# Mike Rowe Testifies Before Senate Committee on the Future of Skilled Labor



## ChrWright (Jul 17, 2007)

Saw this on FB, care of Nikki Golden @ NARI National:

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/mike-rowe-senate-testimony.html

Awesome speech.



> *Mike Rowe's Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation*
> _May 11, 2011_
> 
> Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member Hutchison and members of this committee, my name is Mike Rowe, and I want to thank you all very much for the opportunity to testify before you today.
> ...


MORE...


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

That was Awesome Chris! Go Mike Rowe...:clap:
Thanks for posting this. :thumbup:

-Paul


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

A real eye opener. Great post Chris!

http://www.ohiohomedoctorremodeling.com


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## bhock (Feb 17, 2009)

Thanks for posting this Chris.
It is nice to see a celeb face backing up something as important as this.
We have celebs speaking out on hunger, abortion, drugs, gangs, the list goes on,
but untill this I don't think there has ever been a celeb to bring up the point
that skilled trades people are becoming extinct.
Hopefully this gets enough internet time and goes viral to help bring it to 
the attention of everyone in the country.


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## DaVinciRemodel (Oct 7, 2009)

Hey Chris - a great find! I have been a contributing member of his site for about a year now (not very active I must admit) and I agree with everything he says - but there is one thing I don't understand - maybe the members here can help me understand.

If we who get dirty - to do our jobs - are so scarce - why can't we name our own price? In a free market society - we should be sought after and very well paid.

Just some food for thought.

Paul


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## festerized (May 19, 2007)

Yah there was vanilla


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## csv (Aug 18, 2009)

Good speech, good guy


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## carpentershane (Feb 9, 2009)

Thanks Chris! Excellent speech- Good to hear the trades supported and advocated clearly


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## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

DaVinciRemodel said:


> Hey Chris - a great find! I have been a contributing member of his site for about a year now (not very active I must admit) and I agree with everything he says - but there is one thing I don't understand - maybe the members here can help me understand.
> 
> If we who get dirty - to do our jobs - are so scarce - why can't we name our own price? In a free market society - we should be sought after and very well paid.
> 
> ...


Because slick talking pretenders who will half-way hack in the work aren't so rare and customers don't have anyone in their family that knows the difference.


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

I don't know if it's the change in times or the changes in the economy but I think this issue has to do with the fact that there isn't OTJ training anymore. Most times when a company is looking to hire for skilled labor, they want people with 3-5 years experience, a college degree, references, etc.

There was a time when you could walk into any place that was hiring and tell them that you wanted a job. And they'd give you a chance to prove yourself. You basically worked your way up the ranks and remained loyal to your employer until retirement.

There are very few jobs these days that have an apprentice program but then again, there are very few people who want to be an apprentice.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

i remember my first job, i said i could start right then, the boss looked at me like i was stupid,




mike rowe is an excellent spokesman, but ya have to ask yourself if he is in it for the right reasons.

are we his meal ticket etc?

think about how they made houses before? what kind of lumber did they use, look at the style of house that was built back then.

those days are over, no one can afford a house like that now, why would ya need an apprentice to hack pine its cheaper to screw up and do it over then it is to pay a craftsman his wage first ,


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> mike rowe is an excellent spokesman, but ya have to ask yourself if he is in it for the right reasons.


Ouch. As long as he's doing the right thing, who cares what his reasons are?


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## dibs16 (Nov 30, 2010)

Bravo Mike Rowe, Bravo. I think.

Here's a question/thought. In about 15-20 years, when all you old timers are retired, do you think there will be an adequate number of service companies? I would think there would be less companies, however the same amount of work is still around.. thus leading to larger companies, less competition? Would this drive prices up also? I'm cool with that.. as long as I can find employees.

On another note, it's going to take a lot more than Mike Rowe and the Senate to get most of the kids I know off their lazy asses. I have so many friends that are OK with having a boring dead end job, making 10-12 an hours. I've been preaching the trades to all them since I was young but nobody wants to put in a hard days work. I hate it


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## mcrowe305 (May 10, 2011)

wow so true i posed a ad on cl few days a go and so far i recived 1 reply from a man 200 miles away...


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

Very well spoken! :thumbsup: 

Thanks for posting this Chris,


B,


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

I think a national add campaign to shift the image of skilled trades to a more noble choice of profession is a great start.

