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I don't think it's right for teachers to have to pay and have their pay raises taken away. We say that education is so important so why would we pass a bill that treats teachers so poorly? Not only are teachers rights and freedom being taken away but also firefighters, police, etc. Why would we want to pass a bill like this that takes things away from our local "heroes?"

Is 15% really that much to pay for health care coverage? And is this treating public employees unfairly? I'm not really sure that it's safe to say the treatment is poor. After all, teachers will still be allowed to teach their students. Maybe the important question to look at here is, what's the worth of education to the American society? What's the worth of public employees to the American society? Is this an issue of under appreciation, and if so, how can we possibly improve the population's view of public workers? I forget, many times, how dangerous the jobs of police and firefighters are. Before college, I never even valued or recognized the importance of teachers. Being taken for granted and under-appreciated cannot necessarily be connected to lower pay and benefits, though. I think teachers should still be expected, regardless of this situation, to give their students the greatest education that they possibly can. And if we're talking about heroes, think about superheroes: don't they all have alternative and hidden identities? Are they paid for what they do, or do they do it for the benefit of positive change? People need to make a living, but people need to live for each other, as well. And if you're still being recognized and paid for a position, isn't that what really matters?

Two views to this is that we are punishing teachers and local heroes, other say that the treatment isn't necessarily poor but rather just a different perspective.

Are there other ways instead of striking that teachers can fight for their rights?

Yes, there are many ways of negotiating. However, let's keep in mind what teachers are and are not allowed to negotiate. This annotation says teachers can negotiate salaries, hours, and terms and conditions... All of that seems kind of vague doesn't it? What qualifies as "terms and conditions?" And even if there are other ways of negotiating, why shouldn't teachers be allowed to strike if they are advocates of their students? Keep in mind, this effects all public employees, not just those in the classroom. How will the loss of freedoms, explicitly stated in the First Amendment, be fair to these workers?

Teachers cannot negotiate rights or strike.

I find it unfair for public workers to pay at least 15% of their heath care just to lower that expense for local and state governments. Teachers will be paid depending on how well their students do on standardized testing. What happens if you have students who are differently abled in your classroom? What if there are students included in your section that you don't even teach? How can you be held accountable for the scores of students who you don't even teach? How can we be paid depending on student test scores when not all students are good test takers? I think a test/assessment does not show everything that a child has learned. I feel this is unfair to teachers. Yes, there are other aspects to deciding on pay but this is a huge part of it.

I completely agree that the practice of assessments is an unfair way to evaluate teacher performance. The only problem is, how can their performances be evaluated? I'm glad that we're making an effort to evaluate teachers, particularly because I questioned the ability of many of my teachers throughout primary and secondary school. How can they be tested on their content knowledge and their effectiveness as teachers? And is it really fair for some teachers to have tenure? I had this teacher in high school that was absolutely terrible, and in no way deserved her position. She did not have respect of her students, she didn't respect her students, and we took nothing away from any of her classes. She did not teach. I don't think it's fair to automatically shut down an effort to evaluate teachers, because teachers do need to be evaluated. I don't think this is a career for everyone, and I don't think just anyone should be allowed to teach. Let's remember what's best for the students - high quality education, and thus, engaging teachers. And couldn't these evaluations motivate teachers to strive for excellence? If they work harder to produce higher test scores, students will have learned more, and teachers will earn the pay they deserve. Perhaps this is something to think about.

Most future teachers find it unfair to figure health care benefits based on student's standardized tests but also do not know how else to assess teachers to judge their performance.