More teachers union hypocracy

[Trades]

For the pro-Union crowd how do you justify this stance by the union in Alabama? The link to the NJEA PDF was interesting too arguing against "Blended Charters".

Alabama Education Association Wants Kids in Failing Schools

John J. Walters|Mar. 5, 2013 12:45 pm


Alabama passed a school-choice plan last Thursday that The Foundry hails as "historic." The Cato At Liberty blog is almost as optimistic, calling the legislation “a good start” and criticizing only the fact that it may inadvertently encourage schools to waste more time “teaching to the test.”
In brief, the new legislation will allow students who currently attend a “failing” school to attend a “non-failing” school via income tax credits.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) plans to sign the bill into law today, but the Alabama Education Association (AEA) has other ideas. They are suing to block Bentley from signing the bill because:

They maintain the bill has several problems, including being so broad that a family zoned for a failing school could get the private school tax credits without even sending a child to the failing school.

The plan defines failing schools as:

…those in the bottom 10 percent on statewide reading and math assessment scores, with three consecutive D’s or one F on the school grading card, or labeled ‘persistently low-performing’ on the state’s School Improvement Grant application.

In other words, when the state-run education system that you’re funding with your tax dollars fails your children for a few years running, you will be permitted to keep a portion of your money to send them to a better school.
It's nothing new for heavily-entrenched public education unions to oppose competition and innovations in teaching methods that can benefit children. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) devoted the first two pages of its January 2013 newsletter to bad-mouthing charters and complaining about reform movements.


Groups like the AEA and the NJEA are trying to protect their members from budget cuts and lay-offs. That's what unions were created to do, and they're remarkably good at it. But when that gets in the way of a child's education, it is up to parents and legislators to put them back in their place.

http://www.njea.org/njea-media/pdf/R...?1360949732199

[cr726]

You can't spell the word HYPOCRISY wrong in your thread title and attack education.

[copernicus]

Failing schools because the teachers are bad?

Its all about firing teachers unjustly with junk evaluations that no one can come close to explaining or understanding

Failing schools because of failing teachers is like saying the people in Chernobyl who are dying of cancer is the fault of the doctors.....

Parents take no responsibility or accountability.

So let me get this straight, we are going to take the better students through a rigged lottery system from public school and put them in charter schools and leave the worst students for the public school teachers.

How exactly does this help?

Why wont the United States attack the problems in education like they attacked Afghanistan?

P.S: My teacher budget for ALL SUPPLIES in the classroom in total is $45 for the entire 2012-2013 school year. (that includes paper, chalk, books, erasers, everything)

You think I have a fair shot at inspiring children to learn and raise scores with $45 for supplies for an entire year?

[stanner]

Lolz

[cr726]

You can't spell the word HYPOCRISY wrong in your thread title and attack education.

[FF2®]

Not sure how this is haprokrazy.

They stated their reasons pretty clearly.

[OCCH]

Originally Posted by cr726

You can't spell the word HYPOCRISY wrong in your thread title and attack education.

Unless he's the product of our public school system . . .

[AlwaysGreenAlwaysWhite]

Originally Posted by FF2®

Not sure how this is haprokrazy.

They stated their reasons pretty clearly.

Yup, plain as day.

If our non-charter isn't helping your child, tough sh!t... You have no say... Better move.

[quantum]

So I"m talking to a teacher I know who is also a union rep.

She tells me she's fighting for a teacher (who we'll call "Z") who is on the verge of being fired.

It seems Z is great teaching 5-6 kids at a time, but fails miserably when she has a full class of anywhere from 15-25. So I ask if there's any job where she can teach 5-6. Nope, has to be 15-25.

And the union is still fighting. So I look at her and say "ya know, I could be an NBA star if the NBA was composed entirely of midgets. I should sue to make that happen."

And totally serious she tells me I should do that, if it means that much to me.

true story.

wow.

[Brooklyn Jet]

Originally Posted by quantum

So I"m talking to a teacher I know who is also a union rep.

She tells me she's fighting for a teacher (who we'll call "Z") who is on the verge of being fired.

It seems Z is great teaching 5-6 kids at a time, but fails miserably when she has a full class of anywhere from 15-25. So I ask if there's any job where she can teach 5-6. Nope, has to be 15-25.

And the union is still fighting. So I look at her and say "ya know, I could be an NBA star if the NBA was composed entirely of midgets. I should sue to make that happen."

And totally serious she tells me I should do that, if it means that much to me.

true story.

wow.

Its ridiculous. My wife is a younger, untenured teacher. The daily stories I hear about excuses being made for tenured teachers with obvious shortcomings, or that do what they want because they cant be fired, is ridiculous. Get your time in and you're safe seems to be the prevailing philosophy with some of these teachers. And you know principals would love to be able to get rid of that dead weight, but their hands are tied.

[stanner]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Jet

Its ridiculous. My wife is a younger, untenured teacher. The daily stories I hear about excuses being made for tenured teachers with obvious shortcomings, or that do what they want because they cant be fired, is ridiculous. Get your time in and you're safe seems to be the prevailing philosophy with some of these teachers. And you know principals would love to be able to get rid of that dead weight, but their hands are tied.

Pics?

Just kidding. When she becomes tenured, I bet she'll change her tune. My soon-to-be-tenured wife currently worries about things like how many esl and special needs kids are placed in her inclusive classroom, and how those inclusions effect a generic performance number assigned to her abilities.

Right or wrong, it's nice to feel secure in your employment. There are remedies that exist when dealing with underperforming educators.

[stanner]

Originally Posted by quantum

So I"m talking to a teacher I know who is also a union rep.

