The War on Teachers: Why Is the Public Just Watching It Happen?

[KoKo]

Published on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 by The Washington Post
The War on Teachers: Why Is the Public Watching It Happen?
by Mark Naison

All over the nation, teachers are under attack. Politicians of both parties, in every state, have blamed teachers and their unions for the nation’s low standing on international tests and our nation’s inability to create the educated labor force our economy needs.

Mass firings of teachers in so-called failing schools have taken place in municipalities throughout the nation and some states have made a public ritual of humiliating teachers. In Los Angeles and New York, teacher ratings based on student standardized test scores — said by many to be inaccurate — have been published by the press. As a result, great teachers have been labeled as incompetent and some are leaving the profession. A new study showed that teachers’ job satisfaction has plummeted in recent years.

Big budget films such as Bad Teacher and the documentary Waiting for Superman popularize the idea that public school teachers prevent poor children of color from getting a good education, while corporate funded organizations perpetuate the idea that the only way for children to excel is if their teachers lose their job security and bargaining rights.

Why has this campaign attracted such strong bipartisan support and why has the public failed to speak out loudly against it?

More on an answer of "WHY" at........

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/03/13-10

[Kokonoe]

1. I went to grade school in the inner city 1960's.

It was a crime, to call it education.

Maybe times have changed.

But I can see how poor people would shake up our education system thats based on the value of a students home.

[lbrtbell]

2. While I'm vehemently against the war on public schools

I can understand the dissatisfaction.

I went to a lot of schools and dealt with a lot of teachers, and I can count on the fingers of one hand, the teachers who actually deserved their jobs.

The majority of teachers turn a blind eye to bullying, act hostile/threatened toward smart students, and won't lift a finger to help kids who are struggling. When I was in the 8th grade, a friend of mine had such poor reading skills, that he sounded like a kindergarten kid struggling to read a picture book aloud. Not one teacher did anything to help him--I was the only person who tried to give him any assistance. Most of my teachers were right-wingers, which pretty much tells you all you need to know.

There are very good teachers, but sadly, they're in the minority. I know the Republicans don't have the answers, and their policies would only make a bad situation worse.

Still, our schools are failing our kids, and the downward spiral started long before the disastrous "No Child Left Behind" fiasco.