Friday, July 28, 2006

An apple for the teacher? Rejected by union.

The Chicago Tribune ran an editorial today over-shadowed by discrimination enabling pay policies, on the FACT that the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) rejected $40 million from the federal government for education (specifically teacher's pay) simply because of "principles". I respect principles even though I don't always agree with them, as no one should. Even mine, for what that's worth.

The Chicago Teachers Union's "principles" in this instance rejected the $40 million from President Bush and the Republicans simply because that money was targetted for a program that would give pay bonuses to teachers who were performing well above average and achieving good results. Do we, the ones paying for the schools, want above average and good results? The Chicago Teachers Union doesn't. This is absolute proof of that.

What does the Chicago Teachers Union want? Socialism. Yes, I know, that term is thrown around a lot. But this is the perfect example. The Chicago Teachers Union wants EVERY teacher to be paid EXACTLY THE SAME based soley on the amount of time they have worked there. That is PURE socialism no matter how you cut it. They don't care if a teacher goes above and beyond and teaches her/his students better than someone else that started at the same time just showing up and collecting a paycheck.

According to the Chicago Teachers Union, beyond any shadow of doubt, the ONLY variable the CTU wants used when calculating a Teacher's pay, is time served. (Do they teach math well enough to understand this sentence?) The CTU doesn't care a lick about performance or going above and beyond, or students' test scores, or actual performance, or anything remotely considered human nature. The CTU only cares about time served. If I were a teacher, I wouldn't give the CTU one more dime of my money, unless I was below average, which it appears most Chicago teachers are considering graduation rates. That probably expains it best.

And please don't use the tired, irrelevant excuse that Chicago teachers don't make enough money. Here is their chance to make MORE MONEY if they do a good job, but their union is throwing it away.

I believe this example is a much bigger problem with our education quality than anything else, especially the cries for more money. Here is MORE MONEY, right in front you to take. But you reject it in favor of a completely socialist principle of equal pay regardless of job performance and based solely on time served? That's just sick. How many people in the real world reject a PAY INCREASE because the guy hired the same day as them who barely performs isn't getting the same pay increase based solely on time served? That answer is probably zero.

So what is it that our state government, the teachers unions, our taxpayers, and our children not understand about socialism never working? Maybe it's the education system not doing their job.

Someone, someday is going to have to stand up to the teacher's union to bring them back to the reality of pay for good performance, market-centered retirement benefits, average healthcare benefits, and a reminder they don't work a full year for their $39,000/9 month average salary plus benefits. Will it be Blagojevich, Topinka, or Whitney to remind them and look after the best interests of all Illinois residents and taxpayers? Nope, I highly doubt that.

We don't need to "break" the teachers unions, we just need to avoid breaking our future generations chances at doing as well as their parents did. For the first time in US history those future generational prospects are worse than their parents generation. The first generation in US history to do worse than their parents!!! That fact should be shocking and sickening.

Don't we owe it to the kids to pay teachers based on performance instead of seniority at the very least? Don't we owe it to the kids to not pass along bills that will require them to pay more than half or 60% of what they earn in taxes? (Why didn't the Chicago City Council propose eliminating ALL federal income taxes, including FICA/Medicaid/Medicare, on the poor "big box" employees because it is assinine to tax poor people even one penny?) We are bankrupting our future with current taxes and policies and government union contracts and it's time to say enough is enough and join the reality most citizens face, just like the citizens working at Target or Wal-Mart.

A state income tax increase is entirely illogical and heartless until we address REAL issues that pertain to real results in the classroom. Pay for time served versus pay for performance and results has to be properly addressed, considered, and acted upon before any state income tax increase is even considered. Anyone telling you differently doesn't care about our children's future, plain and simple. They are simply bought and paid for by the BIGGEST political campaign donor (bigger than corporations you Greens that are reading) in Illinois.

Let's stop listening to people (including unions, corporations, and Wal-Mart) trying to buy our politics and instead start listening to our children and logical, fiscally sound reasoning that conforms to the ideals our great country was founded upon. Please?

18 comments:

pathickey 7:24 AM  

Welcome to town, Jeff!

Anonymous,  7:33 AM  

There's a small problem with merit pay for teachers. Who'd decide who'd get the money? Unless there was some objective measure which controlled for the differences in the makeup of the kids taught by the teachers, winning a merit pay increase would boil down to who was the most connected or best buddies with the administration. I recall one place I worked where everyone could receive a bonus depending upon how the company did. Well, new management brought in consultants who told them that only those who merited a bonus should get one. Guess what! In a fairly short time, almost all of the bonus money went to management (because they make the "hard" decisions) or to their good friends. Needless to say, playing favorites didn't exactly engender a good working environment at this business as well as sparking an IRS investigation. And so, I think the union did the right thing in turning down the money. The Chicago Public Schools have enough problems already without stirring up additional discord.

pathickey 8:19 AM  

If we have merit, there can be no fairness!

That is always the dodge. Someone can make a decision. Someone can say 'That is a wonderful improvement in writing skills evident in your class Ms Ogenous; here is some merit pay! Please contine teaching in our schools.'

Maybe not.

