Why Do School Teachers Strike?
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First I want to say that I'm not Anti-teacher. Actually, I have 2 friends of mine who are school teachers, 1 3rd grade teacher and the other a 5th grade teacher. I've spoken in depth to both of them regarding this subject and they are both on both sides of the fence, and with that heres my side of the fence.
There is a strike going on right now where the average teachers salary is $43,000 a year, up to $81,000 a year. They pay $10.00 a pay, $20.00 a month out of there own pockets for healthcare for their family. They don't work weekends or major holidays, but do have to go in on minor holidays when the children are off. They teach approximately 9 months out of a calendar year and technically have paid summers off. With all that being said lets break it down, because the breakdown is what gets me.
$43,000 a year divided by 9 months is $4,777 a month
They physically teach 6.5 hours per day out of a 8 hour day.
Their weekly Gross Pay at $43K is $1.194.00
Thats $238.00 per day
At 6.5 working hours per day thats $39.66 per hour!
Except for professional sports teams, I'm not aware of any other profession that pays you full pay for the summer till the next term starts. I'm also not aware of any company who is going to pay you for 8 hours of physical work while you work only 6.5 of those hours. What distresses me is the fact that they are striking because of a .2% pay difference between what they want and what the district wants to give them. The school board has gone to the community and asked them to voice their opinion and they have all pretty much said they love the teachers and appreciate all they do for their children, but they pay enough taxes and don't think the strike is justified.
Facts:
Most working people nowadays don't get cost of living or scheduled raises.
Very few average people make $39.00 per hour
Very few people get paid a full years salary working only 9 of those months
Many people pay way more than $20 a month for family healthcare coverage.
In closing I'd like to say that without teachers we would all be lost in life, their job is vital. Not everyone can teach, it takes a special person who has put the money out to be schooled, and then pass on the knowledge to forming young minds. I would like to assume that teachers read the papers, go food shopping, drive cars, and do the regular things we all do. With that being said, and looking at the state of the economy right now, does it make sense to you to portray a stance thats almost "greedy like"? I wish you all could consider yourself fortunate that you have such high paying and benefit filled jobs, something just about all of us would like to have.
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I'm going to have to agree with Bonnie on this... what teachers are getting that sort of salary? Not my mother, who has been teaching for nearly 40 years. You also have to take into account all the time after the students go home that they are still working. My mom's students leave at 3, and she rarely gets home before 6 pm. That doesn't even include time spent grading papers, or making up tests at home.
In many places, uneducated city workers, such as garbage men make more than teachers.
Most teachers have a choice to have their pay spaced out over the 9 working months, or to receive lower checks for the full 12.
With the numbers you are looking at, I can understand why you would think it is being greedy to want more... In houston, starting salary for a teacher is $25, which amount to around $11 an hour. I know baby sitters that charge more than that.
Public schools and teachers in general should not be forcing people to loose there homes! This system is immoral and terminally flawed!!!
Face it the majority of everyones property taxes goes for public schools, everytime i hear of someones home being auctioned off by tax foreclosure, forceably taken from them by thier town i cringe, this is not American!!
HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THIS!!!
I went to school like the rest of you and i can asure you most teachers don't even know what a hard days work is.
Unless you have walked in their shoes you have no idea. If you can read this, thank a teacher.
Oh by the way, just because you have been through the school system does not make you a professional educator. The majority of the teachers have a MASTERS degree in education.
You are completely side stepping the main point of my comment!
Stay on point.
Why should anyone's home be at risk? Forceable take'in from them for not paying school teachers? Is this fair? How is this benefiting society?
If parents are not home for their child because they are working 2 jobs usually
that child gets into trouble, you can say well if the parents where better educated
they would be able to afford to pay their high property tax bills guess what things
are constantly changing people get sick, lose jobs or just get tired and need a break to rest so they can stay physically and emotionally balanced the school property taxing system is terminally flawed.
****We need to change funding for schools by property taxes over to sales taxes on non-essential items purchased and also on items coming from over seas.
I have respect for teachers they have an important job, however their method
of compensation is out of step with most homeowners,the folks
paying their salary. I never claimed to be a "professional educator"
I realize there is time spent in college to get the credentials to
obtain the job maybe too much time, but truth be told most people work in more dangerous and dirty environments and it is much harder
to survive for them without nearly the compensation and benefits and job security.
