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Post by Bonobo on Oct 28, 2018 18:08:36 GMT 1
Interesting news - US teachers donate blood to make both ends meet. wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23921698,nauczyciele-oddaja-krew-by-oplacic-rachunki-w-polsce-moze.html#nowaZajawkaGlownaMT  |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 30, 2018 6:22:42 GMT 1
Hope Brown can make $60 donating plasma from her blood cells twice in one week, and a little more if she sells some of her clothes at a consignment store. It’s usually just enough to cover an electric bill or a car payment. This financial juggling is now a part of her everyday life—something she never expected almost two decades ago when she earned a master’s degree in secondary education and became a high school history teacher. Brown often works from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. at her school in Versailles, Ky., then goes to a second job manning the metal detectors and wrangling rowdy guests at Lexington’s Rupp Arena. With her husband, she also runs a historical tour company for extra money.
“I truly love teaching,” says the 52-year-old. “But we are not paid for the work that we do.”Full article here: time.com/longform/teaching-in-america/I didn`t know that US teachers have finally stood up to fight for decent life. It hasn`t been covered here, being not spectacular enough, like the protest of fast food workers.
The wave began in West Virginia, where in February and March some 20,000 teachers walked out across the state. Educators there—who made an average of $45,701 in 2016, according to the DOE—refused to enter their classrooms until the state met their demands to fully fund insurance benefits and increase salaries. Instead, they marched on the capitol, passed out bag lunches for low-income students who normally rely on free school meals and watched as public support flooded their wayI can read/hear the same things about teaching in Poland.
As states tightened the reins on teacher benefits, many also enacted new benchmarks for student achievement, with corresponding standardized tests, curricula changes and evaluations of teacher performance. The loss of control over their classrooms combined with the direct hit to their pocketbooks was too much for many teachers to bear.Well, the pauperisation of teachers has become a problem in many countries, not only US or Poland. I wonder why.
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Post by jeanne on Nov 1, 2018 0:13:23 GMT 1
One thing we have to keep in mind when thinking of this issue is that in the U.S. states have control over their teachers, and also to a great degree, individual towns/districts also are in control. This results in great disparity over salaries and benefits given to teachers, depending largely on where the teachers are working.
Southern states traditionally pay less with school systems receiving less support from governments there. Northern states do better, though I think it is safe to say that even in the best paying states/districts, teachers do not earn as much as workers in the private sector/business.
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 1, 2018 0:40:54 GMT 1
One thing we have to keep in mind when thinking of this issue is that in the U.S. states have control over their teachers, and also to a great degree, individual towns/districts also are in control. This results in great disparity over salaries and benefits given to teachers, depending largely on where the teachers are working. Southern states traditionally pay less with school systems receiving less support from governments there. Northern states do better, though I think it is safe to say that even in the best paying states/districts, teachers do not earn as much as workers in the private sector/business. Yes, I think I read about it. Is it a result of differences in property taxation which vary depending on the attractiveness of the area? Interesting info about state salaries. Still Blue vs Gray - industrialised north against agricultural south? |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 2, 2018 0:31:30 GMT 1
One thing we have to keep in mind when thinking of this issue is that in the U.S. states have control over their teachers, and also to a great degree, individual towns/districts also are in control. This results in great disparity over salaries and benefits given to teachers, depending largely on where the teachers are working. Southern states traditionally pay less with school systems receiving less support from governments there. Northern states do better, though I think it is safe to say that even in the best paying states/districts, teachers do not earn as much as workers in the private sector/business. Yes, some towns have zoning laws (for example: each house lot must be at least 2 acres) and because the large property lots add so much to the cost/value of the house, people of higher means tend to settle in that town. With higher property values, taxes are higher and the town has more money to spend on education. The reverse is also true of areas where those with lesser means have to live because only there can they afford the cost of the houses; those houses have a lesser value in the market and the town has less money from taxes to spend on education. The best case scenario is that a town has mixed populations, and houses of mixed value, but that doesn't always happen. That industrialized north vs. agricultural south doesn't really hold true today because much of the manufacturing has moved to the south where taxes are lower and heating costs in the winter are much less. But, I'm sure there is some connection between the old north vs. south dynamic stemming from the Civil War, but it would take someone much smarter and more knowledgeable than I am to explain it to you.  |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 10, 2018 20:45:44 GMT 1
