understand need for teachers but something really wrong with amount of money spend on education and end result.
college increase in money what do you get in return more liberals

I can’t speak for every location, but where I live, the teacher salaries are far from “shitty”. My sister-in-law just finished her first year as a 6th grade math teacher. She made $44,000 in a job where she works about 9-10 months a year. That is only $4,000-6,000 less than the average first year engineer makes in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and we live an hour north of there in a small town.

She loves it and acknowledges that the pay is excellent and the schedule is great. I can tell you there are MANY people in my area who would love to make that kind of money.

“It’s like saying a teacher is going to get lazy when they have tenure. A teacher wants to teach.”

Well, that’s half right… some teachers DO become incredibly lazy.  I remember in my high school and college, there were teachers who were fighting for tenure, and once it came… that’s when the real crazy came out.

IMO, tenure is a bad idea.

Ahhh, silly questions.

Silly questions from even sillier Libertarian douches.

“college increase in money what do you get in return more liberals”

college decrease in money what do you get in return more conservatives who don’t no express themselves punctuation use also

i was formulating how to response to this comment this in my head but then refreshed screen and then realized that you had beat me to it and also much better than response in my head

is this the new group to attack now, teachers?? first planned parenthood, then NPR. now those evil teachers..

His defense is asking a camera man who wasn’t shaking & had the action in the frame at all times if he was doing a shitty job? That’s not answering her questions. Incentives drive us all folks. Teachers have one of the lowest termination industry rates and I’m pretty sure it’s not because they’re so good at what they do. Tenure takes away the reality of accountability. Teachers might get into teaching for noble reasons but tenure sometimes takes away the initiative and replaces it with complacency. 

Yeah, Matt, it’s all about the kids isn’t it?

You are truly ignorant and if the pay is so, so bad, why do they stay? And work long hours? 8AM-5PM and have the summer off?

Give me a break!

Anyone who has been poor or works in retail or fast food or for the type of office where 99% of the employees will only ever have a cubicle would see the money that teachers make – even at entry level – and gladly take it and the 2 to 3 months vacation that comes with it every year. And anyone who has gone to college and has college friends who they stayed in touch with afterwards knows that there are plenty of grads who “wash out” (can’t get a job in their chosen profession) and just fall into teaching because there are pretty much no requirements in many cities for becoming a teacher for higher than elementary education. It makes me sad that so many people don’t recognize that to most people a $30,000 or $40,000/year job is really good pay, but it doesn’t surprise me that people who make millions a year or have always been at least middle class would be a bit out of touch.

The worst thing about this clip, though, is that the interviewer and cameraman suck so much at their job. I wish that it were different at supposedly higher levels of journalism like tv news, but we constantly see on all the networks that interviewers don’t possess the ability to engage in intelligent conversation. Instead they just try to score points by attacking or kissing the ass of whoever they interview in order to advance their own interests. Damon’s statement quoted in the piece could have been the beginning of a conversation that needs to happen nationally in order to diagnose the problems with the educational system and fix it, whether the interviewer challenged it or agreed with it. Unfortunately, the interviewer obviously from the initial question was only trying to trip Damon up, not actually discuss anything or even get a soundbyte.

As a former camera person myself, YOU DON’T SAY ANYTHING!!! You aren’t the talent.  You run that 30lb piece of equipment on your shoulder. 

My two cents.

Matt Damon is your typical white boy leftist. His parents had money, he grew up in a nice, white neighborhood, and he had a white private school education, including four years at Harvard University.

In other words, he is a complete asshole.

Well, that’s not exactly true either.  Most teachers have to spend a lot more time than just the 8-5.  They spend time prep-ing for class, grading, creating new programs, writing grants, and so on.  Sure not all of them do that, and some just try to skate through doing the minimal amount of work (just like any profession), but not the good ones.

IMO, though, I think they deserve more money and could get paid more IF they got rid of tenure and subsequently the poorly performing teachers.  A tenured teacher realizes that they have to work very hard their first few years, and then doesn’t necessarily have to work as hard after that.  They may still, but after a few years of late nights, projects that go unappreciated (by the administration or students) the incentive often leaves.  Additionally, a tenured teacher will accept less money because they know their job is secure for as long as they want it.  It’s a trade off, and they need to remember that.

44,000 is not a lot of money, especially if you have children and/or home

but it is decent for a public school teacher, esp 6th grade

nurses, too.  obviously nurses are bad people…..

so people who, through no choice of their own, were born into money and went to private
school in a white neighborhood are “complete assholes”?

and, btw, did you want to address the actual subject matter?

i know it’s not your strong point, but it would help to move the debate along…

Excellent point.  I would ask a rhetorical question:  What degree is harder to obtain, an education degree or a engineering degree?

Teachers, in most locales, or more than adequately compensated, especially when accounting for hours worked, days worked, retirement benefits and their handsome health care benefits.

No, $44K is not “a lot of money”.  But, if you want to make a “lot of money”, you’re probably going to have to go to school and study something that’s much more difficult (and more discriminating) than education.  You’re also going to have to work harder, and longer hours, with MAYBE a week or two of vacation each year.

Our oldest son graduated last year, with honors, with a degree in chemical engineering.  He’s working about 65-hours a week for just a bit more than the teacher’s pay you cite.  He’s not complaining.  In fact, he’s thrilled that he found a job.

Fact: Matt Damon is the model idiot!

44,000 is before taxes.   It also doesn’t take into account what supplies  she has to buy to support her students.   It also doesn’t take into account that teachers work more than 8 hours a day.   

Fact: National Socialist favorite excuse class warfare. Progressives cults too! Liberals use the race card and the whole bunch are the sausage that makes Obama voters today!

that’s sad that you think that teachers don’t work as hard as chemical engineers

have you ever audited a high school class in west oakland or hunter’s point?

what about in harlem?

I agree tenure is bad.   Hopefully you’ll get fired from Wendy’s right now or at least removed from the fries.   

if you’re going to make an argument that “tenure is a bad idea,” then it helps to 
have evidence beyond the anecdotal (and your memory of high school, compared
to your classmates, makes it even MORE anecdotal).

yeah, and they often have to find another job in summer to make ends meet!

that’s really, really enjoyable

fair enough, but if you got rid of tenure, wouldn’t that:

a) reduce the talent pool?

I would argue that as a veteran I have worked harder than your son and you have all your life.   Therefore I should be entitled to more money right? 

ALL OF YOU TEACHER/EDUCATION BASHERS GOTTA GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND.

This country was bulit on innovation and ingenuity! What do you think got us to the top? Education you fools!

I am an awesome teacher. My students vote for me as teacher of the year, year after year. I have been teaching for 19 years and making a solid 65K. And I am happy with it. I graduated top of my graduate class with the highest GPA in secondary education. I inspire children to be better in all of their endeavors. 

So sorry you bashers had such a horrible education. You must not have gone to public schools.

Wake up! Education is the driving force behind success. 

I don’t want to make tons of money; yet, I don’t wat you criticizing me either. How many of you are at work at 6:30 AM? How many of you are grading essays and research papers nightly and on the weekends? How many of you just got 95% of their students to pass their advance placement exam only to save my community’s taxpayers about $1000 because their child will not have to take the class I taught them in college? That is my incentive. What is yours?????

I know the daughter of a teacher, and her mother implored her to become a teacher all throughout her childhood because of what a great job it is. Shitty salary? Yeah, maybe if you’re looking at it from the perspective of a Hollywood actor. Public teaching jobs offer a decent salary, great benefits, summers off, and ridiculous job security. Who wouldn’t want that job? It’s even better when you realize you can suck and not have to worry about it.

