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by jmye 916 days ago
Have you like, talked to an actual teacher? Or is this just "common sense" posturing about something you haven't actually looked into at all?

I'm regularly confused by people whose entire knowledge of classrooms comes from being a student, who nevertheless feel like they are experts and have all of the right answers.

1 comments

I know several teachers, a few of them in my family and a few of them in the group of friends I kept in touch with after highschool. Some of them work very hard during the school year, and some of them reuse the same lesson plans for years and say the others are working too hard. All of them don't work for most of the summer break, but they all do some work particularly in the first and last weeks.

Do you know why teachers get paid so little? Because there's a surplus of people who want to be teachers; actually getting a teaching job, let alone one at a good school, is a serious accomplishment. The schools that have a hard time keeping teachers are the ones with shitty students (due to shitty parents) which burn out teachers fast. The ones who can hack it at those schools use their experience to seek employment at better schools (positions at good schools are so competitive that having experience before applying is almost essential.)

> there's a surplus of people who want to be teachers

What on earth?

- https://www.npr.org/2023/03/23/1164800932/teacher-shortages-... - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/10/17/tea...

> I know several teachers

So, because 'some' of them don't work very hard, it's your 'belief' that all teachers aren't as busy as they say they are? Or are you now back-tracking your earlier comments? Does re-using lesson plans mean that those teachers aren't grading course work, or doing other activities, or are you assuming that "lesson plans" is the sum total of any extra work they may be doing?

I feel like this is just a cop out comment (particularly with the mealy 'I totally know some people' as evidence), moreso given the clear lack of understanding of the acute teacher shortages in this country, particularly in rural areas and particularly exacerbated over the last 4 years that you nevertheless think not only doesn't exist but is actually a surplus, in complete contradiction of literally all available evidence.

There are no teacher shortages at good schools, getting one of those jobs is extremely competitive. Shitty schools constantly lose teachers and need new ones.

And to reiterated, the difference between a good school and a bad school is the quality of the student body, who reflect the quality of their parents. It's not funding. Often the worst schools have the most funding because people think that will make the school better, but over-funding schools won't fix kids who are fucked up by their parents.

Anyway, you asked for comments from people who know teachers. I know teachers, but I'm not here to back up your preconceptions. Deal with it.

> There are no teacher shortages at good schools, getting one of those jobs is extremely competitive. Shitty schools constantly lose teachers and need new ones.

This is not supported by any evidence, unless you assume that all rural schools, for instance, are "shitty schools". But hey, let me throw yet another link you'll not look at while repeating things that are patently untrue:

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/25/texas-teacher-shorta...

I've no idea why you're talking about funding, as if that has anything to do with anything I've said, but article after article suggests the absurdly low teacher pay is a major issue - talking about ephemeral 'funding' in that context is dishonest.

But sure, you "know" teachers. You're not answering the questions because... you don't want to back up my preconceptions that are based on direct experience, er, I mean, "preconceptions"? Um, ok.

> but I'm not here to back up your preconceptions.

Says the guy who just keeps repeating himself when faced with linked evidence his preconceptions are incorrect.