So glad to hear the Board is standing their ground! Don't give in!!

Lake Forest CHSD 115 spent $21,931 per student in the 2009-10 school year, compared to an statewide average of $13,911 among similarly sized districts. We were ranked 6th in the State in 2010.

http://schools.chicagotribune.com/district/lake-forest-chsd-115/#operating-expenditures

We are now spending $43,882,876 / 1780 students = $24,653 per student.

Is $24,653 per student enough money to get the job done? Apparently not.

Hang tough you Board members! I am currently earning 1/2 of what I did three years ago. I have advanced degrees. I am a parent and "care" about my community and the future.
Time to adjust those that have been stuck in academia to the new reality. Be glad you have any job....you appear sooooo greedy!!!

Question: If a teacher chooses NOT to come in to work on Monday (and they decide to strike), shouldn't he or she be dismissed from his/her job? The statement says that the Board will not take disciplinary action regardless of what a teacher does. If a teacher doesn't show up for work, he or she should be released from his/her job.

Over 6,000 state retirees get $100,000+ per year in pension. Is there anyone out there besides government employees who gets a $100,000+ pension?

At 5% annual yield, it would take $2 million per retiree in a savings account to support $100,000 per year indefinitely.

That $400,000 pension is $34,500 per month... for doing nothing.

Last Name Annual Pension Pension Paid Out to Date
Das Gupta 414,471 2,790,107 SURS
Abraham 402,630 1,773,973 SURS
Barmada 386,334 4,430,947 SURS
Mafee 359,360 1,766,637 SURS
Abcarian 328,865 929,095 SURS
Albrecht 327,623 1,395,697 SURS
Ausman 300,868 1,079,431 SURS
Wilensky 280,450 1,830,477 SURS
Forman 273,389 2,270,657 SURS
Sugar 266,113 1,791,113 SURS
Bangser 261,681 1,233,651 TRS
Bazzani 257,857 2,157,996 SURS
Honig 255,899 1,807,572 SURS
Milner 253,783 1,081,135 SURS
Folse 248,512 2,477,291 SURS
Schuler 246,736 1,457,610 SURS
Moss 243,789 1,389,041 SURS
Weaver 242,657 720,780 TRS
Lopata 240,046 1,775,912 SURS
Murray 238,882 776,365 TRS
Catalani 237,195 1,008,739 TRS
Rugg 236,460 937,320 SURS
Oldham 236,323 758,866 SURS
Pavel 235,638 1,424,609 SURS
Hintz 234,810 1,287,409 TRS

BOE: Please continue to hang tough!

It is very telling that the overwhelming response at our two community news websites to this issue is to support you and the students; I think that the majority of the commentators here are community residents so you are getting a good sense of how our community thinks about this issue and the support you have from all of us.

I hope you can hire replacements for the strikers sooner rather than later and bring our students lives back to normal asap. Frankly, hiring 150 people could probably be done in a matter of a few weeks and you can hire subs to take us until everyone is replaced. You will receive excellent resumes from people wanting these jobs! Also, there will be an OUTPOURING from the community to help in the transition to the new instructional staff!

Unfortunately these strikers will get to experience what workers in the private sector (aka "the real world") have experienced in the last 4 years--going on Cobra for their health benefits, not accumulating years of service towards their gold-plated pensions, claiming unemployment (can they even qualify if they are fired due to striking?), a long period of unemployment to find their next job, maybe never finding another teaching job paying them what they are paid at LFHS, etc. Their biggest loss though is our respect for all of them and the turmoil they are putting our kids and community through.

Is it true that New Trier is a non-union district?

There are so many really STRONG and DEDICATED teachers at LFHS, but unfortunately there are too many that abuse the system and do nothing but the minimum to get by. Parents and students are tired of it, and this fact has caused us to get angry now with all that has happened. I can honestly say while our (my family) income has significantly diminished over the years, we have fought hard to stay here because of those REALLY GOOD teachers. They have earned our respect and our desire to find a way to pay them top salaries, but PLEASE good teachers, put pressure on those you know who have brought your barganing power and professionalism down. They have hurt your ability to retain community support.

Stay strong board. Hire replacements. I have no sympathy for employees who abandon their job in favor of picketing. In the really world you get replaced.

Highland Park High School District is a non-union district.

