Do you Think Teachers Unions should be disbanded?

Great point Renegade, that was a great doc "Waiting for superman" is a must watch..both dems and republcans like it..try watching it archer, then report back to us.

No I can't address this, not the way you present it because I don't think the unions are the cause of our schools failing. I agree, we have failed our children......we have failed to provide a safe environment that is conducive to learning.....the unions aren't to blame for that.......we have failed to actually teach our children the basics, instead the administrations have a love affair with standardized tests.....unions aren't to blame for that, we have let parents abdicate their responsibility to be involved in their childrens education.....unions aren't to blame for that, we have spent money on those things that do not educate our children.....on the latest and greatest in technology, but not on the latest and greatest teaching materials and teachers....unions aren't to blame for that....we have let school districts in poor areas languish for lack of funding, but watched as schools in wealthy areas grow and flourish....unions aren't to blame for that........we have seen school districts close down alternative schools, magnet schools, and back-to-basics schools because they prefer the bigger is better model.....unions aren't to blame for that.

So no, I won't buy into the idea if we get rid of unions we will suddenly have excellent schools...

outdoor338 wrote: Great point Renegade, that was a great doc "Waiting for superman" is a must watch..both dems and republcans like it..try watching it archer, then report back to us.

Is it available on-line?, we dont have a vcr...or dvd player....or anything like that here in Az.

I have noticed that Deer Creek Elementary is taking yet ANOTHER day off tomorrow. Jeesh! If they would put their nose to the grindstone and keep the school doors open, THAT might help.

archer, what is the teachers' union except teachers? The teachers have failed to teach. So........the union has failed.

“we have failed to provide a safe environment that is conducive to learning”

What schools have an unsafe environment? Do you mean schools that haven’t banned dodge ball?

“we have failed to actually teach our children the basics, instead the administrations have a love affair with standardized tests.”

If not the basics, what do you suppose is tested in standardized tests, the unions don’t like standardized because they might show that some teachers are better at teaching than others.
“

we have spent money on those things that do not educate our children.....on the latest and greatest in technology, but not on the latest and greatest teaching materials and teachers....unions aren't to blame for that”

that makes absolutely no sense, you want the teachers to go back to blackboards instead of live boards, no computers in the classrooms?

“we have seen school districts close down alternative schools, magnet schools, and back-to-basics schools because they prefer the bigger is better mode”

that is patently false, charter schools, magnet schools, alternative schools are more and more in demand every day many with long waiting lists.

Grady wrote:

“we have seen school districts close down alternative schools, magnet schools, and back-to-basics schools because they prefer the bigger is better mode”

that is patently false, charter schools, magnet schools, alternative schools are more and more in demand every day many with long waiting lists.

I wish you were right....Jeffco has been threatening to close down the open school and several other alternative schools because, well, they take resources (money) from the big high schools.....it is parents and teachers that have fought, so far successfully, to keep them open. yes they have waiting lists, because they work, but many school boards think they are expendable because they are also a nuisance to the board and the administration.

Teachers must teach the curriculum and teach to the tests. Try looking at the "No Child Left Behind" baloney.

Take a look at kids who are "challenged" and allowed to highjack a class. I've seen kids just act out so much that the students who want to learn, can't, because there is no teaching. The teacher must spend his/her time controlling the child.

I was participating in Jr. Achievement and one child had two aides with him to control him. He was only in the classroom about 15 minutes. But, he was having a good time and actually participated, which he normally didn't do. So, it was good for him, and the rest of the kids, to have a different day. But two people for one child, plus the teachers in the various classrooms he goes to. That's a lot of money spent on one child.

I don't have the answer to that. But I do know it is not simple.

Take a look at the Dept of Education and work your way down. What seems to happen, IMO, is that some wag comes up with an "idea" and has the golden tongue, so everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon. Then it flows down to the local school systems.

This happens in corporations, too. Remember Six Sigma? Really big 2007, but already on the wane. What was it before that? QC or QA? Our children deserve better and so do our teachers.

Why is Deer Creek Elementary closed? Well, maybe they get President's Day off, like a lot of other school districts. I don't know the answer but what's the big deal? Kids need some days off.

I'm glad I don't have to deal with parents who don't pay enough attention to their kids and try to fob it off on the teachers. Or principals who are so busy on minutiae that they miss what is bringing success to classrooms. I'm not saying teachers are saints, but it's a heck of a difficult job for the pay.

major bean wrote: I have noticed that Deer Creek Elementary is taking yet ANOTHER day off tomorrow. Jeesh! If they would put their nose to the grindstone and keep the school doors open, THAT might help.

archer, what is the teachers' union except teachers? The teachers have failed to teach. So........the union has failed.

President's day is observed every year. Here's the problem - it's not holidays. Its the fact that the teachers are required to teach to the lowest common denominator. They don't introduce new ideas until they feel the "entire" class in ready. This leads to a lot of boredom on the part of most of the kids and a complete wast of time for most of the school days when the kids are there. They probably learn more on holiday days like President's day from their parents than they doe from the watered down crap that is "taught" in schools today.

[quote="towermonkey Its the fact that the teachers are required to teach to the lowest common denominator. They don't introduce new ideas until they feel the "entire" class in ready. This leads to a lot of boredom onh the part of most of the kids and a complete wast of time for most of the school days when the kids are there. .[/quote]

When I was a recruiter, many of the non grads and GEDs that I worked with were more literate than the HS grads that I tried to recruit. I assume it is because they dropped out because they were bored.

School has become a social event.