Secondary teachers' plans to go on strike next month show they disconnected from the real world, Prime Minister John Key says.And:
Mr Key was scathing about the planned strike when asked at his post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon.
"Personally I think it's very disappointing and I think it shows you how disconnected they are from the real world," he said.Would that be the man who made millions playing the markets, moving cash from point A to point B, who leads a party dominated by middle-aged, conservative, comfortably-off white men, and whose wealth ranks him amongst the super-rich of this country?
Let's compare Key with those disconnected teachers. Teaching pays okay, but you certainly wouldn't do it for the money. The vast majority of teachers have mortgages and struggle to pay the bills. And forget the perks: the holidays and so forth. Teachers put in a lot of overtime during the school term with marking, assessments, parent-teacher interviews and reports.
Teachers are also at the coalface, and have to deal with a lot of crap in the classroom from kids. Some of this is the result of years of poor government policy: broken crime-riddled homes, and kids who are behaviourally "challenged". No way would I want to be a teacher*.
When was the last time our "connected" PM worried about his phone bill? Or how he would afford the car rego? Or the grocery bill?
Mr Key, teachers do worry about being disconnected. It's what happens when you can't afford to pay your power bill. Not that you would know.
* I am married to a teacher. Glad she does it and not me. Wouldn't swap.
The more I hear from Key , the more I despise him.
ReplyDeleteRight on, Scott!
ReplyDeleteMy wife is a teacher too. On top of teaching, she spends a huge amount of time having to help kids who have an array of problems, whether it’s teen pregnancy, drugs, anti-social behaviour, violence, abusive or disengaged parents, etc. All this in addition to motivating teens to learn, and marking, reports, assessment and feedback that can often only be done after hours. Key, Tolley, et al, are deranged.