Chazwin, are you entirely unable to converse without resort to occipital lobe eruptions?
In the US, teacher unions do indeed request discipline in schools, but this is far down on their list of priorities. The union leadership is so entrenched that even the rank and file teachers can do little to dislodge them. The leaders are lavishly funded and politically connected, and are able to ignore the sincere teachers in the classroom. The union leadership are entirely resistant to any attempts to hold teachers accountable. They have protested the idea of merit pay, which is bizarre, but they do. They reject attempts to test teachers for continuing competence. And when parents actually attempt to give input to the schools, the schools reject these attempts. Numerous news documentaries on TV have addressed these issues, but to no avail. The politicians constantly promise improvements, but the only increase is in taxes, not in quality of education. My interest in education began some years ago when, as a new student, I applied for teaching curricula in my university. Because of my age, (I was 40 then) I was interviewed, and was told what to expect. Things would not be as I remembered them. In my years, if a student so much as said "damn" in class, he was suspended. Today, much harsher words, directed at high school teachers by young students, are considered free speech. I finally selected a curriculum in financial accounting instead. The state of government-run schools in the US is well known to be awful. Many thousands of dollars per year (per student) are spent in failing school systems. Nearly every state in the Union publicizes its annual efforts to improve matters, but next year, there is always a need for even more programs at even greater cost. Our test scores slip almost every year by international standards. As a result, whenever a "charter" school opens, with limited seats available, there are tens of applicants for each available seat, and these are often in impoverished districts where students are trapped in schools often described as hell holes. Charter schools are similar to other government run schools, but with the major difference being that they are locally controlled and free from contracts with teacher unions. Which is why every charter offered is opposed by the teacher unions. Teachers compete for teaching slots in these schools, even though the pay is LESS. Yes, there are many good, dedicated teachers who resent their own union. Chaz, what is with you? Must you attribute absolutely everything I say to ignorance, hate or some other vile motive? If your interest is to simply be a provocateur, then so be it. If your sense of superioroty depends on insulting those who disagree with you, then I feel for you. But what I suspect is that you are actually a pleasant person face to face, but that you are so utterly insulated from opposing points of view that you have no skill at civil discourse with those with whom you disagree. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Jun 15, 8:03 pm, chazwin <[email protected]> wrote: > On Jun 15, 2:36 pm, Robert <[email protected]> wrote: > > > On Jun 14, 5:44 am, chazwin <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > DO you agree with closing more schools? > > > The choice is not between closing schools or not. > > It is eminently possible to improve the schools AND save money. > > The prescription: > > > 1) enforce basic student discipline, which has eroded to atrocious > > depths. > > 2) establish, monitor, and enforce basic teaching standards. Many > > teachers are abysmally incompetent. > > 3) require at least a minimal degree of parental involvement where > > feasible. Many parents are apathetic. > > They should be required to pay extra for school services unless they > > demonstrate some basic effort to help their children. > > > There are other needed steps, but these are a good start. > > The obstacle is the teacher unions, which wield enormous political > > power. > > As usual you are speaking from ideological ignorance. The points you > raise above are all supported by unions idiot! > > > Their only answer to every issue in the schools is to raise taxes and > > increase spending, despite the fact that many years of this policy > > have continued to produce illiterate, innumerate students. > > The unions vociferously resist any attempt at holding teachers > > accountable. > > Plus, when taxes ARE raised, the bulk of the money goes into the > > pockets of school administrators and union officials, with a bone > > tossed to the teachers, and almost none of it to improving education > > for the students. > > More ignorance. > > > > > > > > Do you want hoards of the poorest children from the most deprived > > > neighbourhoods knocking on your door during daylight hours when you > > > are at work? > > > Melodrama. > > > > Would you rather the roads fixed themselves; > > > Now there's an idea! Nano tech! > > > > that we go back to privatised fire-service? > > > You have a talent for hyperbole. > > > > > ----------------------------------------- > > > > On May 18, 12:57 pm, nominal9 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Video--- Example of How Politicians Should Act > > > > > > > Governor of New Jersey was accused by a reporter of being > > > > > > confrontational. > > > > > > Governor replies as follows: > > > > > > >http://hotair.com/archives/2010/05/13/video-chris-christie-destroys-r...- > > > > > > Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Epistemology" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/epistemology?hl=en.
