If it was ever wondered what the cost of public education monopolies are, read the following comment from an apparent Lakota teacher who came unglued the other day on the Channel 9 website for a story they did about the upcoming levy attempt. CLICK HERE TO REVIEW. The teacher’s comments are shown below. Before I dismantle this teacher’s claims to pain and suffering, read it for yourself. The short of the issue is that this teacher can make the claims of hardship because they are working for a monopoly—they have no competition to judge against. So they can claim any little thing as an unwarranted pain, because the unionized workforce of the teaching profession backed by the federal government is operating as an anti-trust. Their demands, and pay rates are dictated by price-fixing, and their expectations are ridiculously high because of it. Now read what a teacher from Lakota thinks is a hard day as they answer to a commenter named “Joe Jobs.”
Let me be succinct in case you can only hold one or two thoughts in your head at any one time. First, those “unions” are made up of teachers; teachers who spend their every day in the classroom with their students and then do the grueling “union” job after hours in many cases. Teachers choose their profession because they are dedicated to helping children be successful people and citizens of their communities. See, it benefits us all when our children succeed in life. Joe, take a “sick day” this week and visit any Lakota school. Sign in and tell the secretary you want to volunteer in a classroom for the day. Don’t forget to pack a small lunch; you won’t be going out and you won’t have much time to eat that lunch anyway. Better be sure to go to the bathroom before the students arrive, because once they do, your only “break” of the day will be after the students go home. Please dive right in; help that teacher manage classes filled with students who arrive with a myriad of abilities and challenges. Some don’t speak English yet. Others are living through family wars, losses of parents or jobs, some are latchkey and arrive at school before the sun is up and most people are not even dressed for work. Be sure you help the students understand how to edit their writing to make it clear. Then help the students understand the challenging new math curriculum that the state and the new “common core” dictates they must understand and succeed with. You’ll have to write for the student whose muscular disease no longer allows her to hold a pencil. You’ll need to always be aware of the time so that students get to the nurse for their insulin checks and their medications. The counselor will need to see some who desperately need his/her help. Several in your class will need to leave at their appointed time to go to the resource room where they’ll continue to work with their specialist who tailors their work to meet the individual needs of each of those students who struggle. Don’t forget to challenge those kids who fly through their work and crave more! Follow the students as they travel their day to each of their classes without their favorite subjects: art, music, and PE. They’ll get a lunch and small recess; you won’t. During your half hour lunch, I hope you can eat with one hand while you answer parent emails with the other, tutor that child that comes in needing help with their math facts, and of course, you’ll have a meeting 4 out of 5 days. When everyone is exhausted, and you finally send your students home, get your butt outside because you have carpool duty. See, Lakota lost most of their busing, so you’ll stand outside every afternoon while hundreds of cars line up to retrieve their children. Pay attention; make sure the right kid gets into their car quickly. The kids will be too busy talking with their friends to be paying attention, so you’ll have to. Finally, at 4:30, go to the bathroom, finally, and drag your butt into your car. Did you remember all those papers that must be assessed before the kids arrive tomorrow? Take them home. Forget watching TV or going out for a run or walk, you have work to do. This is your 60+ hour a week job, that you love, by the way, for 40+ weeks of the year. With an advanced degree and 20 years of experience, what is your salary? Seriously? Think again, JoeJobs. Support our children and their education. Teachers have been doing just that every day.less
I see no problem with arriving at work at 7:30 in the morning and not taking a break until 5 PM. The teacher however does get a bit of a breather between class periods all through the day, so no matter how grueling this teacher attempts to portray their day; it is an obvious neurotic exaggeration. A ten-hour work day is a piece of cake, and I have offered Lakota schools to take this teacher’s challenge and teach not just one of their classes, but four of them at the same time. I made such a challenge to Lakota East’s Spark Magazine where Dean Hume is the head of that endeavor. Of course they didn’t take me up on the offer, and our relationship is so deteriorated now that it is off the table. But the gist is they know at Lakota that their claims of hardship are overblown in a big way, and their collective bargaining agreement expecting over $60K a year on average is too high. Way too high—by about 10K per year.
Much of what the teacher complained about is driven by failures in progressive education, where teachers have attempted to take the place of traditional parents, infusing themselves to the lives of all children in intrusive ways. They have desired to push traditional parents out-of-the-way and raise children into a statist education making students always dependent on others. This has made the teacher’s job harder as parents have yielded to this intrusion seeking a taxpayer-funded babysitter while they build their careers for their own pursuits. The teacher at Lakota made themselves advocates of a progressive education, and they are dealing with the results of a classroom full of dependents. The failure is in the style of education. If the teacher’s job is harder, it is because the progressive education children are receiving has made it so. The task of putting a band-aid on the failure by throwing money at education through permanent tax increases is a stupid idea.