Yes, some towns have zoning laws (for example: each house lot must be at least 2 acres) and because the large property lots add so much to the cost/value of the house, people of higher means tend to settle in that town. With higher property values, taxes are higher and the town has more money to spend on education. The reverse is also true of areas where those with lesser means have to live because only there can they afford the cost of the houses; those houses have a lesser value in the market and the town has less money from taxes to spend on education. The best case scenario is that a town has mixed populations, and houses of mixed value, but that doesn't always happen. That industrialized north vs. agricultural south doesn't really hold true today because much of the manufacturing has moved to the south where taxes are lower and heating costs in the winter are much less. But, I'm sure there is some connection between the old north vs. south dynamic stemming from the Civil War, but it would take someone much smarter and more knowledgeable than I am to explain it to you. [/div][/quote] There is no land value property tax in Poland, though previous governments considered its introduction a few times. But it`s a delicate matter because the government which imposes such a tax will be overthrown by street riots within two/three days. There is property tax with universal rates for all kinds of owners. E.g., I pay about 50$ per year for my farm and land. North vs South difference is simple to explain, similarly to its counterparts in other places in the world. North is colder so you can be labourious without getting too exhausted. In the south the climate is good for leisure but bad for hard work - you must live a slow life if you want to survive. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 28, 2018 1:03:04 GMT 1
There is no land value property tax in Poland, though previous governments considered its introduction a few times. But it`s a delicate matter because the government which imposes such a tax will be overthrown by street riots within two/three days. There is property tax with universal rates for all kinds of owners. E.g., I pay about 50$ per year for my farm and land. Wow, I wish that's all we paid! Good explanation...the simple type I like! But, I'm not sure things are really quite that simple! |
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Post by Bonobo on Jul 6, 2019 18:11:39 GMT 1
A short review of a book about California by a Polish migrant. She warns readers not to consider America a paradise. Quite the contrary. A few facts: Most people, even middle class, has to do two or three jobs to achieve a good standard of life. Renting a small apartment - 1000$. A bigger one in a good district close to a good school - even 7000. One full time job, with commuting and lunch break takes 11-13 hours. There are no paid maternity leaves from work. Paid holiday is 10 days. 25% of people don`t have even that. Most people don`t have any savings but many loans to pay. But people don`t complain - they are smiling slaves who treat it as sth normal. Controvercial topics like gun possession, addiction to medicines, obesity are not raised in private discussions. People prefer to talk about celebrities and their latest scandals. www.onet.pl/?utm_source=www.fakt.pl_viasg_fakt&utm_medium=referal&utm_campaign=leo_automatic&srcc=ucs&pid=edae5ea0-cdd1-5ee2-b32c-152cc183fe00&sid=f13b499b-dba8-44e4-a9ae-cb9ebb087cc8&utm_v=2 |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 9, 2019 21:33:06 GMT 1
When it comes to statistics, the plight of US teachers isn`t so pitiful finance.yahoo.com/news/20-states-where-teachers-more-090000269.html
Despite the importance of their jobs, teachers often get the short end of the stick when it comes to pay. Although the average annual wage for teachers is $62,857 compared with the average annual wage of $51,960 for all other U.S. occupations, average teacher salaries have actually dropped 4.5% from 2009-10 to 2018-19, according to the National Education Association’s Ranking of the States 2018 and Estimates of School Statistics 2019 report. But the news isn’t all bad — in fact, teachers in some states earn significantly more than the average American.
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, GOBankingRates compiled the average teacher salary in every state by analyzing the mean wages of elementary school, middle school and high school teachers. This salary was then pitted against the average wage for all other occupations in the state to determine where teachers are earning more than the average American.
1. New York
Average teacher pay: $83,933
Average wage for all other occupations in the state: $61,870
Once again, New York takes first place in teacher wages, with an average salary of $83,933. That’s a whopping $31,973 more than the national average for all occupations and $22,063 more than the state average for all occupations. It’s worth noting that New York also spends more per pupil than any other state and boasts a number of quality schools, including one of the 20 highest-rated high schools in the country: Townsend Harris High School in Flushing. |
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