[Vigilanteman]

When I was in high school (early 1970s), teachers got paid only for the months which they worked plus a small summer vacation allowance. Some of them picked up a little extra teaching summer school or coaching football or band camp which started in August.

Almost all of the others could be found working a variety of jobs. Some would help out on a relative's farm, one worked in the hardware store. A few helped set up for and even manned booths in the county fair. One of them even performed in rodeos around the region. Another, a great music teacher, learned how to do a better job repairing musical instruments than what the school district was paying shipping them out to a big city and ended up setting up a very successful business in his basement doing just that.

We had some great teachers with a wide variety of real life experiences to add to their classroom teaching. For a podunk town in a backwater region of the United States, we produced a lot of great students who went on to productive and successful careers.

But much less so since the teacher's union came in. In my era, high school teachers (mostly) went into the profession because they actually enjoyed teaching but wanted the summers off to pursue other interests. Now, they mostly go into it for the money and stability, neither of which has much to do with how well they produce.

[sarasmom]

I’m glad you brought that up.
My experience was the same.

My daughter will graduate this year, and for the most part, the vast majority of her K-12 teachers have been great at their jobs!There are always exceptions, but the few I have encountered, were easily dealt with.
We’ve always seen some of her former and current teachers moonlighting at part time jobs, elsewhere.

But I have always made a concerted effort to avoid large cities.
At no time in the past 12 years have any of her school teachers “manned a strike line”.
I guess I should also point out that I made it a point to live in “right to work” states.

Frankly, I’ve always had bigger gripes against the non-teaching, bloated and grossly overpaid district level administration staff.
Not to mention the local political “boards”, and their staff.

Abolish the Federal Department of Education, fire over 50% of every state’s current non-teaching school administrative staffing levels, and most problems are instantly solved!

In business, it is known as “right-sizing” the company.
In government, it is known as “refocusing on the primary mission”.

For bloodsucking politicians, bureaucrats and Unions, it is known as “the jig is up”.