Strike Ends!

Strike Ends! - But Was it a Win for Teachers?
By Jim Vail

CTU Presidents Karen Lewis and Jesse Sharkey have led the latest CTU teacher strikes

The Chicago Teachers Strike finally came to a crashing end after an historic 10 day walkout, the longest teachers strike since 1987.

The union and its supporters are going to say it was a win.

The opposition and those with high hopes will say it was not.

And that was reflected in the vote - 364 - 242 to end the strike.

So the union was a bit divided when they voted on ratifying the tentative agreement. 

Chicago Teachers Union CTU President Jesse Sharkey stated that the delegates vote on the contract, that he is not here to sell the contract.

But he then went on to sell the contract - saying repeatedly it would be a risk to strike for another week or so with no guarantee we would get more in the contract. But he didn't sell it hard, he knew people would be disappointed.

CTU Vice President Stacy Gates played politics - putting a tweet on the board for the delegates to show that the Speaker and the Governor have agreed to support an Elected School Board. 

Another political promise?

Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on empty promises of supporting the neighborhood schools and adding more social workers and nurses, straight from the CTU playbook. When it came down to putting her pledges in writing - she refused until the union and the strike forced her to put some things in writing (about $400 million in extra staffing and support for the schools).

She promised to invest in the South and West Sides that have been neglected, and now in office she is fighting against activists who sued the Lincoln Yards $1.2 billion TIF where tax money to help those "blighted" areas is instead going to a wealthy development company called Sterling Bay. She gave these guys everything they wanted in writing.

She also campaigned for an elected school board and then immediately stopped it. The union has a right to be furious with her.

So the strike helped expose the lies of politicians, and the fight between the people 99% and the billionaires 1% who supported Lightfoot's campaign. It was an eye opener to teachers who voted for Lightfoot based on her lies.

The union leadership organized and ran a very successful strike to fight for better schools. They are to be commended for that.

But the union leadership also plays a dirty political game that they say they have to in order to get anything in this system.

So it was disappointing to hear our leaders say Mayor Lightfoot was fanatical, or religious, a true believer - who wanted a five-year contract (crazy for that long since she can do a lot of damage by closing a lot more schools in her alliance with development), no extra prep time for elementary school teachers (this preserved the 'longer school day' that she they say has led to higher graduation rates) and no change to the Reach teacher evaluation system used to fire lots of teachers at a time of extreme teacher shortages.

What was the union zealous about? What exactly were we all willing to not go back to school until we got it?

The union framed it as a cap on class sizes - we got some good stuff in writing, far from perfect, a nurse in every school, every day (look close at the contract wording!), veteran pay (not that much considering $25 million over five years) and extra pay for Para Professionals (a definite win the union and teachers can be proud of). They forced CPS to increased the sports budget by 35%, adding $5 million to a meager $15 million was a win for city athletics.

It was very inspiring to hear many high school delegates say that their schools still wanted to strike to support of the elementary schools getting a 30 minute prep period each day, to ensure a better school day. Solidarity!

This contract is a reflection of the ruling class attack on public education that was at the apex when President Barack Obama took office in 2008 and implemented the Race to the Top.

The teachers unions supported President Obama (the newly elected CORE leadership was able to abstain from an endorsement, though former CTU President Karen Lewis pushed for it).

Like one of the many colorful signs said during the teachers protests - Unlike Burger King, you can't have it both ways!

But ultimately politics played a very big role here. It almost became a pissing match between the Mayor and the CTU. Nobody wanted to lose - within the box they were playing.

As the great political philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky says, in the American system you put everything within a box - and within that box you can have some very rigorous debate and free speech. But in this system you are not allowed to go outside that box.

So this strike won't change the ugly reality we live in today - where over the past 30 years or so the 1% have accumulated 21 trillion dollars, while the rest of us have lost 900 billion dollars.

It is a fight not only for teachers, but all of us!

