busbus wrote in
:

On Aug 11, 4:10*pm, Han wrote:

Thanks!! *I agree, we need to talk. *We don't want more occurrences l
ike
the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies that give away pension obligations
to the "state" or just say screw you to the retired workers. *Some
givebac
ks
need to happen, but we were focusing here on teachers. *And then the
BI
G
question is, would you want your kids (and your neighbors' kids too)
to have a good education, or should the kids be warehoused until 16
or 18 and then loosed upon the drugdens that would undoubtedly spring
up in your town.


Han,

I agree that kids need to have a good education but simply paying
money does not guarantee that. We pay a hell of a lot per student in
this country and we are getting dumber and dumber. Do you really
believe that it will turn the corner if you pay teachers more money?
Hire more teachers? Provide more "free" meals in school? Give each
kid a Mac?

I wish I had the solution. Paying a little more should help attract
better teachers (I think). Elevating the stature of the teachers to
give them more selfesteem would help too. And parents should help the
teachers. What? My wife just tells me that the CDC has determined that
60% of American adults grew up with a troubled or abusive family member
(self reported). Maybe that explains something. I wish I knew how to
educate teachers so they can motivate their kids better. I know that's
what ny daughter and SIL are trying to do, and especially my SIL has
great rapport (I think) with the kids in Paterson. I wish I could
properly retell some of his jokes and stories with which he keeps them
interested.

Nope. It all starts in the home and whether or not a kid's parents
value education and make darn sure that their kids do the needful.
You have parents at both ends of the spectrum: those who think their
kids need to be #1 in everything and can never have a bad grade and
those who can give a #%@^. And I do not know which group has more
members in it. Unless and until those things change, we will sink
lower and lower.

Amen, brother. Much of the current malaise in education comes from those
things.

Additionally, I graduated from high school around the time that Jimmy
Carter created the Department of Education. Seems to me the USA was
on top of the world at that time and, ever since, we have plummeted
but the costs have risen tremendously. I see a lot of problems there.

I grew up in Holland, and went to university there for my master's. In
the 50s and 60s, it was like a huge merit badge for the researcher who
had studied/worked a year in the US. Big plus for advancement back home.
And it still is for many, but now more orientals than Europeans. Work
ethic is still a problem for many in the US. By far not all, because
still very much of the best science is done in the US. But there is a
greater proportion of foreigners who happily do grunt work to learn the
ropes.

But let's get back to the subject: why shouldn't teachers have to
endure everything the rest of us do? We all are forced to work more.
We are all forced to pay more. And, as a result, our hourly take home
pay has been reduced incredibly.

Then let's get those critters in Congress to give up some perks, and do
more (I mean real legislative work). This pandering to the left and right
fringes really gets me.

Am I biased? Maybe I am but I am sick of having to pay for more and
more people out of my salary.

See above. I really believe that some people need to be paid
appropriately. Teachers. Some cops, hospital workers, haven't thought
of making a list of good people grin.

Also, I told you I retired in large part because I was fed up with
compliance forms etc. We should simplify that to an absolute minimum,
and tell everyone to take an oath to do the right thing(s). And if they
didn't, such as doing ethically wrong things, falsefying data, abusing
subjects, whatever, then they should really be punished, not just given a
slap on the wrist, as is happening now.


--
Best regards
Han
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