We all prefer our LFHS teachers on Monday but if they cannot seem to understand the world they teach in, the world we all live in and that they have a very fair compensation package then it is time to make other arrangements.

I am happy to send my children back with substutute teachers.

After all our students and high school community went through last year...
LFHS, the BOE etc.. stressed the importance of Emotional Wellness for the students.
Well, guess what teachers? What you are doing to our kids, YOUR students,YOUR athletes has NOTHING to do with keeping them well emotionally.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves!

Bravo to the board! Let the replacements do the job. It won't be hard to beat the current teachers quality.

Since the Board has on the "two tiered system" and the Cadillac insurance plan, there is only one thing remaining,,,,,MONEY. Now we are down to the core item. The teachers can no longer hide behind the charade that "it is for the children". They have been exposed. This is about pure, unadulterated greed.

BOE - Do not give in, you have already offered far too much during these extraordinary times. FDR was absolutely correct, public workers should not be allowed to organize.

Concerned Taxpayer
How much more can they take from us. Unions are the problem just look to Wisconsin. In Illinois the Private sector unions(construction,truckers,operators,etc.)are getting weaker due to non-union competition. Unions are getting stronger in the Gov. sector(police,fire,teachers,etc.) due to no competition. With the way the economy is I'm sure we can find better more qualified teachers for even LESS money. Reagan Fired the air traffic controllers in the 80's. LFHS Board start firing. Thank You Coach Spagnoli for crossing the picket line. We support the Board 100%

BOE - HEY - there are plenty of us who disagree with you!
INCREASE the SALARY offer to the teachers! The limited raises offered are demoralizing. Could you live on the teachers' salaries??
Yes, we need to look at pensions, benefits and tenure, the lack of rigor in the CP classes - there is plenty to not like about the practices we have in place. But where have you been on these issues? Restricting teachers' pay is never going to bring a positive result. Teaching is a tough job and our teachers work hard, especially with the larger class sizes that you've let occur over the past few years.
The concessions you've made already were the right thing to do. Now, INCREASE YOUR SALARY OFFER!! As one student was quoted "we are being cheap". I'd also say greedy. We do have fiscal problems now (the district, and most of us personally), but please respect the teachers' role in our community and work for savings in other areas - NOT teacher's salaries!!

Stay strong BOE. Its all about choice teachers. Take your pick.....

Sue Johnson get a grip. Large class sizes? Average class size is 23. Teaching a tough job? Really? Hardly crime fighting! 12 weeks a year holiday! A beautiful working environment, students who have a drive to succeed, and a community that was behind them. And then there's the guaranteed benefits (don't get that in the private sector), and Tenure - great for the really good teachers but sometimes we are stuck with the slobs, stuck without the ability to get rid of them.
Most of us don't have the financial resources to accede to their demands and realize that it is unrealistic and selfish to demand it and to hold our children's education to ransom.

The board is funny. Legal "council"? Sorry folks that's Counsel. Who are these people?!

@ Sue Johnson - I completely agree.

I think I'm going to list my house for sale before the value goes down more. Who will want to pay the list prices for our homes when we have a school system of stay at home moms and out of work traders reaching math and science? Read the Tribune article today for more perspective. This isn't good.. My kids will get a better education in Deerfield which, by the way, pays comparable salaries to its teachers..I moved here for the good schools and low crime. I can find that elsewhere...LF I'm finding, is really nothing special...

A system that guarantees salary increases to all, regardless of talent or drive is not one that promotes excellence. Such a system will encourage the poorest performers to hang on for dear life, the average performers to remain average because there is no reward for them if they improve and it will demoralize the excellent performers because they will see all of those below them getting the identical rewards for doing far less work.

Just keep in mind that this is the exact system that the Union has called a strike to protect and they have taken our children's education hostage to protect a system that rewards and celebrates mediocrity.

Sue Johnson - Question for you...Do you hold that conviction for ALL the teachers? I sure don't. Collective bargaining is antiquated and protects the teachers that should have been dismissed long ago, let alone guaranteed jobs and salary increases. Why to the great teachers let themselves be brought down to protect the bad ones? The teachers can ask for whatever they want, but we don't have to give it to them. The disappointment is when they don't get everything their way they take their toys and leave the sandbox. Really immature! If our BOE has been fiscally responsible and there are fund, why do the teachers demand it goes to them or they won't teach? This is all about the teachers, nothing about the students. Grow up!