Fichter Sex Case

WE WON"T FORGET  - HER CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

Sex Abuse Gone Crazy

By Stephen Wilson

Editors Note:  Teachers have been documenting a workplace of fear in the Chicago Public Schools as teachers have been investigated for any little accusation of sexual abuse. Most cases have been thrown out, but many educators have suffered by being taken out of the classroom, or forced to attend hearings. It's safe to say the Chicago Tribune - a pro-business publication that hates unions and public education - lead the witch hunt after featuring a series of sex abuse cases. Our news blog would like to feature the stories you do not read in the mainstream press owned by the 1 percent. The stories about higher up officials who get away with sex abuse, and teachers like Jennifer Fichter, a teacher sentenced to 22 years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old student. Had she crossed north into Georgia where 16 is legal consent, she would have been a free woman. 

             

Jennifer Fichter, an American English teacher who received the draconian 22 year sentence for having consensual but illicit sex with three 17 year old students has been languishing in prison for five years. But her valiant supporters are in no mood to give up on her. 

            

"Anything you are willing to do to help me gain my freedom is so appreciated. Thank you " states part of a letter sent from her to well-wishers and activists who have been persistently pursuing a relentless campaign for her release. 

             

For those who are unaware of the case, Jennifer Fichter was an English teacher in Polk County, Florida, who was arrested by Lake land Police in April 15th 2014 and charged with sexual battery with three 17 year old students. She was found guilty, receiving an incredible sentence of 22 years imprisonment. This was followed in April 2017 where she was sentenced to a 3 year concurrent sentence. The injustice of this sentence provoked an outcry, especially in Russia where she retains enormous sympathy and support. Almost as many as 77,000 people signed her petition. 

             

What provoked the wrath of many people was that her sentence of 22 years even surpassed the 21 year sentence granted to a deranged fascist mass murderer who who killed 77 people and wounded over a 100. What is more, while in many other countries, the usually deemed  appropriate punishment would be to dismiss such a teacher. The severe sentence and attempts by some to demonize her as a 'pedophile', 'maniac', 'pervert' and 'kidnapper' only reinforced the belief that she was a victim of some religious moral witch hunt. Critics of the sentence regard the case as an example of 'legal despotism ', 'petty tyranny' and 'United States legal tyranny'. A Russian teacher, Aleksi Kutnetsov, stated : "This is a repressive sentence, basely, extremely cruel and hypocritical ". Another indignant supporter complained "She is not a maniac, pervert or pedophile. She never raped, beat up or killed any children. Contrast this with the case of a Norwegian Neo Nazis." 

             

However, the supporters of the Free Jennifer Fichter campaign which can be found on Face book are anxious that with the passage of time, her case can be forgotten. The campaign might run out of steam. A spokes person on the site warned: "The worst news is that Jennifer has been in prison for five years.

             

If initially Jennifer's case caused a public outcry, in the world, now it has slowly begun to forget about it. That's sad. Unfortunately, the petition on the website Change.org by Denis Shirynaev , which has collected nearly 77,000 signatures has been closed by site administration. Why, we do not know, and Shiryaev doesn't know. But there's another person on this site in support of Jennifer, author Mike Brandner. There are only 633 signatures. Please sign it ". 

             

The campaign appeals to supporters and activists not only to sign the petition, but write a letter asking for Jennifer's pardon to Florida governor Ron De Santis and directly to President Donald Trump. They even provide addresses:

             Ron De Santis

             https:// www.Flgov.

             Com/email-the governor/

             Donald Trump

             http;//www.whitehouse.

             gov/contact/

             

The campaign also urges supporters to write to any famous people they know in politics, or art as well as U.S. ambassadors all around the World. The activists are far from being naive. They claim 'letters of support of her will not lead to an immediate positive result. But we can draw public attention to such a terrible and unfair sentence. We can find an influential person who will feel sympathy for Jennifer and in the end it will have an effect. '

Of course, the activists and advocates have long pondered over which legal procedure might be the most effective in securing her release. Some have suggested the need to appeal to the Supreme Court on the fact that the case not only violated the constitutional separation of religion and the law, but entails cruel and severe  treatment which is prohibited by the Constitution. Ernest Taylor states, " This punishment does not fit the crime. It is totally railroading and a violation of church and state '.

