# High teacher turnover helps fuel educators' march on statehouses (NBC article) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics and Social Issues\ **Created:** [April 8, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144 "2018-04-08T20:36:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bigandrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@bigandrewm](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/bigandrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/1 "2018-04-08T20:36:17Z")
> **[High teacher turnover adds fuel to their march on statehouses](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-statehouses-n863541)** > > “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” one teacher said. “I love teaching and I love the kids, but I don’t know that I can continue to do it.” I know people who are trying to teach in public education, and unless they happen to get lucky to have a position in a rich district, it’s rough. And, as far as CFI goes, this is a concern. Poorly educated kids are at that much more of a disadvantage for critical thinking. This whole trend for not paying teachers as well as possible (and, for that matter, other public servants like police officers) over time guarantees a lowering of quality in the profession. After all, a passionate teacher can only go so far, while stressing out and living in semi-poverty, until they get a far better job offer elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![citizenschallengev3](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/citizenschallengev3/32/17_2.png) [@citizenschallengev3](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/citizenschallengev3)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/2 "2018-04-08T22:07:26Z")
> https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-statehouses-n863541 I know people who are trying to teach in public education, and unless they happen to get lucky to have a position in a rich district, it's rough. And, as far as CFI goes, this is a concern. Poorly educated kids are at that much more of a disadvantage for critical thinking. This whole trend for not paying teachers as well as possible (and, for that matter, other public servants like police officers) over time guarantees a lowering of quality in the profession. After all, a passionate teacher can only go so far, while stressing out and living in semi-poverty, until they get a far better job offer elsewhere. That's the plan, turn out dumb, faith-dependent pin heads, with attitude if possible. You might refer to Cuthbert's OP **http://www.centerforinquiry.net/forums/viewthread/19893/** ---
**Author:** ![bigandrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@bigandrewm](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/bigandrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/3 "2018-04-09T02:56:46Z")
Uh, that post you reference says nothing directly about education. My post was not about how evil people are destroying society. My post was about this solvable problem in education. ---
**Author:** ![beltane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@beltane](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/beltane)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/4 "2018-04-10T00:33:22Z")
What needs to be done is a complete overhaul of the American education apparatus. It has become a money pit and is totally irrelevant to modern society. ---
**Author:** ![citizenschallengev3](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/citizenschallengev3/32/17_2.png) [@citizenschallengev3](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/citizenschallengev3)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 3:44am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/5 "2018-04-10T03:44:31Z")
> What needs to be done is a complete overhaul of the American education apparatus. It has become a money pit and is totally irrelevant to modern society. What do you know about our educational system? ---
**Author:** ![citizenschallengev3](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/citizenschallengev3/32/17_2.png) [@citizenschallengev3](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/citizenschallengev3)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 4:28am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/6 "2018-04-10T04:28:12Z")
¶ > Uh, that post you reference says nothing directly about education. My post was not about how evil people are destroying society. My post was about this solvable problem in education. Please Andrew, you can't solve the problem without recognizing what has driven this problem. How can we hope to improve schools without understanding and directly confronting stuff like this, > **The right wing steps up its attack on the teaching of U.S. history** By MICHAEL HILTZIK - AUG 27, **2014**** http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-us-history-20140827-column.html** > **Koch brothers/charter school nightmare: “White kids get to go to a school with a Montessori approach while children of color get eye control"** A fight over education in Nashville might come your way next: It’s a proxy for dangerous right-wing education ideas JEFF BRYANT - 01.17. **2015** - SALON.com > **The right’s war on college: “Starving the Beast" exposes the fight to destroy America’s great public universities** Why does college cost so much? Because the far right is trying to undermine or privatize state universities ANDREW O'HEHIR \ 09.09. **2016** \ salon.com > **Hysterical Right-Wing Falsely Attacks Public Schools for Indoctrination** The accusation is fueling the right-wing push for vouchers and school privatization. By Sarah Lahm / AlterNet / November 1, **2017** , > **How the Kochs