No he didn’t. Damon grew in on the South Side of Boston. His mother is a teacher. You don’t know what you are taliking about. 

Who played the race card?

Who played the race card?

BOLO you are on crack.

What type of job do you have? If a teaching position seems like such a rosy job, why don’t you become a teacher? 

Oh, let me guess. You are either a business guy who is so tight with his money that you don’t feel public education is good enough for your children? Or you are a stay at home mom who home schools their kids because you are smarter than us teachers?

i agree

2-3 months without pay, funny how that rarely gets mentioned.

Oh, and the wear-and-tear of dealing with ~180 students every day.

Best argument I’ve seen:

“It’s a very illuminating example of a clash of ideologies. Damon, after all, had no “rational” business becoming an actor, since he was almost entirely certain to fail. Now that he is a multi-millionaire, he has no “rational” reason to continue acting, because he’s assured of financial security forever. Clearly, Damon is someone whose lifelong incentives are not about “job security.” Rather, his motivations are vocational — he does this because it fulfills him.

“And that’s the case with most of the teachers I know. The important thing about a vocational model of incentives is that it can be undermined by the “rational” model preached by those who accuse teachers of sloth created by their “job security.” That is, when you go around calling teachers featherbedding losers who only do the job because it’s so cushy, you scare away all those people for whom the dignity of the vocation provides the low-cost workforce upon which the educational sector depends.”http://boingboing.net/2011/08/02/matt-damon-explains-non-financial-motivations-and-the-education-sector.html

 ”Excellent point.  I would ask a rhetorical question:  What degree is
harder to obtain, an education degree or a engineering degree?”

Probably about as hard; of course, teachers aren’t done with just a degree: next comes the Teaching Credential, which in California takes at *least* two years to get, then has to be renewed every five years.

Don’t forget the Teaching Credential, and all the work that entails.

“Tenure” (it’s not really that) is the only way teachers have any kind of leverage against administrators.  Take “tenure” away, and teachers have to do whatever crap The Brass hoists on them, no questions asked.

 Actually, teaching has quite the high turnover rate; there may not be “termination,” but a huge number of teachers simply quit, especially in the first two years.  You can only put up with so much BS before you give up.

Good point, 8AM-5PM is not only an extra hour, but an earlier hour, thanks for pointing that out!

Oooh, let’s not forget that “summer off” without pay!

My aunt is a high school math teacher for the last 25 years and she loves her job.  Her students think she is an excellent teacher.  My daughter even had her for Algebra II back in 1995 and thought because it was her aunt she could skate through. I think my aunt was harder on her because of the relationship and that she knew my daughter could do better work, and it did work as the daughter ended up coming out of the class with a B+ average….lots of homework, every night.

A good teacher is someone who got into the teaching field because they WANTED TO TEACH.  It gives them a sense of accomplishment when a student enjoys the subject.  Without teachers none of us would be here today, as it was teachers that showed us how to read, write, do critical thinking.  As the bumper sticker says: “If you can read this, thank a Teacher”. 

Blah, blah, blah. So basically you are telling us that you are doing what you are paid to do. Get over yourself.

Don’t forget their parents, and in some cases lack of parents.

 ”just fall into teaching because there are pretty much no requirements in
many cities for becoming a teacher for higher than elementary
education.”

I’d love to hear about these cities, the ones I’ve applied to have some pretty tight standards.

His father was a stockbroker, his mother a professor at Lesley Univ. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

So, your parents have money, you grew up in a nice neighborhood, you had a private school education, and four years at Harvard University . . .

Not really . . .

Speaking of wealthy white people, how are you Loonatic?

Three months off without pay: in most jobs that’s called a furlough; teachers call it summer.

That was not an aggressive question – hah.

And I’m glad she asked it. 

Although it would have been better if Nick Gillespie had been there.

Fact: Union failure and over paid!

Fact: Okay just an idiot. I can compromise too.

I don’t care anymore for a teacher than I do a mechanic.

Unless we got rid of public schooling, then I’d have MORE respect for them.

The educational system is corrupt and broke.  It’s also not cost effective.

Fact: Re-read it again 65K. I wrote the liberals play the race card. By the way nice going putting 19 years worth of welfare recipients on us tax payers.

Oh man!  That is some funny stuff!

Here I was foolishly trying to make an intelligent point, when I should have just been insulting people!  Man… what a dope I must be!  I really must remember to be more like you!

Let me give it a try:
Hey “Veteran,” you smell!

HAHAHA!  Oh man, that was great!  Clearly I won the debate!  My insult was sooo much better.

But hey, if they let you out of recess early today, and you want to pretend you’re an adult, you can come back and offer up an intelligent comment.  Otherwise, have fun with the personal insults.  I’m sure you’ll convince a lot of people.

The biggest misconception people have about tenured teachers is that they can’t be fired.  THEY CAN!  If a tenured teacher is not doing his/her job than the principal/administration is to blame.  Teachers who don’t want to dot heir jobs should leave the profession!  If any administrator is knowingly keeping an ineffective, lazy teacher on their staff, then they should be fired!

Half of the new teachers who enter into the profession today quit in the first 5 years.  This is not because the job is easy.

Competition breeds out the weak.

Matt Damon is good as an actor because he WORKS at it because he loves it.

A lot of actors are not as good because they don’t WORK at it like he has.

The same applies to teaching I would imagine.

Could we stop kissing teachers asses?

Well, you tell me… what evidence should I provide?  What studies have there been of “bad teachers?”

My OPINION is that tenure does not encourage teachers to remain as motivated and hardworking.  My EXPERIENCE has shown that to be true.  But where am I going wrong?  What do you offer to counter my opinion?  Why should teachers (unlike almost every other job in the world) have to work 3-5 years, before they get granted immunity from ever being fired (except under extreme situations)?  If they’re all good teachers (as you would claim), why would they need that at all?

Kinda like everyone else who has a job has to do?  Are you saying tenure is good because it means teachers don’t have to listen to their bosses?  How is that a benefit?

Don’t forget doctors… especially the one’s performing surgeries that are necessary.

Oh wait… that was the far-left who claimed that during the Healthcare debate.  Nevermind.  Ignore that.

Why should it?  Doesn’t that feed back into the argument that teachers are just working for tenure so that after it’s been granted, they can coast?

If a teacher is teaching because they care about the students and education, than how does tenure make a difference?  It absolutely shouldn’t.

There are plenty of people who are able to live comfortably on $44,000 a year… and have to work the summer.  Let’s be honest here… not every teacher gets a summer job.  A lot do, but $44,000 a year is nothing to sneeze at.

Oakland Raders Jamarcus Russel with tenure= AWESOME!!!

I learned that in the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case.  Those young men were “privileged,” and that’s what (we were told) led them to be rapists.

I mean, it wasn’t true… but hey, that’s what we were told.

Oh get off your high horse. Sweet Jesus you’re paid fairly and we all bring work home. STFU already.

Fact: All these blow hards bloviating about teachers. I say where is the beef. Look at all the quiters you guys are sending our way because your lack of skills to teach and in part of it is to make them want to stay and learn. Half of the ones that you teach have fake passing grades so they can only make arm farts to show for all they have learned! Pitiful.

People who open their mouths should have a clear, definitive understanding of their subject and be so concerned with “cameraman”….shows where his priorities lie.  Now he has finished my ability to
watch him on anything….stupid is as stupid and Matt just proved that axiom!!