Skeeter 8:56 AM  

Your column was interesting until you mentioned "Socialism."

When you start comparing things to socialism, you lose any credibility at all.

The union wants to protect its workers. In this case, that is bad for the rest of us. That alone would have been a valid point. Instead of making that point, you chose to lose all credibility.

Too bad. When you ramble about socialism, people stop listening and you had a pretty good story to tell.

Anonymous,  9:54 AM  

CTU is part of the problem.

Pat Hickey's friend Jon Burge (Flint and Locke are worse and there are no radiators in Area 2)went to public schools and was in public school ROTC.
According to Southtown Schwartz who went to school with him, Burge was always good at being a handy man (boy at that time) and electronics including a box to electocute. So Public schools can turn out smart handy people who have a big impact on society.
Jon Burge another Public School grad.

pathickey 9:58 AM  

Hi Marva,

Wouldn't know Jon Burge if he tied me to a radiator.

And , I agree CTu is part of the problem - accountability is the boogie man.

Anonymous,  10:51 AM  

The Chicago Teachers Union is a sick joke on education and the kids it is supposed to serve.

I agree with Pat Hickey on the School/Parental choice concept. I am not sure what Burge has to do with any of this.

The only nuance on the Hickey position is that he seems to only focus on Catholic schools. Certainly the Catholic alternative to the government school system is a great one that has served immigrants, low income, and blue collar and middle class students for generations better than the Public counterpart. However, the issue legally and philosophically is not Public vs. Catholic but the INDIVIDUAL PARENTS and the choices they make.

Some good SYSTEMS (that parents can CHOOSE):
1. Dutch Reformed (although I am not inclined to the theological predestination concept. They have the excellent Timothy Christian school in Elmhurst and I think there is a Dutch Reformed in Englewood. The tough and industrious Dutch have dominated many industries including Amway, and the waste industry (Huizanga, van der Moss Blockbuster, Waste Management etc) They used to dominate in the Southern Suburbs of Cook County and Western Suburbs in DuPage.

2. Lutheran Schools including the biggest Missouri Synod. Strong German but also Scandanavian and also some Slovak and Latvian roots here in Chicago. St. Andrews Lutheran in Park Ridge is excellent. St. Lukes in Lakeview is very good for the urban audience. St. John in Norwood Park. Luther High School South always excellent in sports. Luther High School North is a decent school. Unfortunately, with the decrease over generations of ethnic identity of Germans and Scandanavians and the secularism in this country, these good institutions are dying. Grace Lutheran on 28th Street in Little Village is a mission school. There are some good programs with St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Englewood. Lutherans like Catholics had an educational mission, most other mainstream Protestant sects do not.

3. The Jewish community, especially the Orthodox and specifically Haredi (Chabad--Lubavitchers but not just) have a network of schools for their small but growing community (higher birth rates and actually a decent amount of converts from secular Judaism) Conservative Judaism has an excellent school in Anshe Emet (now Bernard Zell Jewish Day School) Lots of smaller Orthodox schools.

4. There is a growing Muslim school network with highly educated parents and kids scoring high on standardized tests and going on to the best schools with the next generation with many doctors and engineers.

5. Montessori, many of them with Japanese language etc. Maria Montessori was a devout Catholic with an excellent educational philosophy and a solid understanding of the psychology of young children and teaching technique.

6. Other smaller independent schools, Mormon, Evangelical Christian, 7th Day Adventist, Black Muslim, Waldorf--similar to Montessori but even more freedom for children and some occultic and/or Swedenborgian roots.

7. Independent Catholic schools, not officially tied to the Archdiocese or the Church per se (even though very conservative and Orthodox in docrine) like Opus Dei inspired Northridge Prep and Willows. They are always in the top 5.

8. The best schools in the state (according to average ACT scores which is not necessarily the measure for me) are NOT Public NOR are they New Trier (other public schools now outrank New Trier) BUT they are University of Chicago Lab School, Benet Academy in Lisle, St. Ignatius Jesuit College Prep, Northridge Prep and Willows.

9. You also have the more unreachable for the average rich Roycmore, Latin, U of C Lab, Country Day, Chicago Day etc.
These are the schools that a voucher may not make a difference at.

10. The most impressive of the private schools are the ones in minority areas that give scholarships don't get the big government dollars and still thrive. Like Marva Collins. Or Hickeys beloved Leo. Or Hales Fransiscan, Providence St. Mels, or for Hispanics the smaller grades schools like St. Anne or St. Agnes, or Cristo Rey Jesuit, or San Miguel of the Christian Brothers (the religious ones are more multicultural, bilingual, diverse) A spiritual mission helps education--something the CTU secularists fail to see or don't want to admit.

The CPS is too tied into a failed ideology and MONEY. These smaller spiritually based schools have a mission, more motivation and mission. But it is not one school system, no matter how large, it is parental choice and MANY OPTIONS--and hopefully more to come and not more school closures.

pathickey 11:05 AM  

Dutch schools always have the best Class A basketball, baseball and track programs; not to mention their solid academic programs. Ain't much if you ain't Dutch.

