[amyjc]

I thought I would make this topic to see some of your thoughts and viewpoints on this. I enjoy reading your opinions about various topics in politics and current events.

I have a sister who lives in Phoenix, AZ and she is an elementary school teacher. She has been teaching mostly the first grade for the past 10 years. Recently there was a headline in AZ Republic Valley and State: "500 County employees got raises despite cuts"... 100's of Maricopa County employees received raises this year totaling about $1.2 million...

Get this, "in most cases the increases were needed to pay staff who took on additional work or special projects....in other instances raises were made to retain staff...." Unbelievable!

My sister is on a mission to register as many Arizonans to vote as possible in the next two weeks...

She is absolutely appalled at what is happening to so many teachers AND students in her state and nationally.

Arizonans MUST vote for Prop. 100 on May 18th and agree to temporarily increase the taxes by 1 cent per dollar, saving a penny is not worth the devastation that will fall upon these schools.

Her son and my nephew just turned 5 and will be going into Kindergarten next year. This year it was decided there would no longer be Kindergarten for the whole day. If you want your child to go the whole day you have to pay for it now. She wrote the Senator a letter and told him that he lost her vote!

AZ is in the process of cutting education so much it will not even be functional.. sadly that's not an exaggeration. Things aren't great in MD, where I live either, lots of teacher layoffs. It is important to vote for this prop. as her small district alone lost 240 teachers last week due to the budget, and will be nonfunctional without this prop. Passing!

Rita Harkins inson is asking how others feel about the Goldwater Institute's latest release regarding funding education in AZ?

Feel free to share your thoughts and views.

[justcurious55]

Yeah, the budget cuts seem to be going on everywhere. Same thing is going on in CA and probably most, if not all, other states. Lots of teachers are being laid off. I think its sad that so much money is wasted on other things and then education funds are cut. And then people wonder why kids are graduating barely able to write...

[Wondergirl]

Public libraries will be hit hard too.

[cdad]

What bothers me most is that education has no value anymore. It used to be that it was held high in the ranks of things to do and things your children accomplished. But in today's times that is no longer the case. Many parents expect the schools to educate their children and provide no help at all when it comes to homework or studies. In this respect many parents are failing. On the flip side you have so many agendas being pushed onto school children that it inhibits the environment for learning. Again it sours in the eyes of the public. Somehow all of this needs to be reversed and education put into its proper place so we as a country can move into the next millennium with our heads held high instead of farming out everything to foreign countries because their "basic" education system and practices are more valued.

[Fr_Chuck]

I know factory workers who have to take 25 percent wage cuts.

Here in some schools they are laying off 100's of teachers, and others are getting no raises and have to do a lot more work.

Part of the time we live in

Most have to do more work with no extra pay, I will agree, if the system was laying off other workers, no raises should have been given

[justcurious55]

Most have to do more work with no extra pay, I will agree, if the system was laying off other workers, no raises should have been given

Yeah, I'd be pretty upset if I were being laid off while someone else was getting a raise.

[21boat]

What bothers me most is that education has no value anymore. It used to be that it was held high in the ranks of things to do and things your children accomplished. But in todays times that is no longer the case. Many parents expect the schools to educate thier children and provide no help at all when it comes to homework or studies. In this respect many parents are failing. some how all of this needs to be reversed and education put into its proper place so we as a country can move into the next millenium with our heads held high instead of farming out everything to foriegn countries because thier "basic" education system and practices are more valued.

Got that right, want to see how bad the U.S. is doing in school. I found this a while ago. Of the 50 biggest city school districts in the U.S. one has to go through 14 of them just to get to a 50% grad rate, there's a school in Chicago that 1 in seven girls are pregnant. Out of 800 female students 115 are pregnant..

If this is the Future of the U.S. We will end up with a caste system. The Gov could pump in trillions of dollars into the schools and it won't do diddle.. Only the mindset of the people can change that. Look at it this way. When a nation ends up with too many illiterate people that nation is or will become a poor nation. It also becomes very susceptible to having that nation turn into a socialist dictatorship nation. Not hard to fool and lead the uneducated

Think of how many of these kids will be at a low paying dead end jobs, if they can even find one with too much completion


USATODAY.com - Big-city schools struggle with graduation rates

Yearly I experience working and living part time on and island where over 40% of the kids quit school. Its SCARY being with so many grownups that act like 8th graders. It goes without saying it's a Poor Island even with all the U.S. Federal help it gets which surpass more help in money then what 21 of our states gets in Federal help.

Too me it's a microcosm of looking into the U.S. future and its SCARY to say the least... Our schools are fine. The teachers are fine. It's the caliber of the Kids and parents that is the problem. Look at what this nation did starting with one room school house. Obviously it worked

[Wondergirl]

Look at what this nation did starting out with one room school house. Obviously it worked

I'm a product of a country three-room school, three grades to a room. Each student could listen in to the teaching going on in another grade to review or "learn ahead." And we had time for music, art, and two recess periods, one of which was more structured with our teacher leading us in games, sports, or races. And we ate lunch in our room with our teacher who read to us for the rest of the lunch period after he or she had finished eating. That's how I (and many other teachers) taught school back in the late '60s. Then things changed.

[DoulaLC]

Students set goals for themselves in reading, math, and writing. Parents share the things they will do at home to help their child achieve these goals. Most respond with what you would expect: help with homework, read together, make sure they get a good night's sleep, etc..

Quote from one parent: "I PAY, YOU TEACH" (sigh)

[21boat]

I pity today's teachers. With all the B.S. they have to put up with.. They don't get the respect they deserve.. I remember when teachers were feared in a healthy way. Things really changed when they took silent prayer out, you don't have to pledge to the flag. Spanking was out. Hugging is out and now the teacher has to fear if a student slaps himself and says the teacher did it and getting sued.. How about the fear of a student shooting you!!

I have kids. I remember being late for a parents teacher meeting for my daughter in kindergarten. I waited for the two parent in front that couldn't brag or say enough of how "Special" their child was. I pitied the teacher. When my turn came ( I was last parent) I said to the teacher. Do you need a drink of water and please sit down and take a brake. I then told her "my daughter was a Perfect child angel like," now we got the B.S. out of the way don't hold back and tell me honestly how bad or good she's doing"

You should have seen the look of relief on her face. She laughed while saying Thank god a normal parent

Yep things have changed...