How To Not Write Like A Schmuck 101

[USCChiFan]

:tiptoe:

 

[payton 34ever]

Please. Did you see how long the OP was, even with me NOT pointing out the specific reasons the grammar was incorrect. I'm all for helping out, and that is indeed what I was trying to do, but to go through and point out every single mistake AND give the reasons why along with specific corrections is something I am simply not prepared to do.

Oh yeah, and I can't wait to hear the wonderful things that you have to say on sports issues.

And @Rush: The thread title was more of a joke than anything, and if you would have read through the OP (which, by you commenting on the thread title being derogatory and thus counterproductive, means you didn't), "schmuck" was not used as an underhanded jibe at the writer, it was a stand-in for things like "everyman", "layperson" and "Joe Schmo". Get it?

Oh yeah and back at Payton: if your first post in this thread is along the lines of, "it's a blog, get over it", then you clearly lack the intelligence and wherewithal to critique the very articles that you are defending. And I highly doubt you have the reading comprehension skill to even understand what the writers are talking about. Remember what they say about those that cannot do....

I thought you might be an assclown.....now I'm convinced of it. If you're such a goddamned good writer, write some articles yourself, genius.

I wrote a 300 page novel last summer that is being looked at by publishers as we speak, and I can discuss any sport you want to in serious depth, as I've been following multiple sports ever since I can remember.

As to the teacher comment, (those that can't do) - that is such a tired-ass thing to bring up whenever someone is a teacher. You wouldn't last 15 minutes in a classroom with today's kids, let alone get them to learn anything. I would modify your insinuation slightly: "those who want to write, try....those who can't...***** about it point-by-point on a message board." Get the **** over yourself, dude.

 

[Lefty]

I thought you might be an assclown.....now I'm convinced of it. If you're such a goddamned good writer, write some articles yourself, genius.

I wrote a 300 page novel last summer that is being looked at by publishers as we speak, and I can discuss any sport you want to in serious depth, as I've been following multiple sports ever since I can remember.

As to the teacher comment, (those that can't do) - that is such a tired-ass thing to bring up whenever someone is a teacher. You wouldn't last 15 minutes in a classroom with today's kids, let alone get them to learn anything. I would modify your insinuation slightly: "those who want to write, try....those who can't...***** about it point-by-point on a message board." Get the **** over yourself, dude.

1) I have written, and do write, about sports, Rush just won't put me on the writing staff here because A) I'm too good and B) he's a ninny.

2)And anything can be 300 pages if you use a big enough font.

3) I don't get why teachers get so befuddled when someone dares even question their profession as a whole. Think about it, these jamokes are salaried in a part time gig that gives them weekends, holidays and summers off, along with nice breaks over the winter and early on in the spring. Find work in the right school district, and you have it made for the rest of your life (again, working part-time), so why get all defensive when someone questions it?

4) You're a moron.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I wrote a 300 page novel last summer that is being looked at by publishers as we speak, and I can discuss any sport you want to in serious depth, as I've been following multiple sports ever since I can remember.

1) I have written, and do write, about sports, Rush just won't put me on the writing staff here because A) I'm too good and B) he's a ninny.

This is the lamest biggest dick contest I've ever witnessed.

 

[Lefty]

This is the lamest biggest dick contest I've ever witnessed.

I was just trying to make fun of Rush. :bizarro:

 

[Lefty]

If I was really trying to win that kind of "contest", I'd just start talking about the show, duh.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

3) I don't get why teachers get so befuddled when someone dares even question their profession as a whole. Think about it, these jamokes are salaried in a part time gig that gives them weekends, holidays and summers off, along with nice breaks over the winter and early on in the spring. Find work in the right school district, and you have it made for the rest of your life (again, working part-time), so why get all defensive when someone questions it?

If teachers only worked their contracted hours (for me, that is 7:45-3:25) for 185 days out of the year; then yes, you might have a point. From the week of Thanksgiving, until about two weeks towards the end of the school year I am working from 6:30am-6:00pm. That doesn't include the hours I spend at home lesson planning, grading, and preparing assessments.

Not to mention that countless hours I have spent over the summer going to workshops where I'm not compensated for my time, running summer camps for the sports I coach which I do for free, and working on my masters for which I do not receive tuition reimbursements.

