Posted on 02/22/2006 8:53:24 AM PST by george76
"The teachers united will never be defeated!" chanted thousands of public-school teachers at a union rally.
They may be right -- unfortunately.
Teachers unions in this country are very influential because they can assemble a crowd.
Randi Weingarten, head of New York's teachers union, put out the word, and thousands of teachers filled Madison Square Garden to demand a new contract and more money.
That clout brings timid politicians into line.
The unions can pay for expensive rallies at "the world's most famous arena" because every teacher in a unionized district like New York must give up some of his salary to the union.
Even teachers who don't like the union, teachers who believe in school choice, and teachers who could make more on the open market must fork over their money to support the unions that fight against school choice and merit pay.
The unions use their clout to fight against the interests of the best teachers.
Union leaders make sure the teachers who work hardest don't get raises or bonuses.
Everyone with the same seniority and credentials must be paid the same.
That guarantees that no teacher will take home a dime for making extra sure that students learn.
Joel Klein, who as New York's schools chancellor runs the country's largest public-school system, put it this way:
"We tolerate mediocrity, and people get paid the same whether they're outstanding or whether they're average or, indeed, whether they're way below average."
Klein said that out of 80,000 teachers, only two have been fired for incompetence in the past two years.
Of course, unions do more than just protect incompetents.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
This is a wonderfully clear article, and provides examples of the Mommy Thinking (it's the thought or emotion that counts- not the result!) and the corrupt effects of a socialized approach (the losest common denominator becomes the "standard").
Too bad Rudy Giuliani ain't around to throw RICO at the NY teachers' union. Now there's a thought ...
Kind of a difference between a union fighting for worker safety and a union that fights to keep substandard performers in teaching positions.
You wrote: "While I'm not a big fan of big media types like Stassel, this does tell me that as a teacher, I need to make sure I do my part by working to help my first graders achieve and to do it the best I can."
First, it's not 'Stassel'.
Second, one would have thought that you would have done your part to, ummm, let's say, for lack of a better word, "teach" loooooonnnnngggg before you read this particular article.
Third, how much one loves children or how hard one tries to teach them or communicate with them is irrelevant, if what we are talking about is competence in teaching.
'Warm & fuzzy' counts, yah, but it's not what taxpayers pay you for in the ultimate analysis.
Second, one would have thought that you would have done your part to, ummm, let's say, for lack of a better word, "teach" loooooonnnnngggg before you read this particular article.
Didn't know you had seen me before, but the answer is short and simple..... I did and I do.
Third, how much one loves children or how hard one tries to teach them or communicate with them is irrelevant, if what we are talking about is competence in teaching. 'Warm & fuzzy' counts, yah, but it's not what taxpayers pay you for in the ultimate analysis.
To me if you love the children, you make SURE that you teach and that they progress. As a male, I'm not the "warm and fuzzy" type too much, but I sure make sure they know how proud of them I am when they do achieve (i.e. go up a reading grade level) after learning to work hard to get their goal.
I agree with you on that one. Caring is more than just being a teddy bear.
These teachers take them away from their families for the majority of their waking hours. Which in the case of inner city kids may be a very good thing. But this type of school is not reproducible in the suburbs.
http://www.keyacademy.org/key/dayinthelife.asp
The above is a link to " A day in the life of...." to illustrate my point. Connected with this link are also test scores to compare how these kids do stacked up against D.C. Public Schools.
It is obvious that KIPP does a great job , but I would wager very few suburban parents would be interested in this setup.
One more tidbit about KIPP. The KIPP DC Academy was established in 2001. Clicking on the teacher information buttons gives a short bio about that specific teacher. Not one teacher is mentioned as being there from the beginning. The majority are from 2003 or 2004. The burn rate on teachers must be fierce.
So, you think most suburban parents would want their kids to go to a KIPP type school?
BTW, you do know that the teachers at KIPP have degrees and are also considered "professional teachers." They meet whatever standards are set by their community. It's not as if they pull random strangers off the street and tell them to teach.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.