[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Where are they getting these smartphones? I get that in today's violent culture where kids have to worry about getting shot to death in the classroom, phones are important. But flip-phones with just text and voice and no apps at all are totally sufficient. They don't need to own smart phones. Parents are buying them for their kids.

This is the best point in 7 pages.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by Aces4

Unions were important at one time but the Union heads ruined it for everyone but they did live a fine life while it lasted.

Agree 100%. Unions have ruined public education.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Someone has been watching too much Fox News (and believing it).

Then one should have help changing one's channel.

This is an example straight from high achieving college grads from a state college. They work in professional occupations now and are very pleasant, low key people describing their college days.

A blind eye won't help hide the truth.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

No, not simple at all. Well, perhaps it is easy to remove/censor any book that someone, anyone objects to - the lowest-common-denominator method.

I don't want anyone else parenting my child - that's my job.

I don't know if the word "censor" is comprehended in this situation. The book is not censored, your child may read it anytime you make it available to them outside the public school doors. It's not your responsibility to tell others how to raise their children which, obviously, is the goal here.

This is really a non-issue.

[spd2918]

Originally Posted by Aces4

...School board members are some of the most underappreciated public servants out there and many go without pay for their services. Referendums after referendums are happening in many districts...

School board members in my area are tools of the teacher's unions. Every year they want more and more, never offering a wage freeze of course. Grand new schools are built during times of decreasing enrollment (people are leaving because of the high taxes).

And they always cry: "It's for the children" while test scores drop.

Parents share responsibility with the teachers for low test scores and no work ethic. Wokeness...

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by jimbomaybe

The AVERAGE Chicago teacher makes about 145K according to the Illinois Policy Institute, it has been a long time , but when my kids were in school the private schools paid the teachers considerably less than what was current for public school teachers

And some people think that it is a GOOD thing to pay public teachers well, but others think that it is a BAD thing. Florida public teachers today are the worst paid in the US.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

I just don't get this logic. Teachers only work 9 months, not 12 like everyone else.

It also depends on the area. As someone else noted, there are teachers making well into the 6 figures, and don't forget about their taxpayer supported pensions.

Teaching has ALWAYS been considered a low paying occupation. The SHOULD be accepted by definition. But. I will further explain it. A college graduate today has a choice, do they go to Wall St. or some other financial employer and work 8 hours per day and make $200,000 to start (Wall St.) or move to Florida and teach for $ 38,000 per year and work 2 jobs for 9 months and 3 jobs in the summer. And taking a chance that there are guns in the classroom. In Florida, an ex-G.I. without a degree can teach, but I doubt if Wall St . wants any of them.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by spd2918

School board members in my area are tools of the teacher's unions. Every year they want more and more, never offering a wage freeze of course. Grand new schools are built during times of decreasing enrollment (people are leaving because of the high taxes).

And they always cry: "It's for the children" while test scores drop.

Parents share responsibility with the teachers for low test scores and no work ethic. Wokeness...

That's tough, no doubt. School board members are elected, why not remove them from office with the vote than leave town or the city?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Aces4

One should involve themselves in schools and operation of them before blanket statements are made. School board members are some of the most underappreciated public servants out there and many go without pay for their services. Referendums after referendums are happening in many districts at this time just for operational expenses and the public won't pass the requests.

Everyone has their hand out for more money from the tax districts, to the power companies and every other service. People are tapped from subsidizing everything and everyone but their own local interests. Referendums are not inexpensive to run and that adds to the issue. The funniest thing I've ever seen is someone elected to the public school board who's children never set foot in a public school. He was the exception to the average school board member because he didn't want to spend a nickel.

Serve on a school board for a couple of terms and get back to us on how much fun it isn't.

Many school board members are elected specifically to keep the taxes for big property owners DOWN.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Doesn't seem like much...until you realize that until a few years ago, it was orders of magnitude less.

That's SOCIAL change. Schools are not affecting it one way or another. Its happening that way in England and Europe. The US is NOT special.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Guns? No, I'm sure Climate Change is the real culprit.

Young people in primary schools do worry about Climate Change because they are going to get all of the BAD effects - like bad air, poor crop production, over-population, forest fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes. We, the elderly, will soon be able to leave ALL our pollution behind us.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

And it's going to be more. The Chicago Teacher's Union basically runs the city now. They also care more about social justice than teaching.

Nowhere are the Teacher Unions powerful enough to affect even a tiny part of a city's business. Maybe in Europe, but I doubt it.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Aces4

I don't know if the word "censor" is comprehended in this situation. The book is not censored, your child may read it anytime you make it available to them outside the public school doors. It's not your responsibility to tell others how to raise their children which, obviously, is the goal here.

This is really a non-issue.

The school librarian should decide what books are appropriate, not the state.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

The school librarian should decide what books are appropriate, not the state.

And not #&+% for liberty…

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Teaching has ALWAYS been considered a low paying occupation. The SHOULD be accepted by definition. But. I will further explain it. A college graduate today has a choice, do they go to Wall St. or some other financial employer and work 8 hours per day and make $200,000 to start (Wall St.) or move to Florida and teach for $ 38,000 per year and work 2 jobs for 9 months and 3 jobs in the summer.

Reality check. It is delusional to think the average college student has a choice between those two options, unless they have some serious connections. A very small fraction of college graduates would even be considered by Wall Street firms. Unless one has a degree in something like finance, economists, advanced mathematics or statistics, from a very prestigious University, and graduates at or close to the top of their class, getting a prestigious Wall Street position is close to impossible.