Changing a culture is more complex than an add campaign though. I agree we do need effort and I applaud Mike Rowe for his insight and his vision. I am on board his train, always have been.

What if you parents of small kids were to limit video game time to a couple hours a week? What if you told your Little League organizers you think its a horrible idea to give trophies for participating? What if you left your kids alone to build a tree fort? How about you point out good craftsmanship with praise the same way we celebrate good athleticism? Make your own list...

This is our job to do. I love that Mike wants to help:thumbup:


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## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

^ I agree. It starts with teaching your children that life is not all fun and games. When I am helping with my kid's LL team I have to be 100% positive even when the kids need negativity.


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

love mike rowe and dirty jobs is one of my favorite shows ever; i've seen almost every episode and it keeps you grounded and entertained, great combination of high and low art.

another great speech he gave, it gets a little deeper, but is awesome:




in a similar vein i encourage everyone to check out this book: 
http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Class-Soulcraft-Inquiry-Value/dp/1594202230


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Gus Dering said:


> I think a national add campaign to shift the image of skilled trades to a more noble choice of profession is a great start.
> 
> Changing a culture is more complex than an add campaign though. I agree we do need effort and I applaud Mike Rowe for his insight and his vision. I am on board his train, always have been.
> 
> ...




I grew up taking care of livestock, farming, the out buildings, tractors etc. I now live in a small town but, I will be damned if my 3 kids don't know what real work is. My oldest girl, 5 has been wanting to help me do everything lately. Wants to know how stuff works and why it works.

She tells everyone that her Daddy can fix anything.

I also know too many people that spent a lot of money and time going to college and could never find a job they wanted.


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## App-ironworks (Sep 9, 2009)

I've been a "tradesman" on his mrW sight for almost 2 years, now. As best as I can tell his motives are relatively "noble". 

He's explained how through the course of Dirty Jobs he's had many eye opening moments about the invisible people (like us) who keep civilized society going. After all when the power is out or sewer is blocked do you need a wall street "power broker" or a qualified electrician or plumber. 

We here would reply, "well duh!", but the fact remains that, in the USA anyway, there are many reasons the skilled trades are taking a beating financially and socially. 

It seems that he's using his "15 minutes" to shine a light on the need for true skilled tradespeople, among other things, to shore up our aging and deteriorating infrastructure, as well as how this is a great opportunity to help climb out of our current economic situation. 

His mission has been summed up as "A P.R. campaign for skilled trades." I see nothing wrong with that since for too long now people who work with their hands have been seen as lacking intelligence, more and more.

This is a deep seeded issue to which there is no magic cure all, but there are many ways that we the people can help. 

Some thoughts are that we should look past our own needs and consider ourselves ambassadors of sorts who can help the future generations see why what we do and how we do it is, indeed, an important part of civilization. And as such maybe it would be good to conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with that role.

There's also the issue of vocational training being considered inferior to college prep in our country's education system. Thankfully there are outfits like "SkillsUSA" who continue to promote the training needed to continue to supply valuable talent that future generations will need to pick up where the old timers left off.

He's also teamed up with an organization called "I make America" who's agenda is to revitalize America's declining manufacturing sector.

While I can not say for sure that he's not seeking any gain from this, my reply would be, "so what." 

How many other people with his celebrity are doing anything at all for the good of skilled trades.

I know one thing, if he were to ever run for public office he'd get my vote, not because of his celebrity but because of his platform. (And he sure would have a hard time doing any worse than our leaders as of late.)

Another good book suggestion is "The Mind at Work, Valuing the Intelligence of the American worker" by Mike Rose (not Rowe).


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## CookeCarpentry (Feb 26, 2009)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> i remember my first job, i said i could start right then, the boss looked at me like i was stupid,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Let's say he is in it for a completely selfish cause - like continued funding on his show - even though I think he comes across genuine and is probably that way in real life.

What harm could be done to the skilled trades by him being selfish about it? Continued awareness of "dirty jobs"/skilled trades? It's a win-win, even in the worse-case-scenario situation.

I think what he is doing is admirable, worthy, "noble", and something that more folks in a position of influence should get behind.

