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The US has always experienced relentless political activism against public education. This creates a climate where teachers, and the institution they work in, a

The US has always experienced relentless political activism against public education. This creates a climate where teachers, and the institution they work in, are actively hated by a wide swath of the public. This is due in no small part to proponents of religious education. It's true that teachers receive an above-average salary, but that can be both a blessing and a curse. The curse is that your wages are a matter of public record, and more than half of voters earn less then you, though teaching their precious children should be a privilege. A second thing is that schools are the repository of social problems that they can't solve, including poverty, racism, the proliferation of firearms, and rise of violent rhetoric. My state outlawed the teachers' union several years ago, and a lot of senior teachers took early retirement or went into other jobs. Most were old enough that they had settled into their lifestyle, and weren't going to get rich by changing careers. The word they used the most was "respect." My neighbor, one of the best teachers in the district, is now working as an engineer. His spouse is a mid six figure executive.

rayiner 4y ago
The proper socialization of children is always going to generate controversy. Fundamentally, most parents view teachers as public employees hired to teach kids what the community agrees kids should learn. But teachers often see themselves as part of a profession that has an obligation to socialize children in (little-l) liberal values or outright (big-l) Liberal values. Of course this generates backlash. And it’s not just from “proponents of religious education.” The most recent iteration is often coming from moderate liberals who oppose increasingly progressive teachers unions. Progressive teaching became a flash point in Loudoun County VA, right next to where I grew up. International migration to that region flipped Virginia blue in the earth 2000. A lot of Google employees live there. A great way to get an Indian Biden voter worked up is to tell them “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/578885-education-blunder-igniting-suburban-parents-driving-mcauliffe-panic-in/ https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/578885-education-blunde...
ErikVandeWater 4y ago
> The US has always experienced relentless political activism against public education. Lol we spend almost 3x more on k-12 public education now (inflation adjusted) than we did in 1960. I really doubt the relentless political activism was on the side against public education. Really, the cost to educate a child should have gone down substantially relative to inflation given new technologies that make teaching easier and faster.
- selimthegrim 4y ago
  https://www.mrt.com/news/article/In-Midland-a-political-donor-with-a-private-7410595.php https://www.mrt.com/news/article/In-Midland-a-political-dono... https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/power-issue-tim-dunn-pushing-republican-party-arms-god/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/power-issue-tim-d...
- analog31 4y ago
  "I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them." -- Jerry Falwell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell
- juve1996 4y ago
  Did you adjust for population? > Really, the cost to educate a child should have gone down substantially relative to inflation given new technologies that make teaching easier and faster. None of the technologies solved any problems, really. Math is still math. Reading still requires reading. Technology hasn't done anything but perhaps provide more access and information - if you're motivated, you have great options, but most children are not motivated like this.
- BLKNSLVR 4y ago
  Please describe in detail the technologies that have made teaching easier and faster, and how you've implemented then to make teaching easier and faster, and the before and after results that show "teaching successfully completed easier and faster".
- 4y ago
epmatsw 4y ago
See the federal government in general. People like my dad elect politicians who actively want the federal government to fail, and then use the government’s failures to justify that: “see, they were right all along!”

rayiner 4y ago

The proper socialization of children is always going to generate controversy. Fundamentally, most parents view teachers as public employees hired to teach kids what the community agrees kids should learn. But teachers often see themselves as part of a profession that has an obligation to socialize children in (little-l) liberal values or outright (big-l) Liberal values. Of course this generates backlash. And it’s not just from “proponents of religious education.” The most recent iteration is often coming from moderate liberals who oppose increasingly progressive teachers unions. Progressive teaching became a flash point in Loudoun County VA, right next to where I grew up. International migration to that region flipped Virginia blue in the earth 2000. A lot of Google employees live there. A great way to get an Indian Biden voter worked up is to tell them “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/578885-education-blunder-igniting-suburban-parents-driving-mcauliffe-panic-in/ https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/578885-education-blunde...

ErikVandeWater 4y ago

> The US has always experienced relentless political activism against public education. Lol we spend almost 3x more on k-12 public education now (inflation adjusted) than we did in 1960. I really doubt the relentless political activism was on the side against public education. Really, the cost to educate a child should have gone down substantially relative to inflation given new technologies that make teaching easier and faster.

selimthegrim 4y ago
https://www.mrt.com/news/article/In-Midland-a-political-donor-with-a-private-7410595.php https://www.mrt.com/news/article/In-Midland-a-political-dono... https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/power-issue-tim-dunn-pushing-republican-party-arms-god/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/power-issue-tim-d...
analog31 4y ago
"I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them." -- Jerry Falwell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell
juve1996 4y ago
Did you adjust for population? > Really, the cost to educate a child should have gone down substantially relative to inflation given new technologies that make teaching easier and faster. None of the technologies solved any problems, really. Math is still math. Reading still requires reading. Technology hasn't done anything but perhaps provide more access and information - if you're motivated, you have great options, but most children are not motivated like this.
BLKNSLVR 4y ago
Please describe in detail the technologies that have made teaching easier and faster, and how you've implemented then to make teaching easier and faster, and the before and after results that show "teaching successfully completed easier and faster".
4y ago

epmatsw 4y ago

See the federal government in general. People like my dad elect politicians who actively want the federal government to fail, and then use the government’s failures to justify that: “see, they were right all along!”