I learned how to read at home. Most people can believe it or not teach a child
how to read it is not like diagnosing a fuelinjection system or safely driving a class A tractor trailer, please take the time to see how much is required to drive a class A truck or paint a car, roof a house, run a small business, reupholster a couch, move furniture, deliver refridgerators or fix them with little benefits or compensation for thaty matter. What i'm trying to accomplish here is communicate a new awakening to what is occuring here in the USA so we can correct this injustice. I'm lucky enough to still own my home many fellow americans are sleeping in their cars. Do you care about your fellow Americans or not?
Bludgers, complaining, lazy, greedy, winging, excessive holidays... These are just a few of the many words that spring to mind when I hear "Teachers Strikes" Get over it and do some work and stop complaining and trying to get even more holidays!!!
Most kids are packed up and doing nothing by the end of school year BEFORE DECEMBER! Because the teachers are too dam lazy to even teach to the end of the school year! I think exams should be the last week of school for children and they shouldn't spend the last 2wks of school doing art and watching videos!
You teachers have enough holidays and are paid well for the LACK OF HOURS you do so deal with it like the rest of us and start teaching our children properly before the next generation destroys this world or end up a bunch of winging bludgers like yourselves. you haven't worked PROPERLY for almost 2months now get back and do some work before your next holiday!!!
I am a certified public accountant. I have a Masters degree. I graduated in 2005. My starting pay as an accountant was $8.00.
I was making $8.00 an hour even though I already passed the CPA and I had a Masters. I was also working 70 - 80 hours a week. I had always heard the myth that teacher did not make much so even though I wanted to be a teacher I became an accountant. After I started working I realized how I had worked so hard to make a decent living. Being an accountant is a lot harder then being a teacher. All of my teaching friends started at 45K and 50K and all they had was a four year degree. I worked my but off to pass the CPA and get a masters and I was making $8.00 an hour with crapy insurance. I finally worked my way up to $49K but I have to work more then 40 hours and with all the effort I put in I am pissed at my pay. I researched other careers and teachers are one of the highest payed proffessions and it is not just in certain areas. I live in a pretty small town and the teachers pay in the town I live in is better then my pay even though I work in a large city.
BOTTEM LINE PEOPLE NEED TO STOP LYING ABOUT HOW MUCH TEACHERS MAKE. ALSO STOP SAYING THEY HAVE TO PUT UP WITH A LOT OF CRAP AND THAT IS WHY THEY MAKE SO MUCH MONEY. AT MY JOB - ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE THAT HAS A DEGREE - PUT UP WITH A LOT OF CRAP. MY WORK IS VERY STRESSFUL. IF I DON'T MEET DEADLINE I WILL BE FIRED. MY WORK AS A ACCOUNTANT/AUDITOR IS VERY DIFFCULT. I NEVER DO THE SAME THING TWICE - I ALWAYS HAVE TO DEAL WITH NEW LAWS AND MAKE SURE CONTRACTORS ARE OBEYING THEM. I DON'T HAVE A NICE LITTLE LESSON PLAN THAT I FOLLOW EVERY YEAR AND MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY EVERY BLUE MOON. IF TEACHERS NEED A RISE THEN SO DO ALL THE NURSES, ACCOUNTANT/AUDITORS, FRAUD AGENTS, FINANCE EXECUTIVES. OUR JOBS ARE HARDER, WE WORK MORE HOURS, AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH TONS OF STRESS. I APPRECIATE TEACHERS BUT I AND MANY OTHERS ARE MUCH MORE UNDERPAID THEN TEACHERS. I HAVE A TWO WEEK VACATION AND MY INSURANCE WHICH I PAY FOR SUCKS.
SO EVERYONE STOP SAYING TEACHERS ARE UNDER PAID. LOOK AT THE FACTS. I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE THAT MUCH AND BASED ON MY EDUCATION AND EVERYTHING I PUT UP WITH AT WORK I SHOULD.
hehe stupid teachers
Philip Salesky lives in my neighborhood and has a widely known reputation for being an immense freaking a-hole.
He is nothing but a big windbag and a coward who takes his frustrations out in forums because he doen't have the guts to do it to anyone in person.
Other people on this message board should pay him no attention at all.
This forum is about public school funding and i take it very seriously.
To respond to M.Grossman: Hahaha I'm glad i got your attention Mike.I guess you enjoy wasting everyone else's hard earned money. 40k on shrubs during a bad recession makes no sense.
I will never sink to your level, i'm well grounded, but i certainly state my opinions face to face and i was at a HOA meeting recently maybe you were absent?