            

'Let's not forget about Jennifer and help her.' declare activists. We certainly won't forget. We will do our best to help her!

             

{Editor's comment. Second City Teachers covered this case in two articles dated July 20 ,2015, and February 28, 2016}

         

TIF Storybook

TIF Storybook Reading
Video Posted by Ed Hershey


This cute video posted by Ed Hershey during the Chicago Teachers Strike features a delegate reading a children's version storybook based on the story Are You My Mother? where a little bird is looking all over for its mother, asking different animals until it finally finds its mother.

In this version written by teachers and former public school students, a little girl is looking for her mayor so she can get a nurse, social worker, librarian and other support staff in each school like in the surrounding suburbs. She runs into important looking men and women like billionaire Penny Pritzker who tell the little girl, no the city is broke and cannot give money to the schools for those basic necessities because they took the TIF or Tax Increment Financing money for their hotels, businesses, Navy Pier, or luxury condos, and there's no more money for the schools. The little girl does find the mayor in the end, and Mayor Lightfoot finally tells her what every city person who cares about education wants to hear ...

NY Supports Chicago Teachers!

Educators at Pathways to Graduation School at the Manhattan Hub wore "red" today in solidarity with the Chicago teachers' strike.  UFT members included counselors, teachers, secretaries, school aides and also a school worker from 32 BJ.    We are proud to stand up for the union solidarity.

Teacher Salaries

"I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I'M PAID "  

NO STANDARDIZED WAGE SYSTEM FOR TEACHERS

By Stephen Wilson

 

               

At school we were taught to never ever ask such an intrusive and unwanted question : "How much do you earn?" It was just not done ! It was not just a case of encroaching upon a person's personal privacy which is regarded as sacrosanct, but rude. There are other practical reasons for refusing this, answer especially to a stranger. You might entice a criminal or the person, if he or she is narrow-minded and myopic, can respect you less. Many Russians ask me this question, but I never retort: " Mind your own business" or "Go to hell".

               

In fact, I just frankly answer: "I have not the faintest idea ". That is the answer many Russian school teachers might well answer because there exists no standardized Russian payment system in Russia where there is a typical average salary. For not only do salaries dramatically vary from region to region, but even a teacher's personal monthly salary can vary from month to month. In fact, the system of paying out salaries remains almost a conundrum.

               

In Soviet times the payment of school teachers was much more straightforward. Your income was dependent on how many hours you taught. Now, almost a quarter to a third of the salary is based on stimulated pay. A teacher is paid according to how many school students do well in Olympiads or obtain a five in exams. But in some schools you can be awarded points for taking students on an excursion, starting a poetry group on a patriotic theme, supervising a study circle or even organizing a special school newspaper. You receive points which can be converted into rubles according to an often complex point system decided by headmasters.

               

But in some schools, you might not be paid for those activities, while in another school you will obtain pay. In one school, there might be an 18 point system while in another school it can be a complex 100 point system which confuses teachers. A school which is poorly funded in a small impoverished town might not pay you while one in an enormous town can pay you. 

               

But there exists an enormous yawning gap in income between regions which represents the most glaring injustice. The Russian government agency Rosstat  can't even completely conceal this. And yet they present a rosier picture of the level of income. According to a recent Rosstat survey of 2019, a monthly teacher's salary in Moscow comes to 95,774 rubles, a salary in Dagestan can be 25,730. A teacher working in the southern regions of Russia can make as little as 18,126 rubles yet has to work 31 hours a week at school. And this is only at school. He must also check school notebooks as well as plan lessons, claims Valentina Fedoseeva, a member of the Union of Workers in Education and Science. "The cost of a lesson - for a colossal workload comes to a meager 91 rubles an hour. We are interested in how much a cashier in a supermarket earns. And frankly speaking, I am not surprised by the result : 150 rubles an hour", states Valentina. 