Yes, I do. Matt’s father was hardly in the picture. His parents divorced when he was 2 or 3?

Where did you get your info, Wikipedia?….nice source….

Fact: Most stucture pay so that they get a check all year round. What’s your excuse?

Tenure makes it much more difficult to fire or remove poorly performing teachers, and with strong support for the Unions, many administrators and school districts would rather keep a bad teacher, than blow a significant portion of their budget trying to get rid of one.  How many stories have we see (here in NY especially) of teachers getting paid to sit around and do nothing.  The school doesn’t want them to teach, and the Union won’t allow them to be terminated… so they get paid to do nothing, until either they quit, their case is heard, or one party finally gives up.

Here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31494936/ns/us_news-education/t/nyc-teachers-paid-do-nothing/

Union rules blamed
Because the teachers collect their full salaries of $70,000
or more, the city Department of Education estimates the practice costs
the taxpayers $65 million a year. The department blames union rules.

“It is extremely difficult to fire a tenured teacher because of the
protections afforded to them in their contract,” spokeswoman Ann Forte
said.

“so people who, through no choice of their own, were born into money and went to privateschool in a white neighborhood are “complete assholes”?”

Yes, when they blather on about knowing what’s best for those of us that DIDN’T grow up born into money and went to a private school in an all white neighborhood. He “read” about people like us, we lived it, therefore he is an asshole.

There’s more to being a good cameraman than framing the shot. His insistence on involving himself in the interview coupled with his inability to be impartial may very well make him a shitty cameraman, at least when compared to the standards real, professional cameramen strive to maintain. Saying he’s doing his job well is like saying a teacher does a good job when he passes out the books and makes the kids stay in their seat. Real, professional teachers hold themselves to a higher standard.

Blaming it all on tenure is inaccurate and narrow-minded. Tenure is necessary to keep districts from cutting older, higher-earning teachers to free up budget space. Considering how many districts are under budget crunches, this would be happening too frequently. The reality is that no teacher has absolute job security, and if they are ineffective they can be fired. Administrators may need to be more proactive about enforcing this, but removing tenure entirely would open the floodgates to a whole new set of problems.

Yes, there ARE bad teachers, but the attack on the teaching profession as a whole has to stop. The majority of us are decent, hardworking people who just want what’s best for ourselves, our families, our communities and our students.

That’s bullshit.

You men are all morons. The U.S. is the most fiscally conservative country in the world. Go find another country that hate teachers like you do. Get over yourself and pay your taxes. It’s good for your community you morons.  You are greedy and lazy bastards. 

I know in New Jersey you were able to get your teaching certificate WHILE you were teaching.  There were a number of people who had no formal teaching credentials, but were still teaching.

Additionally, in New Jersey, I believe you only needed to have completed two years of college before you could be a substitute.  And if you got positioned as a permanent sub… well, that’s teaching without a college degree!

I would love to work during the summer months. Bring on full year schools. I am all for it. 

The ones that quit after two years is not related to the payscale, it’s related to the student body and administration bullshit.

Has any reputable organization looked into the reaso for this turn over rate and do you have a cite for the claim that there is a huge turn over rate.  I’m not doubting you, I’m interested in knowing more.

Is he still in the league?  What a waste he’s been.

Check mate bra. We ARE PAID FAIRLY.

YOU STFU!!!

He’s one nasty dwarf!

AS YOU LIBERTARIANS KNOW, that is human nature. Human nature suggest that some people are inherently lazy. We high school teachers fail them and then we hear that a college will gladly take their money. It is not our fault Factman. The system is broken but not us teachers. We’ll just keep doing our jobs while you berate us through your computer. Why don’t we change the system????

“Fiscally conservative”? LOL. Then explain the US governments $14 trillion dollar debt and the $1.5 trillion dollar deficit the Obama regime is running up in 2011 alone. Oh, and if we’re “fiscally conservative”, why did the debt ceiling just get raised by $2.4 trillion?

With public school teachers like you, it’s no wonder that home-schooled kids are smarter than public school kids. One of the best things that could happen to public schools is getting fools like you out of them.

So… you’re saying “liberals use the race card” minutes after the guy calling Damon a leftist asshole used the race card. Good. Really logical. None of this even has anything to do with the current debate.

You’re beyond misinformed. You’re hateful. You’re the worst kind of person, and the world is worse off with you on the internet.

Your inability to construct logical thought processes eerily resembles Jared Lee Loughner’s.

44k is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s not like they are living high off the farm either.

“college decrease in money what do you get in return more conservatives who don’t no express themselves punctuation use also”

Didn’t you mean ‘know’ … how’s that college education working out for you?

OMG, teacher are everything for our children.  As a kid, I went to 26 schools so I KNOW about teachers.  I had  a couple of lazy ones but overall, they were under appreciated as hell.  If I got in trouble at school, say talking too much, MAN, would I get it at home.  The problem here is parents lack of attention and lack of dicapline.  I raised my kids the same way.  If they told me the truth, I would not administer “capital” punishment but they would get punished.  If they lied to me.  Good God, look out.  They got whipped AND grounded.  Teachers have had to do a parents job in just acceptable behaviour in public, cause we have failed as parents.  I have had kids mouth off to me for smoking outside my work and if that had been my kids, their mouth would have been slapped for lack of respect for an elder.
Matt is right on.  If we don’t have these teachers backs, we fail our kids AGAIN.  I volunteered at school when my kids were young.  Why not try that and see for yourself. I was not too happy with my son’s kindergarten teacher as she didn’t want to deal with kids that had any kind of problems so I took them and taught them.  One just flat out couldn’t see the board so he acted up but after he got glasses, he was interested in learning. He was written off cause of color.
People, get your head screwed back on and realize, these teachers spend MORE time with our kids than we do.  If we are working parents, then the teacher is the parent.  DO your job first before piling on teachers.

$44,000 to work only 9 months out of the year is a pretty healthy salary.

So in that case. the same can be said about the Koch Brothers. Grew up in a nice white neighborhood, parents were rich, went to M.I.T

In other words, they are complete assholes…

Thanks Feenix, I thought I was going crazy for a minute. I am not sure what “playing the race card” has to do with this thread…

Conservatives are know fun.  But I get it your right. 

Song I wrote for Alex Alvarez

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o6CjuWYUMs

Only in America the war on teachers.. It’s no wonder why most of the citizens in this country are fucking idiots

Some quit because they make better money as a bus driver.  Now THAT is a depressing thought.  We lose teachers due to bull dished out by school boards and bad managers.  My kids had it bad.  One year it would be phonic, then they’d throw it out and go by “sight words”.  Teachers need to use what they know will work.  When my kids were being jerked around like this, I called my cousin (that goes to college EVERY SINGLE SUMMER for the past 30 years) and she told me to toss out this new crap and go back to the old catholic way of teaching so I did.  They did better and were much more happier.

AWESOME

DAMON POWER

SIMPLY HILARIOUS

Read history sir from planet Azarkhan. Every time you right wing loonies decide to overspeculate,deregulate, and then panic (1890s, 1920s, 1980s), other have to clean up your mess….then look like the bad guys….

Get off Obama’s ass. He compromised and did not raise your taxes…Look at Reagan’s presidency and Bush’s presidency? Who raised the debt celing more than these presidents….NO ONE!!!

PLEASE DO NOT HOME SCHOOL YOUR KIDS. you don’t know the first thing about fiscal policy.

Thank you.

Amen. What has happend to our society???

