Comments about ‘Obama, taking on unions, backs teacher merit pay’

then buttars wants to add to the problem by allowing untrained and undereducated people teach

Thank you, sir. May I have another?

I can't stand barhack and have disagreed with him on almost every socialist marxist radical plan he has had thus far.

That said, if he truly supports merit pay for better teachers (vs. the losers who stay because the pathetic unions protect them) and more days and longer hours for kids in school, then maybe he is not completely worthless.

Alas a ray of hope in an otherwise socialist agenda.

I wish he would apply these same principles to other aspects of our society and we would be better off. Instead though he plans to get the govt into every aspect of our society therefore enslaving the citizens.

We are headed to a Europe style economy faster than you know. The europe average standard of living is approx 20% lower than the average american and yet we can't seem to wait to get there.

Whe people finally wake up and realize where we have gone it will be too late to undo.

Sure everyone gets "taken care of" so to speak but there is no incentive to work hard to earn your dreams. With barhack that means you will just work/pay for someone elses existence.

Here is the "Change" you voted for. Morons in both parties that think merit pay will work are shallow thinkers. Just offer your current teachers money to improve the grades of your individual student and you can do that under the table just like with the legislature (oh wait they say that is legal with them but not teachers, something about ethics and teachers don't have them but the legislature does) Hahahaha Most problems with students originate at home not at school where it is suddenly revealed.

Once again, Pres. Obama's position is consistent with almost everything he does. He is a moderate Democrat who takes the best ideas he can find, regardless of where they come from, and tries to implement them into policy.

I hope you people realize that he is asking for more money to pay teachers, not less. More school days mean more pay, even for average teachers.

Of course, his approach cannot undo the damage of generations of cynics who have degraded teaching to the point that it is no longer an honored profession. People do what is expected of them. Destroying the public image of teaching as a noble profession, entered by idealistic people who value education more than they value other goods, has done more harm to education in this country than any single factor. If you expect nothing, that's what you will get. That is what we have done. Shame on us.

He who gives the money makes the rules by which the money is earned. This is not a good thing. Obama has an agenda is is forcing changes all around before anybody sees anything wrong. Since when does more "seat time" equate to better education? If you are mopping up mud then to simply mop using the same mop and same water must get the floor cleaner by mopping for a longer period of time. Right?

Reading Utahans commenting with no knowledge of science or what socialism or Marxism are prove the need to improve education.

There is denial here. For example, my friends in Germany, respect their daughter's teachers. They know what is being taught. If there is a math test, they spend a better part of their Saturday going over what math.

Too many parents, don't read, they don't keep informed on their kids education, they attack and don't support their schools. They blame the schools as they listen to radio that as made being intellectual or elite a pejorative.

Once Americans tried to become elite in their careers or in education. We have a culture that devalues education. A college drop out's opinion is accepted over a scientist or an economist. In the religion of conservatism, if you don't like a fact, you say you don't believe it and if you hear what you agree with you never dig any deeper to challenge your minds.

Cultures excel at what they value. Education will never get better until we start valuing it. For now, kids will see American Idol as their stepping stone.

Personally 10:59,

You, or anyone slamming the standard of living in europe, don't know what you are talking about. Here are the top 15 "standard of living" (or HDI) nations for 2008:

1. Iceland
2. Norway
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. Ireland
6. Netherlands
7. Sweden
8. Japan
9. Luxembourg
10. Switzerland
11. France
12. Finland
13. Denmark
14. Austria
15. United States

The HDI is a measurement of measures of life expectancy, literacy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita. The United States has fallen seven places in the last three years. Europeans do not want to be like us!

With how badly the state of public education has become under the destructive hand of the Republican party, it is good we finally have a leader who can spell, enunciate and who genuinely cares for public education.

Yes, public education is a socialist concept. It always has been. That is why the Republicans who are more Communist leaning than Socialist (there is a MAJOR difference between the two) have done so much to deride and destroy the schools foundation. We need stronger education policies with shared accountability. No more advancing a student based on doing time. If a child is unable to perform on grade level, they need as much assistance as humanly possible, or they need to repeat the grade or class till they are prepared to move on. We need all parents to assist and support their child. If a family has ten kids, they all need that support. Give it to them or pay a tutor to help. There is no excuse for how bad things are. We must all work to make our future brighter.

Thank you President for giving me faith. Now if only we could fund it. Sigh.

