en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/150433 Comments by hybrid http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5705153 "catering to each individual student based on their learning style" is exactly what teachers are trained and expected to do. That's why it is such a demanding and time consuming profession. Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:27:29 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5705153 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5704813 I apologize if I wasn't clear. My point was that many teachers have training that would allow them to have other careers with higher pay, but they have made a conscious decision to teach regardless of the pay because it is what they love to do. All teachers must take numerous education courses and spend a year student teaching full-time with no pay before they have their own classroom, so yes, they know exactly what they are getting into. It's no mystery that teachers have always been a low-paying profession. But that doesn't mean society needs to keep treating it that way. Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:18:58 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5704813 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5656483 If teachers didn't love what they do, they wouldn't teach. Most have degrees in other fields and could easily earn double what they do now at another job. It's just important to clarify the misconeption that they get 3 months off a year and go home at three everyday. NOT TRUE! If it were, then yes, their current pay would seem very reasonable. Wed, 3 Sep 2008 22:33:51 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5656483 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5651293 Will you be first to volunteer? Good luck with that. Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:32:39 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5651293 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5651083 So, in your opinion, teachers are just daycare providers? The teachers are fighting to improve YOUR children's education- parents should be willing to sacrifice a little now when it comes to improving education for the long run. Also, if teachers don't deserve a raise, why did voters approve it way back in 2000? The district is only offering a 1.5% raise spread out over three years, while neighboring districts are providing 7-9% raises on top of the COLA. The teachers would not ask for a raise if they didn't KNOW that the district afford it. Maybe the district should start by cutting Ms. Clark's salary (who happens to be making close to $300,000 a year when you combine the TWO paychecks she receives). Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:23:10 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5651083 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5624853 It would mean a teacher would not have to read directly from a script for each lesson. I think that most teachers agree that having common learning goals and objectives is great, but how those objectives are met (specific lesson plans) should not be dictated. Teaching is an artform. Teachers must constantly gauge what the students understand/do not understand. They must find ways to motivate and engage even the most challenging of students. No two students learn exactly the same way. Teachers need freedom to modify and create lessons to meet their students needs. Expecting students to be programmed like robots using a "one-size-fits-all" strategy simply does not work. Tue, 2 Sep 2008 21:32:18 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5624853 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5624683 I feel sorry for you. You obviously did not have a good experience with your teachers growing up. I think most of us can recall at least one or two "so-called" teachers who worked amazingly hard and had a positive impact on our lives. Maybe if teachers were paid as well as other professions (that require a similar amount of education), you would have had some of those great teachers, too. Also, most classrooms rarely use textbooks now. The curriculum is all teacher developed. Developed over the summer during "summer break". It's not 1970 anymore. Tue, 2 Sep 2008 21:24:00 +0000 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27761724.html#IDComment5624683