If you'd have read the article, you'd see that there's also a report backing it up.
It sure is... if you can show me where I did that, I'll apologize.
I'm gonna start with the line I quoted. And I'm gonna go back to the trouble in Wisconsin a few months ago, where people like you were constantly bitching that teachers got benefits.
I like how you spout one anecdote, with nothing to support it, and imply that's what the entire school system has become.
As for the rest of your rant, remember, most workers also aren't subject to the whims of the taxpayer, who always wants his taxes lower. Meaning that without the unions, the teachers likely would never get raises, and would likely never have limits on their class sizes, either.
Because it's all or nothing, right? There can't be some happy middle ground? And it can't be possible that there are some really incompetent parents out there who truly have no idea what the fuck they should be doing?
Get over yourself. That's not what he's saying at all. This is a very serious problem, and needs to be addressed if this is going to work. Ignoring it is a sure recipe for failure.
In most places, both parents have to work in order to make ends meet. The fact that you think it can be solved by "living simpler" is completely, batshit retarded.
I'm not sure why that private school can afford first-place amenities at less than half the national average cost
I'm guessing that it's mainly because they are allowed to self-select their students. Meaning they don't have to accept the expensive ones, like the troubled kids, those without parental involvement, or the special ed students. Public schools are required to take them, and thus must spend a lot of money on them.
This is the biggest reason why a fully 'privatized' system would never work. There would be far too many people left out in the cold.
Any employee who survives gets a union mandated 8% annual payraise.
Bull fucking shit.
Its all part of the game, just like they get three months vacation
That they either have to spend at school, keeping up on new training, or working because they don't get paid for it? Sounds awesome. And those jobs typically end up being shitty, gas station jobs, as there aren't a lot of places that will just hire someone for 3 months.
Now untrained people, yes that is an issue, but if there are no jobs and never will be for them, no real loss.
Except when you remember that these "untrained people" are still people, and still need to fucking eat and have shelter. Should they just go out and die in the gutter now, so as not to inconvenience you?
Wow, this is what happens when you go full retard, everyone.
Reform is useless, there are too many interested parties. The solution? Sauve qui peut. Most private schools can do the job, if you have the means. If not, there's homeschooling. And the rest will serve as horrible examples to those who fail to take advantage of the first two options. It's lifeboat time, and there aren't enough seats for everyone.
So either you have the money to send your child off to private school, you have the money to have a parent stay home with the kids all day, or your children don't get educated at all. Gee, I'm sure that'll completely solve the problem of people living in the ghetto.
I don't know about Canada, but the problem here isn't necessarily teacher pay.
When new teachers start at below $35k in most places, whereas "finance" and "business" types start at more than double that, then yes, it is a problem.
especially when you include benefits that far exceed what people in the private sector get
That's actually a lie. Public sector workers are paid at market, or slightly less, even when counting in benefits.
And quite frankly, bitching over "benefits that they get that we don't!" is incredibly immature. The problem is not that teachers get the benefits. The problem is that most US workers didn't fight to keep them when they lost them. The question shouldn't be "Why do they get them?", it should be "Why don't we get them?"
I highly doubt that "music" and "sports" are why your commissioners didn't know what they were supposed to do. If anything, some of those programs are what kept them in school.
Radio Shack is actually making an effort to get back to its roots regarding selling electronic parts. They're starting to stock a lot more robotics parts, and microcontroller boards. Still not as good as you can get online (which is why I think they steered away from it for a while to start with), but it's a start.
Part of that would be some of the more famous people lending their celebrity to the causes of education. There was a story recently where Wil.I.Am bought out some time on ABC so he could broadcast a national high school robotics competition. Things like that will help propel math & science to popularity again.
300MB for $20 is NOT LOW COST. $20 used to be the cost of the unlimited plan. If they wanted a "low cost" plan with such ridiculously low caps, they should have started it at $5.
So you're going to cling to your one example, again while ignoring every other example from history which caused employees to unionize. Remember, data is not the plural of anecdote.
Slashdot Mirror
If you'd have read the article, you'd see that there's also a report backing it up.
It sure is... if you can show me where I did that, I'll apologize.
I'm gonna start with the line I quoted. And I'm gonna go back to the trouble in Wisconsin a few months ago, where people like you were constantly bitching that teachers got benefits.
I like how you spout one anecdote, with nothing to support it, and imply that's what the entire school system has become.
As for the rest of your rant, remember, most workers also aren't subject to the whims of the taxpayer, who always wants his taxes lower. Meaning that without the unions, the teachers likely would never get raises, and would likely never have limits on their class sizes, either.
Because it's all or nothing, right? There can't be some happy middle ground? And it can't be possible that there are some really incompetent parents out there who truly have no idea what the fuck they should be doing?
