General question: Is it wrong to be a public school teacher?

I taught in the public schools for 6 years, and now I stay at home with my four kids and homeschool. One thing you want to consider in becoming a public school teacher are the teacher unions. Unless you live in a Right to Work state - that is a state where you can have a teaching job without belonging to a union - you will have to give a union either dues money or at least a fee they put only toward your "fair share" of arbitration costs. If you don't agree with union political stands, you don't want to be giving them your money.

I've had a change in philosophy, and I now believe it is the duty of parents to educate their children themselves. They should not pawn off this responsibility to the govt. If they must have someone else do it, they should find a private school. I do sympathize with parents who are financially strapped and may not be able to do this. I would suggest a couple of things, well, actually one thought and one suggestion.

First, education is just as important as food and clothing and medical care. It's your duty as a parent to feed your child, and clothe your child, and take care of your child's medical needs. There are so many resources out there now to help parents teach their kids - you don't have to be an expert. If you really can't, though, and you don't have money for a private school, maybe you can ask around and find a homeschooling friend to take on your kids too. Maybe you could give them something in trade, or some monetary compensation?

I know our society makes it difficult to find options besides public school - purposefully taxing us into the need for both parents to work, etc. We are blessed enough that we can make it with just my husband working and me staying home with the kids. Of course, with me staying home, we don't need to pay for daycare, or the gasoline I would be expending if I had a commute, and eating out because we don't have time to cook, etc. And I buy a lot of at least our kids clothes from consignment, we don't have cable tv (though we do have DSL - my husband's job is computers, so we do need that one). What I'm getting at is I think it is worth the effort to really, truly explore whether you really can stay home with your kids.

In any case, I think it should be out of the question to make yourself part of the government machine that I believe seeks to separate parents from children. I understand the argument that says we should try to help the kids trapped in the system. I think the better strategy is to get as many kids out as possible, and let the system fail. Something needs to force parents to wake up to the idea that govt. control of their kids is BAD. Somebody's going to suffer no matter what, and I realize there is no perfect solution.

A couple of other thoughts. You might want to read the book by Diane Ravitch - I'm sorry the title escapes me, but it is about her experience with political correctness in textbooks and standardized tests and how because of these things books and texts are incredibly dumbed down. I was a music teacher and didn't really have a text to teach from, per se, but when I got a look at the kids' other textbooks I was amazed to see how full of bright pictures they were, but kinda short on sequential substance.

Also, think about the environment the kids are in - a group of children all the same age, who are thusly always under pressure to fit in with their peers, and have only their immature peers as behavior models. People always bring up socialization if you say you homeschool, but a child who is around adults more has a better chance of learning good social behavior more quickly than a child who 30-40 hrs. a week is around the childish behavior of their peers. Do you want to work in that kind of system?

Hope this has helped!

Yes, teachers are on the public payroll, and are moving parts of a corrupt system...but this is something I don't see changing any time soon.

We owe our public students better, and if that means getting better teachers who give a crap what kind of students they are churning out, it's a good means to work within the system.

Being a good public school teacher is an honerable thing within a dishonerable system. I would compare it to a civil servant (DMV worker) who works their tail off and provides the best service and best value for their money. They're in a corrupt and disfunctional system, but I would not consider them part of the problem.

I am a big believer in infiltration, that's how the enemy took power from the people. So why not use the tactic and take the power back?

Freedom loving people need to become: cops, teacher, politicians, education admin, fire fighters, civil and govt. employees. Take the system back.

Join PyraBang the peoples search engine.

NO! Absolutely not! Good teachers are needed desperately. The difference a single outstanding teacher can make to a young person is huge and there is no resource more important to the future of this nation than our young people. The prescribed cirriculums may be dreadful, but a good teacher who understands liberty can compensate and inspire.

Pat

BOHICA!!

Think of the impact of a teacher who has real values and can sneak in some REAL education and get these children thinking for themselves.

I believe we will see a trend of more private schools and/or home schooling where good teachers will be utilized, the rest will fall by the wayside, and become "puppets".

My brother and friends, started a private school by getting together home schoolers to share tacheing talents and time. Parents participate whenever and however they may be utilized.

They are graduating at 14 and 15 yrs old - according to the "test" and are more informed and well rounded that public school students.

Sister in law injects music into the mix too.

So, I suggest you take this route. You do not have to have a teaching certificate, just the talend and desire. Check with other concerned parents and share efforts.

They are making it harder to do these things because too many kids are getting a REAL education. We WANT to turn out our future leaders of this country, and public schools will not give us what we want.

Revolution!

Modern day "Teachers" basically just indoctrinate the youth into globalism and dumb down society.

On top of that, you are potentially dumping a huge load of debt on yourself in a dangerously transitionary economy.

