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"Appalling" best describes the Oct. 22-23 Rocky Mountain News articles on sex
abuse by public school teachers throughout the United States ("Society's double
standard for victims" and "Screening teachers as tight as a sieve").

There were 2,570 cases between 2001-'05 and these were just the instances where teachers were punished. Imagine the number of undiscovered abuses!

While our society excoriates the Catholic Church for such matters, it turns its
back on public school sex abuse. I have neighbors and friends who are dedicated,
talented teachers. Yet, collectively, teachers have allowed themselves to be
taken hostage by their unions, whose only goal is to allow a free ride from
accountability of actions in any and all areas of education. As a result,
teachers will not step up to the plate and be counted and tell their union
"enough is enough."

To the teachers I know and don't know, my plea is to stop being silent
accessories; take back your profession from your union!

Richard Eggers, Niwot

READER COMMENTS

But if they speak out against their union they may put thier tenur in jeopardy, and tenur is what is important over all else right?

I look at the product that the schools put out. If the youth of America is the representation of these teachers the poster says are hard working and dedicated. Then the teachers need to get on thier hands and knees and give thanks to the union for thier jobs. The youth of today has never been so ignorant of facts and unable to handle life in general.

Not only do the unions have to go (which will not happen thanks to Gov. Ritter and his bypass of state legislature and the people with his new union come here and open shop policies) but the teachers must be requalified to see if they really know what they are doing.

Why not test the teachers? say every two or five years to see if they subject matter they are teaching is truly known by them?
You could then eliminate CSAP that they all belly ache about and the accountability would be on the group most responsible for educating our children.
Of course that won't fly because it will create another burden.

What would anyone wager that when 06:19 says 'ignorant of facts" it actually means guilty of not seeing the world precisely as it does, and that if required to take a completely subjective test on any subject might just as likely demonstrate an equally shaky grasp of "facts".Likewise how much would anyone wager that the men and women charged with the design, construction, and operation of the latest and highest technology such as the space shuttle and station are all products of public school systems including the occasional foreign astronaut?The same would hold true of all those weapons systems that the wingnuts ooh and aah about.

The teachers union needs to be abolished just like all other unions.They are just a front for corruption.

Don't worry 6:14, they only give tenure to people who can correctly spell the word. So you never have to worry about being constricted by such an ancient device.

"The teachers union needs to be abolished just like all other unions.They are just a front for corruption.
Posted by Keith on November 6, 2007 08:55 AM"

Just think about the enormous amount of brain power that goes into posts by Keith.

I really enjoy Eggers' "logic". It's obvious that if the teachers want to oppose the teachers' union as he suggests, they will need to organize. What he seems to be suggesting is that the teachers form a union with the goal of closing down the existing one.

Eggers: "unions, whose only goal is to allow a free ride from accountability of actions in any and all areas of education."

A pretty strong and weighty statement that obviously should be supported by some facts. Here are the facts Eggers provides for that support:

Did I overlook any?

I realize that the RMN is a right wing paper, but it does love to run stuff that hammers on unions in general and the teacher's union in particular. Teaching was once an honored profession; in isolated, unreconstructed parts of the country it probably still is. Now, most teachers are expected to deal with out of control kids, violence, crazed parents and administartors bound and determined to pile more regulations on them. Actually delivering a curriculum of any worth is eclipsed by outright foolishness like the CSAP. It also helps to have little craven toads like Mike Rosen off-gassing on the profession about which he knows nothing. I am not a fan of unions, but when I once made the mistake of working for DPS, I learned hard and fast that the union is the only protection these people have against the idiots like the posters above.

Unions are the result of people's right to organize. That's bad?

Unions are the result of people's right to organize. That's bad? What do oppressive governments do when there is unrest? They do away with the people's right to organize.

Hey, I know! Let's all become teachers. We're kinda stupid not to. Big bucks, kick-back work hours, job security, lo-o-ong vacations, a nice big fat union for protection, and no responsibility whatsoever. After all, those people you saw on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" were all teachers, right? That's why all those film stars and pro ball players are saying "The heck with this, I'm gonna become a teacher and really rake it in--ka-ching!"

I don't know whether to despise Keith or feel sorry for him with his limited vocabulary. He says "get the facts" and then says Bush's approval rating is at 35% where every poll has him at 25% causing me to wonder why it is so high but then I am reminded of Keith’s mentality. I am ready to do to him what Burr did to Hamilton and Keith is thinking: What did he do?

The only teacher who needs to be fired is the one who taught Keith. Well, either fired or given the Medal of Honor. But then it sounds like maybe Keith was home schooled by the trailer park janitor.

Right. The UNION allows mlosters. What next, HOMOS are molesters?

Keith, you're a joke on these boards. Everyone here, regardless of affiliation, knows you are an impotent ignorant little sack of sputum. You regularly make spelling and grammatical errors in posts of 4 words or less. You lack the ability to make a coherent argument, and you generally have the cognitive skills of a stump. Your apparent educational level is that of a low-achieving 6th-grader. No one here believes or cares about anything you say, and if you drove your car into a bridge abutment tonight the world would be a wee bit better place. Just thought you should know...

08:54,Add this punk to the village idiot list.

As a retired middle school veteran and CEA member of 26 years it is my privilege to tell you:

As the building AEA rep I have had the honor of upholding several teachers reputations when they were accused of abuse...sexual or otherwise...

children today are very smart as to how to ruin a teacher. The teacher's offense may have been as small as asking why the student did not turn in their homework.

most often these students who falsely accuse teachers do have problems...at home.

If any of you who don't like teacher unions want to step up to the plate and teach, you go. No school district REQUIRES teachers to be union members.

Janis,
What about the true cases of teacher on student abuse? - you only cite how the smart little darlings are falsly accusing teachers. I'm sure that for every one of those false accusations there are probably 3 that are true. Why are you so adamant that the kids are falsly accusing a teacher when this appears to be a big a problem that you are minimizing by accusing the kids of false reporting? This does not help the teachers cause or your union hack type philosophy.

Neither I nor any teacher I know would shield a colleague who is sexually abusing kids. The Education Association isn't a free ride from accountability. Obviously teachers are being prosecuted every month.
The sad truth is it's not just teachers who abuse children, so do firefighters, lawyers, scout leaders and priests. What can a parent do to prevent their child from being a victim?
Educate. Tell them no one has the right to touch you in your private places.
And as for being a union hack, I am proud of the service I gave to students and teachers. I am also proud that my father and grandfather were union carpenters. During the Depression, the carpenters union kept many from starvation in Chicago.
Too bad you don't have the courage of your convinctions enough to sign your name. I think many posters here would be a bit more civil if they couldn't hide behind a fake moniker.

Dang 6:58, you got told! You were owned by a unionized retired teacher! Oh, the horror! How can you face yourself???

(next time, try using facts instead of baseless assumptions)

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