Teacher strikes...

[onejump]

This is a touchy subject but the way I see it is is in 2015 it cost $30,000 to keep one inmate in a Texas prison that is healthy, but we only spent $8,800 to educate a child in the elementary and secondary schools. It seems like it would be more beneficial to spend more on the children to keep them out of prison. Just my thoughts!!

[flywise]

The bashing of the edcators in this thread is beyond me. I've been in education for 17 years. I have seen good and bad times. I'm running for County commissioner in my precinct for many reasons.

1. I'm tired of having to play the PC game with people like the ones bashing us on here.
2. While I know I'm having an impact on up to 270 young minds a year, I feel I can do more from a political office.
3. Schools and counties are woefully underfunded. They get their funds from the same pockets.

What happened to the millions of dollars that the lottery was supposed to bring in. What's the hold up on gambling? Indians are getting rich off of us. We need to broaden our thinking when it comes to funding education.

Someone has made mention of vouchers and private schools. Definition of private school--- A place where you can be born and graduate in the same semester. Vouchers, ha!!! Which private school are the kids from Van Horn, Marfa, Siera Blanca, or even rural central Texas going to go to. The only ones that will benefit are the rich ones who drive a new car and can afford the gas to drive 50 miles for school. Then we will be left with more of the low SES meth crazed masses without the upper level kids to average out the scores.

It all looks good on paper or from behind a keyboard. Get in the trenches before you start making suggestions.

I not even remotely "rich" and yet my wife drives our kids to a home school private christian school combo 50 miles away in her new car. I work 2 jobs, my wife went from making 60k or more an year to 20k just so she can home school the kids 3 days a week. We pay 7k a year for their private school so they can have a better atmosphere for learning. Add up the lost revenue, tuition, and fuel this school cost us more than 30k a year. We make sacrifices for our kids. A whole lot parents will not make sacrifices for their kids, will not make sure to buy their kids school supplies or even make sure they are fed. I know its not the fault of the teachers, I know the teachers have no recourse, I know that way to many kids are distracting the rest of the class and i know that when told many parents blame the school and the teacher for their ****ty kids. But to say only the rich will benefit from private /voucher systems is ignorant. Everywhere it has been tried already the results prove with out a doubt everyone benefits.

[flywise]

This is a touchy subject but the way I see it is is in 2015 it cost $30,000 to keep one inmate in a Texas prison that is healthy, but we only spent $8,800 to educate a child in the elementary and secondary schools. It seems like it would be more beneficial to spend more on the children to keep them out of prison. Just my thoughts!!

This country spends as much or more on education than any country on earth and still dont see the results. Its not a money issue. And, its not a teacher problem.

[Ishi&Elvis]

Good for you flywise. Been there, done that. Even though I teach public school, my wife wanted to home school. She did, left her job, then later we enrolled them in a private school. It set us back on building a home till much later and we had a lot less glamorous vacations. It was worth it. All three have college degrees, and one is working on her second in nursing. We do what we need to, but too many parents do not have that same attitude.

[Hornet Hunter]

I not even remotely "rich" and yet my wife drives our kids to a home school private christian school combo 50 miles away in her new car. I work 2 jobs, my wife went from making 60k or more an year to 20k just so she can home school the kids 3 days a week. We pay 7k a year for their private school so they can have a better atmosphere for learning. Add up the lost revenue, tuition, and fuel this school cost us more than 30k a year. We make sacrifices for our kids. A whole lot parents will not make sacrifices for their kids, will not make sure to buy their kids school supplies or even make sure they are fed. I know its not the fault of the teachers, I know the teachers have no recourse, I know that way to many kids are distracting the rest of the class and i know that when told many parents blame the school and the teacher for their ****ty kids. But to say only the rich will benefit from private /voucher systems is ignorant. Everywhere it has been tried already the results prove with out a doubt everyone benefits.

