Here goes. Don't get offended, it's just my opinion.
Furloughs in education is NOT a good idea. I totally agree with that statement. Education shouldn't have been touched at all! I, myself, was kinda shocked that it was even an issue on the table. Education should've been the last thing to have been affected but be that as it may, it was the first one to make a move in response to Governer Lingle's request to help the state budget.
I don't claim to know everything about the what, why and how of the whole thing but I do know that it was said that the first one on the table with a "solution" would get the "better" end of the deal. That being said, teachers are getting 17 days of furlough this year and 20-odd next school year whereas HGEA is getting 18 days of furlough and 24-odd days next year.
One of the reasons I voted yes for furloughs is because I think this may have been the "better" deal us teachers would have gotten. It was either furloughs or the possibility of layoffs and I would much rather have a job. I'd like a job even if it means less pay because I still want and need my benefits (especially with baby #2 on the way).
I just get really irritated when the general public blames teachers for not caring about the future of our education. (We DO! or we wouldn't have become teachers in the first place!) Please don't blame us for the furloughs. We're getting a pay cut in the process! But-- I think that a lot of teachers settled for the furloughs because it meant still having a job because frankly, layoffs would suck (for lack of a better word) BIG TIME! If there wasn't a better option for teachers to still keep their jobs than layoffs would have probably been the next idea. Layoffs would have also been a BAD idea because that would mean even bigger class sizes!
Where do the struggling students get the help they need if their voices can't even be heard because the class size is too big?
At Kahuku High, we went from a 6 period to a 7 period schedule so that we cut back on teachers and in turn have "smaller" class sizes (I think...someone correct me if I'm wrong...) because we'd have more periods to disperse the students. That didn't turn out and now the electives have the biggest class sizes EVER! There are language and PE classes that have close to or over 50 kids!
Yes, furloughs aren't a good idea for the children but can you blame the teachers for wanting to keep their jobs? (especially in this economy...)
Please don't get mad at me! I'm just sayin'...
4 comments:
I don't blame the teachers, but I do blame the lack of options that were explored. It's a shame too, because in just our group of moms, we've come up with some great ideas but don't feel like any of them would have ever been heard. I understand your frustration and can tell you really care!
Michael Lau (also a teacher, at Leilehua High) agree's with you Carol. So i'ma voice some of what he said. He said it angers/annoys him so much that the media portrays furloughs as the teachers idea. Simple options like a straight up pay cut but no lost school time was not even an option discussed by the union (if I remember what he said correctly). So limiting the vote to furloughs vs. cutting jobs they chose the lesser evil. By no means indicating the loved the idea of furloughs to death. We just had to pick our poison.
Thanks for voicing your opinion though. I think kids out of school so often will only lead for delinquency which is a result of their copious amounts of time.
(Posted by Daniel Colton)
Couldn't agree with you more. Here's a lay-person's letter to the editor about her "solution" to the furlough situation. I laughed (mockingly) to myself when I read her views -- it's the second letter down titled "Teachers Should Do the Right Thing" Have a great furlough Friday.
http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/letters/20091022_Letters_to_the_editor.html
Thanks guys. I didn't even realize you left comments! What were some of the solutions or ideas you guys came up with? Maybe I can pass it on somehow!
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