The Cost of Education

[OldGuy43]

teachers are underpaid their first 20 years.

Who said they are complaining about the money?

You did.

Now, can we get back to why parents should buy all of this stuff to send their child to kindergarten?

 

[seedcorn]

Yes, I do and I'm not a teacher or connected to a school except son. So WHO should pay for your child's school things? Government? People that don't have kids in school? The reason u bring it all in beginning is they have their supplies collected and it's one task done so that they can devote their time to the kids. In past (and to this day) teachers have to bring things for kids out of their salary. Parents pay for about 10% of what their kids use. Education is the best buy in world when people takr advantage of it

 

[OldGuy43]

I don't know. How did we learn with that Big Chief tablet and a #2 lead pencil? Our crayons were mostly without labels and stored in a coffee can. We all shared them. Some were long, some were short (the red one particularly so). With all of those drawbacks we still learned to read, write, add, subtract, multiply and divide. We learned history, how to sing and how our government was supposed to work. We made glue out of flour and water. We grew a potato in a jar. We learned how a barometer worked with a large pickle jar and a soda bottle. We learned to tell time from a "Be Back at..." cardboard clock.

Our books were 15+ years old, and we rented them for 50/year. They stopped before WWII, but most of us could kind of remember that anyway. Still we managed to learn. Amazing.

Our recess equipment consisted of jump ropes, jacks that we brought from home, baseballs and bats, basket balls and kick balls. The only water fountains and restrooms were in the basement. For air conditioning we opened the windows. All of our schools were close to home so we walked to and from, summer and winter.

Most importantly, we learned to read. Once you can do that you can learn the rest from books, IF the teacher has inspired you. Where are the teachers of my youth who inspired me?

 

[catjac1975]

Cuts after cuts are why parents need to buy all that stuff. You will also supplement the kids who's parents can't or won't buy the supplies. School systems choose to forgo new texts and supplies to keep a few extra teachers from being cut. I have taught classes of 39 and classes of 14. Who got the better education?

teachers are underpaid their first 20 years.

Who said they are complaining about the money?

You did.

Now, can we get back to why parents should buy all of this stuff to send their child to kindergarten?

 

[OldGuy43]

Cuts after cuts are why parents need to buy all that stuff. You will also supplement the kids who's parents can't or won't buy the supplies. School systems choose to forgo new texts and supplies to keep a few extra teachers from being cut. I have taught classes of 39 and classes of 14. Who got the better education?

Cuts or waste? When I first went to school the school crossing were manned by "The Patrol" (The patrols were older students), not paid crossing guards. The building had opened its doors in 1881 (I think we still had the same desks? At least they had holes for ink wells.) The administrative staff consisted of the principal (Mr. Sifferman (sp?)) and the office lady. The maintenance staff was one man and one woman. We had a traveling school nurse who came by about once a week for an hour or two.

How did we ever manage to learn what with being that deprived?

 

[vfem]

I don't care how they get the money and who gets paid what. Like nurses and teacher... they just need to do their jobs while they are there. My husband works his booty off and I work like crazy (and we make less then the average teacher salary). I don't ask for help and I won't help other people who chose not to figure out how to supply their own. I don't expect ANYONE to pay for things my child will need, I will do that at all costs... but I surely will not pay for someone else's child.

My friend's mother put it best... you birthed it... you raise it!

I'm staying away from the point of teachers being underpaid or what not. I personally think funds for schools were mismanaged for so long that's what got us where we are.

 

[OldGuy43]

I don't care how they get the money and who gets paid what. Like nurses and teacher... they just need to do their jobs while they are there. My husband works his booty off and I work like crazy (and we make less then the average teacher salary). I don't ask for help and I won't help other people who chose not to figure out how to supply their own. I don't expect ANYONE to pay for things my child will need, I will do that at all costs... but I surely will not pay for someone else's child.

My friend's mother put it best... you birthed it... you raise it!

I'm with you on all points.

 

[curly_kate]

My friend's mother put it best... you birthed it... you raise it!

You hit the nail on the head right there. As a teacher, I have seen more and more responsibility shifted to the school for raising the kids. Start school at age 3 because no one at home works with the kid. Feed them breakfast because there's no food at home. Have a full time nurse and social worker, again because the parents can't /won't do it. All this is money that would have been spent on actual instruction and materials and (HORRORS!) teacher salaries.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Curly-Kate, you are a teacher. Tell me where I am wrong in this.

One thing the critics of public schools like to point out is the average cost per student in the public schools versus the private schools. They sure like to distort things. Apples and oranges. But the public buys it so why not. Politicians can distort about anything.

The average cost to the public school includes costs for the special needs students, the ones that have someone with them all the time, the special assistants, all that. Of course the private schools get by with less cost per student. They don't take those kids. The public schools are required to take them and try to educate them. If you want to compare the private schools, require them to take on the kids that the public schools take on. The public schools have more programs for the top students too. Those also cost money. That's why I shifted my gifted-talented kid from a private to a public school. He got a better advanced education in the public school.

Why are the costs so high, higher than they were many decades ago when I went to school. They are required by law to take on a whole lot more than they used to. They need a clerk or maybe two just to keep up with reports and forms. Then you have all the aids and assistants. Heck, many schools have one person who is the disciplinarian. That used to be the teacher in the classroom. You did not want to be sent to the principal.

You can't compare schools these days with schools back many decades ago any more than you can compare the cars from then with now. Those old cars I grew up with did not have air conditioning, a radio, or anything power. Well, some had a radio. Now you get cars that talk to you. Cars used to be made out of metal. They still are, but instead of the metal being in the frame, the metal is now in the electric wiring. Cars are more complicted than they used to be because they do a lot more. Schools are more complicated than they used to be. We make them do a lot more.

What cuts to education? Any good politician will threaten to cut education costs when the government he is running out of money. Hospitals are usually in that easy hit list too. They are dramatic and tend to get people to vote for higher taxes. And if the higher taxes don't pass, well they told us they would cut costs in education and hospitals. Threatening to quit buying bullets for law enforcement officers is on that hit list too. That one is really good for dramatic effect.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I don't expect ANYONE to pay for things my child will need, I will do that at all costs... but I surely will not pay for someone else's child.

You surely do pay for someone else's child...with your property taxes. And i pay for other people's children, even though i dont have any children. :/ that was a real eye opener when we bought our house 5 years ago.