Teacher protest closes schools in Louisiana...Great! Students Get No Education Today!

Teachers in Louisiana decided, a week before standardized tests are given, to protest governor Bobby Jindal today. 4 schools had to close, and several more have to have substitutes because their teachers will join the protests.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Hundreds of Louisiana teachers converged on the state Capitol on Wednesday to try to give state lawmakers and Republican Gov. Bob Jindal a lesson in education reform.

They were protesting Jindal's proposed changes to teacher evaluations, tenure and retirement plans, as well as charter school creation and regulation. Three bills encapsulating the changes were to be taken up by the House Education Committee.

At least four public school systems – Baker, St. Martin, Vermilion and East Baton Rouge – and several Baton Rouge charter schools canceled classes because teachers will be rallying at the Capitol today and tomorrow, according to local media reports. In other parishes, many teachers said they still planned to make the trip using personal days even though school won't be cancelled; substitute teachers would be filling in.

[url=http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/14/10685511-teacher-protest-closes-schools-in-louisiana]Teacher protest closes schools in Louisiana

Louisiana schools already rank at the bottom in English and math. Now, just before testing, when teachers are needed the most to prepare the students, they ditch them.

Way to think about the kids, teachers!

/TOA

If students ditch school these days, it's a lot more serious than the care free, casual attitude that existed in another time. Why is it, TEACHERS ditch school and people seem to look up to them? This did little more than screw the students who actually DO care about excelling in their classes....even if everyone else probably appreciated the "day off".

If this is how teachers figure they serve the best as a role model to those they are entrusted with teaching, we need a whole crop of new teachers. The ones who walked off to make a political point at the expense of their kids really ought to be shown the rewarding life to be had in Fast Food Service, or Big Box Door Greetings. There are plenty of places for bad judgement and immature reasoning skills. The class room isn't one of the places I want to imagine that.

FOr all the pro-union till they drop type people.. Fine fine....but there is a time and place for everything. Do the kids have to take it in the teeth from their own teachers AND the penny pinching districts, state and fed Educational levels...ALL at the same time? The Teachers ought to be the one source of stability...but even there, they seem to be using the kids as pawns too...at least in some cases like this.

I'm sure the kids are devastated...

reply to post by The Old American


Does'nt matter if the teachers prep them or not, if enough kids fail theyll just lower the passing grades. Happens all the time. I have a nephew who can maybe read at the level of a 6 year old. Hes 15. It amazes me that every year he gets moved up a grade.

Originally posted by The Old American

Louisiana schools already rank at the bottom in English and math. Now, just before testing, when teachers are needed the most to prepare the students, they ditch them.

Way to think about the kids, teachers!

/TOA

You are characterizing it this way, did you think about the teachers who have to sit in the same classroom
for 40 years? I don't think it is horrible or a slight on the kids to look out for the teachers to look out for
their own interests.

Kids are not going to become any smarter due to standardized testing

So, it seems the sentiment on here is that teachers should sacrifice themselves and their futures in order to give standardized testing (dont get me started on the flaws associated with this type of test).

I have to wonder why people are looking at it in such a short sighted way. The 'reforms' proposed would lower the quality of teacher in the public school system. It would drive the best teachers out, to private schools. In short, it would harm the student.

But its apparently much more important to get those test preps done.

Teachers already sacrifice so much. Now we want them to sacrifice their futures as well. No wonder the school system is in shambles.

Thing about it is, though, is that these teachers are probably already getting a pretty raw deal. State governments in the deep South almost always put education as the first thing on the chopping block, so the schools are very poorly funded in general. I also know that we don't generally have teacher's unions down here, and teacher pay is rather low, so anymore cuts to pay and benefits or any more added stress...well, they have a right to be mad.

And as for those kids, if they haven't learned their stuff by now to be able to pass those tests, it's unrealistic to think that a last-minute cram session is going to suddenly make them okay.

Students should work hard to get A's. Teachers should whine and with their union bully to get what they want.