Blah blah blah, generic anti-teacher sentiment, blah blah blah.
Get over yourself. That's not what he's saying at all. This is a very serious problem, and needs to be addressed if this is going to work. Ignoring it is a sure recipe for failure.
Wow, asshole much?
In most places, both parents have to work in order to make ends meet. The fact that you think it can be solved by "living simpler" is completely, batshit retarded.
I'm not sure why that private school can afford first-place amenities at less than half the national average cost
I'm guessing that it's mainly because they are allowed to self-select their students. Meaning they don't have to accept the expensive ones, like the troubled kids, those without parental involvement, or the special ed students. Public schools are required to take them, and thus must spend a lot of money on them.
This is the biggest reason why a fully 'privatized' system would never work. There would be far too many people left out in the cold.
My numbers are from the early 90s in a relatively expensive suburb.
So, in other words, complete bullshit.
Any employee who survives gets a union mandated 8% annual payraise.
Bull fucking shit.
Its all part of the game, just like they get three months vacation
That they either have to spend at school, keeping up on new training, or working because they don't get paid for it? Sounds awesome. And those jobs typically end up being shitty, gas station jobs, as there aren't a lot of places that will just hire someone for 3 months.
Now untrained people, yes that is an issue, but if there are no jobs and never will be for them, no real loss.
Except when you remember that these "untrained people" are still people, and still need to fucking eat and have shelter. Should they just go out and die in the gutter now, so as not to inconvenience you?
Wow, this is what happens when you go full retard, everyone.
Reform is useless, there are too many interested parties. The solution? Sauve qui peut. Most private schools can do the job, if you have the means. If not, there's homeschooling. And the rest will serve as horrible examples to those who fail to take advantage of the first two options. It's lifeboat time, and there aren't enough seats for everyone.
So either you have the money to send your child off to private school, you have the money to have a parent stay home with the kids all day, or your children don't get educated at all. Gee, I'm sure that'll completely solve the problem of people living in the ghetto.
I don't know about Canada, but the problem here isn't necessarily teacher pay.
When new teachers start at below $35k in most places, whereas "finance" and "business" types start at more than double that, then yes, it is a problem.
especially when you include benefits that far exceed what people in the private sector get
That's actually a lie. Public sector workers are paid at market, or slightly less, even when counting in benefits.
And quite frankly, bitching over "benefits that they get that we don't!" is incredibly immature. The problem is not that teachers get the benefits. The problem is that most US workers didn't fight to keep them when they lost them. The question shouldn't be "Why do they get them?", it should be "Why don't we get them?"
Do private schools have SSR
The one I went to did. For a lot of students, if they don't have that time in school, they don't read at all.
I highly doubt that "music" and "sports" are why your commissioners didn't know what they were supposed to do. If anything, some of those programs are what kept them in school.
(yes, teachers unions, and no, I don't think teachers ought to work for "slave" labor or not have benefits)
Funny, because that's usually what happens. You're forgetting why the unions were started in the first place.
lack of focus... yes, art is important, music is important, but the core classes are MORE important and need more resources.
Says who? The arts can be just as important as math and science. Especially when it comes to getting kids to actually enjoy learning.
we've had the government coddling us for so long
Yes, having a social safety net and actual worker's rights (as pitiful as they are in the states) is "coddling". Same with consumer protections.
Radio Shack is actually making an effort to get back to its roots regarding selling electronic parts. They're starting to stock a lot more robotics parts, and microcontroller boards. Still not as good as you can get online (which is why I think they steered away from it for a while to start with), but it's a start.
Part of that would be some of the more famous people lending their celebrity to the causes of education. There was a story recently where Wil.I.Am bought out some time on ABC so he could broadcast a national high school robotics competition. Things like that will help propel math & science to popularity again.
There are some cases (as outlined in the summary) where shorter school weeks can actually improve test scores.
However, it should be noted that there are other cases in which it would make things worse.
Who is making $25k a year in the teacher's union?
Just about anybody starting out, unless they live somewhere that has a very high cost of living (NYC, SF, etc).
Well, for one, school shouldn't be thought of as child care anyway.
Good for you, you don't use your phone. Realize that some of us do.
300MB for $20 is NOT LOW COST. $20 used to be the cost of the unlimited plan. If they wanted a "low cost" plan with such ridiculously low caps, they should have started it at $5.
So you're going to cling to your one example, again while ignoring every other example from history which caused employees to unionize. Remember, data is not the plural of anecdote.
Just about every SD/MicroSD adaptor I've seen requires the whole thing to be taken out of the camera in order to get the MicroSD card out.
And now we're back to needing an adapter again. Except this one's a lot smaller, and easier to lose.