But what do I know...I'm just a dumb carpenter....:laughing:


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## MilwaukeeMike (Feb 15, 2011)

*Shop Class IS Soul Craft...imho*

I'm 33 and I worked, for years, in a few office jobs, making pretty good money. The most recent was selling imported "luxury" food products, Extra Virgen Olive Oil mostly, to 3,4 & 5 star restaurants in NYC, Boston, D.C., & Connecticut and I was good at it. I did construction & Handyman work on the side & on weekends. After about 3-4 years I found that with the trades came a certain pride & sense that I was ACTUALLY doing something as opposed to just smiling, using buzz words & "selling" goods. One day I realized that something was wrong, the corporate jobs, in many cases, offer ridiculous salaries, an array of benefits & none of the "danger" found in the trades, for far less "work". I thought "wow, does society have it ass backwards or what?". So I took a couple of trade school classes to round out what I'd already learned and recently started my own company. If my belief that with real passion we strive, won't faulter & will be successful, I should in 5 years make 5 times what I made before & BE HAPPY doing it WOW! My good friend & semi-partener is a chemical engineer & has worked an office gig for almost 20 years & has realized how unhappy he is in that field & despite his 100k+ salary & full benefits he's starting to feel the same way I did about the work that WE do & may soon follow suit & hopefully work with or for me on bigger projects in the future. Point is, office jobs, imo, can be "fruitless, monotonous, soul sapping, drudgery", but a trade, almost any trade, really allow us to get our creative juices flowing & surprise us, in good ways & bad, almost every day. The trades may take their toll on our bodies but my MIND & SOUL are more important. :thumbsup:


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

DaVinciRemodel said:


> Hey Chris - a great find! I have been a contributing member of his site for about a year now (not very active I must admit) and I agree with everything he says - but there is one thing I don't understand - maybe the members here can help me understand.
> 
> *If we who get dirty - to do our jobs - are so scarce - why can't we name our own price? In a free market society - we should be sought after and very well paid.
> *
> ...


Because, unfortunately, _we_ are some of our own worst enemies. The vast majority of tradesmen have a Wal-Mart mentality when it comes to pricing and marketing. They don't attempt to provide more service or become higher skilled, in order to charge _more_, but do the opposite and strictly attempt to cut the throat of the man down the road and do it for _less_.

That is the biggest mind boggler I've seen in the trades (to me). I have always had the attitude that I want to be better than most, more educated, more equipped, higher skilled - to make more. 

It seems as though most are in a race to the bottom however  It's just like what is going on now with the economy the way it is. Guys in the trades are doing work for next to nothing. Why? Their response more times than not is "well it's work, and some work for cheap is better than no work". Not really. If it's not profitable why do it? 

I mean hell, you can get a job at a box store for more money than what a lot of the guys in FL are willing to work for. At least then you have workman's comp and unemployment benefits. The crazy thing is, is they don't even see how undercutting everybody kills the market for all of us. 

I saw a big outfit come into the flooring business down here many years ago and basically run everybody out of the new construction end of the market - simply by being cheaper. Now they are _charging_ less than we were _making_ as subs 15 years ago....and I heard one of their management level people complaining the other day that there is literally no money in base grade flooring anymore, they only profit on upgrades. Well no  You did it to yourself. 15 years ago base grade stuff was quite profitable...


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## olligator (Nov 23, 2007)

Thank you Precision, I feel the same way about some of our own being our own worst enemies.


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Well said!! I just posted that on the local school facebook page pertaining to the budget and proposed cuts. Society pushing for cuts in education just to protect their wallet! This leads to cuts or elimination of shop classes and Vocational schools. Without these classes how are our youths going to know what profession they may want before spending thousands of dollars on college?


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## Stephen H (Feb 18, 2011)

I don't have as much time to write about this, this morning,as Ihave 3 estimates to go on before noon-----

however

I don't see skilled trades as dead- I see them as enjoying a resurgence-a LUCRATIVE resurgence- but not entirely mainstream.
I read 2 newspapers dailey-and believe me- there isn't a week that goes buy where I don't read several articles about small wineries opening, micro breweries opening, artisinal cheesemakers, small bakeries, old school meat cutting and charcuterie, fiber artists, organic market gardening etc.

there are PLENTy of people out there interested in hands own production of things- but they aren't mainstream

Neither the customers OR the workers are mainstream

I have 2 young men working with me- one is my son-and the other is a friend of the family( our families are close)- my son has a 4 year degree from college- and the family friend has a 2 year degree from another college-- NEITHER young man has ever attended a public school-and they both have always tested in the uper 2-3 % of their class in every standardized test- but neither has been able to get a job in their major.

