Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (411563)	2/18/2011 12:17:10 PM
From: Katelew	3 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793897

Greenspirit, I've read that teachers' union contract in the US are considerably more generous than union contracts in European countries, too. I don't know the country breakdown, but I've read that, on balance, teachers in Europe work more days and longer hours. They also contribute more to their own pension plans. Wisconsin teachers, for ex., have had to contribute nothing to their pensions. The state via the taxpayer has been paying the whole thing. In this country, the number of hours a teacher spends in the classroom actually teaching keeps shrinking. The year itself is shorter than in Europe and teachers have days off for parent-teacher conferences and for teacher prep and inservice meetings. Then when the US ranks lower on education stats than European countries do, the teacher unions clamor for smaller classes, better pay, and more assistants and get them.

To: greenspirit who wrote (411563)	2/18/2011 1:21:11 PM
From: Neeka	1 Recommendation Respond to of 793897

Excellent points, and exactly true. This is why people are completely disgusted with the education system in this country. What we're seeing and have been seeing for years and years is that unions are unproductive. The teachers union has created an entitlement mentality among it's members and they've become lazy and unresponsive. Demands of parents and the children they serve have been ignored and they are rewarded for this with greater salaries and benefits. Unions in general are broken and the power of the purse string they hold has to be severed. If teachers unions can't fulfill their promises they need to be abolished.