Between the events in Wisconsin, the epidemic unrest in the middle east, and rising fuel prices, there has 
been plenty of news to get upset about...BUT...
The teachers in Wisconsin situation has brought national, if not international attention to the whole topic of TEACHING...
In days gone by, TEACHING was a VOCATION, a PROFESSION...a unique calling requiring special and diverse skills...a heartfelt commitment to EDUCATION...a love of and for children...and a positive outlook on life in general...
Today, teaching has been denigrated to a respectably paid job...not unlike pipefitters, mechanics, social workers, and the like, where wages and benefits are bargained by 3rd party union members...many of which are not even employed by the entities with whom they are bargaining...
Now, before you run off with the idea that I have an extreme dislike for teachers, let me try to dispel that notion...
Of all the professions which I have encountered since early childhood, TEACHERS have had the most profound and the most positive impact on me...IN FACT...
I'll go so far as to say that a good teacher is worth her/his weight in gold...you can't pay a good teacher enough...
The problem lies not only with those who teach but also with those who employ teachers and those who evaluate teachers...AND WITH THOSE WHO FORM TEACHERS...
OTHER TEACHERS...!!!
Self interests in the teaching sector has undermined what teaching is all about...
We need to get back to fundamentals where teachers teach because they are able and capable, not because of bargaining, or tenure, or other self interests...
In my youth I would have been congratulated, encouraged, and supported to write such a post as this...by my admired and dedicated teachers...
TODAY, if one of my kid's teachers would happen to stumble upon this post, it is not unlikely that it would adversely affect that child's relationship in school...
Teachers and Parents need to be on the same page...TEACHERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE EXTENSIONS OF PARENTS...KIND OF COPARTNERS...WITH COMMON GOALS...With PARENTS AS PRIMARY TEACHERS OF THEIR CHILDREN...
In my opinion, those who feel called to a vocation in teaching should take the required courses, take the necessary training and preparation, achieve the required accreditation...BUT THEN...
Go the extra mile by serving a type of APPRENTICESHIP under a well qualified and well proven PROFESSIONAL TEACHER...THEN have the guts to move on to another career if that vocation does not pass the FINAL TEST...!!!
Have a great weekend...!!!
