public education.

"What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn't get rid of people that they thought weren't any good?" he asked. "Not really great ones because if you're really smart you go, 'I can't win.'"

Jobs' comments reportedly drew loud applause during an education reform conference, but while Jobs' comments seemed to be drawing support from the crowd, Dell's CEO, who has previously taken swipes at Apple, sat quietly with his hands folded in his lap.

Jobs, however, continued despite the potential repercussions faced the Cupertino-based company when negotiating future California contracts.

"I believe that what is wrong with our schools in this nation is that they have become unionized in the worst possible way," Jobs said. "This unionization and lifetime employment of K-12 teachers is off-the-charts crazy."

"Apple just lost some business in this state, I'm sure," Jobs admitted.

Dell, who recently took back the reins as CEO of Dell, responded that unions were created because "the employer was treating his employees unfairly and that was not good.

"So now you have these enterprises where they take good care of their people. The employees won, they do really well and succeed."

The report says Dell also blamed problems in public schools on the lack of a competitive job market for principals.

Previously, Jobs outlined his vision for textbook-free schools in the future, the report said. Textbooks, he claimed, would be replaced with a free, online information source that was constantly updated by experts, much like the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

"I think we'd have far more current material available to our students and we'd be freeing up a tremendous amount of funds that we could buy delivery vehicles with - computers, faster Internet, things like that," Jobs said. "And I also think we'd get some of the best minds in the country contributing."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: apple; computer; dell; education; jobs; publikskoolz; teacher; union; unions
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Liberals only care about poor education when it affects their pocketbook.
1 posted on 02/18/2007 7:03:16 PM PST by anymouse
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To: anymouse
Steve Jobs on Friday spared no words in criticizing the state of public schools and the teacher unions, saying that schools were never likely to improve until principals could fire bad teachers...

.

2 posted on 02/18/2007 7:10:56 PM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: anymouse

My kids attend a textbook free classroom. It's in my dining room! We use real literature and the internet. No boring texts in our school! :o)


3 posted on 02/18/2007 7:12:57 PM PST by samiam1972 (http://imrunningforpresident.blogspot.com/)
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To: anymouse

"Universal education is the most corroding and disintegrating poison that liberalism has ever invented for its own destruction."

"The broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force."

Hitler "mein kampf"


4 posted on 02/18/2007 7:12:57 PM PST by Radix
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To: anymouse

Jobs and Dell are razor sharp on the mark. Outstanding!

The corrupt, incompetent Teachers Unions are destroying our children and our wallets. Where I live 80% of my massive property taxes go to pay for teachers salaries for really bad educational services.

One out of four delegates at the Democrat National Convention are either members of a Teachers Union, or married to one.


5 posted on 02/18/2007 7:17:06 PM PST by FormerACLUmember
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To: anymouse

This is atleast the third time this has been posted, but that's okay, it provokes discussion.


6 posted on 02/18/2007 7:17:42 PM PST by gas0linealley
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To: FormerACLUmember

Have you ever taught in a public school?


7 posted on 02/18/2007 7:20:31 PM PST by gas0linealley
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To: FormerACLUmember

I thought the percentage was far more than a modest 25%. If meemory serves, the last RAT convention was something on the order of 60%+. I'm sure somebody here knows. In any event, it was/is an astounding figure.


8 posted on 02/18/2007 7:20:36 PM PST by WorkingClassFilth ("Don't tread on me" - the motto of Patriots. "May I lick your boots?" - the motto of too many "R"s.)
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To: anymouse
saying that schools were never likely to improve until principals could fire bad teachers.

While I agree that crappy teachers and the teacher unions are a big part of the problem, it isn't the entire problem. Teachers are also getting crappy curriculum handed down to them by the government (state or federal; it doesn't matter). When I was in school (shortly before the invention of the wheel - LOL!) teachers developed their own curriculum as long as it met state requirements.

The formula involves more than just good teachers - it requires good teachers + good curriculum + involved parents + motivated students + strong school spirit.

Teachers live for the moment when the light comes on in a kid's head as he/she "gets it". But, when a teacher (even a crappy teacher) has bad curriculum (as most do these days) it's hard to develop any enthusiasm for the job which, in turn, is PART of the reason that the students aren't motivated. They know when the teacher isn't excited about his/her subject, and that lack of excitement transfers to the kids.

It's great that people like Jobs and the Dell folks are shining a spotlight on this fire, but they need to ensure that they keep ALL of the elements in the light, not just the most visible elements.

