"We cannot continue to run our public education system on the backs of saints and martyrs," an elementary school teacher testified to a Senate committee.
When each year sees cuts to school programs and all that remains is kids sitting in front of screens (even PE is watch what TV shows and repeat), privatization is only remaining option for parents. The sad reality is that not many parents can afford it, especially if they have more than one child.
Meanwhile all your taxes go to pay salaries in the hundreds of thousands, to administrators that have nothing to do with education.
This is truth. Destruction of public education by conservatives, neoliberals and privateers fits nicely with destruction of workers and unions. It's control of your population, which is funneled through a view of them as simply future workers for the owner class. I dont know why u would want to be a teacher in a country that just doesn't give a shit. UK is facing similar.
Only two types of people will still be a teacher with current pay expectations:
those with a genuine passion for education, and get joy out of helping kids
those with some other ulterior motive for having authority over children.
The amount of absurd power-tripping I suffered under in school makes me think there's way too much of the second group. We're definitely getting what we pay for here.
People who retire after a career of teaching should be honored as much as those that manage to retire from the military or the police.
Especially in the gun happy culture of the US. There should be golden parachutes for people who are teachers for their whole career. It should push their kids into a different tax reality.
We'd might get good teachers to stick around then.