Public schools don’t work very well.  Coincidentally all of the teachers are in a union.  Just sayin.

The liberals still operating off of 1970s talking points.  Back then, govt workers were paid low but it was made up for by job security and pensions.  Now they have good pay, good benefits, job security and good pensions.  Needs adjusting.

Question for you: Do you believe that the vast majority of school districts in the United States are unionized or are a part of a uniform system of governance in the area of tenure?

Many districts in the United States are not unionized nor does tenure guarantee employment.  The only difference in terminating a non-tenured vs. tenured teacher is that the tenured teacher is entitled to a reason for termination.  That’s it.  Tenured teachers can challenge the ruling of the board if they belong to a teacher’s association, but most of the time, they do not proceed, or lose the ruling.  A tenured teacher can be terminated in many districts without cause IF there is a layoff (Reduction in Force.)  Tenured teachers, in that case, are not entitled to arbitration. 

Our country is very large, and school districts are many, therefore an indictment of ALL teachers as “Union Bums,” is not accurate nor intellectually curious on the part of the media and politicians.

Because, Mr. Damon (you doofus), after obtaining Tenure, it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to get fired, and you get a cushy pension.

In the REAL WORLD, you have to DELIVER – DAILY – from the time you’re hired, to the time you “retire” (and MOST Private Sector workers DON’T have a pension to fall back on – WE have had to put OUR OWN money aside in 401K plans, and when THAT money runs out, that’s all there is – it’s NOT like a ’til you die Pension).

THAT is why MANY REMAIN teachers.

Yes, MANY (most, perhaps) get INTO Teaching for the Love of Teaching, and “wanting to make a difference” (BOTH of my grandmothers were teachers, my mother was a teacher, and my sister IS a teacher), but once Tenure is reached, it a count-down to Retirement!

How ELSE do you explain the aversion to Merit Based pay/promotion (rather than based on the antiquated “seniority” system)?

How ELSE do you explain the aversion to Teaching kids so that they can actually PASS the State and Federal TESTS (tests, by the way, which DON’T measure their ACTUAL “Grade Level”, but SEVERAL YEARS BELOW where they should be [and MANY cannot pass after REPEATED ATTEMPTS])?

What are you talking about specifically DougX? Which “talking points”?

Actually, our pay might be better but we sacrificed a good pension. Teacher pension are nothing like they used to be, look it up. But, I think that goes for most jobs in America, no corporation gives out pensions anymore….

Except teachers work closer to 10 months. Not only that but how many jobs are there out there where people spend a majority of their day doing nothing. I spend 8 hours a day always on and then I have to go home and lesson plan, grade, answer emails, and call parents, yes maybe I do “work” about 7-8 weeks less than the average person but I am also a professional. During my summer I research and read in my field to be a better teacher, So to say I only work 180 days is a total lie, I am a teacher every day just some days I am not in the classroom.  I am a 5th year teacher and I barely make 45K and living in Bay Area that is nothing. Teachers for the skills and work they do are vastly underpaid.

All tenure means in Ca is if a school wants to fire me they need cause. I lost one teaching job no reason given, mostly because I was too hard on the athletes. You would be surprised some of the crazy things school admins will try to get teachers to do.

half right?  some teachers?  at least when the cameraman made up shit he pulled 10% out of his ass.  next time put a number in front so at least you’ll give the appearance of knowing what the hell you’re talking about.

So Matt is arguing that ALL teachers… ALL 100% are AWESOME!!! What a tool.

I pay 50% of everything I make in taxes so F off.

Same as ImNotBlue said for Connecticut. I was referring to being able to substitute immediately in any subject with a degree and break into full time that way.

Yes, because they all love it.  lol

Good on you for being a positive contributor to the lives of your students and good on Damon for standing up for teachers.

As a neutral observer of the US ( I am Canadian), I can’t understand why there is so much hate and  resentment for teachers.

It seems to me that your country went through an economic meltdown caused in large part by greedy and borderline crooked bankers ( institutional and investment) yet I don’t think there were as vilified as teachers are.

It mystifies me.

Wow! The logic is baffling.

Maybe he just respects the work of teachers.

Not all states have tenure, and tenure only matters if you are a state that is not a “right to work” state.   Look it up Blue.    You are woefully unprepared for this debate.

Just wondering, thank you. I don’t know when the “war on teachers” began but its sickens me. I have an autobiography from 4th grade that says “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher”. It is the only profession I have ever dreamed of doing.

I did not go into teaching to be rich nor did I dream of a big pension. I admired my teachers and wanted to emulate them. 

What happend???

No one is saying that 100% of teachers are awesome. You are putting words in our mouths.

And most teachers do not have an aversion to merit based pay. I actually think I would make more money if we had it. 

No one is willing to lay out a plan for merit based pay because it would actually cost taxpayers more in suburbia if you think about it….

Go to your local Board of Ed meeting and lay out a plan. Do something. 

We saw what teaching did for the teaparty lady running for office.  She compares the education system to Nazi.  Gee, so she is saying she had a Nazi education all these years.  Guess we are in real trouble.  Teachers work their butts off for little pay.  Many do it for the love of teaching.  You may not believe it I have seen teachers who go above and behond to help kids.   Even buy supplies their parents can’t afford or even lunch.  Stop listening to Fox lies will ya.  Open your eyes.  You remember your teachers don’t you?  I don’t ever remember any teacher teaching children to be good little Nazi.  The thing is you know that too.  Shame on you and your ilk.

He’s right about all that “MBA paternalistic” thinking getting in the way. It’s those highly educated, smarter than everyone else, no real world experience liberals  who think “daddy” and money can take care of “complex problems” that only they understand. 

But he’s one of them (and they never know they are…).   I hate to break it to Matt, but the reason many become teachers is because the pay, vacation and benefits are pretty good. And yeah, when some of them get tenure, they get lazy.

Ditto to what Funk says below. You did it better than I could. Though I doubt John and his scallop level IQ brain have failed to get it.

lolz…i love you!

…..and those that can’t TEACH!

Sure, you “only” work 10 months out of the year.  But then you also only get paid 10 months out of the year.  That means 2 months in which you have NO INCOME.  A teacher might start with $44,000, but then you subtract the taxes and you’re left with about $35,000, which is $3500 per month.  Then you have to make sure to put $700 per month into savings so you have the $7000 you’ll need to pay yourself during the time you’re not receiving paychecks, so you’re left with $2800 per month to live off of.  You have student loans to pay, because education is not one of the flashy degrees for which one might receive big scholarships.  You have the same rent/mortgage, credit card bills, car payments, cell phone costs, utilities, etc as everyone else.  You may have kids to support.  Then there’s the almost $100 per month that you spend out of your own pocket to buy school supplies that the county cannot afford and your kids CERTAINLY cannot afford.  And those two months during which you get to lounge on your butt?  Think again.  Ongoing certification training and lesson plans for the year.  If you’re lucky, you might be able to afford to take a family vacation during this time, because lord knows you won’t be able to get away during the school year.

Dougx, not all teachers are in a union.  In right-to-work states teachers do not have to join a union.  I was a teacher, and I left the union years before I retired as I was able to do.

Oh, and my teacher pension (only taught 12 years) is very small (hundreds, not thousands of dollars a month).  Pension amounts depend on the state (sometimes even the district within a state) you teach in. 

My neighbor, retired after 20-plus years of teaching in Calif, (Wonder why that state is broke?), had a monthly pension greater than my full-time monthly teaching salary.

It’s not a “one size fits all” when it comes to teachers and their pensions.

