Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/15

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Subsidies to private schools
From: Eric Welch <eric@jphotog.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 17:01:31 -0700

Spoken like a board member. From the perspective of working people, 
teachers are badly underpaid in most places. And comparing their 
contribution to the betterment of society, many teachers are each 
individually worth 10 Fortune 500 CEOs at least. And yet teachers 
unions also are guilty of self-interest as well. Schools are screwed 
up, politicized and so often forget the reason they exist. Our kids.

Power is shifting in most states to giving the Federal Government more 
control. If not in real legal power, certainly in brow-beating schools 
into emphasizing test scores over real learning and other initiatives 
such as closing down underperforming schools. Egad, how could ANYONE 
see the value of that? (Except for people who think such children would 
be better off in minimum-wage factory jobs). "How can you have any 
pudding if you don't eat your meat?" :-)

I was a very close friend of a School Superintendent and learned a lot 
form his perspective, and also from being the primary photographer for 
a conservative teachers union's house organ in Missouri. (MSTA - they 
hated the NEA.)

The one thing that is clear is that teachers are NOT in a lucrative 
profession.

On Monday, September 15, 2003, at 08:23  AM, LRZeitlin@aol.com wrote:

> The real opposition to government subsidy of private schools is the 
> very
> powerful teacher's unions, the NEA and the AFT, both of whom 
> anticipate job losses
> in a currently lucrative profession.

Eric Welch
Carlsbad, CA
http://www.jphotog.com

Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco. - Will Rogers.

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