Quote Originally Posted by Col Forbin View Post
First, tenure as well as unions do not protect against incompetence. If you are seeing that many incompetent teachers - blame the administrators, not the teachers. An effective administrator will get rid of lowsy teachers, and promote professionalism among staff.

Second, I get 6-8 weeks off in the summer. I spend more than half of those weeks on attending or offering trainings for other teachers, as well as continued education through graduate classes (paid for by me). We have had the retirement discussion before, and I get the same healt benefits as any state worker.

I can comment that I think the state teacher's union is a joke, and I refuse to join. I am one of very few teachers in our district that will not join. Partly because I don't make enough money to afford their fees, but mostly because I don't think there is a need to be a part of a union.

I was ust making a point about the overpayment of workers in the auto industry, not the underpayment of teachers. I would like to make more, and feel we should make a little more - but the points you made, make it all worthwhile for me.

I do want to thank you for wanting to double my salary. I consider myself to be one of the competent ones. I was one of ten teachers in the state, whose assessment materials were selected as the exemplars or models for trainings and assessment development for children with significant disabilities throughout the state.
Hats off to you Col Forbin. Here's my salute.