If these teachers do not show up on Monday, I'm certain, that should they be permanently replaced, they're going to rue the day that they opted to strike. Take it from someone who lost their job due to "downsizing" and has been unable to find a job for over a year now, despite peer recommendations and a successful background. It's horrible out there and these teachers seem to sadly be tuned out to that as they picnic, ah, oops, I mean picket on the front lawn at East campus. I pay Cobra, which is $425 per month just for me...in addition to house bills. Thank God my car is paid off. I'd be happy to be earning $60K at this point and wouldn't blink at shelling out a mere $25 per month for insurance. Get your collective heads out of the north shore sand and start looking at the real world. At the end of the day, the union reps will have jobs, but you may not. Is it worth the risk in this economy? I can definitively say not. By declining to show up to work on Monday you're putting your future in jeopardy and you'll be looking back at this a year from now shaking your heads wishing that you had lived with the relative riches you have now. I hope the ones that cross the picket line on Monday are spared because I cannot imagine that all teachers feel the same as the union is projecting.

BOE – Stay strong. Not a penny more than your current generous proposal for salary increases! The teachers have shown their commitment to students by their unprofessional and cowardly CHOICE to walk out on them. There have been many, many good teachers at LFHS who positive contributions to my children’s development. However, either due to union inspired entitlement or just believing their own press they have obviously lost their way. There is no other way to explain their behavior.
This will not end well. I have seen the aftermath of similar situations. The students have already lost respect for them as they watched them parade like mindless sheep in front of their school – in addition to appropriately blaming them for forfeited athletic events and cancelled commitments. The old guard teachers will become more embittered and entitled before they retire or are somehow moved out. Unfortunately, the really good up-and-coming younger teachers will be so jaded by this experience – polluted by the union rhetoric, bullied into striking, and ultimately feeling caught in the middle of a bad situation – will soon leave. Or worse, they will stay with diminished optimism and passion.
The number one focus has to be recruiting high quality new teachers. They are out there and are working with -and for - far less. The last priority is appeasing the current staff whose effectiveness is declining each day.
Time to move forward – it is too late to turn back.

BOE, please don't give in to these teachers. This is not the late 80s when money was plentiful. In the real world, there are not large raises - it is 2-3 percent and in recent years no raise at all. So just be happy you have a job! Our family has gone without a job twice during the recession. Maybe all who post in favor of the teachers union have extra money to hand out - a lot of us do not.

I wonder what the voluntary attrition rate is. Does anyone ever leave voluntarily?
At my company we try to pay just under the standard wage in each department. This is not a money saving move, it is so that we do not "trap" people at our company because they cannot go out and earn the same amount elsewhere.
This is just another facet of overpaying our teachers, we end up holding hostage those people who would rather teach elsewhere but cannot because of the disparate pay rates.
(Just my average of over $100,000 worth!)

Is it ever wise, or right, for an adult human being to intentionally harm a child?

How the real world gets a 6% raise: Obtain a better job offer that pays 6% more, THEN bargain. If you can *prove* the market exists for your services, then congratulations, you've earned it.

Right or wrong, it appears it's a pretty small market these days for highly paid teachers. These teachers haven't done their homework and god help them finding a new job if they get fired, especially the older ones. 8% unemployment has made raises a rarity in every sector. They will most likely make less than they are making today, while LFHS will likely pay less to fill the positions lost if terminated.

It will be a difficult lesson in supply and demand and I feel sorry so many good teachers have been duped into such unrealistic expectations given the state of our economy. I hope the teachers (forget the union) come to their senses and cross the picket line come Monday. I'd forgive every one of them for the past three days if they show up on Monday. After that, it's time for the market to see who is right.

BOE: Do not give in; hold your ground. Not only are LFHS Dist. 115 parents and taxpayers taking note of these past few days' events, but Dist. 67 parents and taxpayers are also interested in what comes of these negotiations. There is much talk across this community in favor of a firm stance on your already extremely generous 2.6% offer (for this year). As we watched our previous Supt. and you spend tax payer dollars on excessive administrative overhead (7 Asst. Supts. at one point in the recent past) and unnecessary expenses (i.e. lawyer fees to defend and cover up a sexting scandal), please be aware that taxpayers in both districts have a vested interest in maintaining fiscal responsibility and are actively following these developments.