Seriously, about the time you get out of college we might be in the NAU and you will be training Mexicans on the beloved leadership of Emperor Bush and the fight for Workers Liberation!

Then you'll have to take a break to lead an Obama song while staring into his massive 50 ft portrait.

They are not leeching off the public. What that are, is trapped inside a centrally commanded socialist nightmare of propaganda. Some know it and shut up, some don't know this at all.

Teachers that know our heritage, are sometimes reprimanded for speaking it.

This is why Ron Paul spent so much time on college campus'.
He knows this revolution will need to exceed his lifespan, if it's going to happen.

If you have a passion to spread freedom message, the young are a great place to start. The current generation is toast anyway. Many Ron Paul supporters are not ready for the long haul.

If you want to restore freedom, it's going to take our entire lives to do it.
Teaching is a great way to accomplish that.

She has taught 7th grade, 5th grade about 5 yrs, and is teaching 4th this year. I am proud of her, she and I recognize fully how idiotic the education system is. It is a curriculum of propaganda, put out by a unConstitutional department of education. The no child left behind BS, was nothing more than legislation designed to make all children stupid, incapable of making their own decisions, and totally dependent on the gov.

However, she has made an effort each year to sneak in actual teaching to the required curriculum, her students leave her class actually with a desire to think for them selves and be self sufficient.

I help her out, I edit the history text book each year for her, and make it read what is historically correct instead of what is the propaganda of the day. Her students don't learn crazy ass ways to do math that don't work, they learn math, her students don't learn sight reading, they learn what the letters sound like and then can read whatever they want.

It is a completely illegal system, but I look at it, like some of you look at the GOP, she is infiltrating the education system, and teaching kids to think for themselves. The assistant principle is always riding her, but every year parents request her and stick up for her.

Thank you Dr. Paul for making my act on what I already knew was right.

He said that if you are a government employee, you're accepting that it's ok for the government to steal as long as it's for your salary.

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"We will never give up. We will never give in." - Dr. Ron Paul

teacher is that when you close the classroom door it's just you and the students. You can forget the BS and just work with the kids. Meet them where they are and then take them somewhere. Teach them to love thinking. Teach them how to learn for themselves.

I've taught public and private. Both are about the same. Forget about taxes etc. Let someone else worry about that.

My 10th grade honors civics class was taught by Mr.Gault. The only thing that was taught was the US Constitution. We didn't get out of that class without a dose of the Federalist papers. Line by line, we went over the Constitution. I think that Mr. Gault's class made be more receptive to Ron Paul's message.

If you can put up with adminsitrative politics and pc trends promoted by your department head, go for it.

Teaching is your dream do it...
Be a good teacher and earn your salary...
The public deserves good teachers who want to teach..
You want to teach..
there are a lot of kids that need good teachers.

Will not the taxes be collected and if not tuition of some sort will be paid...

Do what you love and recieve your check with gladness...
And your job will be a blessing as well as your check..

No, why would it be "wrong" to be a public teacher?

wrong" implies a moral judgement, thus the libertarian ethical premise is injected.

Thus the libertarian ethical question is a simple one; "are you using force?" Answer no.

Is the system of property taxation that helps pay for public schools - that is taxation is a form of theft, is that what bothers you?

If so, don't sweat it.

Be a good teacher, see the minds light up with the "Now I get it!" light, and you will make a difference.

In Peace & Liberty,
Treg

HYDROMAN
That "crap" is mostly government circullium mandated ( blackmailed) by threat of withholding assistance ( you tax money). Then the spineless State government officials agree to the dictates of the all powerfull scumbags .
Remember we don`t have a 10th Amendment anymore.
I believe most teachers want to do a good job, they not allowed to.

I work at a state university as a HVACR mechanic. I am in a union. I recently contacted my council and declared that I no longer wanted to be a part of the union do to, I think, some pretty obvious ideological differences after reading Hayek, Hazlitt, and such. I figured I didn;'t need the protection of the union to maintain my employment, and it was an even trade in what I lost in wages for other benefits. I used to get a company van and was allowed to drive it anywhere (no gas, insurance, etc.) and I took a 25% hourly paycut to accept the union position. I made the change because my wife and I started a family and I wanted to be home. That is how I rationalized it.

Then, I got to thinking, what if I become involved in my union? Say, run for a position as steward or board member? I started to realize that the easiest way to make change is in your immediate world. After speaking with my local union prez, I realized he doesn't like unions and what they stand for either. It might not make a lot of sense, but the facts are that we live in a smaller community and we have a lot of leeway in what we can do. He considers himself a labor negotiator, not a union president. The facts are, the university would prefer to deal with a union because they dont want to have to deal with all the individuals.

I guess what I am saying (in a long-winded way) is that the more areas of society we (RP freedom-lovers) are in, the better position we are in to spread the freedom message.