               

In the Altaiski region of Russia a young teacher earns approximately 6000 rubles a month for an 18 hour week. In a huge town with massive local government budget, the young teacher can earn 60,000 rubles!

               

In order for poorer teachers to earn a half decent salary he must work 36 hours or more and this may well be the situation of over 80 % of teachers in  Russia. But such a staggering workload takes an enormous toll on a teacher's health. And of course, the more hours you do, the poorer the quality of the lessons. What is strange is that so many people presume that the more pupils you have, the better your teaching. It means you are popular and hence in demand. But a teacher is not a business man. The level of pay or the number of students can't be correlated with the performance of a teacher. Even the grades students obtain might not reflect teacher performance. When directors threatened to cut the pay of teachers unless so many students got excellent results, the teachers dramatically awarded higher marks! The number of school students being awarded a five suddenly shot up. You have 'grade inflation' which is a common affliction in not only Russia but Britain. Anxiety about keeping your job can lead to teachers becoming too lenient! 

               

So you have an absurd system where in Moscow, a school teacher might make 500-800 rubles an hour, while a few kilometers beyond Moscow a teacher earns 50- 100 rubles in a poor town!  Asking the question, "How much do you earn?" is worse than a rude question. It is almost insulting!

Wednesday Forum

Come to a Forum & Discussion
Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. 
United Electrical Workers Hall, 37 South Ashland, Chicago


Across the country there has been an escalation of racist and outright fascist attacks. From Charlottesville, Virginia to Portland, Oregon, white supremacists have unleashed murderous violence against immigrants, African Americans, Latinos and those who fight back against racist terror. 

Chicago, one of the most rigidly segregated cities in the U.S., has been a focal point of racist reaction going back to the 1919 riots against black workers and segregationist mob attacks in Cicero in the 1950s and ’60s. Today, fascist groups target Chicago in support of the police who terrorize African American areas, as the cop murder of Laquan McDonald and official coverup highlighted. That terror reflects the economic devastation caused by shutting down of industry, the slashing of social services and closing schools in impoverished neighborhoods.

To defeat these attacks, the Internationalist Group Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. United Electrical Workers Hall, 37 South Ashland, Chicago calls to mobilize the power of the multiracial working class in defense of the oppressed and to break with the capitalist parties of racism and war.

While Republican president Trump whips up anti-immigrant hysteria, Democratic mayors from Rahm Emanuel to Lori Lightfoot are the bosses of the racist killer cops. Massive labor/black/immigrant action is needed to stop deportations and racist attacks. An example of what’s called for is the resolution put forward by the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in Portland calling on labor to stand ready to act to crush the racist threat.

This motion was taken up by the Chicago-area IUPAT District Council 14, which took it to the Painters union recent national convention, where it passed unanimously. But to turn such calls into action will require concerted action by class conscious workers in the ranks.

Day of Teacher

DAY OF THE TEACHER FIFTH OCTOBER

What some Russians think of their school teachers

By Stephen Wilson

 

            

Ask a passer by in the streets : "Who goes to work at school ?" Lets just do this experiment without microphones and cameras face to face. Of course, someone will speak about how teachers love children and their vocation. But I very much doubt that will be the most popular answer. In the mass consciousness of people, teachers are either losers who can't find a more prestigious job elsewhere ... or have a strange personality because they are ready to work for kopecks and therefore don't inspire trust ', declares the author of 'The Daily Life of a Teacher', Pavel Astapov. 

             

Well, on the eve of 'The Day of Teacher,' Second City Teachers took up the challenge of carrying out Pavel Astapov's experiment. We embarked on a quest to discover how some ordinary Russians actually perceive school teachers. We asked some students, lawyers, caretakers, shop assistants and engineers.

