Comments on: Back and Forth and Back on Teacher Unions http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2009/05/22/back-and-forth-and-back-on-teachers-unions/ (bôr'dər-lănd') n. Located on or near a frontier. An indeterminate area or condition. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:21:32 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Doug Noon http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2009/05/22/back-and-forth-and-back-on-teachers-unions/comment-page-1/#comment-124194 Doug Noon Sun, 24 May 2009 00:23:23 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/?p=1436#comment-124194 Quite right, Eric. And you know, we get merit pay whether we want it or not. Quite right, Eric. And you know, we get merit pay whether we want it or not.

]]> By: Eric Hoefler http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2009/05/22/back-and-forth-and-back-on-teachers-unions/comment-page-1/#comment-124184 Eric Hoefler Sat, 23 May 2009 21:08:25 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/?p=1436#comment-124184 I freely admit that I'm no master of the ins and outs of union policy and the politics surrounding them. However, I cannot even begin to think about "improving education" without including both students <i>and</i> teachers in the equation. Why some feel the need to pit teachers against students in these "union wars" is beyond me. Certainly, any real reform will make things better for teachers, too ... if by better we mean the things teachers tend to want: manageable workloads, competitive pay for comparable levels of professional development, time to plan and assess effectively, room for professional judgment in curriculum development, fair assessment of performance, etc. Anti-unionists make it sound like fixing education would be simple if we could just get teachers to stop wanting to be treated professionally and just allow themselves to be used like slave labor to make better "products." We'll improve education by improving conditions for students <i>and</i> their teachers. I freely admit that I’m no master of the ins and outs of union policy and the politics surrounding them. However, I cannot even begin to think about “improving education” without including both students and teachers in the equation. Why some feel the need to pit teachers against students in these “union wars” is beyond me. Certainly, any real reform will make things better for teachers, too … if by better we mean the things teachers tend to want: manageable workloads, competitive pay for comparable levels of professional development, time to plan and assess effectively, room for professional judgment in curriculum development, fair assessment of performance, etc.

Anti-unionists make it sound like fixing education would be simple if we could just get teachers to stop wanting to be treated professionally and just allow themselves to be used like slave labor to make better “products.”

We’ll improve education by improving conditions for students and their teachers.

]]> By: Doug Noon http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2009/05/22/back-and-forth-and-back-on-teachers-unions/comment-page-1/#comment-124170 Doug Noon Sat, 23 May 2009 16:38:42 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/?p=1436#comment-124170 Good points, Brian. We send out a survey to parents (as I think all Title 1 schools do) and 100% of the respondents felt positively about our school. Media plays a large role in shaping public opinion about schools. Good points, Brian. We send out a survey to parents (as I think all Title 1 schools do) and 100% of the respondents felt positively about our school. Media plays a large role in shaping public opinion about schools.

]]> By: Brian Crosby http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2009/05/22/back-and-forth-and-back-on-teachers-unions/comment-page-1/#comment-124168 Brian Crosby Sat, 23 May 2009 16:01:23 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/?p=1436#comment-124168 Doug as per your comment above - this is one reason why when polls are taken about public education respondents generally give schools in general very low marks but their local schools they tend to be pleased with. What they read and hear about the sorry state of schools and teaching around the country sounds horrible ... their actual experience with their kids schools is much better. Doug as per your comment above – this is one reason why when polls are taken about public education respondents generally give schools in general very low marks but their local schools they tend to be pleased with. What they read and hear about the sorry state of schools and teaching around the country sounds horrible … their actual experience with their kids schools is much better.

]]> By: Brian Crosby http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2009/05/22/back-and-forth-and-back-on-teachers-unions/comment-page-1/#comment-124163 Brian Crosby Sat, 23 May 2009 15:16:49 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/?p=1436#comment-124163 Doug - As I stated on another blog recently, if the teacher unions were a tenth as powerful as some say, NCLB would have gone away half way through the first year, schools would be swimming in money and teacher paychecks would be to die for. By the way by state constitution we have an "association" not a union, we can't strike and we are always one of the lowest funded states in the country. Doug – As I stated on another blog recently, if the teacher unions were a tenth as powerful as some say, NCLB would have gone away half way through the first year, schools would be swimming in money and teacher paychecks would be to die for. By the way by state constitution we have an “association” not a union, we can’t strike and we are always one of the lowest funded states in the country.

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