I know that many teachers want to be back in the classroom.

@Jen, the statistic that you are referring to, is the U-6 number. This is frequently called the "real" unemployment rate. The current U-6 number is 14.7%. Data is from bls.gov

This current walkout is puzzling.

Other teachers in other districts, making approximately the same or less money are still teaching. Many of these districts have been giving 2-3% raises for a few years now without a strike.

Currently my wife pays 23% towards her health insurance in her school district.

LFHS teachers feel they should only have to contribute 5-10%.

Raises have been around 3%. No strikes. Everyone is happy to have a job. Current salary schedule is a little lower than LF.

What's so important and earth shattering that LFHS teachers need to tear this community apart?

I find it completely disheartening that the overwhelming majority of respondents is so venomously, and publicly against the teachers. Much like the political climate in the country today, there appears to be no middle ground in the minds of those who are posting - the issue is being portrayed as black and white with a wide gulf in between. There isn't even a suggestion that the issues might be nuanced, that the teachers might have a point too. And the rhetoric will undoubtedly (and sadly) have a negative long term effect on the climate at LFHS once the strike is settled. It disturbs me that adults are speaking so disrespectfully of the teachers and modeling such poor behavior for our students. How about a dialogue wherein the kids are made to understand that it is possible for two groups of well intended people to have serious and legitimate disagreement, and to work within an accepted forum/form to reach consensus without smearing one party or the other?

To further inform the discussion and to support the proposition that the higher the pay, the more advanced the degree, and the longer the tenure, do not the best teachers make, I did some research on high school teachers who last received the Illinois Golden Apple Award. (The award rotates on a 3-year cycle, so that the last year of awards to high school teachers was in 2010.) Of the 10 recipients, 2 were teachers at private schools, so no public salary data was available. However, for the other recipients, the following information was available:
Last Name 2011 Salary Education/Experience High School
Curtis $62,500 Bachelors/8 Years Phoenix Military Academy
Gourley $97,261 Masters/13 Years Thornton Fractional South
Jain $86,508 Masters/7 Years Stevenson
Kline-Thomas $53,873 Bachelors/5 Years Clark Academic Prep
Moon $69,687 Masters/10 Years King College Prep
Reed $112,618 Masters/14 Years Niles North
Reedy $63,522 Masters/7 Years Thomas Kelly
Turk $86,928 Masters/8 Years Chicago Academy

Well said, seeze. As a teacher for a different district, I'd like to say that I support the LFHS teachers during this difficult time. I'm a young teacher with a low salary, and I recognize that the best teachers are those that have had many years to hone their craft. Some teachers may be doing well financially now, but after how many years of doing the same job for less pay? As teachers we choose to go into education versus the private sector knowing there are certain trade offs. Two of the perks of teaching are certainly the built-in raises and good health care plans. However, even our $100,000 salaries (after working 20+ years) can't compete with what we could be earning in the private sector. Ultimately, denigrating teachers makes it harder to do a job that we claim to consider so "valuable", educating children. While I feel bad for those in the private sector who have lost pensions and healthcare, teachers are already taking a paycut simply by being teachers -- especially the kinds of people you have working in Lake Forest. You see them as asking for more in a time where unemployment is high-- I understand that's upsetting. The solution isn't to fire them all. I find the argument "I'm suffering and so should you!" to be ludicrous. The economy is getting better, slowly. The board should be working harder to reach an acceptable agreement.

For some reason, the only part of this story that piques my interest is that in its official statement, the Board spelled "counsel" wrong. It's "legal counsel," not "legal council."
I know it's nitpicking, but hey, it's an official release . . . about education.

@ConcernedCitizen I agree that not all teachers could have higher earning potential in the private sector. However, I think that science and math teachers easily could. I maintain, and this opinion may be unpopular here, that the free market doesn't always adequately determine the worth or value of a job. I'm not against reforming teacher evaluation systems to make them more effective indicators of job performance. The trouble with education is that it operates differently than a business, and it should. We are nationally mandated in this country to educate every single student. Popular education reform movements, like charter schools, often operate under the premise that they can push out difficult students and put them back into public school settings. All this is to say that evaluating teachers based on student performance is dangerous territory, because you end up penalizing teachers who want to work with disadvantaged students. Teachers have no control over the poverty level of their students or their family situations. It's difficult to have an apples-to-apples comparison between what teachers do and a private sector job because you are comparing apples and oranges. I don't know what the solution is-- I think it's a complex issue. What I do know is that I'd rather live in a country that overvalues teachers and educating children, than one that simultaneously holds them responsible for the life of every child while ridiculing them and taking away their pay.

