First of all - a well written and thought out comment deserves acknowledgement and a focused, detailed response.

Many of us have had teachers who changed our weltanschauung. It could be that you are that person to others - and for that you get nothing but respect. There are a handful of teachers on my journey that definitely impacted the preparation, direction and outcome of the adventure so far! They had the similar qualities you defined - capability, determination, passion for their subjects - and it rubbed off on me. In many ways it made me challenge my own ways of thinking - which before snowflake culture took over - was considered a good thing.

I agree with you that sometimes teachers are one of the best parts of society. They are now, unfortunately, being asked to play more and more a substitute parenting role. For those who don't not know, there is a series of offerings these days called "Adulting Classes". Students are showing up to university so woefully underprepared and ready to survive, that they need to be taught "how to live" before they can be taught "how or what to think" and thrive.

I would wonder, however, how many of your colleagues approach their profession with the same level of dedication, professionalism and competence you describe?My experience, again, is that this is an individual quality - and not necessarily something that is learned. What I have seen in higher education would put you as an exception and not the rule. And if they do have these qualities, how does the union block them from innovating and improving student results?

Thomas Sowell has a lot to say on this theme. I highly encourage you to read more on his studies and findings in looking into the subject. This is only one of his books on it - there are others.

Case in point, read in the Thomas Sowell books about Charter Schools in high poverty areas. The students coming from the same environments score astronomically higher on testing, get into better schools, and thus become better contributing members of society. It has little or nothing to do with their skin color or family situation. It has to do the students attitude and self-belief, and with teachers who are motivated (and rewarded) to make the students into the best they can be. It simply works. That is why the teacher's unions are fighting it. Competition will expose the failure to deliver results - in apple-to-apple comparisons.

The teacher unions are blocking competition, diversity of thought, innovation, and thus preparation and development of their customers (there students). They are supporting the teaching of revisionist (false) history and false biology and false _______ (insert snowflake topic here). That's not OK and needs to stop. It's one thing to say, here are 2 opinions on the topic, here is the data to support these positions, you decide. It's another to force feed snowflake content down the throats of students who never asked for it.

There is a beautiful saying on this theme: "A Baccalaureate student tells you how they feel about it. The Master's student says "here is the data" to support my position.

The fact that the teacher's unions are becoming so vocal - only confirms how much of the problem they are for the rest of us. Making demands? Really. I think the best response for those demands is G.T.F.O. - and we will find someone or some group that wants to help students.

To your point, in the end, it is the relationship between the teacher and student that makes the magic happen. The point here is to give the teachers every opportunity and tool they need to do that better... something that the teacher's unions are NOT doing.