We are blessed to have an excellent teacher this year in our son’s class. Our daughter had him last year and was inspired. For the first time in a few years my son is happy to go to school. He respects his leader. This means as much when you are 46 as it does when you are 12. We have all heard various comments along the lines of “those who can’t do teach.” And yet, this line of thinking exposes such a profound ignorance of what is truly valuable in our society. Today more than ever in my life, I am aware that the world is suffering the fallout of harmful advice and self-serving leadership.
We have come through a period in history where in order to be followed and revered, leaders only had to appear financially successful. This was true regardless of how they chose to lie, steal and cheat to get the money.
Today as we watch the next round of congressional embarrassment with former Goldman CEO/Senator/Governor/MF Global head and now multi-gazillionarie Jon Corzine, telling his former colleagues in the Senate how he “doesn’t know” what happened to all the customer’s trust funds, but “he is not to blame”, we should all use this opportunity to reflect on how we value work in our society.
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Like everyone I have had mostly good sometimes great and sometimes very bad teachers. I just hope down the road their rich pension plans don’t have to be bailed out by taxpayers like so many public servants. Don;t really care how much they make because I don’t think it’s such an easy job. And I don’t believe in that saying if you can’t teach…..but there may be something to the “those who can’t teach…… teach gym” part.
I’m a teacher 🙂 I give my soul to what I do. I love what I do! My three boys are proud that dad teaches.
What I am bemoaning is that the taxpayer will be making up the short fall for the Ontario Teachers pension fund that is building. There are only 1.8 working teachers to every 1 teacher working, and this means that what they will pay out in the future will not equal what they are taking in. This is unacceptable.
I was speaking with a university friend the other day and he was boasting that he and his wife (also a teacher), own two homes and take lavish vacations each year. His talk bordered on bragging and I had to remind him that his salary comes from the hard working taxpayer. Despite teaching being a protected profession I sense the pendulum has swung too far. I am sure it’s a tough job and they need to pay them good to attract the best but like many things I feel it’s gone a bit crazy in their direction. Especially in light of the rest of the economy. Perhaps their wage should be tied to how the rest of the economy is doing. Of course this would never happen with a such a strong teachers union but it’s just a thought.