Back to the subject that this post is here for: I'm quite busy working to pay the $20,000. i pay in property taxes on my home and business locations in fact i have to now sell my tractor trailer to accomplish that this year. The teachers and school systems are consuming my business equipment and i hear this constantly from other business owners we need to keep our equipment to create jobs the government policy needs to be changed. I guess my idea's of removing the burden from homeowners and businesses during a declining economy is lost on you?
People a sales tax on non essential goods would properly fund the public schools and would end the practice of Counties taking homes and businesses by force from hard working law abiding citizens! Do any teachers or administrators care to comment on there salary being funded by the forced sale of an American Citizens home?
I also spoke to a teacher face to face about this subject and he was upset that the state required him to pay for excessive college he needed a higher income to pay for his college but he didn't need that level of knowledge to teach the courses and grade levels he wanted to teach he relayed to me that the state mandates are excessive.
the teachers must stop sriking because the matriculants are going to fale pleaze am in grade 8 my first year at sec.school has been hell the whole year please give the people the money they wahnt thanx
Wow! I agree with M. Grossman regarding the fact that Phillip Salesky is a true windbag. M. Grossman, you are the one who needs to stay on point. You are speaking as though educators are the one who came up with the system of payment. I do not understand the immense amount of rage that you have for a group of working professionals. I started my teaching career four years ago and I have no say so in how funds are collected or spent. Vent to somebody who cares or at least to somebody who can change the seeminly flawed system.
So, would people be this angry if the teachers weren't striking. I'm not seeing arguments from teachers either.
First comment is to the orginal person who started this blog, hot rocks reviewer: Get your facts correct!!! I couldnt agree more with Bonnie who was the first person to respond to your posting. Teachers DO NOT get paid in the summer!!! It is so assuming to think a majority of people still continue to think we get paid 12mths a year. Second, almost every single teacher I know works a heck of a lot more than 6.5 hours, which is what you said in your posting. Most of the time the students leave between 2:30 to 3:30 and most teachers stay after school between 1-3 hours longer.
I can tell you this information because I have been in the teaching profession for almost 10 years now! I will not sit here and shred and degrade other professions that I have no education or expereince in. However, everyone seems to be an expert in teaching because everyone always talks about it.
To Mandy...you said you did not become a teacher because you heard an accountant makes more. Then you openly admitted that you were mad that teacehrs are making more than your $8.00 an hr salary. It is not to late.....go back to school to be a teacher!!!! If everyone thinks teaching is so easy and that teachers have it so good......why dont you go back to be a taecher and stop complaining about what teachers have.....!!!!!!!!
Teach 1 you are a cowered why don't you use your real name here? hurling insults at me while hiding is childish and shows your ignorance. I have been fair minded and i think you should read all of what i wrote on here to understand why i am so pissed off about this subject. If you really are a teacher and a fair minded honest American you should be greatly concerned with how you are being paid! Getting this funding source issue resolved is the only way to correct the funding issue's.
Funding schools through property taxes with an end result of stealing homes and putting people out on the street is immoral and wrong this needs to change striking for more money is saying steal more property. Change the way schools are funded how do you sleep at night knowing that you are paid through extortion.
Mr. Salesky. You refer to me as a “cowered”. The word “cower” is a verb (to bend, stoop, bow) and in no way refers to a persons character. The word you were looking for is “coward”. Maybe you should quit complaining about a profession that you know nothing about and take a moment to thank a grammar teacher! It is true, I work within an inherently flawed system. A system, as a matter of fact, which requires that I obtain a certain status (tenure) before I can speak out against said system while still maintaining my job. Are you following me here or shall I slow it down a bit? I cannot stand the politics regarding the education system and I realize the many, many other problems within the education profession. I do not have the ability to “fix” such problems and I did not enter the profession with any intention of trying to do so. I aim to give students the skills that they need in order to become self sufficient, productive members of society. Doing so requires many hours of time beyond what is allocated at work and I cannot get caught up in the politics of the business. I spend countless hours of my personal time assessing, planning, and purchasing supplies that will help me to educate the students in my care each week. I do not have much time for sleep sir, but the sleep that I do get is peaceful.
Want to talk about getting WAY off point? It is not the teacher's fault that Government officials are fiscally irresponsible. I have never met ANY teacher who physically had their hand in my pocket. If You want to blame someone for Your taxes being too high, I recommend attending budget planning meetings, and more importantly go out and VOTE! I personally feel that the teachers deserve every nickel they earn and more. I have no fault with them for negotiating the best possible contract for themselves. If You were about to get a raise would You not try to make it the best raise possible?