Now you have heard me on other boards say time and again that I feel I am fairly compensated. I live as comfortably as I can on my salary. I just can't stand when people ***** that we only work 'part time.' 'Cause that simply ain't true.

 

[Lefty]

If teachers only worked their contracted hours (for me, that is 7:45-3:25) for 185 days out of the year; then yes, you might have a point. From the week of Thanksgiving, until about two weeks towards the end of the school year I am working from 6:30am-6:00pm. That doesn't include the hours I spend at home lesson planning, grading, and preparing assessments.

Not to mention that countless hours I have spent over the summer going to workshops where I'm not compensated for my time, running summer camps for the sports I coach which I do for free, and working on my masters for which I do not receive tuition reimbursements.

Now you have heard me on other boards say time and again that I feel I am fairly compensated. I live as comfortably as I can on my salary. I just can't stand when people ***** that we only work 'part time.' 'Cause that simply ain't true.

You're right (not that you need me to validate your points about your profession), the job isn't part-time in many areas, and it indeed can become a highly under-paying and under-appreciated job.

Perhaps I am biased, because when I was in high school (in the affluent section of Downers Grove) the teachers in our district went on strike, and through all the public squabbling between the union and the powers-that-were, some interesting facts came out that changed my view of teachers forever:

1) The average non-tenured salary in our district was around $75k.

2) Some tenured teachers (many of whom were mental midgets who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag if they were given a machete) made well over $100k.

3) Our principal was raking in over $200k a year.

When you (not you, necessarily....you get what I mean) are making that much, or when those kinds of salaries are available to you or those around you, I don't give a **** what kind of long hours you work relative to what your union contract dictates or what you do with your time during breaks. And those motherfuckers raking in on average 75 grand a year had the exact same gripes when they went on strike: "you don't realize how hard we work," and "it really isn't a part-time job, we have all these other things to do," and so on.

Obviously it's a bit of an error on my part to expand my personal experiences to fit the teaching profession as a whole, but those experiences did sour my outlook on whining teachers that try to come at me with "it's a lot harder than you think" bullshit.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

You're right (not that you need me to validate your points about your profession), the job isn't part-time in many areas, and it indeed can become a highly under-paying and under-appreciated job.

Perhaps I am biased, because when I was in high school (in the affluent section of Downers Grove) the teachers in our district went on strike, and through all the public squabbling between the union and the powers-that-were, some interesting facts came out that changed my view of teachers forever:

1) The average non-tenured salary in our district was around $75k.

2) Some tenured teachers (many of whom were mental midgets who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag if they were given a machete) made well over $100k.

3) Our principal was raking in over $200k a year.

When you (not you, necessarily....you get what I mean) are making that much, or when those kinds of salaries are available to you or those around you, I don't give a **** what kind of long hours you work relative to what your union contract dictates or what you do with your time during breaks. And those motherfuckers raking in on average 75 grand a year had the exact same gripes when they went on strike: "you don't realize how hard we work," and "it really isn't a part-time job, we have all these other things to do," and so on.

Obviously it's a bit of an error on my part to expand my personal experiences to fit the teaching profession as a whole, but those experiences did sour my outlook on whining teachers that try to come at me with "it's a lot harder than you think" bullshit.

The flip side to all of that is when living in an affluent community, there are certain expectations that come from the public services. You'd expect something like the schools to be top notch (and don't think for a second that both Downers Grove high schools aren't flooded with applicants every year. I'd be willing to bet one position at either high school yields about 250 applicants), otherwise, why would you live there??

As for the principal - that is a 12 month a year job. Not only that but you are under a whole lot of pressure to make sure the school is performing well. It may be a bad comparison, but a principal is not too different from a CEO.

A couple questions.....

For those non-tenured teachers.....how many years experience did they average? Big difference, because if it is 1-4 years I greatly question that figure. If it is over 4 years that probably means you have teachers who left previous districts and they were given years of service but not tenure. The latter probably being the majority of the case.

For those tenured teachers.....how many of them, on average, had masters' degrees or doctorates? You have to have those in order to make that kind of money. In most cases, you need multiple masters' degrees to make that much.

 

[Lefty]

I can't speak to the specific averages of service time and academic qualifications as a whole, all I have to rely on are my personal experience, some anecdotes and a good amount of circumstantial evidence.

I also cannot refute your hypothesis that many of the above-average salaried, non-tenured teachers weren't "rookies", so to speak. And as a whole, those kinds of teachers that I came into contact with were very good at their job and provided me with one of the best educations available in my area, and I am not at all unhappy with their services.