@Robocop. I'm sorry, I didn't think I said the performance evaluation should be based on student test scores. There are many other and better ways to evaluate performance. And, while I don't think I said that schools should operate completely like a business, I would contend that they should operate more like a business than they currently do, at least in terms of paying for performance and delivering value. I also don't understand the relevance of your comments about students below the poverty level and how that applies at LFHS, either. As I understand it, the issue at LFHS is what is the appropriate compensation system for teachers, and I agree that that issue is complex. Finally, your comment about what science and math teachers would make in the private sector is not correct. I work for a company that employs scientists, and the total compensation package at LFHS greatly exceeds the market-based rates for these outstanding scientists (most with Ph.D's) who work the entire year and don't get either a guaranteed pension, fully-paid health care or tenure.

As a former student I know that LF teachers are truly the best, and deserve only the best. It is only far for them to get what they deserve and nothing less. They have helped so many of us get to where we are today whether it be providing extra help or letters of recommendation.

As I read all of the claims that LFHS will be relegated to backwater status because of the mass exodus of teachers and that there is no way to replace these supreme beings who are able to convey knowledge as no other mortal can, come back to reality and wonder, since there are only a handful of suburban schools capable of paying these salaries, where will they all go? It isn't as if they can displace other teachers. Can Chuck Gress go to Highland Park and say "I am the great and powerful Chuck Gress, I command you to fire your incumbent calculus teacher (whom no doubt the students and family hold in high regard) and hire me". No! Chuck will be back at LFHS because contrary to what they are telling us, there are more than 150 great teachers in Chicagoland who are eager to work for a salary that is in the top 1 1/2% instead of just the top 1%. If a teacher is going to switch jobs for a few hundred dollars a year, I have to question whether they are really a top teacher anyway.

Just read that the board is playing hard ball and told the teachers they had a meeting and the board didnt show. I like it hold your ground BOE, and teachers; cross or find a new job

What would happen if...

1. We cut per student spending in half (about $10,000 per student)
2. We cut teacher annual pay by 30-40%
3. Made it much easier to get rid of under performing teachers
4. Removed the pension benefit
5. Social Security and 401k (403b) type savings plans were instituted

What type of person would be attracted to the teaching profession in such an institution?

What would happen to student performance?

@Stevie Janowski, please elaborate

@Stevie Janowski

I look forward to your answer to the two questions that were asked.

Same house, 20 years, LFHS grad, approx $10k taxes. Protested my taxes and won the past two years.

What's your answer to the two questions? You might want to search my previous posts.

@Stevie Janowski - Fiscal Reality (scroll up) has the right answer.

If you drive just 15-20 minutes west, you'll arrive at a top notch school whose teachers teach because they love it. They don't go on strike. They don't have a union. They make about 30-40% less. They don't receive a state pension. Their retirement plan is just like every other American that works in private industry, social security plus savings and investments.

Approximately $10,000 is spent per student. This includes all teacher compensation, including retirement plans. Compare this to LFHS teachers.

The board needs to stand their ground and not budge an inch. They are more than fairly compensated already.

The LFEA MASSIVELY overplayed its hand. First, it held its members hostage by evidently holding an open strike authorization vote- not a secret ballot- where teachers who wanted nothing to do with a strike felt peer pressure to authorize it. Even then, the Union represented that "we want this just for leverage..." Does anyone think they would have had the votes, if, say, a week ago, they asked for actual authority to strike?

Next, they based their demands on RIDICULOUS projections of massive budget surpluses that, to be accurate, would require the District's budgeters to miss their numbers- the ones that were just approved last week- by millions. The Union then refused to meet until zero hour, gambling that parents would pressure the Board to cave. Now, they post these silly videos, hoping for parent sympathy.

