Curmudgucation: Directory of Anti-Teacher Trolls
From Peter Greene at Curmudgucation blog.
This was posted after the anti-tenure for teachers ruling in California.
If there is any group that has been emboldened by the California court's fact-free finding against teacher job protections, it has been the legion of anti-teacher trolls. From mainstreamish media like Slate to the usual bloggy outposts, teacher bashing trollery is in high gear.
Directory of Anti-Teacher Trolls
Just a few, more at the link.
"Those Damn Unions" Troll
It's the damn teachers union. Teachers all want to go sleep at their desks because the union will protect them. The union does nothing but protect bad teachers. In fact, the union actually goes out, recruits bad teachers, and then cleverly forces administrations to give these crappy teachers tenure. The union also elected Obama President, and they have the power to bend all elected officials to their will (except for Rand Paul). Union leaders have a giant pile of money that they like to swim in a la Scrooge McDuck; they use it to buy all the elections and all the power.
Teacher Hater Troll
Teachers are the single biggest obstacle to education today. They are only in it for the power and the glory. Well, no-- they also became teachers because they knew that would put them in the best position to interfere with the education of American students, which is every teacher's goal. Teachers hate children, and they hate learning, so they become teachers so they can devote their entire lives to destroying those things. It's perfectly logical.
Race To The Bottom Troll
The guy who cooks the fries at McDonalds does not have tenure or make any more than minimum wage or get vacations, so neither should teachers. The guy who dropped out of school in tenth grade and now works part-time at Mega-Mart doesn't have job security, and he barely makes enough to pay his cellphone bill, so why should teachers not have to struggle, too? There are employers in this country who force their workers to toil in unconscionable conditions; why should we fight to improve those conditions when we can fight to drag teachers down to that crappy level instead.
...Like A Business Troll
You know, in every other job, you get judged on your performance and then rewarded or fired accordingly. Personally, I would have been a useless lazy bastard at my job except that my boss was always looking over my shoulder. People suck unless you threaten them. Nobody threatens teachers enough; that's why they all suck. All the best businesses like, you know, big investment banks like Lehman Brothers or energy companies like Enron-- those totally function on accountability.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Didn't forget.
It is by "Unknown" on June 16, 2014:
This article is a masterpiece!! Thank you, madfloridian!
Yes, that was interesting.
That particular anecdote was the most ridiculous of all.
Fake Statistic Troll
It's a known fact that 63% of teachers failed high school shop class, and 43% are unable to even dress themselves. If you have a bad teacher in Kindergarten, it's a proven fact that you will make $1 trillion dollars less in life; also, you'll be plagued with adolescent acne until you're 34, and your children will be ugly. 92% of high school graduates last year were unable to read, and 46% of those were unable to even identify the English language. Also, 143% of urban teachers are "highly ineffective" and 52% of those are "grossly ineffective" and 24% of those actually give off waves that cause metal surfaces to rust. I ask you, how can we continue to support public education under these conditions.
I really couldn't make myself read all of these. I got as far as "They are only in it for the power and the glory" and damn near choked. Yes. Power and glory. That's EXACTLY why I went into one of the least respected, underpaid, and most stress-filled careers in this country. And I'll be willing to bet my next month's salary that the person who wrote that is the reason classroom management can be a nightmare...that person was in all likelihood a complete pain in the ass in a classroom.
Of course there are bad teachers, just like there are bad lawyers, doctors, clergy, politicians (especially!), or any other occupation out there. But these jerks who think we are allowed to sleep at our desks, etc. are simply being willfully stupid. Here in Nevada (and probably everywhere else), we are subject to a "hard" observation (supervisor in the classroom for the entire class period) a minimum of 3 times a year, with a "soft" one (supervisor stops in, spends 5 or 10 minutes) usually an average of another 4 or 5 times. And there is NO warning...they just show up. The "hard" observations result in a written evaluation that goes into your file, and everything, from your lesson plans, how you have your daily agenda written out on the board, your classroom management skills, the kid's responses and involvement, and whether or not your grade book is up to date is taken into consideration. I didn't catch a kid using his cellphone in class once and it was in that report. The kind of teachers that these people talk about simply would not make it in today's teaching atmosphere. It seems to me that these morons have seen the movie "Bad Teacher" once too often, and thought it was a documentary. And of course, comparing a highly trained, college-educated professional with a kid in an entry level position flipping hamburgers is in a class by itself. Can anyone name any other situation your kids will experience where everyone they deal with has at least a Bachelor's Degree?
We do what we do because we love the kids, and hate ignorance. Too bad these idiots didn't take advantage of this when they were in school. 
Thanks for your patience, folks. I feel better now.
I have seen some of those around here.
whenever I see one from those categories. 