BOTH of these young men have been stunned to learn about the kind of money available in this trade- even my son who kind of grew up in it-
but as kids- they just didn't pay attention where the money was coming from to send them to private schools, LOL.

So- there ARE young men out there who will do dirty,dangerous, sweaty, skilled work- when they find out the lucrative nature of it-and the incredible versatility and freedom that comes with it.

All of our work is carpentry and roofing related- slate repair and restoration, tile roof repair and restoration, cornice work etc.

a lot of the materials we use were quarried or manufactured GENERATIONS ago!- I have some tiles going up on a job on monday that were manufactured in 1904, after that we will be working on a slate roof dating to 1925 and so on. the job we finished on Thursday-was a slate project on a house which is featured in a parade of homes designer kitchens this weekend- one of the gentlemen who owns the house designed and built the kitchen complete with producing his own hand made ceramic tiles work etc.------------

yes- if we were slamming out 3 tab shingle roofs in a new allotment somewhere- we would make little money and have even less respect------ but when a customer needs his 1904 tile roof repaired and matched perfectly- it's a different matter.

If you want young people involved in your trade- look for young people that are involved in music or art or rock climbing, or bicycle racing or whitewater kayacking- people that are a little counterculture- who think differently than their age group peers- they might have to cover up a few tat's or piercings on the job site- but they might well be EXCELLENT workers.

got to run,
Best wishes all
stephen


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## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

He is right.

In high school I had the option to take a vocation (BOCES) for my last two years, half of the day every day.

Myself and a friend really wanted to try our hand at the Auto Body program and I went to my guidance counselor to sign up. She looked at me like I was an idiot.

I did quite well in high school, my test scores were very high, but I hated the actual school part, and never did homework, which plummeted my total grade. The counselor told me things like "But your so smart, you just need to apply yourself more" and "Don't short change your potential"

She had no idea that learning a trade required just as much work, and thought it was more of a way out for kids who weren't to bright. And it shouldn't be that way.

Then a few years ago I had the pleasure of doing a small addition with an old time carpenter and saw just how smart the guy was. It was pretty tricky, tying into existing rafters and balloon framing but he had it all figured out in an hour or so, never had to write down a measurement and remembered every single one of them. I felt very stupid while working with this guy that never graduated high school.

I'm not much of a carpenter still, but there is lots of pride in doing a job that is tangible, and often times, required for a people to continue living in their house, even though they almost always never remember it.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

woodchuck2 said:


> Well said!! I just posted that on the local school facebook page pertaining to the budget and proposed cuts. Society pushing for cuts in education just to protect their wallet! This leads to cuts or elimination of shop classes and Vocational schools. Without these classes how are our youths going to know what profession they may want before spending thousands of dollars on college?


First time I'll have to disagree with you woodchuck......

Cuts are to protect our kids and grandkids wallets. WE spent too much on administration in schools, IMO. Public employees need to _know their role_ every once in awhile. These are grown ups who just don't understand what *broke* really means.

Shop classes and such were eliminated directly and indirectly in Title IX.


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## csv (Aug 18, 2009)

sitdwnandhngon said:


> He is right.
> 
> In high school I had the option to take a vocation (BOCES) for my last two years, half of the day every day.
> 
> ...


Thats pretty much how my guidance counselors were too. Teachers and other staff also. I got more out of the vocational classes than most other classes.

Wanting to work with your hands shouldn't be looked down, not only are you using your hands but you also use your mind.


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

ChrWright said:


> Saw this on FB, care of Nikki Golden @ NARI National:
> 
> http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/mike-rowe-senate-testimony.html
> 
> ...



thank you for putting this up, hes right though, when i tell people i don't want to got to univeristy or college they look at me like i have 15 heads, ok you go lets see who gets a job first. lets see who has less debt. He put it very well.:clap::clap::clap:


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## PlumbersSanJose (Apr 16, 2011)

Great post, we love mike rowe around here.


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## rosethornva (Aug 15, 2010)

csv said:


> Thats pretty much how my guidance counselors were too. Teachers and other staff also. I got more out of the vocational classes than most other classes.
> 
> Wanting to work with your hands shouldn't be looked down, not only are you using your hands but you also use your mind.


I went to a vocational school (high school) and took two years of auto tech (three-hour per day classes) and if I was queen of the world (and it shouldn't be long now), I'd make it a requirement that every boy and girl in American take that two-year course. It was far and away the VERY BEST class I ever took. 

