Posted on 09/13/2012 3:52:30 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Let’s get one thing straight: the Chicago Teachers Union strike isn’t about what’s best for kids, no matter how much unionists insist it is. It is ultimately about bruised egos, and staying unaccountable.
That reality is made clear by the regular refrain of Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, of which the CTU is an affiliate. As she wrote in this morning’s USA Today, “no one wants to strike … this strike comes on the heels of numerous steps that left teachers feeling disrespected.”
That teachers have been the victims of brutal dissing has been the complaint of their unions for years, a mantra that’s coincided especially with efforts to assess teachers’ performance using, at least partially, the achievement of their students. That, and people have increasingly put two and two together: Many students aren’t learning, teachers have the greatest in-school impact on learning, therefore the teaching force needs an upgrade.
To be fair, union leaders are right to point out — as they have in Chicago — that what goes on with kids outside of school often has a bigger impact than what goes on inside, and mechanisms for tying test scores to individual teachers are imperfect.
But reformers addressing something that’s backed by good logic and evidence — teaching needs to improve — isn’t “disrespecting” teachers any more than it’s dissing players to point out that the Seattle Mariners — who have the worst batting average in Major League Baseball — need to improve their hitting.
~snip~
... the average Chicago teacher gets paid between $71,000 and $76,000 a year. Either figure exceeds the national mean income for people with bachelors or masters degrees — $57,000 and $69,000, respectively — and is even more generous when one considers teachers’ built-in vacation time.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
There is a popular and posh resort area in Wisconsin where a lot of people maintain vacation homes — Door County. My friend has a place there, and nearly every other home on her street is owned by a Chicago teacher.
Poo wittle feewings hurt?
If Rahm actually gave a rip about public education in the city, he’d could be much more aggressive in dealing with the strikers.
At present, charter schools in the city are still in session; in addition, the city is working on plans to shut down underused public schools on the South and West Sides. If Rahm began to convert some of those schools to (ununionized) charter schools, I suspect that would get the attention of the Chicago Teachers Union.
On the other hand, Rahm’s kids go to a private school, so there’s no real urgency that this fiasco get settled any time soon (other than its possible effect on BO’s election, of course).
Excellent explanation!
Make it mandatory that any unionized Chicago teacher has to send their own children to public schools and then listen to the howls of outrage. Right now a high percentage don’t so they must know from first hand experience how nasty they are.
Shouldn’t you have to EARN RESPECT, before you can be “dissed”?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.