Here's the truth, teachers. Your community support has vaporized. We know that the militant among you- mostly burnt-out math staff near retirement- are trying to hold our best teachers hostage while you claim its for our kids. This board's comments are running ten to one against you. Our kids tell us that every teacher they talked to just before the strike and now during it loathes this action. Some are embarrassed. You are panicking this weekend, searching for a face-saving exit because you know school will soon open, and the many class teachers among you will be there to teach. In my book, any teacher that doesn't show by Tuesday should be replaced.

These LFHS teachers are NOT elite educators. They talk a big game when times are good, however character is revealed during times of adversity. These teachers (with the exception of the few who chose to cross and stand with their students) walked out on their students with seemingly no regard for the consequences. They get an F- in character and are not good enough for our children. I would much rather have a mentally tough, passionate, student focused teacher over an advanced degreed primadonna, BOE - do not give them another penny. They must be encouraged to leave so we can bring in higher caliber educators. The good news is we have the financial resources and working conditions to significantly upgrade.

Just got home from a large community/social gathering and was extremely surprised (so much so that I had to post a comment) to find that NOT ONE ADULT PRESENT was in support of the teachers. NOT ONE! Stand strong BOE... even the non-users are eager to help out the school, and the parents/users are adding their names to the "wait list" to help if need be. I didn't expect to hear the comments that I did.

Teachers bullying other teachers-what a sight! What hypocrites! They tell the students not to bully each other and reprimand those that do. Then they bully those who disagree with their union's stance and want to go back to work. They should be ashamed of themselves.

A way forward for teachers, students -- delivered first thing tomorrow morning, in every classroom:
Teachers: "Kids, I'm very sorry. I made a serious mistake. If you learn only one thing from me this year, let it be this: It is never right for an adult human being to intentionally harm a child."
Students: "Mr/Ms ____________, I forgive you."
Move forward, together, again.

Union complaints:
Tiered pay structure
They want to keep Cadillac insurance plans
They want annual raises of 6%

Taxpayer solutions:
Two tiered pay scale - No. Change the pay scale and put all teachers on the new one. Then it is fair for all.
Cadillac insurance plans - Go to a menu based approach. If the teachers want to pay for the plans from their own pockets, let them.
6% raises - No. What is being offered by BoE is fair for them. We aren't talking about teachers who are living in poverty.

Notice to greedy Union - Now that the CPS teachers have agreed to go back to work, the media will have more time to focus on your unrealistic demands.

I have a couple of questions for the forum that have concerned me.
1--Why were the striking teachers able to use an LF school bus to transport them from the high school to Donati's pizza? It is walkable but would take some gas in their cars so I can see where they would want tax payers to provide the expense of the transportation but I don't see how it was justified. The buses are owned by the DIstrict I thought.. Any perspective?
2--when Harry G and the underwear photographer were in the news, the PR department of the District was right on top of it but I don't see that level of communication now. It would seem like we should be seeing Anne Whipple in the news more telling the taxpayers about the quality offer that is on the table.

@shoe-- your comments did not provide any new info--everything is paid for in this world. Who is paying is the real question.
A meeting is not a meeting unless both sides agree to show so this is a game for the media

Wow. This is a fun little fish bowl to observe. (LFHS Class of 1991)

@shoe--who is paying for the two white vans that are also being used to shuttle teachers back and forth? Using all that gas doesn't seem very economoical or ecological. Also, I noticed the vans have been parked in the former Burger King lot all weekend. Is that legal? Can residents park their cars their overnight without getting ticketed and/or towed?

Many parents went to the meeting today at the high school, and administration has clearly been working hard to put the needs of the students first. Lets hope "most" of the teachers return on Monday to do the same. Parents will be there to do all that they can. Dedicated teachers will hopefully cross the picket line. Most of us respect you and want you back, and for all of the teachers who do not return... happy job hunting! It is NOT an easy time right now in the "real" business world. Your Union Reps are NOT helping you and Community Members do NOT want the BOE to negotiate any more.

@steve woz @scout It's my understanding the LFEA has office space there. I have no information about transport or office space costs and who's picking up the tab.

@one opinion Good to hear the outcome of today's school meeting. Hopefully, long term positive change will ultimately come about on the otherside of this ordeal.

This reminds me of the baseball strike from years back.
Billionaires fighting with Millionaires and the people to gain the most are getting hurt.

Parent, get your children back to school. If you support the board. then your children need to be at school. We need 100% attendance to show support and stop this insanity and unreasonable demands by the teachers!