As for Matt Damon, it seems if you’re rich and famous you’re an “expert” in anything you spout-off about.

You look lika fool right now!

So the big question is who is an asshole? I let the video speak for itself. Matt Damon comes across as a complete asshole. Handsome actor, smart enough guy, aggressive and opinionated that’s all ok. But others have opinions too. And that should be ok. But–actors have megaphones and think it alright to demean people with them. usually it makes them look small. Think Christian Bale on the set of Terminator and you get the idea..

I teach and I do it extremely well. Stop labeling us! 

What do you do for a living Jack? Would I label your profession???As stated beforehand: ONLY IN AMERICAN IS THERE A WAR ON TEACHERS.FOR PETE’S SAKE, the recession is not our fault. Read this blog.Stop using teachers as scapegoats you fools.

But um..you’re not? Right? lol

Exactly!  Excellent points!  In right-to-work states, teachers can be fired for any reason.  This includes the principal simply not liking the teacher.  In TX, thousands of teachers lost their jobs due to budget cuts.

Also note that the “rubber room” article posted above was written in 2009.  NYC “rubber rooms” were shut down in the fall of 2010 by Bloomberg and the Unions.  Yes, the Unions.  They don’t exist anymore, but pundits (Dick Morris) will get on the tube and act like they are still there.

People also need to keep in mind that school districts that are run under mayoral control (NYC) are managed far differently than those that are not.

I completely disagree. We teachers thank Matt Damon for standing up for us teachers and do not think he comes across as an asshole. At least someone is because the rest of our society bashes us. He is really standing up for his mom, who is a teacher by profession….

(the only part I don’t follow is the “intrinsically paternalistic yada yada yada”)

Didn’t Christian Bale just get pissed at someone for doing their job? Sounds kore like you than Matt Damon…

Here’s an excellent resource:

http://www.nctq.org/tr3/scope/#

Not every union state has the same rules and rights.

Example from the site above:

In Massachusetts, salary is a mandatory subject of bargaining, but the
state also defines the minimum salary that a teacher can earn. In other
words, while the district and union negotiate the details of the salary,
the negotiations occur within the framework of the minimum salary
established by the legislature.

Look it up for yourself Doug and you can see that your statement is incorrect.  Even among states that PERMIT unions, not all have the same rules and rights.

http://www.nctq.org/tr3/scope/#

Married to a teacher who went back to the profession when our last child was 10. She has since gotten a Masters and Specialist degrees and been nationally board certified. She too loves her job(non-union)and admits its not tough! Me? I graduated with an Education degree while playing football because it was the easiest way to get a college degree. After being drafted I finally returned to the world and got a job in sales,made great money and never looked back! I’ve been to war Love, gimme a break!

Oh yeah,Love! Damon is a whiny,limosine liberal who’s the wrong dwarf to be carrying your water!

Agree! Even in the union states, each state has its own set of rules, roles, and rights that are set by the state legislature.  In right-to-work states, there are only “teacher organizations” that have absolutely  no power over school districts in hiring, setting salaries, and teacher lay-offs.  If they did, the thousands of teachers who lost their jobs in TX would still be employed.

you hit the nait on the head though; you went into sales and now are making great money. 

Usually, if a teacher is interested in making money, down the road, they leave teaching for a more lucrative job.

While the others stay because we love it.

So, Jack, what is your point?? You seem bitter.

I have nothing against teachers and don’t want to see their pay cut.  I just remember growing up in the 70s, and hearing from grown ups about govt workers making low pay but had pensions.  My point is they are not making low pay anymore from what I hear.  Not big pay either.

I’m a teacher, and I work WAY more than 9 months out of the year. I average 60 hours a week, and time spent outside of the semester is devoted to research work, planning, and prep for the following semester. But I do understand your point; the only problem is it’s not actually true. It’s simply a supposition that’s commonly held among people who don’t teach for a living thinking that they know something about it. In order to find out how much time goes into that 44k, ask teachers personally — not people who have never set foot in a classroom.

Yes  agree.

Clearly most of Damon’s brains were in his hair.

Doesn’t he have a “megaphone” because that idiot PUT A CAMERA IN HIS FACE?

So, some people are inherently lazy but those people never include teachers with tenure as those teachers are only in the business of teaching because the pay and bennies suck and all teachers with tenure love to teach.

wow.  He has no idea how many people work shitty jobs for shitty pay because they have no other certain opportunity.  I earn a decent paycheck, enough that if I were to change jobs my pay could potentially be cut in half.  As I live pretty much paycheck to  paycheck as it is I can’t afford to risk that so I’m trapped working for the same company and hoping my current position will change for the better.  As it happens later this year the facility I work at is shutting down so I have until I help migrate all my client sites to other facilities to find another position within the company, else I’ll be unemployed.  Thats the way it is in the real world.  You can try to find a better job, but with 9% unemployment there’s lots of other people looking too. If you have a decent paying job you may need to try to stick with it even if you hate it.  We aren’t all lucky enough to do what we love.  By the way, I’ve met only a handful of teachers who do their jobs because they love to teach.  I think I’ve heard of more teacher child molesters than I’ve met teachers who loved their jobs.

No..it’s because he is a movie “star”–and our culture avows  credibility with fame.

No, Bale was angry because someone (a sound man as I recall) inadvertently interupted the artist formerly known as a good guy’s work. See his creative side just took over..but you can judge for yourself…as always.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/02/bale-went-ballistic

Teccec,

Seriously, I feel for you and your financial sitituation. Times are tough for many. 

But honestly people, times have been tough for many in American, ALWAYS.

SOME MEDIA has spinned this financial situation to make you believe that many are in bad financial shape because of high taxes. And thus, high taxes are caused by education. And teachers make too much money.

Please, I beg you. Don’t believe the hype. It is not us teachers at fault. 

Teccec, I don’t believe that you have only met a handful of teachers that love to teach! It can’t be!

And plus, again, it is the MEDIA who tells you about how many teachers molest children. 

Honestly, how ordinary is that? The media knows it will get your attention and bring them ratings.

Who wants to hear about the great teachers in America?

This blog is a great example of that. I tell you how well I am doing my job and what do I get? 

Some meanie telling that I’m only doing the job I am supposed to!

C’mon now! Stop listening to the media bash us teachers. 

I promise you, we did not create the $14.29 trillion dollar debt…..

Sorry, I call bs. 99.9% of teachers stand in front of a class reading straight from a book. Research, planning, etc, my ass. Then you get 3 months off. Meanwhile, kids scores suck more than ever and the US falls further behind. Oh, and you make, on average, more than 60k with benefits, etc. Stop the sob story nonsense. The vast majority teachers are lazy and incompetent. The people I went to school with who became teachers were the laziest of the lot. 

Teachers DON’T work as hard as engineers. Teachers are lazy. Very very lazy. They roll into class, flop down in their seats and have the kids open a book and read out loud for 60 min. THAT’S what teachers do, then off to the lounge for snacks and coffee. Then back to reading/teaching straight from a book and then they’re off at 3pm. Every stoner loser I went to college with became a teacher. 

Hehehehehehhehehehehehehheheheheheh!!!!!

We have people in this article whining about take home pay! What, are you people suddenly part of the TEA Party movement now? Are you saying that you are paying too much taxes?

Talk about hypocrisy!