If there were competitive options, that teacher would be happy to have the problems they are complaining about now. The only reason they feel obliged to complain in this case is because there is no competition to their profession other than a few remote private schools, or the occasional home-schooled family. Therefore, the severity of the workday expressed by this teacher is measured against the unrealistic expectations of employment created by a government monopoly at Lakota. Only in such monopolies could employees behave as badly as some of those teachers at Lakota who have been involved in sex scandals, and gotten away with the crime, and still make the claims of hardship similar to what was made in the above statements. The reason is that they are anti-trust employees justifying their impositions on the communities that employ them with parades of complaints that are driven by their own incompetency.
For further proof of this mentality, here is a letter to me from a pro tax supporter I received just the other day.
Rich,
I disagree with your goal of $45K average salaries for teachers. But the public will ultimately decide that. If that goal is reached, it will be up to the teachers to work at a $45K pace and not the pace they are currently working.. Your comment that “teachers at Lakota are making too much money for doing too little” is the point of the levy results. Why would anyone devote so much time toward a job which the community deems as being not worth it? Why isn’t 8 hours of hard work each day enough time toward their jobs?
Mr. George says that the public wants to work with the teachers, but the union won’t let them. Who does he think the union is? It is that 2nd grade teacher that comes in to school 3 weeks early to set up her classroom and prepare for the year. The union is the 5th grade teacher who postpones her bathroom break so her students are under constant supervision.. The union is the AP teacher who teachers college level material using a high school schedule with high school materials and support. When parents go to open house and conferences, that is when they should voice their displeasure with the union because that is who they are directly talking to.
Once again I call on the labor force of the schools to determine the next round of cuts if the levy fails and those cuts should be in the time devoted to the job at hand. Make gone the 50-60 hours work weeks. The public, by voting no, is saying they can’t afford to type of service.
William Schmidt
Isn’t it amazing how similar those comments are to each other? It is the new union talking points for the elections of 2013.
Rich Hoffman
Give yourself the gift of ADVENTURE. CLICK HERE!
The Overmanwarrior 
Oh waah waah waah…seriously? I get up at 6 everyday, drive 4 hours, stand in an OR, then change into normal clothes, give a presentation, or go troubleshoot a device, drive some more or fly, often away from home 3-4 nights a week (last nite had a salad in a hampton inn, very glam), work trade shows on weekends, pay several hundred dollars a month for my health insurance, get 10 days off a year (that is sick, vacation, everything), and I do not get summers off, or a week for christmas or holidays…..plus i have no retirement benefits at all. so cry me a river. lol.
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Oh, and I can tell you where the cuts should be…does everyone in the administration building need to be paid 6 figures?? if its “for the kids” then preserve the teachers and get rid of all the dead weight, the people that push paper and threaten parents and all the like…
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Thank you very much. These idiots live in a bubble of their own making and have no idea what the world outside does for a living. So they are completely unqualified to teach children anything about life! It is amazing to read how they see the world. It truly is.
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LOL…..Preach on Sista! I’m an old Westchesterite and could spew for hours why we left but who cares? Cry me a river when your taxman comes knocking.
TKR does it until he’s blue! It’s all about pain and giving up on a beloved community to make a stand.
Not to worry, the business community has had it. If it weren’t for the spine here and with Dan, this place would be a ghost town peppered with Detroit moms who will just never, EVER, step outside the box that is taxation.
Collectivism sucks!
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Perhaps its not so much as an issue here in Lakota, but it does seem at times that society has given neglectful parents a pass, and do expect their children’s teacher to do these things (as I know my wife’s load is very similar to this). I think the teacher that made those comments was just voicing her frustration with the realities of the position and what society deems as acceptable. It is unfortunate that it has come to this, as it drives away many whom might consider a teaching career or those that are very apt which are already in it.
I also know that my wife’s school is so chaotic that between class changes, the administration expects the teachers to stand in the hallways and monitor so the kids don’t maim each other in some sort of middle school demolition derby. So, her bathroom breaks are relegated to when there is an aid in the room or the intervention specialist. But, I’m sure there any many challenging jobs that have similar limitations, as I was just stating that for context.
I do appreciate you sharing their views and why you would disagree. I again think that the message is wrong about why they feel they need to pass a levy, which I offered up some previous talking points about.
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The message has always been a threat. There IS no message. It’s union thuggery and while I like you, I wonder if you even read Rich, and why you’re here. You seem to be so middle of the road and have a squishy opinion.
You stated in an earlier thread that this is not your community as it’s not mine anymore, but what exactly is your conviction? Your wife is a teacher, we get it. I see your side and what she might go through. This is about Rape. Theft. Burglary. Everytime you get a tax bill, you are bending over. Liars have you sheepish. You are constantly talking yourself out of the argument at hand.
This isn’t about bathroom breaks. We had those in the 60’s and it didn’t cost us our first born. Enter Unions.
May I suggest you read past posts. Search overman and taxation. It’s not just Lakota or schools.
Lifechanging if you have the stomach to stare down the reality that is truth. Truth is hard and not kind. At all.
