matilda

Teachers work 9 months a year by choice .. their salary is per annum. 30 yrs. ago they were earning $45,000 - yep I saw their paycheques at the Bank where I worked for a lot less and a lot of responsibility. Benefits Salary Indemnity Plan Pensions Health and Wellness Program - This one costs taxpayers in the millions. BCTF Assistance Society (emergency financial assistance) Life insurance Group RRSPs Travel insurance Maternity and parental leave Standardized Provincial Extended Health Benefit Plan Pacific Blue Cross EHB presentation to 2013 BCTF AGM Provincial EHB plan micro site Salary scale can be found here: - Not too shabby. http://www.bctf.ca/uploadedfiles/public/bargainingcontracts/teachersalaryrankings2013-14brief.pdf If as they say they work 9 months a year then the salary is not bad at all including benefits. Most get part time jobs over the summer months because they choose to be paid over a 9 month period & then claim they need to work part time .. Hogwash!! As for reducing class size ... I went to high school and was in a class of 36 students and am not illiterate. Teachers taught what they should be teaching years ago and not sex, gender equality, blah, blah, which should not be on their curriculum. I had 3 teachers living next door to me .. they were home from school before my child was. They had a swimming pool, we could not afford one. They drove two vehicles, we could not afford two - one of us took public transit to work. They went on exotic holidays and we went camping. If we can live on less so can teachers. As for special needs kids .. good luck with that one. My child needed special needs and teachers refused to help so I hired a tutor. I can write a book as to why I have lost respect for teachers,. Yes, there are a few good ones that actually teach because they love teaching and then there are those who want to be paid to help a student tells me they are in it for the pay and long vacations & not the love of teaching. Current class size should not affect teaching if the teacher is good and gets the message across to the student. We also have a teacher in the family who is now retired from teaching and said teachers have never had it so good as compared to the past. They live a good life, better than most who must live on less. I am all for rating teachers on their performance - if they score high, they get a year end bonus. If not, no bonus and told to pick up their socks. As a taxpayer, I am not a bottomless pit that can support luxuries demanded by teachers.

Dealing with trolls is not easy because even if they are banned, they will re-register under another name and continue their disruption. The following applies to a real troll and can also be applied to someone who just likes stirring the pot after a warning has been given. Trolls are immune to criticism and logical arguments. True trolls cannot be reasoned with, regardless of how sound your logical argument is. Trolls do not feel remorse like you and me. They have sociopathic tendencies, and accordingly, they delight in other people having hurt feelings. Trolls consider themselves separate from the social order. Trolls do not abide by etiquette or the rules of common courtesy. Trolls consider themselves above social responsibility. Trolls gain energy by you insulting them. Trolls gain energy when you get angry. The only way to deal with a troll is to ignore him, or take away his/her ability to post online. A troll may resort to spamming - best to have Flood Control set which slows up the spamming if there is any sign of it. A moderator can remove a troll's post which is sometimes known as muting the offender.