             

The attained answer turned out to be not what we completely anticipated. We were often surprised. The answers were more complex, contradictory and ambiguous than Astapov suggested. Out of almost a dozen respondents questioned, only about one agreed with the claim they were 'losers'. Most agreed they did a difficult job and were under tremendous pressure and some who had tried teaching themselves claimed that not anybody could do teaching. When I asked Alexei Aleshin, an Editor in Chief who works in a model shop in Moscow whether he considered teachers losers, he answered, "Teachers have lost a lot of authority and prestige lately. They don't have many rights. I don't think they are losers. Those people who scold them as losers have something missing in their brains. Their brains are out of order. Those people only think about how to make money and steal from other people. A teacher can only be regarded as a loser if his pupils don't learn."  

             

I later ask a 51-year-old care-taker and ex-ambulance driver Dmitri what he thinks of school teachers. "I respect teachers, but I was never a good pupil. During Russian literature lessons I just fell asleep over the book all through the lessons. The teacher just left me alone. I remember how one of my school tasks was so full of mistakes it was saturated with red" he laughs. Yet Dmitri is always carving model planes and rockets from wood as well as making all kinds of beds, chairs and tables. 

             

When I asked a young woman, Julie, from Siberia, what she thought she answered, "I think teachers are losers. They don't know much about life outside their profession because they live so much in their schools." Her husband Vladimir states: "I think the situation is more complicated. I think they are under a lot of pressure from too much paperwork. But a true teacher will try and upgrade and improve her skills.

             

A manager of a foreign language company Tania states, "I have friends who work in schools so I know how difficult the situation is. They do a lot of paperwork which is unneeded. But they can't skip this work. They often have to teach classes of 30 pupils. When I was a school student there were 40 pupils in my class".  I asked Dmitri Kim what he thought and he answered : "My ex-girl friend is a teacher. Teaching is not as simple as it looks. Some people think anyone can teach, but that is not true. Once I taught and I found it very difficult. They often find themselves in extreme situations and have to figure a way out. They undergo 'rites of passage.' I really respect teachers ".

             

Kate from Belorussia told me: "Not all teachers are talented and have low scores at school. The pedagogical institute is the easiest faculty in University to enter and that is why they enter it". In this sense her answer resonates with the common cruel joke that, "Only idiots enter the pedagogical institute because they are not clever enough to enter other faculties." (Editors note: Or in the U.S. we joke - Those who can't - teach, those who can't teach, teach gym.) 

             

I asked a manager Yevgeny, who works for a Swiss company what he thought and he answered: " Well, I would not say teachers in Moscow are losers because they can earn as much as 100,000 rubles a month and that is the equivalent salary of some middle executives. But teachers are under a lot of pressure. They have to do a lot of paperwork . Then they have big classes to teach. My 14-year-old daughter attends a class full of over 30  pupils. " When I claimed that a teacher should be regarded as a loser if his pupils don't learn and not how  much they earn, he fully agreed. 

             

I asked Pavel Stepaneko, a 39-year-old engineer, what he thought and he answered, "Teaching is definitely a highly-skilled job. You not only have to know your subject, but be able to communicate this knowledge to pupils. You need to know a lot about the psychology of children. I have noticed that my young son at the kindergarten always does what his teacher tells him, but he doesn't always obey me. They seem to know how to manage children. Of course, not all teachers can do this. But I fondly remember some great teachers that really helped me. One school teacher who taught me for 3 years had also been the teacher of my mother ! She must be about 60 now and her name is Galina Anatolyevi. I still remember many things she taught me. I recall how she told me: "Write this down in your notebook. It is very important. It is the difference between Fauna and Flora. Fauna means animals while Flora is plants. I also recall that when I was a student at Bauman's University a businessman would drop into teach us physics. He would substitute for another teacher and he was a brilliant teacher. He could communicate very well by using his hands. He taught the subject as a hobby. " 