Keep an eye on Korean Congregationalists - those kids can eat through steel! They would make Mount Carmel look like North Shore Country Day, if they were more populous.

Public schools are mired in politics, idiotic ideology, and cash surfeits - which lead to budgetary apoclypse.

Anonymous,  11:42 AM  

good Dutch baseball but the Dominican converts were the ringers

Not quite true if you ain't Dutch Hickey, although the Dutch Reformed here are the cousins of the Afrikaners (Burge could of lived in South Africa in the 80s)
The Dutch Reformed here in Chicago have a school in Englewood, that is true, and some outreach in Pilsen and Little Village for Hispanics. Calvin would be proud.

I don't get the joke about the Koreans, Congregationalists though were abolitionists, some anti-semites, some of their own schools, but mostly public education and good culture of education highly educated. Richard Means the election attorney is of Congregationalist stock.

Public schools suck. It is sad.

Anonymous,  11:44 AM  

Point is Hickey everything is not Catholic or Irish Catholic.
Lots of good people and good schools. Certainly Catholics are the biggest. BUT the point is legally, and philosophically it is CHOICE and PARENTAL DECISIONS.
The more choices the better for education.

pathickey 12:12 PM  

Ain't no joke about the Korean Congregationalists - it's a fact.

And to Anny above - where did I ever make a point about Celtocentrism - anywhere? Take the wax out of your eyes. The Point seems to be perched on your narrow shoulders - as long as you seem bent upon silliness. Ciao baby!

Jonah 6:56 PM  

Anon 10:51, Anshe Emet is Reform, not Conservative. Solomon Shechters are Conservative, and the Chicago has two of them. The Chicago area Jewish schools go in and out of buisness on an alarming basis; my family has sent kids to Kinderland, Rosenwald, and Sephardic Dayschool, and all three closed down.
I am an education major and I know I'm not joining a union when I become a teacher. It is not fair to students to go on strike.

pathickey 7:36 PM  

God Bless You, Kid!

Striking will be the very least of your concerns.

Why was there such a dramatic turn-over in Jewish schools? Jewish family foundations are among the most giving and consistent contributors to private education.

Anonymous,  11:23 PM  

Anshe Emet is a very stable school, with good financial backing, lots of applicants, good education, and has been around for at least 40 years that I can remember. Now called Bernard Zell Anshe Emet (Sam Zell gave a nice donation)
I thought it was conservative or at least used to be as a school. Anshe Emet related synagogue certainly is conservative and I have been at events recently

While not my style, I do have many friends and am impressed by the zeal of the Chabad movement. They have many schools that have been around for at least 30 years. The Agudath Israel has a school system.
Some of the schools in the Rogers Park area have been around for over 50 years.

So I am surprised by your comments in terms of closing down, there are certainly smaller schools but even if the buildings and formal institutions close down there is a close knit, low turnover and committed group and parents to Torah education in a more traditional sense that does also prepare children for other careers because stress on literacy and logic.

Jewish education is alive and well in Chicago. Those who participate support the tuition tax credit and want some relief.

pathickey 7:04 AM  

That is good to hear! I wondered about that due to the great infusion of private foundation dollars by Jewish families in Education. I know that the Zell Family along with the Crowns and Pritzkers are in the van guard of giving.

Anonymous,  1:02 PM  

This is a marvelous set of posts regarding what good schools are.

Yes, the CTU is a remnant of the 19th Century indudtrial unions with a closed shop, adminstrators almost to the very top who are products to the Schools of Education, and supposed standards givers who are also fellow travelers of the Public Education monopoly.

Parents are bamboozled by the dumbing down of State tests and the norming up of results -- validating the whole system.

That's the exogeneous problem.

There are others. They start with the prior three generations of a poor system many of whom are either not motivated or unable to provide the preparation and discipline for the newly entering students.

Then we have the whole problem of subject matter or content mastery. We can not get a handle on that, because the CTU refuses to have its teachers tested.

That is why Competitive Choice is the only answer: full vesting of each student, with provision made for special needs, with a pro rata share of Federal, State and local education dollars. Full choice across all schools which are accredited.

San Francisco is doing it, other places as well.

Anonymous,  1:33 PM  

What I can never understand is that teachers spend all day evaluating, judging, grading and assessing students, which they will tell you is done fairly in every respect. But their knock on merit pay is that it is "impossible" to implement a system of assessing teachers fairly. Seems a bit hypocritical.

Jonah 2:49 PM  

Anshe Emet is politically conservative I guess; it aligns with the reform movement in Judaism. Anshe Emet and Akiba Shechter and Solomon Shechter pull in a number of kids who are there for the private school education more than they're there for the Jewish education. It is solidly established in Chicago that there are Jewish schools; smaller ones continuously go in and out of existence.
Of the students who left Kinderland Hebrew Academy in the last years, some went into the other jewish schools, some went into public special education, and some homeschooled. The smaller Jewish schools take a number of students who would otherwise be in special education, who can handle regular education with only four or ten classmates.
Of the students who left Rosenwald, on the other hand, only a handful (including myself) switched to other Jewish schools. Most switched to public or nonreligious private schools, especially the nonreligious private school that bought Rosenwald's building.

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