This board seems to have gone off topic so please feel free to move my post into the appropriate topic. Thank you. If one wishes to avoid board costs there are many good free ones that have much in the line of custom "skins", portal customization, along with Free Mods as well as Free Hosting. Free forums can also be ad free but using a good Adblocker wehich solves the problem if you hate ads. Attracting new members is an uphill battle. However, by adding keywords for search engines to pick up is a good way for anyone searching to be redirected to this forum. And yes, you guessed it - I am an active forum administrator as well as a Internet security advisor. * To get rid of spammers, one needs to instal a mod that will prevent them from registering. Mods are usually free. * Want to "duke" it out ... have a chatroom installed. When chat is ended, everything is erased & it is self moderated. or a password protected forum. If you want a contentious discussion, then password protect that specific forum which will and can keep out trolls. Passwords would be isssued to members who request it by the assigned moderator and the administrator. * More than one moderator is required and a set of moderating Guidelines should be posted in the staff room as a referral when needed. * Have moderators work specific sections and one overall Global moderator who oversees all moderating. * Forget all the cutsey stuff such as "likes," etc. ... instead have something on the order of Poster of the Month ... this poster would qualify on the basis of quality posts and not quantity .. this might help reduce personal attacks. Candidate is selected by moderators & Admins or you can do a poll by member selection. * Have a Report button in the area of where you post, edit, & so forth. * Rather than moderators do a "hard delete" of a post, topic or thread, it should be moved to the staff room for review first or it can be hidden from members and is not staff if that feature is installed. * As a perk, get a mod to add a Country Flag for each member or a Mood Smiley. * Mods can be installed for automatic graphic resizing to board specified size as well as URL shorteners. * Not hard to increase the size of the avatar or the signature in the ACP [Admin control panel]. Most Avatars are 100x100 pixels but can be bigger however, not recommended as it runs into the message area when they are too large. * Some dislike Smilies but there are some humorous ones out there [i have a sizeable collection] and members love using them to help express their post as funny or whatever. As a separate category ........... * Have a BOARD WELCOME including ABOUT US and something in it about the forum and how a member can benefit & so forth. Make no promises that cannot be upheld. Keep it short and down to the point. Search engines read this and put it out on the internet. * Rules - I like to call them Rules of Engagement &/or Forum Guidelines - Less intimidating. * Have an Announcement Forum Announcements would be any board changes, rules changes, forum maintenance, etc. * Member Forum Tutorials .. lock each tutorial for ease of location. * Member Forum Assistance Q&A.Only. & beneath it Feedback & Suggestions. * Open an ENTERTAINMENT CATEGORY with topics similar to the following .. * U-Tube & Music * Jokes of the Day * Polling Station [Miscellaneous polls] * Coffee Shoppe - non political chit chat. * Have a contest from time to time & create a winners list. POLITICS CATEGORY * Controversial Discussions - by password members only [A kitchen where there is a lot of heat and if one cannot stand it, then get out of the kitchen] * Environment * General News & Social Issues * Politcal humor & cartoons * Worldwide Politics [under worldwide politics use the current breakdown that is now being used.] GENERAL CATEGORY * Miscellaneous Topics [if it doesn't fit anywhere else, can be posted here] * Handheld Gadgets [this is for IPhones, Ipads, tablets, etc. as help & discussion & tips ] * Hobbies & Gaming. [optional] ARCADE [optional] .. they are always popular and a place to chill out. May be worth considering. That is all I can think of for now but I would say it is sufficient so as not to take away from the political discussion ... You can use the ideas here or toss them out .. choice is yours.

Well if this is the biggest scandal committed by the Conservatives compared to the previous Liberals .. it's peanuts. As for Duffy's rebuttal, sounds like one of my kids when they were little "so & so made me do it". I wonder how Duffy managed to live in a condemned building and charge taxpayers that it was his principal residence ... I wonder how many years these types of misdeeds have been going on unnoticed or covered up. Harper said he was going to clean up the Senate and he is doing just that .... headlines should not say scandal but HARPER CLEANING UP A GENERATION OF SENATE MISPENDING" - Nawh!! that would not make good news for the left media. Drats!! Now I shall put my feet up in my recliner, fireplace is on and a nice glass of Merlot poured, while a silly bone the left continues to chew on continues.

Governments have muzzled employees, etc. since Trudea days & probably before him .. it's nothing new but there were fewer activists as there are now and less media exposure.

And young Justin will do the same as pappa did... throw us into deficit and blame others. He is inexperienced and a daydreamer.

* Teachers should be graded by parents & students as to performance & an increase in salary accordingly. * Balderdash they grade papers ... students do the marking for other students. I know that to be factual. * Balderdash they spend hours after school or holidays - I had several teachers as neighbors and they left the school long before students did. As for working - yes at golf and swimming in their backyard pool or a working out at a spa. * Teachers need to have hours set that although school is out at 3:30 that they are there until at least 5:00 p.m. to help needy students and do their so called extra work. * Many teachers set bad examples for students & no longer have a dress code to look professional commanding some respect. * If they find it difficult to teach one subject per class, they should try teaching 8 grades and all subjects - now that is a challenge & teaching. * Teachers are paid per annum and choose to get paid within a 10 month period - during the break of 2 months they find other employment. * Do I want a socialist teaching my children and implanting socialist ideals ... absolutely not. I want an objective teacher. * Did someone here mention babysitting the kids - if that is what is being done and the kids are at school to learn, when does learning & teaching take place - before or after babysitting? * yes there are some good teachers but only a small percentage. * They are paid very well for the short hours they put in. * Socialist studied teaching and before he even gets a job is complaining about the pay scale. You either like to teach and look forward to wage increases or you are in it for the pay which does not make for a good teacher. * Teachers also verbally & physically abuse children .. my child was and did not deserve it. He was verbally abused because he had severe allergies. And that folks is my opinion in brief from personal observation and experience.,