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Omaha Steve

(99,068 posts)
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 12:28 AM Jul 2021

Biden says teachers deserve 'a raise, not just praise'

Source: AP

By COLLIN BINKLEY

Speaking to the nation’s largest teachers union, President Joe Biden said Friday that the pandemic has given America’s parents the “ultimate education” on the challenges of the teaching profession. But even more, he said, the last year has proved that teachers across the U.S. deserve higher pay.

“You deserve a raise, not just praise,” Biden said in remarks at the National Education Association’s annual meeting in Washington. “Every parent in this country who spent the last year educating their children at home understands that you deserve a raise.”

Biden made the case while selling his proposed legislative priorities and budget for next year, which includes $20 billion in new funding that aims to spur states to increase teacher pay. A close ally of teachers unions, the president went on to describe educators as “the single most important component of America’s future.”

Biden and first lady Jill Biden gave remarks at a mostly empty Washington Convention Center while union members watched virtually. Biden is the first president in recent history to address the labor group, whose 3 million members include his wife, a longtime community college professor.



President Joe Biden speaks at the National Education Association's annual meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, Friday, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-government-and-politics-26589e3916e0cbe101740fa81789f261

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Biden says teachers deserve 'a raise, not just praise' (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jul 2021 OP
What is this praise I'm hearing about? NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #1
No. We teachers love having unfunded mandates put upon us while also being told AZLD4Candidate Jul 2021 #2
"schools are garbage" Because alot of them are but that is not the teachers fault its the fault of a cstanleytech Jul 2021 #4
I just retired from teaching HS Chemistry. NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #7
And demanding complete engagement virtually with no way to enforce "keep your camera on" AZLD4Candidate Jul 2021 #10
Yeah, the class full of icons was deflating. NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #11
Same, and my principal kept demanding "how I kept them engaged." AZLD4Candidate Jul 2021 #12
That's the truth CRK7376 Jul 2021 #16
I teach on a Native American reservation. I understand that completely. AZLD4Candidate Jul 2021 #17
NC HS Social Studies here CRK7376 Jul 2021 #14
It also doesn't help when you have an administration more concerned about students AZLD4Candidate Jul 2021 #18
This message was self-deleted by its author CRK7376 Jul 2021 #15
Every American deserves one instead of what we currently have which is the CEOs and ultra wealthy cstanleytech Jul 2021 #3
San Diego Unified just got a 4% raise as well as BigmanPigman Jul 2021 #5
I did notice a big up-tick in parent appreciation this year. NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #9
I used to only near that on Teacher's Appreciation Day. BigmanPigman Jul 2021 #13
Then subsidize those raises via state and federal funding. no_hypocrisy Jul 2021 #6
Teachers did a heroic effort to quickly switch classes to online IronLionZion Jul 2021 #8
K&R ck4829 Jul 2021 #19

AZLD4Candidate

(5,558 posts)
2. No. We teachers love having unfunded mandates put upon us while also being told
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 01:56 AM
Jul 2021

we are failures, our schools are garbage, we come from the bottom of the barrel, and are the cause of every social and economic ill since the beginning of time.

And, personally, I love being told what I teach means nothing because STEM is all that matters. Social studies is just teaching facts and nothing more, all the while having states like mine (Arizona) muzzle us and threaten fines and de-certification is we dare to teach what actually happened with legit perspective and fact.

BTW, massive sarcasm here.

cstanleytech

(26,080 posts)
4. "schools are garbage" Because alot of them are but that is not the teachers fault its the fault of a
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 04:32 AM
Jul 2021

lack of funding.

NH Ethylene

(30,793 posts)
7. I just retired from teaching HS Chemistry.
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 10:40 AM
Jul 2021

It used to be that I could shut out the world and enjoy being in the classroom. That's impossible now. And the constant demeaning of our work and our profession has only been amplified by the pandemic.

I've never worked as hard as I did over the past year, and never seen such depth of societal scorn for teachers over this same time period. And that's not even to mention the complete lack of appreciation from school administrators who didn't seem to realize we were inventing all-new ways of teaching - on the fly - and working all hours to do so.

NH Ethylene

(30,793 posts)
11. Yeah, the class full of icons was deflating.
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 03:14 PM
Jul 2021

I wound up presenting as though they were all just riveted when actually many were probably not even in the room!

AZLD4Candidate

(5,558 posts)
12. Same, and my principal kept demanding "how I kept them engaged."
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 03:25 PM
Jul 2021

She never accepted "I have no idea, I can't see them."

CRK7376

(2,187 posts)
16. That's the truth
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 11:10 PM
Jul 2021

and rural NC doesn't offer very good internet in my part of the state, if it rains or snows I loose connectivity.....

CRK7376

(2,187 posts)
14. NC HS Social Studies here
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 11:05 PM
Jul 2021

agrees completely with your assessment. Plus our school system introduced us to Canvas as the new learning platform and gave us 3 weeks to learn the system before classes started. It was a nightmare year for students, their families and we the teachers/support staff/administrators etc....this upcoming year doesn't look much better.

AZLD4Candidate

(5,558 posts)
18. It also doesn't help when you have an administration more concerned about students
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 11:20 PM
Jul 2021

learning vocabulary than what the state requires.

Response to NH Ethylene (Reply #7)

cstanleytech

(26,080 posts)
3. Every American deserves one instead of what we currently have which is the CEOs and ultra wealthy
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 04:30 AM
Jul 2021

continuing to screw over the American people.

BigmanPigman

(51,430 posts)
5. San Diego Unified just got a 4% raise as well as
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 05:13 AM
Jul 2021

hiring more teachers and support staff (schools have a nurse, librarian, psychologist, etc only once a week) and making class size smaller. They had been slowly creeping up, creating more work for crappy pay and no respect. Maybe now that kids are heading back to school parents will stop thinking of teachers as glorified baby sitters.

NH Ethylene

(30,793 posts)
9. I did notice a big up-tick in parent appreciation this year.
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 10:46 AM
Jul 2021

Nearly every email from a parent I received was prefaced with 'thank-you for all you are doing'.

BigmanPigman

(51,430 posts)
13. I used to only near that on Teacher's Appreciation Day.
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 05:43 PM
Jul 2021

I'm glad to see a changing attitude toward teachers' work since Covid. Now I wonder how long it will last and if the changes are permanent.

no_hypocrisy

(45,771 posts)
6. Then subsidize those raises via state and federal funding.
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 07:05 AM
Jul 2021

In New Jersey, the majority of funding public education comes from municipal taxes. And we're tapped out.

I'm a teacher and would like more money in my salary too, but with a lot of properties being mandated to pay $16,000 annually, I can't imagine where the extra funds are going to come from.

IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
8. Teachers did a heroic effort to quickly switch classes to online
Sat Jul 3, 2021, 10:42 AM
Jul 2021

adapting their lesson plans, which is tricky for many subjects that require hands on lab work and exercises. It's been a challenging year and half for both teachers and students.

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