She tells me she's fighting for a teacher (who we'll call "Z") who is on the verge of being fired.

It seems Z is great teaching 5-6 kids at a time, but fails miserably when she has a full class of anywhere from 15-25. So I ask if there's any job where she can teach 5-6. Nope, has to be 15-25.

And the union is still fighting. So I look at her and say "ya know, I could be an NBA star if the NBA was composed entirely of midgets. I should sue to make that happen."

And totally serious she tells me I should do that, if it means that much to me.

true story.

wow.

When you murder somebody, your lawyer fights for you, even if you did it. Her union, to whom she paid dues, shouldn't fight for her?

[Brooklyn Jet]

Originally Posted by stanner

Pics?

Just kidding. When she becomes tenured, I bet she'll change her tune. My soon-to-be-tenured wife currently worries about things like how many esl and special needs kids are placed in her inclusive classroom, and how those inclusions effect a generic performance number assigned to her abilities.

Right or wrong, it's nice to feel secure in your employment. There are remedies that exist when dealing with underperforming educators.

My wife would love to have an inclusive classroom thats starting up next year at the school shes at now, being regular- and special ed certified. But it has to be offered to teachers higher on the totem pole, all of whom are *****ing and moaning and trying to avoid taking it. The same teachers that dont correct kids homework and the like.

The problem in my mind is the remedies take years, it seems, to play out. Its nice to feel secure in ones job - if one is performing to a certain level.

[Trades]

Originally Posted by cr726

You can't spell the word HYPOCRISY wrong in your thread title and attack education.

I went to public school.

[Axil]

Originally Posted by copernicus

Failing schools because the teachers are bad?

Its all about firing teachers unjustly with junk evaluations that no one can come close to explaining or understanding

Failing schools because of failing teachers is like saying the people in Chernobyl who are dying of cancer is the fault of the doctors.....

Parents take no responsibility or accountability.

So let me get this straight, we are going to take the better students through a rigged lottery system from public school and put them in charter schools and leave the worst students for the public school teachers.

How exactly does this help?

Why wont the United States attack the problems in education like they attacked Afghanistan?

P.S: My teacher budget for ALL SUPPLIES in the classroom in total is $45 for the entire 2012-2013 school year. (that includes paper, chalk, books, erasers, everything)

You think I have a fair shot at inspiring children to learn and raise scores with $45 for supplies for an entire year?

Just for fun...

Failing companies because executives are bad?

Its all about firing executives unjustly with junk stock valuations that no one can come close to explaining or understanding

Failing companies because of failing executives is like saying the people in Chernobyl who are dying of cancer is the fault of the doctors.....

Shareholders take no responsibility or accountability.

So let me get this straight, we are going to sell off the best assets through a rigged mergers and acquisitions system from the failing company to maximize shareholder value and leave the worst assets for the current executive team. (Ok, this one doesn't work well because in a real business these people would be fired)

How exactly does this help?

Why wont the United States attack the problems in education like they attacked Afghanistan?

I'm too lazy to do the postscript. Imagine i threw something about the lack of money budgeted for bonus's to incentives sales force or something....

[cr726]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Jet

Its ridiculous. My wife is a younger, untenured teacher. The daily stories I hear about excuses being made for tenured teachers with obvious shortcomings, or that do what they want because they cant be fired, is ridiculous. Get your time in and you're safe seems to be the prevailing philosophy with some of these teachers. And you know principals would love to be able to get rid of that dead weight, but their hands are tied.

Principles hire the majority of teachers within their schools, maybe they should take some responsibility as well?

[Trades]

Originally Posted by cr726

Principles hire the majority of teachers within their schools, maybe they should take some responsibility as well?

I have been responsible for hiring and firing, have you? As a manager I have tried to work with people to help them improve. Sometime it just doesn't work. It probably is the fault of both of us to some extent but that doesn't mean that I should be required to keep someone that isn't producing just because they did well in the interviews and they had a good resume. It also doesn't mean that if all attempts at coaching doesn't help a person improve that I shouldn't be able to fire them.

The worst part of trying to coach a teacher is that if the teacher is horrible and/or apathetic it is the students that suffer. That extra year of coaching or probation that a teacher gets can harm the future of the 20 or so kids that the teacher has in their class for the year(s) they are learning to do their jobs. It is all about the kids right? Or is it actually about entitlement for the teachers?

[quantum]

Originally Posted by stanner

When you murder somebody, your lawyer fights for you, even if you did it. Her union, to whom she paid dues, shouldn't fight for her?

well, the UFT claims they do everything for the children.


Except this, of course.

[stanner]

Originally Posted by Trades

I have been responsible for hiring and firing, have you? As a manager I have tried to work with people to help them improve. Sometime it just doesn't work. It probably is the fault of both of us to some extent but that doesn't mean that I should be required to keep someone that isn't producing just because they did well in the interviews and they had a good resume. It also doesn't mean that if all attempts at coaching doesn't help a person improve that I shouldn't be able to fire them.

The worst part of trying to coach a teacher is that if the teacher is horrible and/or apathetic it is the students that suffer. That extra year of coaching or probation that a teacher gets can harm the future of the 20 or so kids that the teacher has in their class for the year(s) they are learning to do their jobs. It is all about the kids right? Or is it actually about entitlement for the teachers?

Shouldn't that all take place before a teacher gets tenured?

[stanner]

Originally Posted by quantum

well, the UFT claims they do everything for the children.


Except this, of course.

UFT, it's that the union? I honestly don't know. And, if yes, than, no; they do it for the teachers.