Whether we realize it or not, we all teach. Be it our children, our friends and acquaintances, co-workers or just people we meet in our day to day dealings, in some manner or another, we teach them.
But, that does not make us “teachers,” those who have chosen to enter the profession to impart knowledge in any one of our schools where we must send our children to learn reading, writing, arithmetic, history and other relevant subjects in hopes that when they grow up, they will have the knowledge to become functional adults ready to contribute to society, raise families of their own and pass along their own teaching with who they interact with.
Teaching sounds like a very lofty and important profession, which it is. But, does that make being a teacher any more special or privileged than other professions we enter into? Does that make them exempt from the day to day struggles and budgeting we must perform in order to care for our families, especially in these difficult economic times we have seen over the past years?
Listening to some very outspoken people claiming to be “teachers,” apparently they feel it does and their chosen profession not only exempts them from sharing in the sacrifices many of us have had to make over the last 6 years, but it also entitles them to force the rest of us to contribute more to their wants and go without in caring for our families so that they receive what they want and we can sacrifice and go without.
Let me say here, not all teachers exhibit such an attitude. I have to believe the vast majority are dedicated in their profession and do what they can to instill much needed knowledge in their students as they inspire them to continue learning. But, a very vocal minority who we see lobbying for higher taxes under the guise of “invest in education” so their pay and benefits do not share in the sacrifices, so they are not judged on their merits and who make a show at teaching their students and stir up contentions at teacher union sponsored rallies for us to make sacrifices on their behalf are who this is directed at.
While this teacher is not indicative of all teachers, I feel she does appropriately represent the greedy minority I spoke of above. It’s only about money, what money they can squeeze out of you for themselves. It is never “for the children” as they claim; it is for their personal consumption.
Rep. Liz Pike
What precipitates this point of view is an Open Letter to Public Educators recently penned by Washington State Representative Liz Pike (R. 18th) that has enraged some and has the Lazy C once again setting up a Republican for attacks in their pages.
In two articles, one published and another in their online blog Political Beat, they ensure you read of those union members enraged over having their greed exposed. But, you don’t see one word of the support Rep. Pike is receiving from struggling taxpayers within the hundreds of comments left on any of the articles nor do you see any mention of what Rep. Pike wrote is overdue and correct, needing said finally.
If you read through the many hateful comments left by those claiming to be teachers, all you read is how tough and privileged they feel they are and why they deserve to squeeze us for more and should not be required to share equally in the sacrifices we all have made these last few years.
They feel underpaid, overworked and some seem to harbor deep resentment that they must teach children at all and therefore are entitled to something more than we in the private sector are.
And again, this is not all teachers and I have to believe not even the majority, just those that have fallen for the union propaganda of how entitled they are and have allowed themselves to become little more than union lackeys.
Rep. Pike’s open letter was brought about due to a series of emails she received; I assume some not too nice emails when they did not receive the Cost of Living Allowance they feel they are owed. That the economy remains in deep recession with unemployment remaining way too high means little to those lackeys, only their own bank accounts, even though state data shows their median salary and benefits paid for by taxpayers is higher than that of the private sector.
And I don’t have to tell you how children are graduating unprepared or that our drop-out rate remains far too high. This point was made by no less than Senator Patty Murray, a far leftist, pro-teachers union politician herself when, during one of her many efforts to trump up support for pouring more money into teacher’s union coffers said,
“Too often, I hear from students who feel that what they learn in school isn’t relevant to the work they will do when they graduate — and unfortunately, too often they’re right.”
And the answer, of course, is to pour more and more money into education, meaning give more to the teacher’s union demands, the same teachers union that opposes every effort at reform, launched a lawsuit to invalidate the votes of citizens that have five times elected to demand a 2/3 supermajority requirement be placed on the legislature to impose more taxes on taxpayers and even caused our state to lose a $13.2 million math and science grant that would have included two schools here in Clark County, all because the union could not control the grant and some of the payments to teachers would be based on merit, not seniority.
But, it’s all about the children and giving them best possible education, remember?
So Rep. Pike, a “State Representative with core values in smaller, more efficient government, more personal responsibility and less reliance on government in our everyday lives” took the greedy unions to task through their lackeys and has touched off a firestorm, even though she said what has needed said for some time and the lackeys are firing back with everything they have.
They complain about class size, receiving a 1.9% cut in wages they claim, parents not buying school supplies, missing that their efforts to squeeze those same parents out of more of their paychecks may prevent parents from having the money to buy more supplies, complain about unruly children unwilling to learn and even having to take refresher courses or seek a higher degree to advance their careers.
They ignore that they are not the only ones who must return for training, or who has had to tighten their belts and make sacrifices or even who must buy whatever implements are needed to complete their day to day jobs.
For some reason they feel they are special and above all of that mundane sacrifice they demand of others as they lobby the legislature for more and when they don’t get it, begin threatening recall, voting out of office and yes, slinging the vitriol they claim only we engage in.
They show no concern for taxpayers still struggling and facing higher taxes and fees for many other government programs or that more people than ever are relying on food stamps to feed their families.
They don’t want to discuss that many of these same greedy lackeys indoctrinate social issues and political views over actually educating the children, often contrary to what the parents wish to instill in their children and some have even gone so far as to directly interfere in how some parents may wish to raise their child with values different from what the left and unions want.
And of course, they completely miss that if they are unhappy with what taxpayers are able to afford, as they seem to express so often, the simple answer lies right before them, quit and find a job that better suits you.
No, mentioning that brings out the erroneous expression of they are too good to be replaced, falsely thinking no one else can or will step in and do the job they feel only they are qualified to do.
And I feel it only right to once again remind readers, this does not apply to all teachers, only the very verbal, greedy lackeys who think their stuff doesn’t stink and they are so special that they deserve more than anybody else.
I thank all of the wonderful, dedicated teachers there are that work with the children, meet with parents, support families over any greed and actually enjoy teaching.
I believe they are the ones who deserve to receive more, but regardless, it isn’t about who deserves more. It’s about what struggling taxpayers can afford.
To the vocal, greedy union lackeys, please do yourselves and the rest of us a favor. QUIT! You’re no more important than any of the rest of us. Find another career that suits your delusions of grandeur more and let us get on with restoring a functional school system that actually serves the children, not the unions.
Clark County Conservative 