QEA~on topic

[No friction dancing.]

If we want to have a schoolwide meeting, we need all of the student government involved in this. I don't know what you all can do, but I think it'd be trick if the class officers and the administration had class-by-class meetings. Obviously the seventh graders aren't going to care if teachers write letters of recommendation or not, but maybe they have concerns about something else. If we have smaller meetings with just the members of one class, each person will have more time to talk, and so they'll be more satisfied or whatever. Of course it'll also mean more work for each class, so I'm not going to tell you what is right for your class.

[QED]

I have copied over the relevant posts from the old thread, and cropped the text on hats. I have not altered the actual content of any of the posts except to delete paragraphs unrelated to the topic. If ANYONE, and I mean this, has any objections to anything that I have done with this post, please pm me and I will fix it immediately. I do not want to be accused of censorship or misquoting, so please, bring any concerns to me.

-QED

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Jesus HowardDean Christ
Site Moderator
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Every view expressed in the following statement is not necessarily the view of QHF.

The Quaboag Educators' Association is a union of teachers that fights for the interests of teachers.

I believe that teachers ought to be paid more. The state's method of determining this goes:

Teachers do good job -> kids get good MCAS scores -> teachers get higher salaries

We have the lowest teacher salaries in Worcester County.

The QEA has decided that to get better wages, through a contract re-negotiation, they simply shouldn't try as hard. This has meant not doing work outside the confines of their contract, such as working after 2:13, meaning writing letters of recommendation. So many seniors, dependent on this to get into college, are left high and dry. The QEA's plan goes:

Teachers do sub-par job -> Students Complain to parents -> parents complain to school board -> school board concedes to contract re-negotiations -> teachers do their job better -> quaboag students get better MCAS scores

Personally, I don't know if any Quaboag teachers have refused to write letters of recommendation, but I do know that teachers under the same circumstances in ware did the same thing. It should be expected that this method will yield the same results, the students bearing the brunt of the abuse.

As always, teachers may try to spread their liberal agenda (I apologize) to their students. How can they claim that it is in your best interest? If an EMT wants a pay raise they don't stop giving CPR.

It is important to note that some teachers have not fallen into line and will not be cutting back on their effort, they deserve raises.

Also noteworthy: The state requires a student complete 180 6 hour days. Nothing after 2:13 is in my contract either. If a teacher denies you a letter of recommendation yet assigns you homework what does that say to you? Is your time less valuable than theirs?

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This QEA strategy of effing the students over crosses the line between a personal annoyance to injustice.

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Advertar
Student Council Officer
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"If an EMT wants a pay raise they don't stop giving CPR."

You bring up a valid point. And why is it that all our lives we've been taught that if you have a problem, you're supposed to sit down and talk things out, and come up with a solution? But instead of leading by example, everyone is just bickering.

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Advertar
Student Council Officer
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Do you people even know about what the QEA is looking to get? A pay raise is only part of it. They're also fighting against having random drug tests and stuff like that. All of that stuff goes into the contract. As a Libertarian, I can't imagine that you're in favor of stuff like that. Check the facts before you make a statement.

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bs060306
New Member
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I understand that the QEA is having serious problems with the school board, but how is the action of wearing pins, the audience of which is students, going to help to fix the problem? By wearing the pins for all students so see, teachers are only making the problem worse. Students are asking teachers why they're wearing the pins, and teachers either beat around the bush or say too much. "QEA Unity" = a school divided.

I don't appreciate that teachers are showcasing the conflict to students, but then are hiding the issue. The issue should not be affecting students, but it obviously is. The students should either be told what's going on, or the teachers need to stop bringing the issue in to the school. As far as teachers not doing rec. letters becuse of the conflict, they are not explicitly saying that they are refusing to write letters, but when a teachers takes a month to do a letter or simply does not do one at all, a student aware of the QEA conflict is going to think that the teacher is avoiding the rec. letter on purpose.

Would the teachers rather that the information, possible false information, leak out via overheard conversations and rumors, or would they prefer to just let everyone know what's going on?

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Advertar
Student Council Officer
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We should have a schoolwide meeting to talk about the whole thing, don't you think? That way the teachers and the administration can tell everybody what is going on. If kids don't know what QEA is, and they don't know why the teachers are wearing pins, there's a lack of communication somewhere. Have a discussion, and let the students ask questions. I bet that there's a lot of people who have questions/thoughts/concerns about the whole deal, especially stuff that affects them, like letters of recommendation. If all you all support the idea of having a schoolwide meeting/discussion, I can probably do it up, with the help of the class officers and everybody...

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bs060306
New Member
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A schoolwide meeting sounds like a great idea. I think that Ms.Bacon is president of the QEA, maybe she should be the first one you talk to?

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Jesus HowardDean Christ
Site Moderator
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whoa, i haven't read this in a while. Let me clarify. I support the QEA's causes. The example one of salary is just an example. I do, however, disagree with their methods.

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2 additional posts on hats

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[Shep]

Just in case the readers of this forum were unaware of this fact, I believe that it is illegal for the teachers to strike. They protest to the press (and good luck with that, considering how Ellery usually spins stories on the school in the T&G), and they will be criticized. Say anything to the students, and they will be criticized. The buttons are the most passive and least offensive method they have to protest. I agree that it makes things uncomfortable, but come up with a better idea before you bash them too much.

[No friction dancing.]

Yeah, the whole pin situation is AWK, but it's true that the teachers can't strike. What are they going to do, just cancel school until they get a new contract? I think that there's some rule that says if you work for the state, you can't strike. Like if you have a 403(B) or something like that.

[No friction dancing.]

And speaking of our good friend J.P. Ellery, did anybody see the article about school choice that was in the paper today? It didn't even mention the hard work that students put in to stuff like the shadowing program. Any local media will either not report the contract thing, or misconstrue it. I think that the contract negotiations should be between the Quaboag staff, and the less people involved the better. But I don't know how realistic that is...

[Jesus]

He speaks the truth, Cops, teachers and Mitt Romney can't strike. If I were a teacher I would quit, I couldn't possibly deal with people like me or even worse, gary. I truely respect them for it.

I don't know what happened to me either.