Michelle Obama: Teachers Are Key to a Successful Economy

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Great Article! Thank you First Lady for saying what needed to be said.

A.Alexander Ball of MD 12:50PM September 13, 2011

Sasquatch says teachers are the key, yet she and Obozo support teacher's unions that are concerned about every aspect of teaching except the students.

DD of VA 7:46PM February 02, 2011

I agree Madame presidente michelle Obama, is exactely the problem we got in europa the education not of the level iwe can expect it mean like the american said open mind, the very young kids deliquants or drugs additcts is it a fauth of the teachers or is it the fault of the parents;;;;we give education we receive must of times;;;we worst inside some schools is the actes of violences also the recism and i talk about all the minorities and worst yes someitimes when the teachers are racists or not prepare with they enseignement to ear and understand this minority the debordement and humiliation from the teachers is also a fact its happen tfor a better world, the society need to adapt and changie the pedagogy for all children they are not all the seem do we are all the seem in this planete for sure not;;;and yes some schools are base on the religion is it good or not;;;;depend some denie the culture or only show one type of not normal aswell than after ;;look about the manuel historic a part of exemple of d'histoire de france oublie des details of our hisory for the genocides of some people like the arkkie in france or the armenian or the jewish people and the shoa ;;;;; a dutch teacher idont have a seem methodology and ghe french exemple they talk about what they learn ike the advertising said in england "more and ten years ago when i growth up i become a properly little madam" all the english people of generation 1950 hello to martin whitehouse in england from france all start with educatin the intolerance and racism aswell my father was in royal air france im still in sainte maxime south of france because some still documents agress me and caused trouble to my family only because they dont know better open mind yes everything stat with education and for sure traveling is one of the best meet differents cultures talk they languages so we can talk about it Madame the president of united states of america because im jewish i need to agree education only can change the behavior of some people teachers or not human being is not perfect is not in book or at school we can learn that from our parents do you agree ;;;best regards Madame la presidente des Etats Unis d'Amérique Michèle Obama.joelle esther benyayer can we educed some extrem right police aswell take back to school it really need in some place of europa the racism growth;;;;up Joelle esther benyayer and yes the US are the best exemple some many cultures learn how to share the seem flag;;;;look in new york city exemple.

joelle esther benyayer of WA 2:16AM January 20, 2011

I recently completed a community college course that was a nightmare. I feel that it was systematically designed to make the community college and the instructor in particular look good while it disregarded and disrespected the student. Students were not allowed to see their completed exams because the teacher apparently recycled them. This was very disconcerting to me because I believe that I actually learn more by seeing the mistakes I make. Aside from this, as the course was nearing its end I learned that all the homework that consumed hours of my time was available online. So was the test bank and the lab answers. When I expressed my dismay to the instructor she told me that she knew of instructors who sold exams because their pay is poor. I feel that this instructor had virtually no respect for the student. She had pages of rules for the students' responsibilities. I felt forced to take an exam with a temperature of 101 because the only way that I could be excused was by spending money for a Doctor's excuse and the highest grade would be a 70. We were required to spend hours reading online material that she wrote that was so riddled with grammatical errors that it was at times difficult to read. Most of her students receive A's and B's, and she touts this as proof for how effective her online chemistry course is. From my perspective cheating begins with this kind of "education"---and it is the student who is being cheated.

anonymous of TX 12:13AM December 10, 2010

Yes, teachers are important to a successful economy but I think that is a rather myopic view of the problems we face in the inner cities! The first teacher we all have, when we come into this world, is our parents! For better or worse, we will thrive physically and emotionally by the direct actions of the mentors around us, that care for us, or choose NOT to care for us. When a parent or guardian fails to wake, dress and feed their child before school, that child will NOT thrive and be a part of that days learning experience! When the child is truant enough times from school, there is no catching up in that class! In Detroit, a judge put the parents of school age children on notice, that if their child missed to many days of school for that year, the parents would be in contempt of court and would do 90 days in jail! That is a sad commentary on how poor the parenting skills are in some cities! How can a teacher teach a child who is NOT in school? When an older sibling is allowed to implant the notion that studying and doing home work is not "cool" and the child can't get help from a parent with their homework, then the child is not going to achieve good grades! So when parents just can't, or won't attend parents and teachers meetings, the teacher hasn't a chance unless the parent can be motivated to 1 Read to their child 2 Help with homework 3 Prep them for school every day and escort, or have the child taken to school each day, with a breakfast in them! 4 Make a special area/ room for the child to study 5 Be positive and instill in their child how important and FUN we have doing homework together! This is a start to being a good and caring parent; and although off shift workers and single parents have a "full Plate" each day just making a living, the parent must find time to mentor their children, or the gangs ,drug dealers and other low lives of the street will!

