What Sandy Hook taught us about teachers

Link to original post by Chan Lowe (click here)

The cartoonist Chan Lowe created this image and wrote the following: "As the nation wades into parallel and interconnected discussions about gun rights, mental illness and the culture of violence in this country, we should also be considering a topic no less related to the Connecticut school tragedy: Are we doing right by our teachers?

Never has the dedication of the people who practice the teaching profession been spotlighted in the way it has over the past few days. We were shown, in dramatic terms, to what lengths teachers are willing to go to fulfill the crucial mandate they have been given: the education and welfare of the most precious members of our society. Yet they are so often treated with disdain.

Teaching is a calling. Not everyone has the will or the stamina to do it well. It takes love, pride, and an almost sacred commitment that can't be explained in words. In America, teachers have traditionally been underpaid, because in America's early communities, "schoolmarms" were always spinsters who were not expected to support families.

In other countries, the teaching profession is considered so noble that it is well paid in comparison to many other professions, as it should be. In this country, politicians—acting as proxies for taxpayers—haggle with, lowball, denigrate and harass teachers as if their demands for job security and decent pay are unreasonable and selfish.

A teacher invests in the future, student by student, and his or her legacy consists of the product of those students' fertile minds. Occasionally, teachers are even called upon to throw themselves into harm's way to protect the lives of their charges as if they were their own children—and last week six of them demonstrated most profoundly that they do not shrink from the task. About this, no one can argue.

So, who deserves to be paid more, and what does the reality tell us about our priorities?"

Some insight into Kuwait...

Gives some good insight into some of the issues specific to Kuwait, one of my former students is in this video, and also some street scenes were filmed right down the street from my apartment!  Check it out!!!

Call for wage rises in Kuwait

www.bbc.co.uk

Flights at Kuwait's national airline were grounded last week after workers went on strike calling for better pay and working conditions.

That was despite the government raising public-sector wages by 25% the week before - a move that union leaders said was not generous enough.

It is estimated that around 85% of Kuwait's oil revenues are now spent on salaries.

But is raising wages really sustainable in the long-run?

Howard Johnson reports.

The Future is NOW!

This still has a few bugs that make this girl say some crazy stuff, but it is pretty cool already!  Click here to talk to the future!