Why Do Liberals Go Into The Teaching Profession?

Question

Successful, risk taking people, don't work for non-profit institutions.

Do liberals go into teaching to fill the minds of young people with their liberal ideas? Or maybe it is because they know that it is the only place where they can get job security? They know they would get fired in any real job because they would start promoting their socialistic agendas.

Liberal teachers' use of tenure creates a lifetime of job security. They are against any capitalistic way of dealing with bad employees. California's teachers' union even spent millions of dollars campaigning against Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's ballot measure that would have made it easier to fire bad teachers.

Liberal teachers tend to hire only liberal teachers. That ensures that schools and universities remain liberal.

1) In the early 1990's, California teachers' unions used union dues to campaign against requiring English to be the only language used in schools.

2)
a)To fight making it easier to fire bad teacher, "the teachers union voted over the weekend to assess a one-time $60 increase on member dues to raise as much as $50 million to fight the governor's initiatives." (U.S.A Today 6/14/2005)
b) "The union of 335000 public school teachers assessed members an additional $60 per year for three years to fund the coming campaign". (San Francisco Chronicle, "Union political spending under fire / Prop. 75")

c) After the election, "Teachers union president slams Schwarzenegger over `core values'", (San Jose Mercury Feb 26, 2006) . She said that even after she approved of spending millions in union money to campaign against a bill that would make it easier to fire bad teachers. She obvious is proving she cares more about job security for bad teachers than what is best for the children of California.

According to the L.A. Times (Sep 29, 2005):
3) In 2000, California's teachers' union spent over $20 million dollars campaigning against a ballot school voucher initiative. That initiative would give parents a choice between sending their kids to private schools and public schools.
4) "The union also dedicated more than $9 million to successfully persuading voters to approve two statewide school construction bonds worth a combined $25 billion"

5) "Since 2000, the union has spent $10 million to support local bond issues, school board candidates and contenders for the state Legislature, where, records show, proposals that the association dislikes rarely become law. "
6) "[California teachers'union] is never going to fall off the fence on the side of kids if they see any potential for the almighty dollar to go to teachers' salaries and benefits.", said Jim Aschwanden, a former union member
7) California teachers'union spent $2.4 million to campaign for a bill that would make it easier to raise taxes by California's legislature. The union promoted a bill that would require only 55% approval to raise taxes, instead of the current 75% approval which would make it easier to fund teachers "pork" projects.

Answer 1

To "mould the minds of the next generation."

ie: captive indoctrination subjects.

Answer 2

I guess it all comes down to whether or not you think teachers benefit society. I would assume that most people care about the education their children are receiving, and I think that would go across political parties. And let's face it, most people don't want to be treated like dirt, working hard to provide a good service while getting little support from the community and a miserable paycheck. If you want to attract good educators (or any teachers for that matter), you have to show some appreciation for them to want to work at your school. Besides all that, teachers already make squat. It never was a lucrative profession. You'll be sadly mistaken if you go into teaching for the next flat screen and brand new car!

Answer 3

They go in for the retirement package! The position offers an opportunity for Social engineering as well. Teaching the kids maybe in there somewhere, but since there is no discipline in schools any more they can't teach the kids anyway.

I may have a jaded opinion on the subject, growing up I mainly had instructors. I define an instructor as one that wants regurgitation & volume not thinking. Regurgitation is fast & easy to grade; it doesn’t require thought for either the student or the instructor. Names, dates, & places are easy to rattle off, but tells nothing about why they did it, nor the consequences. They don't ask questions like: Why did the American Revolution work while the French Revolution failed the people, or Why did Napoleon attack Russia?

For many students it also held little value. That maybe why one teacher would only accept the answer, I don't care when a student attempted to say I don't know on the TV show "Touched by an Angel". He felt the student didn't care enough to discover the answer when it came to his other choices on how to spend his time.

Answer 4

Don't get caught up in the Liberal vs. Conservative argument. It's a political ploy. The old divide and conquer. I know you have your opinon and you are entitled to it, but when it comes to gov. officials there is no such thing as a democrat or republican. They are one in the same-they just spout different ideologies for the masses.

