Warrior,
I agree with probably 99% of what you post. As a former educator, I will use response to your post add a bit of factual information to this thread.
Teachers do, indeed, have a 185 day contract +/- a day or so. They are paid only for the days they work with the exception of 4 paid holidays per year. A new teacher, with a Bachelor's degree and no experience earns approximately $200 a day. That equates to a salary of $37000 per year. Not bad. They get no paid vacation days. At a rate of $200 per day, they would make around $50K if they worked "regular" jobs. The reality of the problem for people entering that profession is that "life" costs the same for a teacher making $200 per day as it does for any other person making $200 per day.
As a former administrator, I can tell you that any teacher that worked only when kids were present didn't make it to year #2. Likewise, teachers that didn't spend hours on weekends and during the summers didn't last long. Granted, in the old days, "good ole boy" administrators i.e...washed up coaches, back-slappers, etc... let some pretty poor people stay in the profession. While it may be going on today, it can't be as bad because stakes have risen so much. You can't be a good admin and be widely loved anymore (like in the old days).
There is a lot of deep seated resentment in the public for educators. Much of it is deserved: the coaches that should have been teaching but talked sports during math class,etc... The teachers that verbally abused kids, etc....Those people should never have been allowed in the profession.
I'm for a fair system that will attract the best and brightest to the profession. To do so, like someone offered, we need to make teaching a full-year job....and pay for a full year's work . That won't EVER happen because the public will never agree to fund it.
Respectfully,
ram
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