The hatred against teachers in this country is a conspiracy led by politicians who continue to cut education budgets under the guise that they don’t want to pay lazy teachers who have tenure. Outside of NYC many teachers start at salaries of $30K-$35K per year. They are required to have at least a BA even if they do not need teacher certification right away. Many who graduate with a BA do so with more than $30K in student loans. Making $35K per year after four years of schooling is not a great deal of money when you are already $30K in debt to the federal government. Meanwhile house members make over $170,000 per year and practice lies and foolery at our expense. But no please go on with the narrative that teachers are the devil and the cause of all that is evil in America!

thanks for proving my point that you have…….no evidence

ah, someone with experience (something that the detractors here clearly don’t have)

And yours?

I’m speechless, this could be the most unintentionally funny thing I’ve ever seen posted on a message board

Why were you too hard on athletes?  I was an athlete in college and helped my girlfriend write her history papers.  I was a history major.  She got A’s and B’s and I got D’s and F’s.  She was pretty and I was an NCAA soccer player for a school that made the NCAA tournament yearly.(ie. missed classes but completed my work… on my own.)  Both history professor’s (tenure in-tow) were fired once it was proven that they were unfair to athletes who missed classes because of team/school commitments.  They were openly belligerent to athletes and thought their tenure was carte blanche.

Thank you Matt Damon for putting the real frame around this picture. I worked hard in education all my life. I retired still not being able to go to the bathroom when I needed to. THAT is the persepctive, and yes, I worked hard and my goal was to create thinkers. I didn’t give a RA if they were going to be “conservative” or “liberal’ or any other label people want to hide behind, I wanted my students to be Thinkers. I am thankful that at least some of them did just that.

i love how non-teachers bash actual teachers like they have any idea what they’re talking about.

Actually, Damon went to public school.  

Don’t know about the situation in Texas, but in some right-to-work states there are unions and they can and do bargin with districts for contracts and other benefits.  Non-union members simply have no say in those negotiations and must accept the same contract as union members.  Your information may be “true” in Texas, but that is not the case in all right-to-work-states.  My district union is a member of the state affiliate of the NEA.

Having a union does not prevent layoffs when there is no money to maintain current employment levels or the district does not serve the same number of students (changing student populations affect employment numbers). 

The unions have a say in who is terminated based on set union-and district-county-city-state policy depending on who “pays” the teachers.  Where I was employed it was the union negotiating with the local school district.

It is not true that in all non-union states there are only “teacher organizations”; there are unions in right-to-work states.

You should get yourself checked, you may be clinically stupid given your comment.  To whom do you offer credit for your ability to scribe on this site?

OK, you got me, no-one could possibly be as stupid as your comments make you appear to be.

Unfortunately some athletes bring the wrath of certain professors upon themselves.  My son was a college athlete also at a perennially ranked school and shared several courses with the schools “football players.”  Some were frequently absent when it wasn’t even season and others were often disruptive in class.  One such player who became a first round NFL draft pick would answer his cell phone in class then talk loudly until he’d reach an exit.  While we’d all like to believe every student is in college to learn, the sad truth is, that’s just not so.

It’s not teachers, it’s the unions.

Perhaps that’s how it is in CA (but I doubt it)… but that’s apparently not how it works elsewhere.  That said, plenty of people (myself included) have a line in our contract that says we can be fired for any reason, at any time, with no explanation.  So again, the complaint that bosses shouldn’t be like that is fine… but it’s not unique to teachers.

I’d like to see the percentage of unionized versus non-union teachers.  Personally, I have only ever experienced unionized teachers.

I also am not buying the “it means they get told why they’ve been fired” line for tenure.  If that’s all it was, that would be a pretty silly thing to grant teachers… especially since tenure has to be earned.  Are you really telling me that “we’ll tell you why you’re fired” is a a reward given out to teachers after a few years of good service?  Come on… that simply doesn’t make sense.

Granted… but do you really think NYC is so unique that this doesn’t or didn’t happen elsewhere?  I knew of the NYC deal because I live here.

Anyway, as I’ve said in a few other posts… this claim that teachers can be fired for any reason, and that’s “terrible” is fine and all, but it really just means that teachers are the same as everyone else.  In my contract, it very clearly states I can be fired for any reason, at any time, without explanation.  It sucks, to be sure… but it’s certainly not unique to teachers.

I thought you said my “experience” wasn’t good before.  So which is it?  Experience is a good thing, or you’re unimpressed and uninterested by experience?

“Veteran” go back to the personal insults… the adults are talking.

But we’re talking about tenure… not necessarily collective bargaining rights.

So you want me to give you a percentage of the teachers who become lazy and stop taking their job as seriously after being granted tenure?

Exactly how shall I do that?  Where do you believe I can find those numbers?

Chili… it’s obvious you want to participate, but this may not be the conversation for you.

So?  At what point did we believe that everyone has to be a millionaire?  If they want that, well, don’t become a teacher… become a movie star!  Not all jobs pay the same (although, I’m sure we agree that many teachers deserve more).

Thank you very much for the clarification and response. :) There are 5 states that PROHIBIT collective bargaining rights and TX is one of them with GA, SC, NC, and VA.  Arizona permits collective bargaining rights, but it is not mandatory.  So, there are 22 right-to-work states and 5 of them totally prohibit collective bargaining. In these 22 states, law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or
not to join or financially support a union.  In TX, teacher unions can’t negotiate contracts, pensions, or insurance.

Read the article — it was the Libertarian wack-jobs doing the whining, Damon was patiently kicking their stupid asses…

“the reason many become teachers is because the pay, vacation and benefits are pretty good”

And you obviously don’t know shit about teachers…

“How ELSE do you explain the aversion to Teaching kids so that they can actually PASS the State and Federal TESTS”

Because most people who become teachers do it to TEACH.  They don’t become teachers to drill kids on bullshit standardized tests that don’t measure ANYTHING USEFUL!

Thank God I went to school way back in a time when (white middle class) kids like me were actually taught the Love of Learning instead of being warehoused and trained for a useless bullshit McJob.  If ANYTHING drives teachers to pass time waiting for retirement, it’s the bullshit
“teach to the test” crap that passes for “education” thanks to libertarians and republicans like you.

Your brand of libertarian thought (a DEFINITE oxymoron if I EVER heard one) is completely out of phase with the actual reasons creative, compassionate people choose their professions.  You’re just jealous because you WISH you’d actually received an EDUCATION.

They had decent pay and pensions because they were UNION. 

It’s the destruction of Unions that has allowed the rich to be allowed to get obscenely rich and folks like YOU have to pay for their greed.

You heard about the rich bastard who grabs up 11 out of the 12 cookies and then tells the Tea-bagger, “Hey, watch out, that Union Teacher wants part of your cookie.”

Even though I appreciate that Matt Damon (also Jon Stewart by video) came out to support public education, the headliner for me was Diane Ravitch.  Below is the You Tube link to her speech.

http://youtu.be/wzvZ1Uc2MiY

Oh, brother.  Are you ever blaming the wrong people.  It’s assholes like Kyl and his rich friends who have kept you down here in the New Mississippi — NOT your neighbor who in solidarity with his other brothers and teachers got a decent reward for their hard work. 

You should look UP the economic ladder for the the ones you should blame — the rich f*cks who are screwing EVERYONE not your fellow Workers.

Is 65 hours a week really a healthy way to live?  What if your son wants a family some day – no time for anything.   You are saying the only thing that is valid in the world is work deemed “hard” by your standards.  I think teaching is about the hardest job there is, accountable to everyone, limited authority, unruly parents

God I wish the “a$$hole” Conservatives listened to you. The “a$$hole” Conservatives don’t know “sh*t” and they are always trying to tell the majority of people what is best for them. I agree with you, Conservatives are “complete a$$holes”.