Taught me SO much about the foundational principles of all mechanical/electrical systems. Plus, I know how to fix my own car. 

That video was fantastic, and I believe that Mike Rowe was 100% honest and authentic and sincere. 

I had a father-in-law that sounds like Rowe's grandfather. He could fix/build/restore/repair anything. ANYTHING.

I fear that people like that are a dying breed. 

Rose


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

MJW said:


> First time I'll have to disagree with you woodchuck......
> 
> Cuts are to protect our kids and grandkids wallets. WE spent too much on administration in schools, IMO. Public employees need to _know their role_ every once in awhile. These are grown ups who just don't understand what *broke* really means.
> 
> Shop classes and such were eliminated directly and indirectly in Title IX.



Perhaps you should read this. It may open your eyes a little

WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, “It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!” No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition. 

And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources. 

Compare this with our approach to our military: when results on the ground are not what we hoped, we think of ways to better support soldiers. We try to give them better tools, better weapons, better protection, better training. And when recruiting is down, we offer incentives. 

We have a rare chance now, with many teachers near retirement, to prove we’re serious about education. The first step is to make the teaching profession more attractive to college graduates. This will take some doing. 

At the moment, the average teacher’s pay is on par with that of a toll taker or bartender. Teachers make 14 percent less than professionals in other occupations that require similar levels of education. In real terms, teachers’ salaries have declined for 30 years. The average starting salary is $39,000; the average ending salary — after 25 years in the profession — is $67,000. This prices teachers out of home ownership in 32 metropolitan areas, and makes raising a family on one salary near impossible. 

So how do teachers cope? Sixty-two percent work outside the classroom to make ends meet. For Erik Benner, an award-winning history teacher in Keller, Tex., money has been a constant struggle. He has two children, and for 15 years has been unable to support them on his salary. Every weekday, he goes directly from Trinity Springs Middle School to drive a forklift at Floor and Décor. He works until 11 every night, then gets up and starts all over again. Does this look like “A Plan,” either on the state or federal level? 

We’ve been working with public school teachers for 10 years; every spring, we see many of the best teachers leave the profession. They’re mowed down by the long hours, low pay, the lack of support and respect. 

Imagine a novice teacher, thrown into an urban school, told to teach five classes a day, with up to 40 students each. At the year’s end, if test scores haven’t risen enough, he or she is called a bad teacher. For college graduates who have other options, this kind of pressure, for such low pay, doesn’t make much sense. So every year 20 percent of teachers in urban districts quit. Nationwide, 46 percent of teachers quit before their fifth year. The turnover costs the United States $7.34 billion yearly. The effect within schools — especially those in urban communities where turnover is highest — is devastating. 

But we can reverse course. In the next 10 years, over half of the nation’s nearly 3.2 million public school teachers will become eligible for retirement. Who will replace them? How do we attract and keep the best minds in the profession? 

People talk about accountability, measurements, tenure, test scores and pay for performance. These questions are worthy of debate, but are secondary to recruiting and training teachers and treating them fairly. There is no silver bullet that will fix every last school in America, but until we solve the problem of teacher turnover, we don’t have a chance. 

Can we do better? Can we generate “A Plan”? Of course. 

The consulting firm McKinsey recently examined how we might attract and retain a talented teaching force. The study compared the treatment of teachers here and in the three countries that perform best on standardized tests: Finland, Singapore and South Korea. 

Turns out these countries have an entirely different approach to the profession. First, the governments in these countries recruit top graduates to the profession. (We don’t.) In Finland and Singapore they pay for training. (We don’t.) In terms of purchasing power, South Korea pays teachers on average 250 percent of what we do. 

And most of all, they trust their teachers. They are rightly seen as the solution, not the problem, and when improvement is needed, the school receives support and development, not punishment. Accordingly, turnover in these countries is startlingly low: In South Korea, it’s 1 percent per year. In Finland, it’s 2 percent. In Singapore, 3 percent. 

McKinsey polled 900 top-tier American college students and found that 68 percent would consider teaching if salaries started at $65,000 and rose to a minimum of $150,000. Could we do this? If we’re committed to “winning the future,” we should. If any administration is capable of tackling this, it’s the current one. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan understand the centrality of teachers and have said that improving our education system begins and ends with great teachers. But world-class education costs money. 

