I thought teachers had nobler reasons for their calling

[Jared]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=816&e=1&u=/ap/20050301/ap_on_fe_st/no_homework

[Snk16]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...st/no_homework

I WANNA GO TO THAT SCHOOL!

Yeah I thought so also.

[LawDog]

to extend your logic... due to the noble nature of the calling, teachers should be willing to educate our children for free.

the teachers are caught between a rock and a hardplace. notice that they are only asking for COL increases. the union has caused easily as many problems as it has solved - probably much more. although the bulk of the 3 billion in increased funding will go to education, where will it go? to teacher salaries? to classroom supplies? or will it get siphoned off in administrative bureacracies?

although it seems like the students are the ones being punished, how else do you get parents to take notice and get involved in the political process (including changing the faces and objectives of local school boards, to getting state legislatures off the dime and really make education a focus).

state and national governments spend an obscene amount of our tax dollars on education - waste is rampant, quality of education does not reflect expenditures.

jared - on the face it seems that teachers should focus on the noble goal of educating our children, let's just not deride them for trying to get a fair wage for doing it. (btw - isn't it telling how they have had to resort to this measure in order to get the parents involved, shouldn't the union have been representing their needs? Oops, guess that isn't the focus of the teacher's union...)

[Jared]

to extend your logic... due to the noble nature of the calling, teachers should be willing to educate our children for free.

the teachers are caught between a rock and a hardplace. notice that they are only asking for COL increases. the union has caused easily as many problems as it has solved - probably much more. although the bulk of the 3 billion in increased funding will go to education, where will it go? to teacher salaries? to classroom supplies? or will it get siphoned off in administrative bureacracies?

although it seems like the students are the ones being punished, how else do you get parents to take notice and get involved in the political process (including changing the faces and objectives of local school boards, to getting state legislatures off the dime and really make education a focus).

state and national governments spend an obscene amount of our tax dollars on education - waste is rampant, quality of education does not reflect expenditures.

jared - on the face it seems that teachers should focus on the noble goal of educating our children, let's just not deride them for trying to get a fair wage for doing it. (btw - isn't it telling how they have had to resort to this measure in order to get the parents involved, shouldn't the union have been representing their needs? Oops, guess that isn't the focus of the teacher's union...)

I have no objection to their concerns. They are legitimate

I should have clarified my point. Regardless of their contractual issues, i think that directly affecting the education the students are receiving is crossing the line. They can have roateing sickouts, they can protest, they can hand out fliers, they can call parents to plead their case....


But to refuse to assign homework or give tests harms the student. While they are receiving lectures and class instruction, there is no way of quantifying how much of it they are retaining. There is also no way for them to be graded, which will hurt their chances of going on to higher education, if they choose to do so. So, the teachers continue to get a check, the district continues to operate on budget, but the student bear the brunt of the dispute. Can't anyone see how screwed up that is? "Well, kids, because the district and the teachers are fighting, we are going to be unfair to you".

How does failing to do their job help their negotiations? It would more honest to stirke (although that would also harm the students, I think its more ethically honest than having a sham of a school year).

[LDB]

I have no objection to their concerns. They are legitimate

I should have clarified my point. Regardless of their contractual issues, i think that directly affecting the education the students are receiving is crossing the line. They can have roateing sickouts, they can protest, they can hand out fliers, they can call parents to plead their case....


But to refuse to assign homework or give tests harms the student. While they are receiving lectures and class instruction, there is no way of quantifying how much of it they are retaining. There is also no way for them to be graded, which will hurt their chances of going on to higher education, if they choose to do so. So, the teachers continue to get a check, the district continues to operate on budget, but the student bear the brunt of the dispute. Can't anyone see how screwed up that is? "Well, kids, because the district and the teachers are fighting, we are going to be unfair to you".

How does failing to do their job help their negotiations. It would me honest to stirke (although that would also harm the students, I think its more ethically honest than having a sham of a school year).

I thought all of this went with the territory of being a teacher. You have to spend time coming up with lesson plans, grading papers, etc... Isn't that part of the job description? Just seems to me that it goes with the territory. My wife is a teacher and she whines (much as I love her) about grading and such. I tell her to pipe down, she gets the whole summer off!

[LawDog]

As I understand it, they are just refusing to do any work outside of the normal workday, which includes any grading etc. that does not get done. I also was under the impression that homework was still being assigned, just not graded - if a student and his/her parents decide that means "no homework" well who is to blame? I know for me and my wife (who is a substitute teacher and not a member of the union) we would do "homework" with our kids even if none were provided by the teacher. Parents are always ultimately responsible for the education of their children not teachers or schools. If a few days or weeks of no extra grading somehow jeapordizes a student's chance of going to college (and I seriously doubt that would ever be the case) - then that student was on the bubble anyway.

Anyhow Jared, I wasn't picking on you or your point, just adding my $.02 worth.

[shawny]

Maybe the teachers Salary needs to be adjusted for the months they dont work.

[LawDog]

Most school districts give teachers the option of spreading their salary out over 12 months - the salary is based only on the time they work though. It isn't like they are really being paid over the summer for not working. FWIW

[Jared]

As I understand it, they are just refusing to do any work outside of the normal workday, which includes any grading etc. that does not get done. I also was under the impression that homework was still being assigned, just not graded - if a student and his/her parents decide that means "no homework" well who is to blame? I know for me and my wife (who is a substitute teacher and not a member of the union) we would do "homework" with our kids even if none were provided by the teacher. Parents are always ultimately responsible for the education of their children not teachers or schools. If a few days or weeks of no extra grading somehow jeapordizes a student's chance of going to college (and I seriously doubt that would ever be the case) - then that student was on the bubble anyway.

Anyhow Jared, I wasn't picking on you or your point, just adding my $.02 worth.

I am not saying you are picking on me.


I am also not attacking all teachers. I just feel this group has made a poor decision, either on their own or taking the lead from their union.


Anyway, in the first paragraph, it clearly states that they are not handing out daily written assignments, including homework.

[Alastor]

I should have clarified my point. Regardless of their contractual issues, i think that directly affecting the education the students are receiving is crossing the line.

What other means do they have available to them?

They could just quitt or go on strike all together. They have not. They're sending a message in the least destructive way they thought would still get the job done. I'd say that's pretty noble really.