[Vision2020] Questions to Ponder . . .

Sun Dec 30 18:56:03 PST 2012

I feel your pain. In some of these respects, higher education is no better.
Joe

On Sun, Dec 30, 2012 at 6:49 PM, Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:

>   Even more shameful than my being glad I’m retired is the sad fact that
> the teachers I know are not encouraging their children to follow in their
> footsteps.  Many of us, particularly women,  taught because our mothers
> were teachers before us.  Not any more.  Mothers may not want their sons to
> be cowboys but now that teaching has replaced postal clerking as the most
> dangerous profession, who in their right mind would want someone they love,
> to teach.  Idaho teachers have dealt with a State Superintendent who
> continues to demean them, state legislators who refuse to allocate funds
> for living wages, and school board members who covertly waxed enthusiastic
> over last year’s end-of-real-bargaining law, because fewer than ten
> districts in Idaho have restored teacher contracts to the pre-Luna Laws
> days.  We are so damned lucky to have the teachers we do have.  They will
> continue to leave Idaho because they don’t really expect things to get much
> better. I had coffee with a local teacher the other day who wanted to know
> how I managed to get my High School Bowl and other academic teams to
> competitions state and nation-wide.  She is tired of having to raise the
> funds for those experiences that make learning exciting for students.
> Well, twenty years ago I did fund raising, too, but actually I had a budget
> to help me.  The state no longer funds buses for outside-the-class
> activities and the funds which the legislature grants districts no longer
> stretch that far.  She and I both agree it is unfair to make students pay
> for those opportunities.  School experiences should be available for all
> students, not just those who can afford the extras.    Sorry for the rant,
> Joe.  I’m done for the night.
>
> Sue H.
>
>  *From:* Joe Campbell <philosopher.joe at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 30, 2012 3:02 PM
> *To:* Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com>
> *Cc:* Dan Carscallen <areaman at moscow.com> ; Moscow Vision 2020<vision2020 at moscow.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] Questions to Ponder . . .
>
> That is the shame of it all, Sue. You're glad you're no longer a teacher.
> I'm glad a work at a university and not teaching primary education. Who in
> their right mind would want to teach primary education anymore? Less
> security, less pay (relatively speaking), more criticism, more things to do
> (in part because there are fewer resources yet more demands). And now we
> expect teachers to be able to guard their students against potential
> shooters!
>
> On Sun, Dec 30, 2012 at 2:21 PM, Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:
>
>>   Not really.  They do have to be fingerprinted now. But teachers, and
>> everyone else, have considerable privacy rights regarding their mental
>> health, etc., through HIPPA Regs.   One can buy a gun without being
>> fingerprinted, but thinking about it for myself, I have a shotgun and a 22,
>> yet there isn’t a grouse in Latah County that has too much to fear from me,
>> even when I’m armed.  If I were registered to have a weapon in my class,
>> how would I keep it secure so no kid would get to it, yet have it readily
>> available in case I needed it? It couldn’t be stashed somewhere in the
>> room, because teachers regularly change classrooms during the day, and no
>> woman would ever find one quickly carrying it in her purse,  but wearing it
>> while one teaches...there’s something unholy about that picture.
>>
>> Should we allow 22 year old teachers to carry concealed weapons, why not
>> let 18 year old students (who might well be crack shots) carry them,
>> too?    I can think of a couple of  school employees (during my teaching)
>> I wouldn’t have  wanted to be around in the event they were packing.
>>
>> It would be interesting should a district require all teachers to have
>> concealed weapon permits as well as teaching licenses...”right to work”
>> would take on a whole new meaning; not at odds, of course, with what
>> Idahoans already believe. I’m betting our good legislature will gauge the
>> way the wind blows and  come up with a reasonable law we can all “live”
>> with!!  That can be Luna’s new education reform.    God, I am so very glad
>> I’m retired.
>>
>> Sue H.
>>
>>  *From:* Dan Carscallen <areaman at moscow.com>
>> *Sent:* Sunday, December 30, 2012 12:38 PM
>> *To:* Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] Questions to Ponder . . .
>>
>>  I believe teachers should (and already do) undergo extensive background
>> checks
>>
>> DC
>>
>> On Dec 30, 2012, at 12:29, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
>>
>>  Courtesy of today's (December 30, 2012) Spokesman-Review.
>>
>> -------------------------------------
>>  Arming teachers a bad idea
>>
>> Knee-jerk reactions are often made by fools; for example, arming teachers
>> with guns. Sounds like a great idea, right? However, I have some questions.
>>
>> Would all teachers be required to have a gun available in their classroom?
>>
>> What about teachers who refuse to arm themselves – would they be fired?
>>
>> Who would pay for teachers to become certified to handle a gun?
>>
>> Who would buy the guns and ammunition?
>>
>> Would teachers be required to undergo extensive background checks?
>>
>> How would teachers keep the guns from students or visitors?
>>
>> What would stop a disgruntled teacher from using the gun on students or
>> other teachers?
>>
>> Why would someone intent on killing teachers/students even bother to
>> bring a gun into the school (they could carry a knife, wrench, club, etc.,
>> overwhelm one teacher, and then gain access to potentially dozens of guns)?
>>
>> Arming teachers only ensures that guns are available to anyone who walks
>> through the front door. A knee-jerk reaction to solve a problem is never
>> the answer.
>>
>> *Douglas Scott*
>> -------------------------------------
>>
>> Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .
>>
>> "Moscow Cares"
>> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>>  Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>>
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>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
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>> =======================================================
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>> =======================================================
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>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>
>
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