Ohh boo hoo. You have to sell your tractor trailer to pay your property taxes. Well maybe you have too much property then. I have a hard time believing that the people who are bashing teachers have children.
IF you do have children I hope you realize that these horrible slackers spend more time with your children than you do. If you don't think they deserve atleast what they are paid you try spending that much time with YOUR children. And I laugh to think of you spending that much time with the whole neighbourhood of children.
Not only putting up with the spoiled brats, the trouble makers, the shy kids.. you also get to hope like hell you're able to teach them something. If THATS not enough.. you also are making sure that they are properly socialized.
Then if you've done your best, but the parents still won't pay attention.. you run the risk of one of the kids bringing a gun to school and shooting a bunch of people.. one could be you. If you survive that then you have to help the children deal with loss and suffering.
I think you're getting the picture...
This is ridiculous. M Grossman is widely known as a douchebag in his neighborhood. My friend lives by him and I have heard a few things about him too. He is not someone to even bother talking to in a public forum. I have been an educator for 12 years and I cannot stand ridiculous people such as M grossman. he is a gross man.
Omg guys. It's called a debate. No one in the entire world is EVER going to agree on anything. First of all - teachers DO have a hard job and I know it cause I'm in the classroom while the majority of my class are idiots all day, everyday. Secondly - everyone else's jobs are just as hard and sucky.
Everyone kind of needs to get over it, and things aren't going to change in this economy. Sorry :(
This is hilarious. Someone posted an imbecilic topic over three years ago and to this day the ensuing debate persists. Wait until these budget repair bills get passed in Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Jersey. There will be a lot more people that don't know the difference between cowered and coward, there and their, or forceably and forcibly.
If you're complaining about the amount of money teachers earn today, hold on and take a gander at what the future holds. Public school teachers and the ignorant people that are hating on their salaries will both be angered; the teachers because their salaries will drop and the ignorant ones because they'll no longer have anything pointless to argue about. Oh joy.
OMG you guys are so so petty! When I am writing my thoughts I am focused on articulating said thoughts so you can comprehend what needs to change and why I feel this way.I am human just like you and make errors sorry! I am sure if you agreed with my statements and rational you would have overlooked my simple typo's and apparently you have the intellect to understand what I actually had intended so if that is the content of your rebuttal you have weak arguments and lack substance. I didn't proofread this is not a legal contract just a way of educating my fellow American's on why & how we could improve our world. It truly is like talking to a wall it seems like most on here are great at hurling immature insults and have no creative input. Hanna's remarks are wrong on so many levels my 1st observation is that she should not be around children since she seems to have an extremely negative view of young people and the way they interact.I really think she would be happier in a Communist country because that is what she is publicly calling for the confiscation of property earned by a citizen is not an American value. The Public education system is corrupt and is damaging our businesses and weakening the general public due to the high cost's of said corrupt system. Unions should never have been in the Government they where originally created to protect workers from being exploited by malicious employers.
Why would a governmental employee need protection from the government? Do you think the government is trying to take advantage of the Public servant's? When governmental projects occur they are not funded willfully they are paid for by taking through threat of force from the citizens, because of the imense power granted to elected government officials they should be very careful about how much money they are taking from the citizens and spending. Money represents a persons sacrifice of time, energy and knowledge everyone has a different amount of time to live, so when you require a person to fork over in essence his or her time you are stealing a piece of that persons life. If you feel it is so detrimental to our future as a nation to educate everyone & throw more money at a corrupt system then why not just make it voluntary to pay what you can instead of by force? If it is important everyone will pay what they can afford to pay to educate those who need help.
Hi guys.
I am a student doing a debate tomorrow about whether teachers should be allowed to strike or not. We have been given the negative side on the moot that 'This house should allow teachers to strike'. we must negate it.
We do not believe this and yet we are working our butts off to try and find reasons why teachers should not strike. I came here to see if there were any facts that we can use. I've read all your comments and taken useful pieces from each.
However the people who provide the most for me in this world are both teachers at my school. One of them actually teaches me. I would just like to put it out there that they have devoted most of their lives to looking after me and my siblings while juggling a full time job. My mother works 8 hours a day, not including meetings and overtime work such as productions and plays, etc. The amount of work at home to mark students work is immense and during production season my mother works a 40 hour work.
