No one talking about the highest paid teachers in the country on strike?

[z31maniac]

Just find that surprising.

Carry on.

[5ickride]

I havent seen too much coverage about it here and not sure what the issue is, not enough money? Reduced pension?

[slammin.e28]

Please, divulge....

My dad is a retired school teacher. After he retired they decided it'd be nice to reduce his pension and benefits. If someone has chosen to put up with kids for 40 years, they deserve more than being treated like they are. Personally, educators should be treated better than politicians. At least educators care about the future.

So now my dad has to go back to work.

[Vedubin01]

what are they bitching about, their $76k a year job before benefits? Turned down a 16% increase in pay?

[Morrison]

My dad was a high school chemistry teacher. He got by okay on the salary provided. But when he contracted lung cancer and discovered the health benefits provided would not fully cover treatment he had to turn to other methods. He now cooks crystal meth and has been pretty successful.

[slammin.e28]

My dad was a high school chemistry teacher. He got by okay on the salary provided. But when he contracted lung cancer and discovered the health benefits provided would not fully cover treatment he had to turn to other methods. He now cooks crystal meth and has been pretty successful.

Nice, lol.

Seriously though, my dad always had to work a second job, along side teaching, to keep things together, and we're pretty cheap people. He drives a e30 and a Dodge Dakota with 260k on the clock. Teachers here are not paid well enough at all. I'm friends with a few and it's the same story.

Sucks. Especially seeing what kids are like these days.

[evandael]

what are they bitching about, their $76k a year job before benefits? Turned down a 16% increase in pay?

what are you going on about? educators are seriously underpaid and undervalued in this country. yes there are bad teachers, but as a whole the profession is being given the axe by state and local governments as a means to meet the budget, and at the federal level we have all the fiscal conservatives targeting teachers unions and nutjobs rambling about big government.. not a good politcal environment to improve the state of education in this country.

it's being pennywise and pound foolish, in every sense of the phrase. cuts on education are cuts on our future.

[Cletonius]

Living in Chicago, this is all over the media. It's a little ridiculous IMHO, they already make a living wage here. It's my understanding that the city wants to lengthen school days by a few minutes and the teachers got all up in arms about not getting a huge raise to go with it.

They should know by now that this shit doesn't fly in Chicago. Look at what happened to those folks who were on strike from the caterpillar machining facility in Joliet; they were off the job for 2 months and gained nothing.

[Vedubin01]

what are you going on about? educators are seriously underpaid and undervalued in this country. yes there are bad teachers, but as a whole the profession is being given the axe by state and local governments as a means to meet the budget, and at the federal level we have all the fiscal conservatives targeting teachers unions and nutjobs rambling about big government.. not a good politcal environment to improve the state of education in this country.

it's being pennywise and pound foolish, in every sense of the phrase. cuts on education are cuts on our future.

So you are telling me that the teachers in Chicago are underpaid? $76k average pay before benefits?

[gwb72tii]

the strike is about teachers demanding, in a slow economy, to be paid 16% more, before bene's, when 79% of their 8th graders cannot read at their grade level.

[BraveUlysses]

So you are telling me that the teachers in Chicago are underpaid? $76k average pay before benefits?

I would think that turning down 16% raise over 4 years would indicate the sticking point is not about wages.

Lot of terrible speculation in this thread, its pretty fucking obvious what they are striking about if you, I dunno, read an article or two? (not aimed at you specifically vdub)

[5ickride]

Im against teachers unions, if you suck at teaching you should be fired! These are the same rules that apply to every other working American.

I think it was in the news here last week that a school in NY lowered their passing grade to a D- so that kids would not be left back. I think that's such BS. No wonder our education level is falling behind the rest of the world.

[Cletonius]

Im against teachers unions, if you suck at teaching you should be fired! These are the same rules that apply to every other working American.

I think it was in the news here last week that a school in NY lowered their passing grade to a D- so that kids would not be left back. I think that's such BS. No wonder our education level is falling behind the rest of the world.

This. Unions have a purpose but in today's world their power is diminished. Accountability should matter more.

That D- thing is scary. No child left behind = all children receive sub par educations. All they do is make all the requirements lower so they keep their government funding.

[Thizzelle]

Nice, lol.

Seriously though, my dad always had to work a second job, along side teaching, to keep things together, and we're pretty cheap people. He drives a e30 and a Dodge Dakota with 260k on the clock. Teachers here are not paid well enough at all. I'm friends with a few and it's the same story.

Sucks. Especially seeing what kids are like these days.

If your dad never had you, he wouldn't have these problems :)

sorry that was mean.

[slammin.e28]

That D- thing is scary. No child left behind = all children receive sub par educations. All they do is make all the requirements lower so they keep their government funding.

Everything is rewarded based on participation now. Don't you know it's embarrassing to be held back? I'ts just plain not fair. All children are the same and little Jimmy is no dumber than little Suzy Chin. They both show up to class, so they should both be rewarded and pass on to the next level. This ain't Mario Brothers where if you get stuck you can't go to the next level. Everyone floats along in the clouds and rolls through K-12. Kids are figuring out they need to do less and less to get by, and the administration lowers standards so everyone can have a fair share.

Plus too parents aren't helping either. When little Jimmy doesn't make the grade, it's the teacher's fault, even if every other student in the class is excelling.