Posted on 09/16/2013 2:31:16 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Truck drivers have a number of requirements that the general public typically does not know about.
Random drug testing, Haz Mat testing, a physical exam every two years requiring vision tests and drug screening (in addition to the random potential testing,) documentation of hours worked in a certified log book on or off 24/7 365 days a year. Truck driver CDL licenses require also more strict standards as in alcohol testing.
Additionally, it cost a lot more money to obtain a license. Drivers are restricted in how many hours they can work in a given time period. That limitation is usually 60 hours in a 7 day period or 70 hours over 8 days which works out the same using the Governmets new truck driving math..
If you find yourself 100 miles from home but have reached your limit for hours then you get to stay put for whatever amount of time it requires to pick up the 8 hours necessary to start driving again. That does wonders for family life in many cases.
Personally, I find that teachers today are a sorry lot despite the positive marks that they are constantly giving themselves whenever the opportunity arises. Taxpayer funded pensions and earlier retirement are only some of the privileges that teachers are provided with.
Teachers are a dime a dozen and there are few job openings these days, but a long anticipated shortage of qualified truck drivers who maintain the supply chain in this country is at hand.
I am not a truck driver myself but I am familar with the industry and I do maintain a CDL for myself just in case some day I need to get behind the wheel.
What is the Retirement Plan you have? What are the Medical Benefits that you have?
Are there ANY means used to test teachers' effectiveness, with a penalty of dismissal for poor performance (i.e., students who can't pass Standardized Tests, AND, cannot pass the SAT Tests, for example).
I agree, there are a few that still teach because they WANT to teach, but far too many are in the field that couldn't survive in a private sector/non-union job, due to lack of performance and production....that's just the way it is today, and the mandatory Degree requirements do NOT mean a teacher is competent; it merely means they've passed exams that prove that they passed an exam, no more, no less. I'm un-impressed with Academic Credentials, as I've seen the bulk of the recent College-Educated "intellectuals" who I wouldn't hire as custodians.
Surely, for at least some of those teachers it's not a question of being forced to work those jobs, but of just wanting to make some money during the summer.
But teachers (and unions) have gotten so used to complaining it's hard to see them stopping no matter how much money they make.
$55,000.00 divided by 180 days of work = $305.00 per day.
$305.00 divided by 7 hours a day = $43.57 per hour.
Underpaid, they say?
$55,000.00 divided by 180 days of work = $305.00 per day.
$305.00 divided by 7 hours a day = $43.57 per hour.
Underpaid, they say?
What is the PENALTY for a teacher who has students who cannot pass standardized tests?
I'm sorry, but the VAST MAJORITY of teachers in my lifetime have NOT impressed me as the cream-of-the-crop, when it comes to proficiency, OR, actual knowledge sufficient to excel in the private sector non-Union environment....and the quality of teaching ESSENTIAL subjects is declining. Indoctrinating into "sensitivity", "diversity", and "victimhood" are what core teaching entails, today.
Are you really trying to compare the cost of getting a class one license to the cost of 5 or 6 years of college? WOW!!!!
I actually have respect for truck drivers but the requirements to legally get behind the wheel of a big rig do not compare to the requirement to be a full time classroom teacher. The years of training are not comparable, the breadth and width of tested knowledge is not comparable, the cost is not comparable. That was my original post and I stand by those provable facts completely. One last true fact is that those drivers all have the ability to chose another career field, to set a different career goal so they can work near their homes. I'm well aware that it may take a significant investment to achieve that goal. Been there, done that. It is all part of the personal choices we make that we alone are responsible for.
The joke is all the academic hoops they require teachers to jump through, hoops designed to pad the job rolls in higher education and artificially raise the salaries of teachers.
Keep in mind that the “yearly” salaries for teachers are based on 9 or 10 month “years” not 12 months like regular jobs.
Yes I was paid extra, it amounted to just under minimum wage with the extra prep and follow up we had to do. Once again it was my choice, and the money I made from that paid for the class I took. Our district is a relatively poor rural school district and does not have extra funds.
I cannot answer for all teachers in all situations. I only know what my district’s policies are. In my district, there is no such thing as tenure. Teachers are hired for one year at a time. If a teacher is ineffective, and testing data is the deteriming factor of this, their contract is not renewed. This is not an empty threat. I have worked with several that didn’t have their contracts renewed. The district isn’t interested in what you have done for the last several years. It is interested in “what have you done for me lately? “
I understand that most people work in the private sector and many of those people seem to feel that if only schools could be run like a business then kids would learn more. If only. Here is why that will never work. Let’s say that you own a company that makes widgets. In order to make the best widget for your customers you use only the best raw materials and throw away any widget that doesn’t meet your exacting standards. Now try to apply that to schools. Schools cannot just accept the best raw materials. There is a saying that I have heard a lot as a teacher. “Parents send the best kids that they have, they don’t keep the good ones at home.” That means that in addition to “normal” kids, we get the ones with all manner of learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and train wrecks for home lives. Unlike the business model, we cannot throw away or discard the imperfect students at the end of the year. Yes, there are many, many horrible examples of teachers who pass kids on out of convenience. I have and will continue to call out any teacher who fails a kid in this way. As for the 7 hour a day myth, I have yet to meet a teacher, that us actually good at their job and therefore continues to have a job, work less than 9 or 10 per day.
Cripplecreek, I didn’t mean for this to be solely directed at you so please don’t feel that am calling you out. You’re a good guy in my book. :)
Yes I believe they are all protesting something. As for being intimidated, I teach High school technology, there is much that even makes me nervous.
I am sure that you will agree that there is a certain segment of the homeschooling crowd that is shall we say militant.
They are the ones that if you don't march in lock step with them you will be vilified and constantly reported tot he moderator. They will stalk you to other threads etc....
Those are the ones I am talking about.
>> Point proven. You never have to prove
>> factual true
Whatever, teacher.
Yes I believe they are all protesting something. As for being intimidated, I teach High school technology, there is much that even makes me nervous.
I am sure that you will agree that there is a certain segment of the homeschooling crowd that is shall we say militant.
They are the ones that if you don't march in lock step with them you will be vilified and constantly reported tot he moderator. They will stalk you to other threads etc....
Those are the ones I am talking about.
Oh, I didn’t mean that teaching didn’t matter to them, they are just too few in number. And aging fast. My sons attended a Jesuit HS, and even there the faculty is mostly “lay teachers”. And now the Principal is a layperson too.
Well said...very well said.
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