are trying to shake up public schools, one state at a time** The push by Libre represents a new front in the fight by targeting Hispanic families. By KIMBERLY HEFLING - 10/30/ **2017** - politico.com > **As the Right Abandons Public Education Here Come the Koch Brothers** TheDogFather | Community | Wednesday February 07, **2018** | dailykos.com You can find a number of sadly enlightening stories collected over the years over at RightWingWatch. > **Parsley: Satan Using Public Schools To Attack Children** By Brian Tashman | October 21, **2013**** http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/parsley-satan-using-public-schools-to-attack-children/** It ain't fake news, it's the history of how we got to the sad state of affairs that requires teachers to march on their capitols and to try and force Representatives to do their duty? **https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-statehouses-n863541** Aren't the reasons for the higher turn-over as important as the brave actions these teachers are taking? ---
**Author:** ![bigandrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@bigandrewm](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/bigandrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 10:24pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/7 "2018-04-10T22:24:55Z")
All that is true, but I don’t think that extremists saying stupid stuff about education is the crux of teachers’ problems. It’s more simple: funding, maintaining control over their classrooms, having time to do their jobs - stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![beltane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@beltane](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/beltane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/8 "2018-04-11T01:17:51Z")
> All that is true, but I don't think that extremists saying stupid stuff about education is the crux of teachers' problems. It's more simple: funding, maintaining control over their classrooms, having time to do their jobs - stuff like that. Yes, but that stuff is more complex than it seems. Every single problem teachers face results from a ridiculously outdated system, and a ridiculously outdated way of thinking. The bad news is the old people who run the education system are too stupid and unimaginative to fix it, so the struggling teachers will have to find another career. The good news is those people are due to be replaced soon by a generation with a more realistic perspective. ---
**Author:** ![bigandrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@bigandrewm](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/bigandrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 12:16pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/9 "2018-04-11T12:16:31Z")
It’s easy to lay the blame game on here, and I do it too. I think our current problem with testing goes back to George Bush Jr., with his push for mandatory testing for federal school funding - No Child Left Behind. Everyone knows it made teachers’ jobs harder, didn’t really provide accountability, and it hasn’t been fixed or revoked. There also seems to be a problem with liability, such that many teachers are forced to tolerate kids who severely disrupt classrooms without meting out punishment. From what I’ve heard from teachers, this is major problem in poor districts, where teachers can’t always work with engaged parents to help the kids focus. Not to mention the terrible policy of not letting kids fail and retake classes so they can actually learn the material. At a school. ---
**Author:** ![beltane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@beltane](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/beltane)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/10 "2018-04-18T19:28:35Z")
> It's easy to lay the blame game on here, and I do it too. I think our current problem with testing goes back to George Bush Jr., with his push for mandatory testing for federal school funding - No Child Left Behind. Everyone knows it made teachers' jobs harder, didn't really provide accountability, and it hasn't been fixed or revoked. There also seems to be a problem with liability, such that many teachers are forced to tolerate kids who severely disrupt classrooms without meting out punishment. From what I've heard from teachers, this is major problem in poor districts, where teachers can't always work with engaged parents to help the kids focus. Not to mention the terrible policy of not letting kids fail and retake classes so they can actually learn the material. At a school. On point. Funding by testing is a horrible idea. Standardized testing itself is very questionable as it is good for the taxpayers first and foremost, while the curriculum suffers to the point of becoming worthless, and teachers get demoralized. Not to mention the changing demographics of public schools adding fuel to the fire. I’m in favor of axing the Industrial Age relic K-12 model and replacing it with a multi-tiered system similar to what some European countries have. ---
**Author:** ![bigandrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@bigandrewm](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/bigandrewm)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/high-teacher-turnover-helps-fuel-educators-march-on-statehouses-nbc-article/6144/11 "2018-04-23T03:18:35Z")
Found a nice Ted Talks lecture from a couple of years ago, relevant to this thread: [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/centerforinquiry/original/3X/a/b/ab71966388fe28c5e7010c1f07248072e884890d.jpeg "Toxic culture of education: Joshua Katz at TEDxUniversityofAkron") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnC6IABJXOI)