Michael Ramirez for October 30, 2023

Oh fgawdsake!

Ramirez went to a bad school (or is it skuuuul?).

Today’s teachers are not taught what teachers used to be taught; they are taught to be activists, and the issues mostly have nothing to do with the kids. Real professional teachers were those who put the welfare and education of the kids ahead of everything else (and there are many who still do.) The unions and Dept. of Education don’t want that. Before I get attacked for not knowing anything about teaching – I have had family members in the profession, and still do. The camel entered the tent when Federal Funds were given to local districts – with strings attached and mandated curriculum (one size fits all). Many required programs are “matching funds” that use up money that could better be budgeted to fit local needs. For example, think about small rural Utah schools compared to schools in Brooklyn or Boston or Texas. If school were a private business run the way they are, they would have been gone years ago.

Another Republican wet dream.

I was a public school teacher; a member of the American Federation of Teachers. They did not care one whit about teaching or children. Their only interest was control, teacher pay, benefits, and protection of their members no matter how lousy they were as teachers. A true labor union. The National Education Association wasn’t much better where they won the collective bargaining contract. Where can I return my union pin?

I was once a member of the American Federation of Teachers. They did not care one whit about students; only control, teacher pay, benefits, and protection of the most incompetent of their members. The National Education Association wasn’t much better. Whoever won the collective bargaining election ran roughshod over the profession. I have been retired for some time. Education has gotten worse not better. Where can I return my union pin?

The teacher’s unions push for higher wages every year (usually strike in Sept – maximum effect). Yet we continue to see no results for these ever-increasing wages. No wonder private schools are growing so fast. The national average ACT composite score dropped to 19.5 out of a maximum score of 36 for the Class of 2023, according to data released by the testing organization. Although the decline is not as significant as it was in 2022, when the average score dipped below 20 for the first time since 1991, this is the sixth consecutive year of a decline.

As long as you Americans keep paying teachers minimum wages, you will keep getting minimal abilities. What the hail do you expect?

More disrespect for teachers from people who have no idea how demanding and hard the job is.

Today’s teacher has to deal with people who demonize them without actually knowing what they are talking about. These same anti teacher folk want to deny them reasonable pay. No wonder we have a teacher crisis, when you treat good people like scum you drive out the needed professionals.

Yes the union must make the teachers stop working again!

All of the usual anti-teacher tropes are on display today. I suspect that many of those dishing that missed the lesson on the difference between the anecdote and the norm. Teachers getting labeled because of the actions of the few has been fertile ground for critics who offer no solutions just more anecdotes. Then they wonder why so few young people want to go into education despite all of the “perks” they claim are there.

In my experience as a teacher, the vast majority of teachers were focused on what was best for their students. I suspect that it’s pretty much like any job in terms of percent who are “incompetent”… very, very small.

My grandfather was a teacher. My mother was a teacher. My daughter is a teacher. They had kids who continued in adult life to stay in contact and thank them for helping them become informed and better educated persons. You sir, on the other hand must have had very poor teachers. I feel sorry for you. Very sad.

Phonics. Or is it foniks?

About 40% of those people who major in education, get a teaching job and start teaching find another job before their tenure year. Very few who survive that five years are poor teachers. I have taught and I have worked in an office. The major difference is that when you are working in an office you do not have to be paying 100% attention 100% of the time. This isn’t a demand from the front office. It is necessary to maintain the classroom discipline and get the job done. A poor teacher pays for it in student disrespect, and they pay for it heavily.As for summers off, there are mandatory inservice classes and meetings that take up a lot of time. And, time will be needed to work on your graduate work, since most districts have the bachelor’s track set up so that raises after about 5 years don’t keep up with inflation. The masters is pretty much necessary for a living wage. Another option is to work a summer job. A friend of mine started mowing lawns and within three years was making too much to make it sensible to come back to teaching.And, when you leave work, you leave work. Each class requires about 20 minutes of prep time if you are revising lessons you have done before. If it’s a new lesson, an hour or two is more likely.After getting a total of 6 1/2 years of college and working for 32 years, I was making about 75% of what my nephew was two years into a sales job.All of the ideas for improving education add about 20% to the classroom hours, and no additional money seems to be available to get extra people to help with the job. Paying the people who are doing it more might make them happy, but it won’t increase the quality, because it would be an overwhelming amount of work. Eventually, they are going to get to the point where no one with the intelligence to do the job is going to be dumb enough to take it.Haven’t been around a school lately, but maybe the situation has already gotten to that point

DemocRATs, RATs

I was a classroom teacher for 19 years. My fellow teachers were highly educated and dedicated to their profession. They could have been making MUCH more in any other professional job. They choose to make less because they LOVE what they do. Being a teacher can be a highly rewarding, satisfying job.

