Teaching, dumpster diving, and wrestling

Why do so many teachers quit?
"What's pushing so many teachers out of the profession? Richard Ingersoll, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has been trying to answer that question for years. He's found that teachers often cite long hours and low pay as contributing to their dissatisfaction. But teachers are even more upset by their lack of say over key decisions affecting classrooms. Volumes of other research echo this theme. In a 2014 Gallup Poll, teachers ranked last among 12 professional groups in agreeing that their opinion at work matters."

One low-income school, Mission High in San Francisco, took this lesson to heart and began empowering teachers. The results were impressive. Read about it here.

The pro dumpster diver who is making BANK
 For one day's work, "Malone estimates he will earn $5,091 in sales. This adds up to more than $2,500 for each night out, which, despite a good deal of downtime answering my questions, is a pretty good haul. At that rate, if he were to work 240 days a year—a five-day workweek with four weeks of vacation—he would earn over $600,000 annually. "

This almost made me want to quit my job and to become a professional dumpster diver.

How an at-risk, one-legged wrestler made it to the top of the wrestling world, then walked away
I read this in The Best American Sports Writing 2015. The title makes it sound like it's going to be a Lifetime movie in print, but it's much more complex than that. For instance, instead of describing him "overcoming adversity," the article asks "Did Robles win in spite of his one-leggedness, or because of it? It's an ungracious question, but it deserves consideration."

The Oracle of Omaha Speaks

The United States' second-richest man has delivered a blunt message to the Bush administration: he wants to pay more tax.

Warren Buffett, the famous investor known as the "Sage of Omaha", has complained that he pays a lower rate of tax than any of his staff - including his receptionist. Mr Buffett, who is worth an estimated $52bn (£25bn), said: "The taxation system has tilted towards the rich and away from the middle class in the last 10 years. It's dramatic; I don't think it's appreciated and I think it should be addressed."

During an interview with NBC television, Mr Buffett brandished an informal survey of 15 of his 18 office staff at his Berkshire Hathaway empire. The billionaire said he was paying 17.7% payroll and income tax, compared with an average in the office of 32.9%.

"There wasn't anyone in the office, from the receptionist up, who paid as low a tax rate and I have no tax planning; I don't have an accountant or use tax shelters. I just follow what the US Congress tells me to do," he said.

Read the entire article here.

How to save money

A business writer for the NY Times offers these hints for saving money. I thought I'd check to see how many of these I do. Here goes:

¶Never pay a real estate agent a 6 percent commission. Oops--0 for 1

¶Buy used things, except maybe used tires. Check

¶Get on the do-not-call list and other do-not-solicit lists so you can’t be tempted. Check

¶Watch infomercials for their entertainment value only. Check

¶Know what your credit reports say, but don’t pay for that knowledge: go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get them. Check

¶Consolidate your cable, phone and Internet service to get the best deal. Oops

¶Resist the lunacy of buying premium products like $2,000-a-pound chocolates. Check

¶Lose weight. Carrying extra pounds costs tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. Oops

¶Do not use your home as a piggy bank if home prices are flat or going down or if interest rates are rising. Check

¶Enroll in a 401(k) at work immediately. Check

¶Postpone buying high-tech products like PCs, digital cameras and high-definition TVs for as long as possible. And then buy after the selling season or buy older technology just as a new technology comes along. Check

¶And, I’m sorry, I’m really serious about this last one: make your own coffee. Check

I'm 9 for 12. Not bad.