9 posted on 02/18/2007 7:32:15 PM PST by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: anymouse

Teachers should be able to fire bad parents. That's the biggest problem I've seen over the years.


10 posted on 02/18/2007 7:33:02 PM PST by D-Chivas
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To: anymouse

when gov roy romer resigned from the los angeles public schools he admitted that, we've lost the ability to teach reading to first graders!

and then there was the illegal family that moved to lexington, ky. their relatives from l.a. visited and it turned out that their 2nd grader in lexington could read better than the cousin, an l.a. high school grad!


11 posted on 02/18/2007 7:36:06 PM PST by ken21 (it takes a village to brainwash your child + to steal your property! /s)
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To: DustyMoment
I agree with just about everything you say, but it still stands that the main impediment to reform is the NEA and the RAT party funded by the NEA (the RAT's no. 1 or 2 donor). Since they won't let go of the system as it is, nothing will be reformed and alternatives will continue to be in jeopardy.
12 posted on 02/18/2007 7:38:15 PM PST by WorkingClassFilth ("Don't tread on me" - the motto of Patriots. "May I lick your boots?" - the motto of too many "R"s.)
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To: D-Chivas
And also teachers should be able to expel bad students. There is no accountability anywhere.

And finally, bring back corporal punishment in schools.

13 posted on 02/18/2007 7:38:22 PM PST by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
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To: anymouse

Education needs to be defunded; performance only occurs thru competition (for scarce resources). All great inventions used every day; car, tv, electricity, airplane, computer, etc., were invented by people who had educations before teacher unions existed; and none of them had a PhD.! all patents now come from India and China


14 posted on 02/18/2007 7:43:06 PM PST by Herakles (Diversity is code word for anti-white racism)
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To: anymouse

I'll believe Jobs when he stops supporting Democrats who are inseparable from the teachers unions.


15 posted on 02/18/2007 7:44:49 PM PST by EDINVA
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To: anymouse

btt


16 posted on 02/18/2007 7:45:47 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: anymouse

OK, so far in this thread we've fired the teachers, the students, the parents, the principals, and the state legislature.

It's not radical reform, but it's a start.


17 posted on 02/18/2007 7:56:18 PM PST by proxy_user
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To: proxy_user
OK, so far in this thread we've fired the teachers, the students, the parents, the principals, and the state legislature.

The correct interpretation of these sentiments is: Use the Free Market system!

If teachers are the problem, the private school should fire them!
If the student is a problem, they should be expelled!
If the parents are the problem, the student should be expelled!
If the administrators are the problem, parents should pull their kids out and choose a better school!

All of these things are easy to do, if parents can use the Free Market to make choices in how their children will be educated. BUT, if government schools (and those pesky legislators) have a near monopoly in education, then parents and schools have limited options and we all get stuck with a mess.

Government should have no role in education.

18 posted on 02/18/2007 8:10:24 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Enoch Powell was right.)
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To: proxy_user
How 'bout redefining things a bit?

1. Teachers - performance based incentives and the ability to fire the incompetents. There is no room for the NEA.
2. Students - get rid of the dead wood if they won't learn. Wipe out ADA crap and return corporal punishment. If the little darlings don't want to learn, society should put special education monies into building more supermax prisons.
3. Parents - ought to be responsible for their kiddies. If their kids aren't making the grade, too bad. Concerned parents will bend over backward to help their children. Those that aren't, won't. If Johnny can't read and decides to trash the school or assault the teacher, well, Mom or Dad, both or neither can cash in their assets to pay for damages.
4. Principals - Get competent, results oriented managers in this position. PC professionals need not apply. Salaries need to be knocked down to private sector levels for admin types. Performance pay like the teachers.
5. State and Fed interlopers - 'nuff said. They shouldn't have a thing to do with setting curriculum or interference in any area.

Of course, to achieve any of this, the lawyers would have to be reigned in first (probably killed).

Now, that, IMO, would be a modest start.
19 posted on 02/18/2007 8:10:59 PM PST by WorkingClassFilth ("Don't tread on me" - the motto of Patriots. "May I lick your boots?" - the motto of too many "R"s.)
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To: anymouse
I don't think problems with public schools is going to have that much impact on Steve Jobs pocketbook, at least compared to mine.

God Bless You, Steve Jobs.

20 posted on 02/18/2007 8:15:47 PM PST by Tribune7 (A bleeding heart does nothing but ruin the carpet.)
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