I’m not “blaming” anyone.  I not sure what your post is saying.  I don’t believe anyone has “kept me down.”  I’m not even sure what that means, or in what context you’re making such a claim. 

Are you saying that every “rich” person makes me poor?  If someone has more than you, that makes you less of a person?  If that’s the case, you must be way down the “economic ladder.”  I don’t spend much time dealing with envy about the rich or worry about ”the rich f*cks (sic) who are screwing everyone.” 

A rich man does not make me poor; a poor man does not make me rich.  What is is what is.  The concept that someone who has more than you makes you have less is nonsense; you have what you have…no more…no less. 

“Workers of the world unite!”  Is that what you’re looking for? 

Hey Republitard,
    It sounds like your son should go back to his old schools and THANK HIS TEACHERS for giving him the skills to excel in college.

You must have had something to offer your students–perhaps the ability to present a concise, clear and cogent argument regarding? What exactly? Your need for a discount on bulk purchases of ‘depends’?

I really think he is that stupid.

No..don’t see that as a problem..I for one have no idea at all what you are talking about…

OK, first of all, I’m a teacher in TX and I don’t belong to a union.  Why?  I think it’s a total waste of my hard earned money because all it will do for me here in TX is provide legal services if a parent decides to sue me.  I do my job and I’m not worried.  I don’t even know how many years qualify for tenure in my district because the subject is never brought up.  Seriously!  When I changed districts, one of the first questions parents asked me was, “How long have you been teaching.”  That was important to them!

I hate that this reporter asked the tenure question because that was not what this rally was all about.  Irregardless of peoples’ opinions about unions, this rally was not organized to go after union bashers.  It was organized to send a message to our Sec of Education that current policies are destroying public education as we know it.  I posted Diane Ravitch’s speech so you can listen for yourself.

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Ya right Matt Damon talking about education… so when is Jeremiah Wright gonna preach us about the Jews?

“Sorry, I call bs”

Nice projection.

OK Blue, here’s Diane Ravitch’s (education historian and previous Assistant Secretary of Education) response to teacher tenure.  What do you think?  I agree with her.  In my district, tenure (but we never use this term) is only used as part of how we are evaluated.  After 3 years (probationary period), you only have 3 informal observations versus one formal and 3 informal when you are on a probationary contract.

First of all, there is no such thing as
automatic tenure. Tenure is a decision made by an administrator and it should
be taken with deliberation and after sitting in a teacher’s class. It also
doesn’t mean life employment. If an administrator watched you teach, evaluated
you, and makes a decision that this person is entitled to a due process, then
depending on state—some have three years of probationary teaching and some have
four—tenure in K-12 education means that if someone wants to fire you, you have
a right to a hearing.

And the reason this exists is to protect
against political favoritism. Before there was tenure, there were many cases
where people hired their friends and relatives and then the political party
changed and other people brought in their friends, or contributors. Tenure
makes sure that teachers are not fired for their race, sexual or political
orientation, or just because the principal didn’t like you.

Unions don’t write the
rules. Wherever you have a contract, it’s signed by both parties. Management
and unions sit together and negotiate the contract. If management doesn’t like
the contract, it should insist on changing the rules. Tenure doesn’t mean you
have lifetime employment. Tenure means after you’ve taught for a certain number
of years, someone in management decides that you’re good enough that you get
due process rights.”  Diane Ravitch

haha thanks for telling me! it was very interesting to hear what you think.

- More like a doctor, or a police officer, or a fireman.

- As a matter of fact yes, in case you missed the “crap The Brass hoists on them” part.  They tend to not get that individual students and individual classes required different techniques to be properly taught.

-  The key word here is *flexibility*, and “tenure” gives us that.  A benefit to teacher and student.

This particular example is just about salary.  However, when a contract is negotiated it will also include the number of years needed for tenure.

 I wouldn’t mind necessary surgery.  Now unnecessary surgery a doctor performs just to get a bonus . . .

I’m an MLB guy, you’ll have to use a baseball equivalent.

Nope!

So, you’re overpaid . . .

Sure you are an idiot who probably messed up my order last night when I stopped by Wendy’s. 

You suck, you get fired.

I bet you still live with “Mommy”     You sound like you didn’t get enough hugs when you were younger.   Let me guess one of your teachers’ told you how stupid you were and some veteran kicked your butt when you tried to hit on their little sister.  

Just explaining the obvious.

 Stretch the winter break to one month, two week breaks in Fall and Spring, all to shorten that oh-so-long summer break . . . I could get behind that.

 Stretch the winter break to one month, two week breaks in Fall and Spring, all to shorten that oh-so-long summer break . . . I could get behind that.

How about pulling the numbers from your butt where all your other opinions are originating from 

Ummm, no.

Figure out the importance of teachers, and you might understand why.

Ummm, no.

Figure out the importance of teachers, and you might understand why.

I was saying the same thing about you Blue, what a waste of space you are. 

Damon would’ve probably owned him too.

 Bye bye!

 That’s a nasty thing to say about the interviewer!

 Somebody has to point them out.

“As for Matt Damon, it seems if you’re rich and famous you’re an “expert” in anything you spout-off about. ”

In this case, something he was literally raised on.

Most teachers.

Bravo Damon!  Your mother did an excellent job! :)

Those who can’t teach what?

I would argue that I’m more beautiful than Miss America.  Therefore, I should be entitled to the crown, right?

No wonder he defends teachers, Captain John H Miller, a teacher, saved his life at a bridge in WW2 France!

I was using sarcasm Kitty, but if you are more beautiful than Miss America, can I hit that?

This can be a learning experience.

Never parrot your wingnut arguments at Matt Damon.

I’m guessing you didn’t finish school…Teachers attend many years of school but their pay doesn’t necessarily reflect that. When I was in school, many of my teachers had a 2nd job. They had to buy supplies and teaching aids out of their own pockets because the school would not pay for it. Education is cost effective if you look at the in future gains rather than instant. Education decreases crime, reduce government assistance, and lower the rate of unemployment if you really think about it. If youre about gaining profit ,then you would agree that investing is one of the core tools necessary in gaining profit. Mybe you should think about those in congress who do a sorry job and have the nerve to vote on raising their salary which comes out of our tax dollars. Shouldn’t they have cuts in benifits because the system isn’t doing well?

I live in Md and $44,000 is ok but not enough. Your’e just getting by, trust me.lol

It is a benefit because tenure protected me in this situation, which happened only recently in my school district. 

My bosses (the school board, all non-educators)  told me that I had to use a worthless, half-assed math program that had LITTLE HOPE of teaching adequate math skills to any student and NO HOPE of teaching advanced math skills to the students who were above average in math.  That I had to use it “pure,” i.e. without supplementing from other materials.  I gave it one year.  The above average students were bored silly and tuned out; the below average students were lost and tuned out.  It was clear that this program did not teach math, and that my students were being hurt by it.  So, in the second year, I began supplementing heavily from our old, worn out math textbooks which I had kept after having been ordered to throw them away; all of the 3rd-5th grade teachers in my building did the same. 

Our math scores remained the highest in our district while other schools’ test scores began to fall.  The district tried to defend themselves by saying only the teachers in my building were using the worthless program correctly.  God forbid that they admit they were snowed by a corporate sales representative salivating over a big sale! 

They tried to force us to go back to the worthless program because we were skewing the test results.  We refused.  Tenure protected all of us.  As soon as other teachers heard what we were doing, they found their voices and began following our lead.

