Originally posted by CX:
before we launch into personal attacks, should we not consider if some teachers do need to reflect on their profession and professionalism?
and if we do call teaching a profession, should it not be bound by its set of professional integrity and code of conduct?
doctors, for one thing, are bound by the hippocratic oath, that above all, "do no harm" ... one wonders if teachers themselves appreciate the responsibilities that they have been entrusted with.
in recent years, one sees a drastic increase in the number of younger teachers for a simple reason: the size of the paycheck which has increased substantially to make it attractive for fresh graduates in these uncertain times.
dodgy individuals totally lacking in integrity and sense of decency are rushing in to sign up because of this... though good people still exist in the profession, there are more and more rotten apples finding their way in.
if u ask me, the paycheck is peanuts if one considers the amount of time that a proper teacher is expected to devote to the profession. i have too much respect for the profession to judge it based on size of the paycheck.
but what are we to think of those who only wanna stay school hours, never put in the extra effort, never go the extra mile, and who basically isn't interested in making a difference or even having an interest in their student's welfare at all???
what are us taxpayers paying for then? 7:30am - 1:30pm teachers??? at a salary about 40% higher than an entry level job in the private sector?
get real... if they're paid so much, the least they can do is give it our money's worth.
Sounds like stories I heard from other nurses where patients demand that they pick up the trash that patients themselves throw because they "paid for the service".
Face it , Singapore , being a country who is touted to be in the ranks of the developed nations , has one of the worst pay rates I ever seen. Teachers, nurses and other workers are paid low wages for the so called low taxes ...in the end the citizen is responsible for himself/herself plus family thrown in . You pay taxes to gain some benefits like health, social support etc but the healthcare system back home reminds me of the american HMO system in its beginnings . Frankly social support of aging parents are thrust upon a child - so what social support? Unions? WHAT UNIONS? NTUC union card is better as a shopping/chalet discount card than a union that looks after the workers' welfare.
Yeah we should all get real and look at what kind of pay the top level have compared to the rockbottom minions.