Michigan Votes Forum

This is un-American. How can we call ourselves a democracy if this passes. 

 If?  They've already passed it.  And the joke's on us.  There is no budget crisis.  They manufactured it in order to carry out their agenda to privatize, deregulate and slash public-interest spending.  Snyder's budget, dollar for dollar, transfers the tax burden from businesses to the people.  Recall Snyder.  Get out in the street.  Tell your children to walk out of their classrooms tomorrow (Friday) at 2:00 p.m. -- they can't be fired for standing up for themselves, unlike public workers.

 Unfortuante as it is, Detroit Public Schools have put themselves in this situation.  Everyday I see the ruin and educational malpractice of high-risk students.  Teachers who are severly ill-equipped to effectively educate students.  Teachers who hit, curse and sit down on the job.  teachers who throw students out of the classroom if they talk, toss paper or annoy the teacher in any way.  Teachers who hold grudges and carry out personal vendettas on students they dislike.  THIS TREATMENT OF OUR CHILDREN IS UNTHINKABLE AND TEACHERS SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY.  Collective bargining units protect these individuals.  Some teachers will tell the administrator what they will and won't do on the job.  In any other business, this would not be tolerated at all.  I am not estatic about this bill, but in my world, it is essential and extremely necessary for our children! `

.... and the really cool things is we get no say.  How long do they stay in power? How much do they get paid? (NO limit per the republicans votes) Is  there any recourse to their decision? Why did they  limit our ability to vote on the decision i.e. no petitions for a statewide ballot.  Isn't this how dictators started.  Yep! Sounds  like the republicans really are looking out for the middle class.

For once in their lives, I wish Republicans would develop a conscience and start thinking about "the people" and not the corporations that have bought them.  They will, however, reap what they sow in coming months and we will see the result of attempted dictatorial decisions.  We do not have adequate representation for the middle class in our legislature and that needs to change, NOW!

Not every teacher in the Detroit Public School district fits the description you discuss.  Many of us would appreciate parents doing their job as parents in preparing their children to be educated by teaching them a few basics:  courtesy, discipline, respect for authority, and have their little brains primed to learn.  When parents do their job, we can do ours.  What happens in Detroit schools, for the most part, is that teachers become the nurturers, the disciplinarians, the parent, the counselor, the confidant, the snack-giver, the shoulder- to- cry- on, the bookstore keeper (actuallay we spend far too much of our personal money to help these children succeed when their parents won't purchase their supplies), and once we have done all this, we may get to teach a thing or two.  One or two teachers (like one bad apple) can create a negative impression of most of us, but please keep disparaging remarks about all teachers to yourself.  This bill and none of the others either considered or already determined address the needs of Detroit Public Schools since they have not taken into consideration the population of children we teach and the unrealistic dictates in an attempt to make AYP for children who function below grade level, in some cases, as much as three-to-four grade levels behind.  This is not the teacher's fault, but the responsibility of the parents who chose not to read to their child, get involved with their child's education, reinforce homework with their child, or care about the child's needs in general.  Think about both sides of the coin before you belittle us all.