Lee Hansen of MI 4:28PM November 05, 2010

Thank you, First Lady Obama, for promoting the recruitment of excellent teachers. We need them so much. We need this up-and- coming generation to give some of their best minds to teaching. Teaching affects all from the economy to literacy to innovation. I am grateful you are using your influence to encourage young people to see the joy of teaching. Mrs. Obama, you are an impressive person, mother, and intellect. Thank you for your example.
Brenda Anderson
Sandy, Utah

Brenda Anderson of UT 1:46AM June 25, 2010

OBAMA/DUNCAN want students to succeed; math and science are very
important but much research proves the better students think about themselves the more they accomplish in school..teaching speech communication with an emphasis on the self concept; helping youngsters acquire the skills necessary to develop a strong self image/concept and achieve the self confidence needed to be successful..! good grief!! and anyone with common sense, who has their "act together" could teach them and most of all...set the EXAMPLE...

connie luby of NV 6:26PM June 04, 2010

I continue to hear Administration after Administration talk about how our Teachers help mold the future of our children and ultimately our Nation. I could not agree more. The ridiculous part about their commentary is that in the Midwest we are laying off 40-50 teachers (etc) per District because the States have fallen short of their promise to not spend more than they can save. Our Teachers make a good living, by the time they have gained experience and time. I wonder how much of their salary actually goes home with them and how much comes back to their classrooms because they are spending their own funds to purchase supplies that the Adminstration will not.
This entire process is pathetic. Someone needs to step up, quit worrying about the status quo and make some serious changes. Administrators are a necessary evil, but I would venture to guess that most Districts are a little top heavy with Administrators and a lot short on Teachers and supplies.
I will even give you an example of how blind Administrators can be to BIFF's (Big Improvements For Free). When our District laid off 42 Teachers, my daughter gathered some friends and approached the Principal about making some changes in the schools behavior that could decrease incidental spending. The group gave the following examples: Why do we have the lights on in the classroom all day (with the air conditioning on) when there is an entire wall of windows that brings in adequate lighting? Turn off the lights. Save some power and the room will be cooler by default. Also, the windows open. So why not open the windows to cool the room first before going straight to the AC Unit. The also performed a survey of all the classrooms they use during the course of the day and came up with some suggestions: In the Computer Lab, (it is not used every period) so why not turn them off and unplug them? In the Science Lab, the teacher has 4 lava lamps plugged in...why? Turn them off and unplug them. The list goes on and on, but can you imagine the savings to the District if they incorporates some simple energy efficiency protocols!!!
Can you imagine what kind of example the District would be setting for the students!
Thanks

P of IL 10:10AM April 21, 2010

This subject was in an earlier post and I have to agree. This is a damning catch twenty-two for anyone choosing to teach in midlife for a second career. Many of these people (including my husband) have already paid into Social Security for over 20 years. They don't have enough yrs. left before retirement to get a full teachers retirement. So, to "reward" them for choosing to teach our children, we take up to 60% of their social security retirement. Does that make sense or seem fair to anyone?
Seems to me that a middle aged person that has knowledge from all of their previous yrs. in the private working sector would be sharing valuable information with our school children. These very people are making a midlife decision and they are showing they value our children and are making a valuable contribution, by wanting to teach. They should be encouraged to give back to our communities and children by teaching and yet, we are penalizing them.
I will be shocked if there aren't more and more teacher shortages in all areas in the coming years ahead. We in this country, continue to show that we do not value our teachers. They are very poorly paid and many times they are not supported by the school administrators or the parents. They are "blamed" by most for every shortfall in the educational process.
NEWSFLASH, everything that's wrong with the educational system in this country is NOT the fault of the teachers.
When we:
start treating our teachers with the proper respect they deserve,
start giving them paychecks that are adequate to live on,
quit penalizing them by taking their Social Security,
give them needed support in their classrooms,
AND
when parents and children are also held accountable,
then, and only then, will we realize a better educational system.

Layne of MO 2:32PM April 20, 2010

Yes, good teachers are important and so are smaller class sizes, adequate materials, books and supplies in the classroom, a support system of counselors and health providers, clean, safe buildings...need I go on? Just putting it onthe teachers' shoulders is not enough. There are a wide range of inadequacies that need to be addressed and all of that cost money, real money, not RTTT money that comes with strings that do not address the overall condition of our pubic schols.
Shame on Michelle Obama for not addressing the entire system and just again, blaming everything on the teachers and keeping them wholly responsible. It's ed reform talk and I am tired of hearing it.

Dora Taylor of WA 10:26AM April 20, 2010