I am a teacher in a private school that does not receive any federal funding. Giving children more days of school and a longer school schedule will not improve performance. The children who struggle, in most cases, have problems at home. We need to focus on the family before we focus on the schools. Parents tend to shift the blame to the teachers. Most of the teachers I know care deeply about their students education, but when the basic needs of a child are not met at home he/she struggles in the classroom. Our kids need a father and a mother who love each other and their children. When the basic needs are met at home, the child will succeed.

Who is this guy? He says to students, "Don't even think of dropping out." What's he going to do, beat them up? His deficit spending is only outpaced by the audacity with which he makes every proclamation.

As a teacher (who didn't vote for socialism), unmotivated kids from families that don't place even a moderate value on education are the most difficult - and prevalent - challenge in a classroom.

When my pay depends on the success of the kids from homes that don't support my work, I am being blackmailed, unwittingly, but that is what it adds up to. Regardless of my effort, I will always have families/kids that will affect my level of "merit".

Merit pay will remain a hopeless sham as long as the school is seen as a babysitting entity for the game-system and tv-addicted youth who has no support to succeed, or consequences for failure, at home.

Few students improve in school without some level of regular support in the home - teachers don't succeed in isolation - student motivation (which most often comes from home) is essential to student "success."

Teacher would like to earn more pay.

Teachers would love to get respect.

Unfortunately this goes against what has been engrained into the minds of talk radio listeners.

Sad.

So you cut off the branches of the tree, what are they going to do? Grow back. We need to get at the root of the problem in America. The homes and family life is falling apart. The family is what is under attack right now in America. You solve the family issues, then schools will automatically follow. You can cut off as many branches as you want it doesn't stop them from growing.

given enough attempts, even BO can come within striking distance of a good idea. The real trick is how to implement merit pay. Don't make teachers compete against each other for the merit pay. And then you have to factor in the differences in the socioeconomic backgrounds from whence the pupils come.

Anonymous 11:43, your attack on Utah education would perhaps carry more weight if your grammar, spelling, and punctuation were better. For example, you used "prove" for "proof" in your first paragraph and "what math" rather than "that math" at the end of the second. And all those commas you use are very distracting. Of course, I fat-finger every now and again and fail to adequately proof-read, but if you're going to call someone out for lack of education, please use better grammar.

Uhh, I know that theeeeeee teacher's unions may be upset, buuuuuut not to worry. This iiiiiis just what the uhhhhh teleprompters said. BO probably called the union chiefs aaaaaaand, much like wiiiiiith Canada, NYT, aaaaaaand others, the truth is thaaaaaaat all poor teachers will be promoted aaaaaaas in the past. Aaaaaaand no fear, the rich will pay foooooor all poor children's uh college tuition. Now go turn on MSNBC.

Here is the "Royalty" you ALL voted for!! We get what we sow!!! Classic~

The devils in the details! I get REAL nervous when I hear ANY fed talking about improving LOCAL schools. That's why we have local school boards, sure there are problems with schools, but good speeches won't solve them. "Anonymous" at 11:56 seems to have some great insight into the problem. The solutions need to start in the home, not necessarily the educational institution, but how?

Even a blind mole can find food...

Anything that stands up against the teacher's unions and the NEA has got to be good!

I am a current math teacher. If there is merit pay for teachers then the teachers are going to fight each other to get the best students and to teach the best classes. It already happens, it will just get worse.

Also all these laws are making it harder to be a math, science, and english teacher. The federal tests the students take in these classes are getting harder and harder and this is how the merit pay is determined. Meanwhile the P.E., health, drivers ed, shop, and foods teachers do half the work and have no federal testing and they get paid the same amount of money as us.

Once this merit pay is introduced every teacher will be trying to transfer into these easier classes to teach.

How can merit pay be determined for P.E. teachers? By how much weight the students loose? Will it be a certain amount of money per pound the kid drops?

The best way for the government to spend its money is to help the parents of these kids with their daily living expenses. If the parents had more time to spend with their kids in helping them with their homework and keeping track of what teachers are doing in the classroom, the kids would learn a lot more. When you have to have both parents working all of the time just to provide for the basic needs of the family, there is not a whole lot of time left to invest in their education. This is a very difficult burden for educators to have to overcome, and yes, money will help in getting them better supplies and textbooks, but children need more than just these things to be successful. They need to get satisfaction out of doing something well and without encouragement from home, the teachers can only give them so much. Failure in the home is the biggest problem with our education, not the teachers.