Thanks for calling me ignorant. But my district is 82% economically disadvantaged. The kids get to and from school on the bus or walk. Parents never come to school, and if they do it is usually on foot or a borrowed car. The only hot meals they get are the 10 that I provide them here. But congrats on it working for you. Not everyone can afford to do that. To each his own.

[Ishi&Elvis]

You can look at the schools across the country that are spending the most per student. Washington, D.C. comes to mind. By far the most money spent per pupil. They have some of the worst education performances in the nation. I would love to have those types of resources for our school.

[ByronB]

You guys ask any teachers you know how often they pay for kids’ supplies out of their own pockets

^^^^^This has always bothered me. My Mom was an English Teacher for 36 years. She has purchased out of our pockets more times than I could count. Still bothers me to this day that Teachers have to do this.....of course they do it for the kids though.

[Throwin Darts]

I would reccomend you soften your stance, or at least your delivery, when discussing this topic with the future Mrs Throwin Darts.


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She's not going back to teaching after this school year is over. The crazy stuff she saw this year was enough to make her walk away from it for good.

[flywise]

Thanks for calling me ignorant. But my district is 82% economically disadvantaged. The kids get to and from school on the bus or walk. Parents never come to school, and if they do it is usually on foot or a borrowed car. The only hot meals they get are the 10 that I provide them here. But congrats on it working for you. Not everyone can afford to do that. To each his own.

I called your statement ignorant....another problem in This country is people being offended by things that are not offensive.
If you.kids are only getting hot meals at school...its because their parents suk. I guarantee you these parents have the resources to provide meals for their kids. Like I mentioned, way to many parents will not make sacrifices for their kids. The biggest problem in the American education system is **** parents......not money

[Throwin Darts]

Now, didn't mention "Pension" in your post did you? And....it's not very much. Do you have a 401k that you will be paid after you stop working?

Yes I did bud. Check out post 88.

And do I really need to explain the difference between a 401k and a pension to you?

[Pedernal]

I called your statement ignorant....another problem in This country is people being offended by things that are not offensive.
If you.kids are only getting hot meals at school...its because their parents suk. I guarantee you these parents have the resources to provide meals for their kids. Like I mentioned, way to many parents will not make sacrifices for their kids. The biggest problem in the American education system is **** parents......not money

^^^bingo^^^

[Hornet Hunter]

I called your statement ignorant....another problem in This country is people being offended by things that are not offensive.
If you.kids are only getting hot meals at school...its because their parents suk. I guarantee you these parents have the resources to provide meals for their kids. Like I mentioned, way to many parents will not make sacrifices for their kids. The biggest problem in the American education system is **** parents......not money

I'm not offended. I don't get offended. If I did I certainly couldn't have made it this long in education. Having said that, I don't and can't in my business tell people their statements are ignorant. My point is, people and parents do this to us all the time. We just have to grin and bare it.

We live in the same county. I'd love to get together for a visit some time. Truth be known, we probably know each other. I just get pretty passionate when people bash the profession that I dearly love.

[Ishi&Elvis]

The state pays 6% into my TRS pension. I pay over 7%, why, because they mandated that amount to me. Texas is one of the worst as far a paying into their educator pension plans. It is what it is. That is why I will not depend totally on my teacher pension to make it all work out when I walk away from this career.

[oktx]

Yes I did bud. Check out post 88.

And do I really need to explain the difference between a 401k and a pension to you?

First, I didn't read that post. Second, that's not the post I quoted you in. Third, you don't have a retirement package that that will pay you after you stop working? Full crawfish now.

[ByronB]

This is a touchy subject but the way I see it is is in 2015 it cost $30,000 to keep one inmate in a Texas prison that is healthy, but we only spent $8,800 to educate a child in the elementary and secondary schools. It seems like it would be more beneficial to spend more on the children to keep them out of prison. Just my thoughts!!

This is a very good thought!!!!! Darn shame it’s that way in our society.