             

I was lucky to meet up with a lawyer called Maria, who is a student at the Higher School of Economics. She told me, "This profession is not respectable when pupils don't learn at school. Most school teachers don't want to know anything new. But many teachers are expected by the parents of their pupils to fix all their problems. They are expected to bring up pupils instead of the parents. My mother works in a kindergarten at Voronezh . A mother came to her complaining that her 3-4 year old child could not speak in sentences. The teacher stressed that it was the task of the mother to speak to her child and she must be the main authority. The mother refused saying: "No, you have to do this not me ". Parents don't often speak to their children, but instead give them a pet to play with. So children don't learn to speak.

             

She told the following story:

"I recall that when I was at school I had to answer a question relating a work of Russian literature with a theme such as compassion, love or war. I chose to write a composition from my favorite novel "The Master and Margarita " when Margarita is asked what Woland can do to her as a favor for being his escort at the ball. Margarita compassionately made the request that Frieda, a maid who strangled her baby to death with a handkerchief should not be tortured by having this handkerchief thrust in front of her eyes every night. She had been raped by her employer and landed with an unwanted baby. I gave this as an example of an act of compassion. The Russian Literature teacher did not agree and failed me. So I went up to her in an angry mood and complained. Since the teacher was scared of me I was allowed to resit the exam and passed.

             

"I remember how my dream was to enter Moscow State University. Almost everybody told me to abandon this dream. It was impractical and impossible because they only accepted students from Voronezh who could pay money for a place. But one of my school teachers, a teacher of Social Knowledge and History believed it was a dream that could be fulfilled. She was the only person who believed in me. She supported me. My parents told me it was impossible to enter this university, but she believed it could be done. I still keep in touch with this teacher today. Her name is Svetlana Nikolaevna. When she taught Social Knowledge in her classroom every pupil listened to her. Even the bad pupils paid attention to her. She could present the subject in an interesting way which could get the attention of everyone. All the pupils did well in her class ... I did enter Moscow State University!"

Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

THE DAILY LIFE OF A TEACHER ABOUT WHAT TEACHERS ARE SILENT

By PAVEL ASTAPOV - Moscow the Publisher Act 2020.

 

             

{Буни Учителя, О Чем Молчат Педагоги, Павел Астапов, москва  Издательво ACT, 2020-320 Звезда Соцсети.]

 

 

I stumbled across by accident a book by U Tube Blogger and ex-teacher Pavel Astapov, The Daily Life of a Teacher. I found it below a table with a huge placard promoting the imminent Day of the Teacher. The book has been launched on the eve of this day. {On the 5th October}

             

The book claims to reveal what Russian school teachers remain silent about. That is, it represents a real insight into what goes on in school behind closed doors. It is based on the direct everyday experiences of Pavel Astapov, who worked as a teacher of Russian and Literature for eight years. The book is written in an attractive, lively and colloquial style. You instantly feel that the author could be chatting away to you in some school canteen. The book  largely consists of numerous anecdotes, the author's views on the education process, what teachers think of their pupils and parents and vice versa. The book is never dull. Unfortunately, it has yet to be translated into English, but if you know some Russian it is well worth a read.

             

You quickly obtain an impression of the style of the book when you read, 'Let's get acquainted! My name is Pavel. I'm 32 years of age, and I love romantic suppers with candles as well as going for walks at night through the city. and, 'Well, this is information for another site.' So you can expect a lot of humor as well as irony.

 

Astapov is at pains to point out : 'No, don't think this is a book about complaints, this is story about the truth. About MY truth. it is about the education system I landed in and got closely immersed in and experienced terribly ... I greatly understand that my story can be fully different from other stories.'  With statements such as this Astapov comes across as offering a frank and modest account of his experiences.