That being said, judging by the clothes, cars, accessories (nice watches, jewelry, etc.) and area of residence for those teachers that I knew well enough, I would think that the standard deviation of the data set (which includes those 1-4 year teachers) that produced the $75k average salary isn't so high as to bring regular salaries of 30-40k into play very often, if at all.

As for the academic achievements of those tenured teachers, as I said earlier, I am not prepared to speak on the whole of that group, though I can offer up an interesting story: through the aftermath of an altercation with a tenured teacher (this story in and of itself is a very interesting one, involving attorneys, the principal and the Supreme Court [kinda]), it was discovered that this specific person (an English teacher who insisted on being introduced and referenced as "Dr.", one time correcting my father mid-conversation) did not have a curriculum vitae on file with the district (or whoever the "proper" authorities were), and no one in the school could offer up any proof that this person did indeed have a doctorate in any field whatsoever.

 

[Lefty]

In closing, :dunno:

 

[Captain Iago]

Perhaps I am biased, because when I was in high school (in the affluent section of Downers Grove) the teachers in our district went on strike, and through all the public squabbling between the union and the powers-that-were, some interesting facts came out that changed my view of teachers forever:

1) The average non-tenured salary in our district was around $75k.

That contract must have allowed for previous experience to count in salary. I cannot think of another plausible explanation. This also implies the district administrators really valued experience during hiring (rather than an inexperienced, less expensive route). Not that I'm implying one way is better than the other, but those are the choices district made.

2) Some tenured teachers (many of whom were mental midgets who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag if they were given a machete) made well over $100k.

This exists where I work as well (if the teacher has an abundance in degrees/graduate hours, years experience, a paying coaching/sponsorship gig). It does take time to get there, though. How is this any different in the business world? Don't these types of people (well paid and flat-out dumb) exist there, too?

3) Our principal was raking in over $200k a year.

Don't blame teachers/union for this - blame your local school board. It's the board that is responsible for arranging administration salary.

When you (not you, necessarily....you get what I mean) are making that much, or when those kinds of salaries are available to you or those around you, I don't give a **** what kind of long hours you work relative to what your union contract dictates or what you do with your time during breaks. And those motherfuckers raking in on average 75 grand a year had the exact same gripes when they went on strike: "you don't realize how hard we work," and "it really isn't a part-time job, we have all these other things to do," and so on.

That's the rhetoric that accompanies any profession's management/union contract negotiations - "overworked and underpaid" and "there's no funds." If the public's children weren't involved, then maybe the outcry wouldn't be as publicized. How often/How loud is the outcry when steelworkers are unhappy and are pursuing a labor stoppage?

Obviously it's a bit of an error on my part to expand my personal experiences to fit the teaching profession as a whole, but those experiences did sour my outlook on whining teachers that try to come at me with "it's a lot harder than you think" bullshit.

As you see the error of your ways (painting broad generalizations across the landscape of a profession), I will concede that there are plenty of whiners in this profession, no doubt. I see it firsthand. But again, I ask, how different is this from the business world? There aren't any whiners there? Or, am I making the same type of generalization error?

The flip side to all of that is when living in an affluent community, there are certain expectations that come from the public services. You'd expect something like the schools to be top notch (and don't think for a second that both Downers Grove high schools aren't flooded with applicants every year. I'd be willing to bet one position at either high school yields about 250 applicants), otherwise, why would you live there??

Exactly right...and there is a price for this.

As for the principal - that is a 12 month a year job. Not only that but you are under a whole lot of pressure to make sure the school is performing well. It may be a bad comparison, but a principal is not too different from a CEO.

Lowest Common Denominator as well...no doubt similar to many CEOs.

A couple questions.....

For those non-tenured teachers.....how many years experience did they average? Big difference, because if it is 1-4 years I greatly question that figure. If it is over 4 years that probably means you have teachers who left previous districts and they were given years of service but not tenure. The latter probably being the majority of the case.

For those tenured teachers.....how many of them, on average, had masters' degrees or doctorates? You have to have those in order to make that kind of money. In most cases, you need multiple masters' degrees to make that much.

It must be. I cannot see a starting teacher salary (1st year, no experience, no masters) equaling 70k four to six years ago (guesstimating when Lefty graduated high school - sorry if I'm off, Lefty) . Not even in Dupage County (you know, the #1 county in the Chicagoland area) .

