Mathman, hundreds is a vague amount, which is why you like it, and you choose to define it, and for you to guess it as something firm, you're going to give the nubers that support you. You have a bias, so it means nothing. Your numbers make sense probably to you, and someone who understands jibberish.

Teachers are not afraid of losing jobs. Where vouchers have been instituted, teachers haven't lost jobs. Scores have not improved, and districts and states have lost millions of dollars.

We are afraid for the children, for the next scam to come in and lift millions of dollars from education and give it to bureaucrats and administrators. And when the smoke settles, and you are out fighting another evil (let's say healthcare), we will have to make it work with the system that you have destroyed, or seriously maimed.

We know what the problems and solutions are, but the legislatures and administrators (and hobbiests, such as your self) refuse to move out of our way and let us do our job. Because they need to get their cut, they need a problem, so one is created.

Let the teachers work and all will be well.

"Hundreds" is no more vague than "thousands," and I didn't define it, the dictionary does. Since I'm not the one who wrote the original article, I don't have any more accurate numbers to use.

Teachers certainly are afraid of unemployment. Look at the catfight over tenure, or anytime the idea of merit pay is raised.

If you were truly "afraid for the children," you wouldn't condemn them to a school system which is run by bureaucrats and administrators.

I'm not a hobbyist (or, as you spell it, "hobbiest"). I spent 8 years as a teacher (K - 8) and I'm tired of seeing my money go down the public-school rathole and seeing half-educated kids come back out. If you're going to take my money to educate other people's kids, I want those kids to get the best education possible . . .and that's not found in public schools.