              

Anyone eager for sensational stories about scandals will be quickly disappointed. Nevertheless, the book  has humor and it is difficult to put down. The reservations I had was the author fails to raise the issue of how vulnerable school teachers are in regard to job security. Practically nothing is said about the cases of school teachers being unfairly fired for simply getting into an argument with their headmistress, or posting their photo on a social network. Nothing is said about the existence of an illegal blacklist used by the local Ministry of Education to ban teachers from employment. The strikes and the emergence of a Teachers Union for teachers are not acknowledged. There again Astapov acknowledges that his book does not pretend to be an inexhaustible claim to the experiences of all school teachers. But his claim that the main aim of school teachers is to impart knowledge to pupils so that they can pass their final exams will also raise eyebrows.

              

Despite  reservations, some stories by Astapov will sound very familiar to school teachers. How some teachers stifle the creativity of pupils by forcing pupils to ritually stick within the parameters of the school program is brought home to readers. "I never forget that when I was in 5th grade, and how I had fully and hopeless fallen in love with the history of Ancient Egypt, put a picture of Mummy Ramses on the board, gave a talk ,and was interrupted half way through my story by the teacher, demanding I only answer according to the school textbook! ' "Answer only what is written in the textbook. You don't need to say any more".  So Pavel was forced to sit down and say what was in the textbook and got the mark  five.

              

What do most Russians think of school teachers? Pavel  suggests readers carry out the following experiment . He states in the chapter headed, 'Why nobody respects teachers?' : Ask passer-byes in the street : What kind of people go to school ? Only, let's do this without a microphone or camera on the streets. Someone, of course, will recall people who loved children and had a sense of vocation. But I very much doubt that this will be the most popular answer. In the mass consciousness of people, those who go to work in school are losers who can't find a more prestigious place. Everybody recalls the cheerful saying about the absence of intelligence and those who enter the pedagogic institute. or those who go to work in schools are oddballs'. I have also heard the joke that people only enter the pedagogic institute because it is the easiest university to enter. Given the low pay, long hours and endless humiliation of teachers, Astapov imagines the average Russian taunting anyone with aspirations to be a teacher. Well, I carried out the experiment suggested by Astapov and received a mixed response. A lot of people I asked on the streets answered they really respected teachers although a significant number confirmed Astapov's claim. The response can be more complex than anything anticipated. 

              

Astapov confirms that many parents place highly unrealistic expectations on school teachers. He is amazed that so many people believe that teachers have a magic wand that can conjure away problems. He writes about how one mother insists that he instruct his son to become an ace student and win a medal despite the pupil's limited academic ability. In one interesting story he meets a mother who complains her child never picks up a book, but is glued to the computer. Astapov asks the mother, "And do you read books at home?" The mother answers, "I'm too tired to read books and all the books on the shelves were those left by my parents. I watch television."  Astapov retorts that her child is also tired and that if she doesn't read books, it won't exactly inspire their children. The main people to bring up children must be the parents. Yet parents are attempting to thrust this task on to overworked teachers. But teachers can't replace parents or at least completely as the main person who brings them up.

              

Pavel  Astapov feels strangely obliged to remind some pupils that school teachers are human and also have families and children to look after. Some have hobbies! Pavel tells the amusing story of how a girl spotting him entering a cinema and being shocked. She can't believe a teacher would enter a cinema or a bar. Why are teachers not at home marking homework? He states, "It surprises me that so many people presume that teachers only live between their school desks and the staff room checking school work". He warns that teachers are being judged for just about everything, how they look, speak , and what clothes they wear. Teachers operate under many restrictions. Their lives are in a sense very censored.

              

The chapters where Astapov sarcastically mocks the claims of 'the average school salary' and the huge amount of needless paperwork teachers are expected to perform are handled superbly. Astapov can be sharply succinct and acutely perceptive. 

              

It is clearly evident that Pavel Astapov is not only a brilliant teacher, but an accomplished storyteller who can keep the attention of his audience. He is currently working as a professional U Tube blogger. The questions I'd like to ask is, 'Would Pavel Astapov ever return to teach in school? ' Would he really want to? '