a recent essay

[historian]

I recently wrote an essay discussing the various aspects of so called "education" we have here which are producing one ignoramus after the other, but what i discovered is that the greatest impediment toward improving education is a teachers tenure. As an example, in NYC it can cost up to 200.000$ to fire an obviously incompetent teacher and most districts cant afford that so they hang on to that person to the detriment of the children. Sad.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Can you link to the essay? Thanks.

Also: Have you , yourself, *worked* in the city system?

[historian]

8. In fact yes

I used to work with disabled children (dyslexia etc..) just to help them learn how to read and understand. I am not a teacher since im unable to hold a full time job due to sickness, but i put in 4hrs a day on a VOLUNTARY basis and so I saw the sad side of the educational system. My wife is a bilingual speech therapist for the school district and she tells me stories which make my hair stand on end

[Starry Messenger]

2. One wonders how you discovered this.

I myself do not have tenure, being an adjunct, but I don't find my job insecurity to be a huge boost to my teaching.

[femmocrat]

3. Where did you get that figure?

What you say is incorrect. Districts can and do fire incompetent teachers. Tenure just ensures that they don't do it without cause. In fact, the new value-added assessments (teacher evaluations) make it extremely easy for them to do so.

[historian]

6. tenure

I actually got this information from the teachers union site. Many of the top union members are upset over what is happening. If you are interested in seeing something really amazing google new york rubber room. Its not a joke - it is a real fact.

[femmocrat]

9. I know about "rubber rooms"-- They closed them in 2010.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9032803

Could you provide the name of the teachers union, so I could check out the site on my own? Thank you.

[Starry Messenger]

4. Thanks for the dump and go.

If you ever come back, can you explain to me how these absolute wastes of money are helping education?

Vouchers could shift at least $600 million from districts through 2025

Lack of Oversight of Charter Schools Designed as a Plus; $3.3+ Billion Spent

Charter schools are such a racket, across the nation they are attracting special attention from the FBI

[YoungDemCA]

5. Those lazy, incompetent, tenured teachers!

Whatever.

[historian]

7. did i say that?

I said some are not the whole lot. In fact I think teachers have a bad rap - education is given very little attention in this country and a teacher is not well paid by any means. Compare their salaries and the good they are doing to someone big grunt who can kick a ball and barely elucidate a coherent sentence yet earns millions a year. Does that make sense?