On Strike Oct 11

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Please, no

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I do not know whats up there but here in Pittsburgh there is some weird shit. Teachers can go on strike but per state law for not more than two weeks. It is like a vacation for all involved.

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Elections have consequences.

Yay, there'll be seats on the train

Lousy selfish teachers and their summer vacations and their constant complaining.

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Have you ever taught anything?

Miserable job now. The students are complete trash, and that's in the suburbs. Try teaching someone when they're clinging to their phones constantly.

Mr Peeps has his sarcasm font on in that post, Rube.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

It is going to be an inconvenience for me but I'm standing with the teachers.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Thanks BRogue.

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Same.

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It's the middle-class and lower arguing amongst each other in a race to the bottom. Sucks. But it's tough to support this strike when MANY people aren't close to sniffing anywhere near the compensation of teachers.

So automatically stand with the teachers blindly? There have been strikes and education has eroded since I was in kindergarten. Can we find any other reason for that other than supposed underpay of teachers? They get paid and however you measure it everyone says education sucks.

Same shit. Every year. Every decade. Every school. I am not blaming teachers but this flashpoint MUST be missing the root cause.

What is the ROOT cause?!

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Elections have consequences.

Not teachers.

Nor is it every school.

Parent participation and involvement is a huge issue.

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Who said it was blindly? The teachers in Chicago have been getting screwed for decades. We give them limited resources and expect them to educate 38 kids in 1 class. Somehow we always find the funds for cops and firemen.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

It really is. When parents suck it ridiculous to expect a teacher to educate 30+ kids without any aides or assistance. Hell they struggle just getting supplies.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

NAS and Peeps make my point. It is complex as many issues are. Just trying to focus on paying teachers more is not the solution. I am going out on a limb and say on average teachers pay is just fine when adjusted for nationally and so on.

Paying teachers more will not get more kids smarter at this point. And to the dumb ass comment I will bet a lot that average pay is even or better with cops and firemen.

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Elections have consequences.

Hasn't the number employed in each profession been declining as new hires aren't outpacing retirees? Should two wrongs lead to a 3rd?

If parent participation is a large factor in the success of a student then why should salary increases, benefits and pensions be required for teachers?

Yeah, teachers are expected to solve huge social issues. It makes no sense.

I'm still surprised at how anti-union America is. I don't get it. But, like Kirkwood, I think the CPS teachers have a pretty good deal.

Just spoke with a teacher at an alternative school on the West Side. The school is for kids who dropped out and have emotional problems. It costs $46,000 to educate each student per year.

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Recruitment. Teachers are part of the equation, of course, but parents put the students in the right frame of mind to learn. So you need good ones. If you want good ones, you're gonna have to pay for them. Catholic schools lose good teachers all the time because they can't or won't pay them. Sure, some stay, but most will leave. I've seen it happen with my own teachers, with colleagues, and with my kids' teachers.

I don't think CPS teachers should get pensions--they should be doing 401k/403b like everyone else.

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It isn't just about salary though. Personally I believe teachers should be paid more than cops and firemen. In my world they are far more important. We nickel and dime them and don't give them the tools they need and then expect them to educate 40 kids. That's fucking ridiculous

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I don't mean to direct this at only teachers but many professions. The entire world for the most part has moved on to these retirement plans. The days of working a government job of any sort for 20 years only in a lifespan of 75-80 is ridiculous.

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Elections have consequences.

One of my close friends is a CPS teacher. He is okay with the switch but only if the city puts all the money he is supposed to get ,ie their matching. You have to remember they do not get SS only the pension. The city won't let them switch because they do not want to lose control of that money, they borrow off it and never match like they are supposed to. A private firm who did that would be up on Federal charges so fast it would make your head spin.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Exactly.

My teacher friends say the same.

Pay up and make the switch from pension to 401k, no problem.

That won't happen though.

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Teachers aren't more important than cops or firefighters. There's nothing uniquely special about teaching--it's valuable, but people sentimentalize the profession all the time. That kind of hat-tipping does no one any good. I say that as a teacher.

Of course, if we want good teachers, we have to pay a competitive wage. I am all for that. The number of unintelligent and lazy people who go into teaching is staggering.

Another problem is that we need more teachers and schools. 30-40 kids per class? That dog don't hunt. It just can't be done. Maybe in a different context it could, but in most contexts in today's world, it can't.

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Looking at what the city is offering it is kinda hard to take the teachers side. Every one in govt jobs(except the elected fucks who vote themselves raises every year) has taken a pay cut except the teachers.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Educating our future generations is far more important than a cop or a fireman. The fact that MANY people don't believe that is one of the primary reasons we are falling behind.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

You're all over the map. If we are already getting "a number of lazy unintelligent people" as teachers but we need good teachers, you think taking away the perks of the job is going to draw this huge pool of not lazy and intelligent people that want to deal with the working conditions they have?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

"Sentimental hogwash!" (Sorry, quoting Mr. Burns. No, not Mr. Burns....Mr. Potter!) Look, half of the teachers any of us has had were probably morons. The "educating our future generations" claim is true, but teachers are only one part of this. They have a very specific role in this, to be sure, but there's no reason to put them on a pedestal. I think education has a special relationship with the production of justice--but so does law enforcement and social services (among other things).

We do, however, need to let them do their jobs. Fuck the "teachers are heroes" stuff. That's a red herring.

(I think this is the "strong" version of my argument. I believe in something....less strong. But, for the sake of argument...)

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Sometimes you can be such an asshole. Why don't you list the reasons besides teacher pay and pensions prevent inner city educational greatness?

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Elections have consequences.

Teachers have an almost impossible job. The system is a mess as well as most people.