There are plenty of conservatives in the teaching profession-they are concentrated mostly in affluent areas and at affluent institutions of higher learning.

I have 4 family members who are teachers and their political views are diverse. But one thing they agree upon is that they are forced to teach to tests and not able to teach for learning. Furthermore, you can't blame a teacher for a child not learning when the parents aren't reinforcing what the teacher teaches. These are OUR children. Why are we just dropping them off and not being responsible and participating in the learning process WITH our children? The child whose parent attends parent/teacher conferences, helps their child with homework, and communicates regularly with the teacher will most likely succeed. Teachers naturally gravitate toward these students because there is a direct reward for their efforts-they see the child progress.

As far as 'promoting their socialistic agendas' goes-fire fighters, police, the military, AND the government are all socialistic institutions. Otherwise, if you called the cops and you didn't have money to pay them, they wouldn't show up. Same with firemen, and the military. If they were purely capitalistic entities, you probably wouldn't be able to afford them. Unless you're one of the top 1% of this country that controls 90% of this nation's wealth, I suggest you re think your belief about social systems. They are NECESSARY for the good of the people. Privatize all of it and watch how most of us will be without the services of the police, fire dept., parks and recreation, public transportation, public schools, vector control...I think you get the picture.

Lastly, your first comment is incorrect. All politicians work for the government-which is a non-profit institution. If it wasn't for the relationship that private industry has with government, the pharmaceutical industry, the health-care industry, military contractors, the airline industry and many more wouldn't be as successful as they are. Lobbyist bribe and buy politicians like we buy beer. And after they've served private industry over the public, they get 7-figure jobs with the same companies that they passed legislation to make rich.

Do the research and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Answer 5

You are kidding right? There isn't a more competitive field than teachers in the US. You make it sound like this is a job where people can easily get a tenure. That is nuts. A person has to dedicate all of their free time for a decade to become a teacher and half of their free time after that. They are constantly required to do more and more work in different areas without pay to keep their jobs and they work for pay that is rediculously low for the amount of hours they put in.

They could get more money for their time by working one full time and one part time minimum wage jobs at the same time.

Answer 6

I wouldn't paint all teachers with the same brush, I've had some good ones over the years. That being said however, I do think that the Teacher's unions make them all look bad. They scream that they need more money to better the educational system, but then won't make it easier for us to get rid of the bad apples.

My high school had an English teacher that had literally been institutionalized twice for psychiatric problems and would go from 20 minute rants about Walden Pond to screaming about American Imperialism (mind you, this was an ENGLISH class). All of the parents complained, she was failing students who disagreed with her warped philosophy, but the Teacher's union backed her up without a second thought over and over again. Then they wonder why no one takes them seriously.

Answer 7

I work with the school system and I know if I spoke my mind I would be looking for another job, There are 4 people in our school that are not liberals,(thats about 5%) and none of us are teachers. To make it in the profession I think you have to go with the flow of liberalism. That is why college is so hard on non liberals, you have to tell the professors what they want to hear.I am working on my education degree and have had to write papers that are against what I believe, but were what I was taught in the class. The minds of children are really being controlled by liberals, soon our kids will just repeat what they heard.Politics should not be taught unless it is done without bias. You know teachers hate the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, from teachers themselves they have said out loud "because it makes too much work for me". Boo hoo lets cry for them when they have the best job security in the nation!

Answer 8

Just what is your definition of successful risk taking people?

Have you ever been shot or stabbed, beat up with a base ball bat..all because you were trying to help someone?

Those are risks I took willingly every single day for over twelve years..and I never once worked for a 'for profit' organization.

So before you start dumping on a profession you have no experience in, please do yourself and everyone else, a favour. Find out what it's all about..then form your opinion.

Answer 9

How else can they reach those who are not liberals to try to get them to be like them? Can expect much from pea brain liberals doing the damage they do because they don't know how to do what is right anyhow.

Answer 10

Most of the schoolteachers I know are Republican. One even worked on Bob Dole's Presidential Campaign over a decade ago.

Answer 11

My 2 daughters Have Masters Degrees and are both Teachers and Republicans.
I am very proud of them. It is the most noble profession.
Sorry to bust up the stereotype.