Comments for CarmenK12

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by cwcavolo

cwcavolo — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:08:01 +0000

Ok, the point is that it is an inevitable shortage when the baby boomers retire. But, maybe I was not clear enough because I did not say, “shortage of highly qualified teachers.”

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:26:21 +0000

This would be an interesting argument if it weren’t for the fact that the “teacher shortage” itself is a complete myth which the teacher’s unions themselves propagate. From time to time it is hard to fill jobs in Science in the ghetto, but with that and a few other exceptions there has not been any general shortage in over a decade. The universities are constantly pumping out 10 times the teachers we need, and any reduction in that plus higher than normal retirement might just reduce the current surplus in the future so grads stand a chance of getting a job.

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by cwcavolo

cwcavolo — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:50:59 +0000

Thank you for your comments. I agree with much of what you say. Especially that it is not possible to compete with the image of the Wall Street guy. But, I do believe the image of a retired 54 year old person with a nice pension and chance at a second career is a very pretty picture the NEA is sure to keep swept under the rug.

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by cwcavolo

cwcavolo — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:49:07 +0000

Thank you so much for your comments. And, I agree, most college students, or Americans, DO NOT know about the NEA. But, my point is more that the NEA has lobbied very hard to get the message out that educators can’t make a living. They influenced the news and your teachers heavily, which then got to you.

But, that is my theory, and I appreciate you reading and commenting.

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by Konni Shier

Konni Shier — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:20:43 +0000

Your argument is novel, but I just don’t agree. Most college students don’t know anything about the NEA. When I took undergraduate education courses, I knew that teachers were poorly paid and poorly treated because I heard my teachers say so, and because it was widely discussed in the news and other venues. I had no contact with NEA at that time.

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by Michael Trent

Michael Trent — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:15:00 +0000

I’m glad you survived and kept your eye on the prize.

Any organization, a leader in its industry can make mistakes in the lead.

However, the perspective of the “noble profession that does not pay well” has been around for decades as much as the starving artist. There are just some themes and beliefs in this country that are inescapable.

Furthermore, students look at and follow market trends. Many of the students in the last 15 years jumped into finance or became lawyers because they knew they could make money faster in these areas and retain those high salaries for a long time rather than going into education (excluding high education). Some of those workers did well and enjoyed the ride while others died from the corporate grind ( I hear it all the time from corporate folks, I hate my job but it pays well)—some went into teaching, started their own business or non-profit.

Whether the NEA sold the image of teaching or the image of the school administrator, they could not fight against the image of the Wall Street guy who receives a million dollar bonus, has a house in the Hamptions, and flies to Milan on the weekends.

Think of the world of undergraduate, in those top schools, who recruits and recruits—-the military, the MBA schools, the corporations, tech, and the law schools (medical schools barely need to recruit because of the competition, except for nursing). Districts don’t have the money recruit like these above groups. Even in my recent graduate school experience, of the last couple of years, I remember Georgia State coming to SCAD recruiting for their MBA program. No recruiters for the MAT. It is all about the money.

Comment on How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage by TD

TD — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:50:44 +0000

Carmen: You called it: A full page ad on the back of the A section of the NYT today — School 2.0, Avenues: “A global network of schools…”

Comment on What does Wisconsin tell America about the state of education in the U.S.? by How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage « CarmenK12

How the NEA facilitated the inevitable teacher shortage « CarmenK12 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 03:46:21 +0000

[...] Comments « What does Wisconsin tell America about the state of education in the U.S.? [...]

Comment on Why iPads are NOT a Good Idea for K-12 by Jane Parkhouse

Jane Parkhouse — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:40:10 +0000

I just focus on the money – ipads are expensive. No school district has this much money.

Comment on Receive Cash to attend Jefferson Elementary School by emily

emily — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:47:49 +0000

agreed – intrinsic motivation is all that works in the long run. and if this incnetive stirs it, which it may, great.