Check out this new site for teachers/coaches/parents at ....

[SuperFan#1]

There is currently a grass roots movement under way in the state of Texas. It is centered around the current education system and is led by the people most effected by this system, the teachers. However, the direction our legislators have the current system going will not only effect teachers, but the entire state and beyond. Teachers educate the leaders of tomorrow. Highly qualified people are needed in the classroom in order to ensure these future leaders are capable of handling the obstacles they will face. Current legislation, teacher pay, and many other issues jeopardize the quality of teachers we have. We need input from all areas of education. On our website, there is a rough draft of a letter we will eventually release into the email system. Our hopes are that people will copy and paste this letter onto their email, and send it to legislators. Please read the draft and give your input as to what needs to be added/deleted. If you care about the future of your child, your family, your job, or your state, then please go to this website and get involved. Thanks.

www.coachguru.net/teachers/ (http://www.coachguru.net/teachers/)

[SuperFan#1]

ttt

[SuperFan#1]

back up

[Titans]

It amazes me that employees of some major companies go on strike, but we, THE UNDERPAID teachers/coaches in this great state of Texas, won't bond together and strike.

It's critical to our profession, to our survival in today's, and tomorrow's economy.

What a HUGE strike it would be!!!

How do we start such a thing?

[Tiger Turtle]

As the spouse of a 28-year veteran teacher, I find very little new or innovative on that site. I think that the public views the educationist unions as single-issue organizations inasmuch as the only thing that gets mentioned in the media in the same breath as NEA, TSTA, ATPE, etc is the old "more money" whine. I think that these organizations need to come out more strongly for common-sense improvement in the eductaional process and soft-pedal the money issue until the public sentiment about the organizations and their constituents changes. Lately, the alternative certification situation has surfaced, but the argument seems to be couched in a way that makes it look like all that teachers are concerned about is protecting their jobs and keeping others out. I feel that the general public perceives the declining performance of the public education system as a problem being addressed by constantly lowering standards rather than requiring mastery of the subject matter. Some major image overhaul work would go a long way toward getting public sentiment back on the side of the teachers.

[SuperFan#1]

Tiger Turtle -

You hit the nail right on the head with your "nothing innovative" comment. That is the problem. There have been the same complaints from educators for years and yet we still have not united to get what we want. The "more money" whine, is a whine I will have until I am paid what I deserve. Is it not a fight worth fighting. I will never understand why teaching was labeled as a profession that should be paid so poorly. I'll tell you why this has happened. Professors at universities drill it into the heads of there students that "You aren't going to make any money, so just accept it." Instead of telling there students to go ahead and do what they want, which is teach, and then fight for what you deserve. You make it sound like protecting your job and your families income is a bad thing and that we should ba ashamed for bringing it up. Go to the website and voice your opinions.

[Tiger Turtle]

As I said before, my wife is a 28-year veteran of the educational wars and my oldest daughter is currently doing her student teaching at A&M Consolidated preparatory to following in her mother's footsteps as a secondary math teacher. My wife earns around 50k (started at 9 in Tomball in 1976). I understand that starting rates in big districts are in the low 30's. While those numbers are not gonna make anyone rich, take a look at what percentage of wage earners make less. What I was trying to say was that teachers should band together and get behind another issue besides pay in order to change the public's perception. I think that would make it easier to make progress on the pay scale issue.

[Haunta Yo]

#1 principle taught to me by business world human resource departments:

You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate for (good or bad).

[SuperFan#1]

Tiger Turtle -
You're missing the point. It's not about making more than a percentage of society. It's about getting paid what we deserve. I think educating the future leaders of the world should qualify us for a descent pay check. Also, there are many more issues that need to be dealt with that have nothing to do with teacher pay.

[Tiger Turtle]

I think teachers are vastly undercompensated with respect to their value to society. I find it significantly more important to educate the upcoming generation than say, to play a kid's game for the entertainment of a stadium full of raving lunatics. My point is that teachers are better paid than they were back when my wife started. How exactly do you determine when you are paid "...what you deserve..."? Demands couched in such nebulous terms will never get you taken seriously. I think teachers must somehow band together and demand parity in compensation with some other occupation so that there will be an objective standard for outsiders to judge by. Do you want to be paid the same as police/firemen, doctors, lawyers, indian chiefs? IMO, the only way to get what each individual deserves is to dump the pay scale system based on seniority and go to a system of individual contract negotiation, but who has time for that? Remember, the same collective representation organizations that agreed to the non-merit pay scale are the ones making it look like the only issue teachers care about is money.