But we’re NOT going to sit silent while state and local government pass legislation aimed DIRECTLY at the teaching profession.

Ramirez’ cartoon refers to a complaint filed by the Clark County Education Association. The state of Nevada has passed a law making strikes unconstitutional. The CCEA declares that the law violates guaranteed Constitutional protections such as due process, freedom of speech and assembly. The complaint also claims that the law is overly broad in what it calls a strike, lacks specific enforcement standards and fails to prevent discriminatory enforcement.

Nevada teachers are only asking to be allowed the same right that all other workers in the state of Nevada enjoy, the right to free speech, public assembly and due process.

It is a shame that so many of you have such little respect for teachers and what they do. You hear unsupported stories on the internet and you believe them. You watch propaganda designed to make you feel one way, and you allow yourselves to be swayed.

You send your children every day out on that yellow bus to spend day after day with good, caring people. You need to give some of the care BACK to your children’s teachers.

I am a PROUD retired teacher and a PROUD member of the National Education Association. My message to you is if you feel that there is something wrong in our schools go TALK to as many teachers as you can. You’ll hear good stories and bad.

But DON’T make decisions based on slanted and biased OPINIONS like what Mr. Ramirez posted today.

So at which public elementary school does Michael Ramirez volunteer?

Republicans keep interfering in education telling people they can make it better. We get such things as No Child Left Behind where the student is taught how to pass standardized tests.

In all educational situations, one gets what one deserves. Come to learn and cooperate in the classroom, and you will learn and be cooperated with. However, if one comes because one is forced to and acts resentful of that mandate, the result is a foregone conclusion. If families send their children to school with the expectation of good results, it’s not a guarantee, but certainly a step in the right direction, to good results. It’s too bad many with the “teacher gene” are finding that too many, or even just one, kid with the “You’ll hate school as much as I did” parents are making their job impossible and seeking employment in other professions.

If the shoe fits………. There are good and bad in all professions. I have seen Unions protect workers that should not be in that profession (and they know it). I have seen the teacher’s union protect some worthless teachers. They pay union dues so the union protects even the worthless ones. They have no honor.

Working in the profession I held for 53 years, I was always paid more if I was more of a value to the company. Not teachers, they want more even though the product they produce, our children’s education results, are close to that of third world countries.

Our youth depends on auto-correct and AI.. teachers like cartwrights are no longer needed.

Ramirez, like all Republicans wants to eliminate public education. Because no one deserves to be educated unless they can afford it.

Just like health care.

I started teaching in 1973 (mid-central U.S.), 650 students per grade, and all of the “tenured” teachers complained how the students and parents no longer had respect for education and teachers.

So what has changed in 50 years? Not much.

Must be a Charter School teacher in a red state

In my Republican State they just passed a law that you don’t need a degree in anything to be a teacher and have forced out teacher unions. They will cut a check for $6,600 for each child going to private or home schooling and only require a doctors note that your child might need remediation. They did raise the teacher salaries to $50k but require locals school districts to pay it forcing small rural schools out of teaching altogether. ( I saw a family with 6 kids and the guy had a t-shirt that said; “I love my kids teacher”. and I thought; “That’s close to 40K right there. That’s almost the median household income for my state.”

Another tax breaks for the rich right winger who hates unions, what a surprise.

This is what we are getting for our tax dollars. Only 36 percent of fourth graders and 26 percent of eighth graders were proficient in math, meaning they could demonstrate solid academic performance on challenging subject matter. In reading, it wasn’t much better. Just 33 percent of fourth graders and 31 percent of eight graders were deemed proficient and above.

From 2019, the average math score for fourth graders fell five points, with eighth graders dropping by eight. In reading, average scores for fourth and eighth graders fell by three points. Not one state in the country saw significant improvement in these average test scores.

fu

Anti-worker anti-public education anti-union much? You don’t even have to answer, your view is cleer

Teachers today are taught to teach. The problem Conservatives have is with what is being taught; Conservatives want a white-washed version, all dancing happy singing slaves and the fallacy that we live in a color-blind society where corporations and real estate developers are sent from God to do good works. What the GOP has really wanted since 1980 is to allow the wealthy to deduct private school tuition from income tax; let them deduct it from their taxes and the war on public schools stops.