By: Sprtman on 2/10/11
Teachers rights - what a joke. You mean teachers organized against education.

By: dixietn on 2/11/11
It is an ironic and sad commentary that these measures are being introduced as more and more is being demanded of teachers. Teachers have long been political footballs; this is more of politicians pandering to the public for their own selfish interests at the expense of teachers, those who join hands with students daily. Teachers, through their students, do affect eternity. Their value should not be denigrated.

By: cmac on 2/12/11
Fewer of the best and brightest of our college graduates are choosing teaching as a career. Many of those who become teachers soon leave the profession for better pay and less stress. Their primary reasons for leaving the profession are lack of student discipline, lack of parental support, poor pay, and continuous political mandates which disrupt and detract from classroom performance. Tennessee might be wise to begin listening more to professional educators and less to politicians with another axe to grind and election to win. The one certainty in all of this is that politicians cannot produce an educated society.

By: SocEtTuem on 2/14/11
How about students rights? The right to a good education free of union interference or union political agenda? I am sick of hearing about education being about teachers and how much they are paid, how much time off they deserve, the constant demand for more pay for less perfomance, the whining about being required to perform.

Education in this country will improve when we start making it not about the teachers, their unions, their demands, especailly those paragons of medocrity (and worse), protected by the unions. When we start making education about the best interests of our children, then we'll see improvement.
Instead we hear not at all abou the children and their bneeds, only all the tripe about poor pay, mandates, ad infinitum, ad nauseam (gee, it's not fair we are actually held to a standard of performance). The poor us mantra is wearing thin. One need only compare the performance of parochial school children with those in the public system to recognize throwing more money at the unions isn't going to accomplish anything but encourage demands for still more.

By: cmac on 2/14/11
"Everyone is wise, until he speaks."
(Irish proverb)

By: SocEtTuem on 2/15/11
"Proverbs don't solve problems"
(Tennessee Proverb)

By: publius on 2/15/11
teachers salary is about 32,000 with a 4 year degree. a nurse with a 2 year degree makes about 45,000 a year. Auto workers make 30,000 to 60,000. For you all of you complaining about the teachers union looks like they do a lousy job for teachers.
Parents who send their children to parochial school tend to make sure that their children do their work and are involved.
those who know do those who understand teach



























those who know do those who understand teach

By: cmac on 2/16/11
I know, SocEtTuem. Tennessee proverbs are a lot like politicians and opinions. Everyone is wise, until he speaks.

By: cah6c_mtsu_s13 on 3/8/13
I agree with Mr. Winters in his argument against the policy changes for teachers in Tennessee because i feel that this is taking the rights away from teachers in Tennessee to have an opinion an to have a respected voice about choices that the government make for the schoolboard that has a drect affect on the teachers working in the state. I feel that this is just an attempt by the government to take complete control over the community and become a dictatorship in the sense that the teachers will not have a choice or a voice in what decisions are made.