Five years later, in the eighth year of the worthless curriculum, district administration finally accepted what we had been telling them all along: that the curriculum DIDN’T TEACH ADEQUATE MATH SKILLS.  They accelerated the 10-year cycle on which we re-examine curriculum, and we now have a top quality math program.  I have enough confidence in our curriculum to finally throw out the old math textbooks.

We did what was right for our STUDENTS instead of what would save face for a bunch of politicians and administrative bureaucrats who don’t know how to TEACH.  Tenure protected us.

If your child had been an above average math student in 3rd-5th grade, would you have wanted it any other way?

Matt Damon is right.  Teachers want to teach.  And they want to teach well.    

Once again, you couldn’t be more wrong.  Tenure doesn’t protect bad teachers from being fired.  Lazy administrators who won’t do their job protect bad teachers from being fired.  Tenure dictates that a school district must SHOW CAUSE for firing a teacher and allow for DUE PROCESS.  Isn’t that a protection all workers should have?  That they can’t be fired on their boss’s whim?  Why not work toward that kind of protection for all workers instead of trying to take it away from the few workers fortunate enough to have it?

Again, here’s a recent example from my school district of how easily a tenured teacher CAN be fired.  A few years ago, my school hired a 5th grade teacher who was tenured.  It was clear in the first three weeks that she was incompetent.  Parents began to complain loudly.  Our principal sought the advice of our union’s leadership.  The union was aware of this teacher’s incompetence and agreed to help.  The principal followed due process and put the teacher on a strict corrective action plan.  She didn’t meet the requirements of that plan.  In fact, she slept during most of her mentoring sessions.  The teacher had been hired in September, and was gone by the beginning of November.  It took only 8 weeks.

The most amazing part?  This teacher was a member of a heavily recruited and PROTECTED minority.  My school fired her within 8 weeks because we had an administrator with the gonads to take her, and the minority community, on; and had the full support of our union in doing so, because she followed due process and showed cause.

The rest of us were thrilled to see her fired.  She made all of us look bad, and she dragged our school down. 

It’s total BS that you can’t fire a tenured teacher and that tenure protects bad teachers.  If my school can fire a tenured teacher who is a protected minority, any school can do so.  Their administrators are just weak and ineffective if that doesn’t happen.  

I’m curious, do you agree with the cuts that was considered with military benefits and retirement? Or cuts in the benefits of law enforcement, firefighters and teachers and other civil workers? Its pretty much a slap in the face, if you think about it. This was actually happening around the time of the battle with the unions if you remember. I’m for the unions but I’m against poor management in unions. My friends and family who served this country were really upset about this. Your wife seems to be talented teacher but it not easy for all. I grew up in a poor and dangerous community and let me tell you those talented teachers worked their ass off with limited resources,safety and support. Some had the opportunity to work in the rich counties and private schools that paid more, but they choose to stay. One of my teachers owned an ice cream truck and another worked a cashier at Giant food market. lol…can you tell me whats wrong with this picture. I spoke with one of my teachers who was a veteran and I asked him why doesn’t he leave…he told me that he doesn’t want his students to become apart of the system in which all of us would have to pay for in the future. He was a hardcore conservative who always told us that we need to finish school because he doesn’t want to waste his tax dollars to keeping us in prison. He was really hard on me but now I get it. These teachers made the choice to serve our country in their own way. So it’s really hard for me to say that they get paid a substantial amount of money when I see different. Sorry for the ranting and I really do apprietiate your serving our country. Thank you!

Lmao! WOW

Teacher salaries vary by location. I have been teaching for 5 years and make $32,000 a year. It is nice to have all the holidays and summer off but we also put in long hours that we don’t get paid for. The district I work for only pays us from 7:15-3:00 and I can tell you that every teacher in the school is there much longer than that. I’m lucky to leave by 4:00 and that is when I take work home with me. I love my job so I usually don’t complain about the hours or salary but I do get upset and offended when people say that we are lazy or don’t do our jobs, I can say that I didn’t decide to become a teacher for the money…I became a teacher because I love working with the students.

I wish I started out at $44,000 a year. I have been teaching for 5 years and I don’t make anything close to that. A teacher’s education does not end when they graduate. I have a masters degree and am currently working on my doctorate not to mention the professional development classes I am required to take. I also work about 60 hours a week (20 of which I’m not paid for), buy supplies for students who cannot afford them and snacks out of my own pocket (roughly $300-$400 each school year), play the role of teacher and parent for students who do not have parental support at home, and have lost count of how many times I’ve been hit by students or had something thrown at me. On that note, I do not teach for the money, I teach because it is what I love to do. I don’t think anyone should judge what a teacher does until they see what we do. We don’t read out of books or lecture for hours. We are required to involve the students in hands on activities to keep them engaged and to differentiate instruction to ensure all students understand and are learning. Perhaps you should observe a teacher for a day before you assume that our job is easy. I do agree that there are some bad teachers but every profession contains employees that are bad at their job.
I also have a question for you. Would your son have the education and job that he has if it weren’t for his TEACHERS?

Great post!  Thanks!

http://www.alternet.org/vision/151850/8_reasons_young_americans_don%27t_fight_back%3A_how_the_us_crushed_youth_resistance/

8 Reasons Young Americans Don’t Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance

http://www.alternet.org/vision/151850/8_reasons_young_americans_don%27t_fight_back%3A_how_the_us_crushed_youth_resistance/

8 Reasons Young Americans Don’t Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance

Wow…I never saw that one coming.   Any other replies, besides the punctuation?

Well…we are waiting Darladoon?  Come on… you can at least scare something up on the internet :P

come on–matt damon, a typical out of touch hollywood prima donna, made ONE good movie. he is no rocket scientist and frankly not that smart and not that good of an actor. he basically does the same role over and over again. having a mother a “teacher” is a bit embarrassing for such a informed child.government employed teachers, like damons mother, is just another person that could not make it in the real world. government employed teachers are part-time employees with full time pay. damon can pontificate all he wants but the truth is teachers, like his mother are complete failures–just look at what they produce, nit wit graduates that cant think thier way out of a paper bag. matt damon, you are embarrassing and your mother is as well.
go back to the fantasy world of hollywood and shut up, you phony.

come on–matt damon, a typical out of touch hollywood prima donna, made ONE good movie. he is no rocket scientist and frankly not that smart and not that good of an actor. he basically does the same role over and over again. having a mother a “teacher” is a bit embarrassing for such a informed child.government employed teachers, like damons mother, is just another person that could not make it in the real world. government employed teachers are part-time employees with full time pay. damon can pontificate all he wants but the truth is teachers, like his mother are complete failures–just look at what they produce, nit wit graduates that cant think thier way out of a paper bag. matt damon, you are embarrassing and your mother is as well.
go back to the fantasy world of hollywood and shut up, you phony.

This is wonderfully weird. 

If Damon had a “shitty camera” on one of his movies he would want that camera man removed from his job… he wouldn’t support him just because he had 10 years experience.  Our children should be afforded no less.  

Oh, get me a barf bag!

Matt Damon v. Michelle Fields
A new CBS/New York Times poll shows that 82% of Americans now disapprove
of the way that Congress is handling its job. That’s the largest number
on record, since the Times began taking the poll in 1977. And when
asked if members of Congress deserve re-election next year, given what
Americans have seen 75% said no. Reason.TV reporter Michelle Fields
weighs in.

http://youtu.be/mmtEiOs50u0