@hebegebe, I don’t think the problem is the unions, I think the problem is that teaching is undervalued in this society. I know that in my mother’s generation, teaching was one of few options available to women, and only the best and the brightest women went into teaching. In Finland’s highly touted educational system, students must at the top their class to enter a teacher training program, and teachers are closely mentored and receive continuing education throughout their careers. They are also paid well and work far fewer hours than they do in the U.S. – which ranks 22 out of 27 countries with respect to teacher salaries. And in Singapore, beginning teachers have higher salaries than beginning doctors,
I also beg to differ that fewer than 10 percent of students can handle the STEM workload, given that 62 percent of college students that enter college as STEM majors graduate with degrees in STEM fields. Part of the problem for the other 38 percent is that they were not well prepared in math and science before entering college. And don’t get me started of finance people’s ability to make money – the economy is still reeling from how the “finance people” behaved in 2007 - 2008. They may have made money, but at whose expense?
I would argue that the more “people-oriented” professions such as teaching and social work require a different skill set that is just as hard – if not harder – to come by than the ability to program a computer or solve an equation.