These teachers are also against charter schools since they don't want any competition, at the cost of the quality of education for students.

reply to post by Turq1


Yeah, because thats all teachers do...

seriously, im guessing a lot of people on here have no idea what it is like to be a teacher...

Keep voting republican you southerners. They have NONE of your best interests in mind and only wish to cater to the SUPER-wealthy. And in the south, that means they are catering to barely anyone there.

Listen folks of the south, republicans say "god" or "jesus" every once in a while just to get your vote in the bible-belt. If they were trying to get elected in the middle-east, they would be saying "Allah" and "Prophet Mohamed" every once in a while.

WAKE UP DOWN THERE IN THE CONSERVATIVE RED SOUTH!!!!!!!!! Things are a MESS down there. I have lived in a far-leaning blue-state for several years, as well as a far-leaning red state. The red states are a DREADFUL MESS for the middle-class and lower classes.

WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!!!!

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
reply to post by Turq1

 

Yeah, because thats all teachers do...

seriously, im guessing a lot of people on here have no idea what it is like to be a teacher...

Yeah you're right. I found something else they do.

New York City was once home to the infamous rubber room — a place where teachers awaiting disciplinary measures were sent to twiddle their thumbs while still receiving full pay as their grievances went through the system — but now it has an even bigger problem on its hands: The city spends more than $100 million every year paying teachers who have been excessed but have yet to find jobs. The ironclad union contract requires that any teacher with tenure be paid their full salary and benefits if they are sent to the “Absent Teacher Reserve pool,” according to The Wall Street Journal. The average pay of a teacher in that pool? $82,000 a year. Some of the teachers have been in the pool since 2006. According to the Journal, the majority of teachers in the pool had “neither applied for another job in the system nor attended any recruitment fairs in recent months.”

teachersunionexposed.com...

Sitting in a room and getting paid your full salary and benefits is something most people wouldn't know what it's like.

not learning is better than being brainwashed.

i don't think i need a second.

Originally posted by Turq1

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
reply to post by Turq1

 

Yeah, because thats all teachers do...

seriously, im guessing a lot of people on here have no idea what it is like to be a teacher...

Yeah you're right. I found something else they do.

New York City was once home to the infamous rubber room — a place where teachers awaiting disciplinary measures were sent to twiddle their thumbs while still receiving full pay as their grievances went through the system — but now it has an even bigger problem on its hands: The city spends more than $100 million every year paying teachers who have been excessed but have yet to find jobs. The ironclad union contract requires that any teacher with tenure be paid their full salary and benefits if they are sent to the “Absent Teacher Reserve pool,” according to The Wall Street Journal. The average pay of a teacher in that pool? $82,000 a year. Some of the teachers have been in the pool since 2006. According to the Journal, the majority of teachers in the pool had “neither applied for another job in the system nor attended any recruitment fairs in recent months.”

teachersunionexposed.com...

Sitting in a room and getting paid your full salary and benefits is something most people wouldn't know what it's like.

You're only serving to further prove that you have ZERO knowledge of teachers, their career paths, the obstacles, and how poorly they are compensated.

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
You're only serving to further prove that you have ZERO knowledge of teachers, their career paths, the obstacles, and how poorly they are compensated.

Salary for All K-12 Teachers

Yeah, they get horrible pay. And really, who wants 3 months off with pay? Such horrible working conditions!

/TOA

reply to post by The Old American


How many teachers do you know personally?

Also, do you think a median salarie of $41,000 is a good wage for the most important job in the country?

Also, you are another person proving they don't know anything about teachers. They don't get "3 months off with pay". Nice try though.

Originally posted by The Old American

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
You're only serving to further prove that you have ZERO knowledge of teachers, their career paths, the obstacles, and how poorly they are compensated.

Salary for All K-12 Teachers

Yeah, they get horrible pay. And really, who wants 3 months off with pay? Such horrible working conditions!

/TOA

Your source is flawed but more importantly, show me one teacher that has 3 paid months off a year. I have two teachers in the family and they are not exactly sure you have a clue what you are talking about.

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
reply to post by The Old American

 

How many teachers do you know personally?

Hopefully at least one that can explain the difference between median, average, and ALL.