 

[Rush]

I want to learn to write like Iago, he's my idol.

 

[Captain Iago]

I can't speak to the specific averages of service time and academic qualifications as a whole, all I have to rely on are my personal experience, some anecdotes and a good amount of circumstantial evidence.

I have no problem with this; this is how we all draw conclusions. Now that the internetz is available, there's a lot more information out there (good and bad).

I also cannot refute your hypothesis that many of the above-average salaried, non-tenured teachers weren't "rookies", so to speak. And as a whole, those kinds of teachers that I came into contact with were very good at their job and provided me with one of the best educations available in my area, and I am not at all unhappy with their services.

That being said, judging by the clothes, cars, accessories (nice watches, jewelry, etc.) and area of residence for those teachers that I knew well enough, I would think that the standard deviation of the data set (which includes those 1-4 year teachers) that produced the $75k average salary isn't so high as to bring regular salaries of 30-40k into play very often, if at all

There is no doubt you are well educated, Lefty. Prope said he lives comfortably. I do the same. We aren't whining (at least I hope it doesn't come off as so), but rather shedding some light on publicized stereotypes of our profession. The teachers of suburbia Chicago do alright.

As for the academic achievements of those tenured teachers, as I said earlier, I am not prepared to speak on the whole of that group, though I can offer up an interesting story: through the aftermath of an altercation with a tenured teacher (this story in and of itself is a very interesting one, involving attorneys, the principal and the Supreme Court [kinda]), it was discovered that this specific person (an English teacher who insisted on being introduced and referenced as "Dr.", one time correcting my father mid-conversation) did not have a curriculum vitae on file with the district (or whoever the "proper" authorities were), and no one in the school could offer up any proof that this person did indeed have a doctorate in any field whatsoever.

This is so :smh:. Wasn't there a suburban principal who was hired and worked a few years who had pretty much forged her resume? Craziness.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Wasn't there a suburban principal who was hired and worked a few years who had pretty much forged her resume? Craziness.

I believe it was actually a superintendent hire.

 

[DewsSox79]

I have no problem with this; this is how we all draw conclusions. Now that the internetz is available, there's a lot more information out there (good and bad).



There is no doubt you are well educated, Lefty. Prope said he lives comfortably. I do the same. We aren't whining (at least I hope it doesn't come off as so), but rather shedding some light on publicized stereotypes of our profession. The teachers of suburbia Chicago do alright.



This is so :smh:. Wasn't there a suburban principal who was hired and worked a few years who had pretty much forged her resume? Craziness.

I wander what he thinks of brokers lol do we make too much money too? I mean a degree, licsensed annuity,life and health broker, and a series 7. hmmm

 

[Captain Iago]

I believe it was actually a superintendent hire.

That's right. Unbelievable.

 

[DewsSox79]

I want to learn to write like Iago, he's my idol.

Iago is a smart guy it seems.

 

[Lefty]

@Iago: Those in the private sector that are whining about lagging salaries will get no more sympathy from me than well-off teachers do if I can find inconsistencies and gross exaggerations and oversimplifications of issues surrounding their profession. It's just that, well, we aren't talking about people whining in the business world.

Again, my personal experiences are going to play a larger role in formulating my stance on unhappy teachers more so than, say, someone who is close to a teacher or is a teacher. And so, speaking from (and about) my personal experience, I have less sympathy than others for teachers crying afoul of working environment and paycheck size because I have witnessed well-off teachers crying for more money.

When the teachers in a district are making $75k a year on average (even if the average is what it is because there are so many teachers that have prior experience and are thus worth that money, it just makes it more likely that a given teacher in that district actually does have the experience and actually is making that kind of money), I don't want to hear about how long a work day really is, or how hard dealing with students really is. The fact of the matter is that these people are given weekends and holidays off, and are more often than not granted 3-4 months of off-time every year (taking into account summer, Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks), when many more people in this country work year-round to scrape together half of what they are making in salary.

But again, this is from my personal experience. There is no doubt that there exists a large faction of teachers that have the same amount of work plopped in front of them as the teachers in my experience did, yet are laughably underpaid with little hope for improvement.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

That's right. Unbelievable.

I think it was a south suburban school district as well. There was a big issue about a school board not letting another member vote, or something like that.