[SuperFan#1]

Tiger Turtle -

There have been suggestions about comparison of pay scales. Most would like to get at least the national average to start with. Also, since you brought it up, I will comment on your bashing of athletics. I have three kids. Let's say when they get to high school, I have to make a decision of 4 years of classroom education or 4 years of athletics. No question. Athletics. It is more than just playing a game in a stadium. By that comment I conclude you can't possibly have any contact with athletics. That was one of the most ignorant comments I have ever seen on a sports site. Kids learn things in athletics that will help them get through life. The classroom doesn't do that. Also, everyone makes more than what your wife did when she started. The cost of living was probably a little less then.

[SuperFan#1]

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[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by SuperFan#1
Let's say when they get to high school, I have to make a decision of 4 years of classroom education or 4 years of athletics. No question. Athletics. It is more than just playing a game in a stadium. By that comment I conclude you can't possibly have any contact with athletics. That was one of the most ignorant comments I have ever seen on a sports site.
And I would have to say that this is one of the most ignorant posts I have seen on any site. What kind of a parent would allow their child to be completely ignorant of all knowledge that you aquire in in academic classes. I think that there's a balance here, but to state that athletics are more important than academics is ridiculous.

[SuperFan#1]

There is a balance. However, as far as skills learned to make it in life there is no comparison. Note that I said when they get to high school. My opinion is that kids need to be able to read, write, and count proficiently. Beyond that, athletics can teach them more than most classrooms.

[JasperDog94]

Socially, yes. But there are other extra-curricular(sp?) activities in the schools that can teach the same things as athletics.

[SuperFan#1]

Never said there wasn't. I am talking about sitting in a classroom.

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by SuperFan#1
There is a balance. However, as far as skills learned to make it in life there is no comparison. Note that I said when they get to high school. My opinion is that kids need to be able to read, write, and count proficiently. Beyond that, athletics can teach them more than most classrooms.
So what do you propose these same kids do, once they've finished their four years of athletics? How many of them will use their athletic abilities once they've graduated? I support athletics 100% and encourage my children to participate in all sports. Academically, I insist on the utmost of their abilities. Realistically, without the education they will get in the classroom, they will not qualify for many positions of employment.

[SuperFan#1]

You people are missing my point. I was only trying to point out the importance of athletics to education. I was saying "IF" there came a time that I had to choose one or the other, I would choose athletics. I am not saying the athletes will be able to succeed based on athletic ability. I am saying they will be able to succeed based on lessons learned from athletics. That's it. Nothing more. You may not agree and that is fine. Most people don't agree. Yes, academics are important.

[SuperFan#1]

back up

[Tiger Turtle]

If your english skills were up to your alleged athletic ones, you would understand that I am not bashing athletics, I am bashing society's lack of perspective with respect to compensation of teachers versus PROFESSIONAL athletes. If you choose athletics over academics for your kids, they will suffer from your lack of perspective

[HighSchool Fan]

SuperFan, my mother, 3 sisters and 1 brother-in-law teach at schools. Most everyone would agree that teachers are underpaid. However, if you are under the impression that sports are more important that academics, get a clue. Read some biography's of some of the worlds richest people. I've read books on Ross Perot, Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Sam Walton, non of them said that they owe their success to playing a game. Look what sports did for Dexter Manley, he made alot of money, but soon lost it all and went to prison. I'm not saying that all athletes are like Dexter, but if he had a decent CLASSROOM EDUCATION he might not of ended up like he did. If there is any school or parent that puts sports first, they should be ashamed.

[Tiger Turtle]

I really doubt that SF meant he would choose athletics to the exclusion of academics, probably more like he would choose to avoid choosing academics to the exclusion of athletics. I am sure that everyone on this site believes that athletics have value as far as preparing kids for life. Ideally, there should be a balance, so far as the kids are able to handle it. However, academics should get the first consideration, unless the kid happens to be one of the exceptional athletes who has a realistic shot at making a living at playing sports (0.01%?), in which case academics will probably not be their strong suit anyway. Dexter Manley is a pretty good, albeit rather extreme, example of what can happen when the balance is lost.