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No, I do live in Liberty Twp and have for the last 5 years. As, I was just speaking about Bob Coogan stopping by home this evening as he was out canvassing for Liberty Twp Trustee. Yes, my wife is a teacher, but not in Lakota is where I think it wasn’t clear. My views are in the middle on some things, as I come looking at things through a business/finance/econ background. But, my wife is a teacher and I know first hand what she goes through. And, I read Rich’s post to get the the opposing view.
And, I enjoy sharing with her what other people say. So, that is why I am here and I think I just have as much right to be here, unless Rich tells me to scram.
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Debate is good. I have a core of very loyal readers who are very passionate. They don’t comment every day, because they’ve mostly heard it all before. But they don’t lack pure conviction! Vicious is one of those rare people who craves a level of honesty in people that just isn’t part of the modern human race. But she keeps hoping anyway.
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Also, I was wondering if you had any thoughts about Bob Coogan, whom stopped by my house this evening passing out literature. We had a very nice conversation, and I look forward to reading his site some more. I was not sure if you have worked with him, or had thoughts on him.
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Bob’s a good guy. Did he say he knew me?
The trouble with all those Libertarians is that they are way too far to the left for me. But then again, so are the Republicans. : )
I think Bob is an honest guy who means well. He’s a small government guy too, and that makes him good in my book.
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No, I was just speaking with him in general about something else. Just wondering your thoughts on him, as he was personable/knowledgeable. He’ll still probably get my vote, as I think there are a couple positions open.
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amalott, I appreciate your situation….I have friends who are teachers…lol we argue a lot–my father was on the school board for a staggering 33 years-however he was an extremely principled man and all he cared about was the kids….he answered to noone but his own conscience….yes, I have often said i dont think i could be a teacher,I think its a tough job yet that doesnt mean that I dont think that the teachers so get ample rewards with all the time off, sick time, retirement, insurance, holidays, summers off….there are plenty of people out there who work just as hard or harder and get a fraction of the pay and benefits…and do not ask for taxpayers to foot their bill. And the situation in Lakota is truly alarming, and when I think of all the money and bonuses Mantia got, (I mean did she really need 65 days off a year??) it makes me so angry to know where the $ is really going.
oh and CYD ((((hugs))) 🙂
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That’s fair, as there are times I wonder things about my company of something similar. Though, it is a private company, but I digress.
As for the state teacher retirement system, they keep changing the rules of the game. So, enjoying choice and believing in efficient market theory, my wife opted out of the defined benefit plan (pension) and chose the defined contribution (401K like). This puts her in the same boat with everyone in private sector in terms of her potential retirement. But, allows her to control her retirement destiny and not politicians and union representatives.
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I work as a CNC programmer/machinist….due to an extreme shortage of people in my field, with high demand, long work hours are common.
I’m so used to 60-70 hour work weeks, that the handful of times I’ve worked only 40 hours a week feels like a vacation.
A 10 hour workday is nothing. NOTHING. Anyone who says otherwise has been coddled into adulthood and was fed Utopian B.S. their whole life.
Great post as always.
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I may want to talk to you in greater detail off line about that sometime.
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Oh and in addition to all that, I’m responsible for funding not only MY healthcare and retirement, I’m also “required” to fund the healthcare and retirement of a myriad if government leeches.
But, what do I know, I’m just a “greedy white old fashioned racist gun nut”.
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Yes, I am as well, as I am on a high deductible plan as it allows me to control my costs while I am younger and healthier, but build up my HSA to offset future potential expenses. As that same thing goes for my retirement, though my employer does contribute to my 401K.
In my MBA capstone project, I got to work with a machining and manufacturing facility, and got to see this work first hand. I have great admiration for the men that I met on the production floor, as we explored some options for the facility’s expansion. The skill and abilities of individuals like you truly astounds me, and its unfortunate that there are not more opportunities for training in this field, I found.
It makes it difficult for smaller operations to sustain as the larger ones can snap up specialists. But, I guess that wasn’t the point of your post :).
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Thanks, and yes, that’s a whole discussion in and of itself. The death of “trade schooling” coupled with the growth of liberal arts is stunting our national economy.
Most people want to sit behind a desk all day and process paperwork. Less people want create tangible items with their minds and hands.
You are witnessing the results of this right now.
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I would agree completely… My wife is a science teacher whom really tries to discuss the benefits of the skilled trades as her dad (my father in law) is in. That also if you want to do a skilled trade, you should still focus on your studies as it is applied science and math. I know I get great pleasure out of building things and working with my hands, so I do whenever the opportunity arises (I do sit behind a desk) and constantly out in my yard.
My father is an auto body technician, and the things he can do to an automobile is almost an art. My talents were just put elsewhere I guess. Its unbelievable to see with all of the industry in Cincinnati, how few programs there are. I was told by the guys at GE, and some of the other shops, that the best program was up at Sinclair in Dayton.
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Rich, anytime. I can e-mail you my phone # if you like. Is your email on this site?
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I have yours. I’ll contact you.
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