For those who say, “How do we pay for this?” — well, how are we paying for three concurrent wars? How did we pay for the interstate highway system? Or the bailout of the savings and loans in 1989 and that of the investment banks in 2008? How did we pay for the equally ambitious project of sending Americans to the moon? We had the vision and we had the will and we found a way. 

Dave Eggers and Nínive Clements Calegari are founders of the 826 National tutoring centers and producers of the documentary “American Teacher.”


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

I very much like Mike Rowe and what he does, IMO he is showing us that there is a decline in the work force out there, a decline in those who are willing to get dirty and make things happen. I also firmly believe it starts in the schools where vocational schools are frowned upon and are for the "stupid". So is it stupid of someone to get a taste of a career before signing up to a $25-$40k student loan only in the end to working another field? Why is everyone so down on teachers salaries? Both my ex-wife and my current girlfriend are teachers. Both spent over $50k in education. With school budget cutbacks and hiring freezes my girlfriend gave up on teaching and is now a drug/alcohol counselor and is finishing her masters degree to be a master social worker. So in the end she will have 2 masters degree's making around $40k a year, yet my dumb a55 with no education on paper is making anywhere from $50-$70k a yr. 

So is it ok to charge what we feel is needed in our field of work to make a profit yet cut back education because the teacher is trying to make a profit? You will most likely find janitors making almost as much as the teacher, what are they doing for your childs future?


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

BCConstruction said:


> Perhaps you should read this. It may open your eyes a little
> 
> WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, “It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!” No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition.
> 
> ...


Oh lord, I think I'll just let that one go.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

woodchuck2 said:


> You will most likely find janitors making almost as much as the teacher, what are they doing for your childs future?


Ask the Union.....

The schools, the way they are run right now will NEVER have enough $$$$.

My niece is going to be a teacher. She understands upfront what will be expected of her and what she will be compensated. She is doing it because it is what she loves to do. 

Look up Chris Christie on youtube and watch what these people try to pull over on us and how he handled it.......turned out pretty good, IMO.

BTW, I commend what your GF is doing. She is standing on her own two feet and not begging the public and/or unions. Good for her, bettering herself for her own good. :thumbsup:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

woodchuck2 said:


> I very much like Mike Rowe and what he does, IMO he is showing us that there is a decline in the work force out there, a decline in those who are willing to get dirty and make things happen. I also firmly believe it starts in the schools where vocational schools are frowned upon and are for the "stupid". So is it stupid of someone to get a taste of a career before signing up to a $25-$40k student loan only in the end to working another field? Why is everyone so down on teachers salaries? Both my ex-wife and my current girlfriend are teachers. Both spent over $50k in education. With school budget cutbacks and hiring freezes my girlfriend gave up on teaching and is now a drug/alcohol counselor and is finishing her masters degree to be a master social worker. So in the end she will have 2 masters degree's making around $40k a year, yet my dumb a55 with no education on paper is making anywhere from $50-$70k a yr.
> 
> So is it ok to charge what we feel is needed in our field of work to make a profit yet cut back education because the teacher is trying to make a profit? You will most likely find janitors making almost as much as the teacher, what are they doing for your childs future?


Janitors do make as much as these teachers. My wife spent well over $80+k in on her education to be a child psychologist and she is earning around $52k a year which is much much more than the teachers earn and the only reason she does it for that money is because she loves working with kids. $52k a year may sound a lot but after all her deductions she aint left with much and the worse bit about it is she works more than 60+ hours a week. She has to bring work home with her and do it in her own time because they keep laying off more and more psychologist and she has less than 2 weeks vacation a year because she also has to work through school holidays.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

MJW said:


> Oh lord, I think I'll just let that one go.


No go on reply to it. Im interested in how you see the failing US education system as so great.


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

Public school teachers suck. :laughing:


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## oldrivers (May 6, 2007)

you forget that teachers only work 7 months out of the year and have about 200 days off during the school year . believe me i dont enjoy blasting teachers but my parents wich are in their 70s have to babysit my sisters kids all the time cause there are so many days off for crap. 

yeah i know im going to get burned at the stake for this post but fawk as a subcontractor ive had maybe 3 sick days in the last 4 years . how many do govt workers and teachers get ? plue were spending 11,000 - 15,000 a year on a kids education. allow more competition if you want better results instead of no competition.


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