Arnold thread on yahoo on SMC debacle

[yurbud]

http://news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=l&board=37138445&tid=apschwarzeneggercommencement&sid=37138445&mid=1456

My post on teachers somehow stealing from students:

two things teachers fight for help kids

Both at the college and local level, teachers interests largely overlap kids, for example, we fight for smaller class sizes wherever needed. If you were going to put your kid in a private school, small class so the teacher has more time to help each would be a major selling point.

Even compensation and benefits for teachers help students because they attract more qualified people to the profession, so that college graduates don't have to choose between making a good living OR being a teacher. You might remember that whenever someone criticizes CEO pay, conservatives are quick to say that's how you attract the best talent and reward top performers.

Somehow, they say this logic doesn't apply to hiring teachers. Instead of making the job more attractive to highly skilled people, they think that testing up front and brow-beating and micro-managing once you get the job will improve quality. Before teaching college, I got my bachelor's degree at a teacher's college. A lot of the future K-12 teachers had trouble passing the CBEST test, which is required in CA and OR to get a teaching job, and had to take it three or four times. It's a test to see if you have sixth grade math and English skills. Do you think any school would hire those people if they had smarter candidates to choose from?

Once they get the job, the smartest people tend to leave quickly because of the micro-managed curriculum. One of my friends was a third grade teacher that parents clamored to get their kids in his class. He quit, and got accepted to grad school at Columbia University in another field.


I have a master's degree and teach college. I don't have health insurance and have to patch together a couple of part time gigs in different districts as about two-thirds of community college teachers do. I can't even afford to pay down my student loans that I needed to get the degree to get the job. I have friends in their 40s and 50s who still live with their parents because they love teaching so much, they can't give up the job even though they can't make a decent living.

By contrast, a friend of mine who works as a legal secretary makes about 50% more than me and has health insurance. He doesn't even have any legal training.

It is interesting that conservatives often say how important education is, but they would rather have a tax cut for the wealthy than put their money where their mouth is.

Hillbilly Hitler art:



Blog:

[Kerrytravelers]

1. I love this one: Libs favor a 90% tax rate

:spray:

Can anyone say dillusional?