Every job needs work put into it, from prostitute to politician from cashier to college professor. There is no need to bash a teacher's job. I'm sure accountants are allowed to strike if they wanted to, however you hardly ever hear of an accountant strike. I for one haven't. Teachers would not be forced into strikes if it wasn't for the lesser pay for a job that helps found society. however not one opinion is wrong. As each their own, right?
(Agreeing with Student however. We kids do make teacher's jobs hard :)
Sorry off topic )
But in a debate the paramount rule is that you do not insult the other team otherwise you are penalized. The insults in the comments are unnecessary, although I am not defending whom these insults are directed to, and ineffective. I'm 15 and consider these insults to be rather juvenile when trying to make a point. You are all adults, are you not? This is quite parallel to a point that we are using tomorrow. I personally do not believe in all of this, but we were given the topic. "Teachers as role models shouldn't strike and use peaceful methods of negotiation because they are more effective." Throwing insults to the opposition is sort of like what we are saying about striking. There are better ways to get your point across.
All I know is that tomorrow I have to argue in a point I don't believe in, however I'm not going to degrade myself to throwing insults and being blindly unaware of what the other side is saying whilst knocking other commentors. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I thought that these arguments were quite interesting, at times funny and sometimes just downright rude. Everybody has an opinion and the right to free speech, you don't need to knock people for that. Human rights, article 19
Teackers are spoiled brats who have never and wil never gorw up! I know, I am married to one! I am just as outraged as everyone else in America. Who doesn't work a full 8 hour day in todays society, not to mention the whole summer off. 192 days a year! THat's what they work! If you can call it that! When he first began his profession, he worked very hard during the school year, not during the summer! Last lasted for three years. Now, lessons are planned and I never see one paper come home to grade. Thast is done during the 6.5 hour school day. He is an excellent teacher. I am not trying to say that he is a slouch when it comes to his job, but I do not think he deserves what he gets paid, the benefitsw he recieves, or thew pension plan he is going to recieve upon retirement after 20 years of service! But why should this change? Is anyone out there actually working on doing domething to change this??? I have spoken out a community meeetings. Is anyone else doing anything out there besides complaining?? Would anyone like to ban together to do something??
So people can judge properly my opinions, this is who I am: A white male, 28 years old, currently pursing 3 degrees - French, Spanish, and Secondary Education (thats right, I want to be a teacher). Also, I live in a neighborhood that has some of the greatest racial disparity in America, which is in, believe it or not, Omaha, NE. Oh ya, I will make a ton of typos.
So far in my education, I have learned that being a teacher puts you in an interesting "political" position with your co-workers/employers/friends, cause everyone has an opinion on what should be done. From funding to teacher roles, a lot of arguments can arise, all of which are often valid given the owners perspective. Given that, I would like to address some of the comments made so far.
To the original writer - Yes some teachers are over paid for the work they choose to do. Others are highly underpaid. Some teachers are putting in the effort to overcome some of education and societies issues. Some of the other posters have pointed out the work to properly educate a student already, and I agree with their challenge to any one who doubts how hard it can be to become a teacher. With that I add that not only try being a teacher, trying being one who pleases all critics.
To philip - 1st - See comment on teacher's not having anymore say than you on where the money comes from to pay for schools/education. 2nd - If you have $20,000 in property taxes, I either want your life cause its not too bad if you got that far, or unfortunately you have helped create some of our economic issues by being strung out on credit to get you that much property. I understand that both those statements could be false and the second one is mean. 3rd - you are right about people nit picking other elements like spelling instead of staying on point, (that why I did it in point #2). 4th - History shows a government does take advantage of it employees, maybe not directly in every circumstance, but never the less, it does happen. 5th - I would like more info showing how switching to sales tax would be any better and actually help our economy at the same time. Cause on one hand, the property tax system is one of the mechanisms creating disparities in the quality of education in "certain" neigborhoods, like mine, on the other I don't see how this would actually help you in your time of need cause schools are still gonna need the same amount of funding...And if you use the sales tax model, schools would suffer during economic crises - so instead of you hurting, the students would be left with even more sub par education.
To Hanna - Unfortunately Philip is right about you not needing to be around students if you are in fact a teacher. You can read how jaded you have already become. But it does show the toll that teaching can have on a person over time and that we need to spend more money on finding and funding teachers who have better attitudes.
To Mandy - It is not anyone particulars fault that you gave up on you dream to be a teacher, but a little of the blame does lie on your shoulders. A lot of Americans sacrifice what they want to do for a bit of "security" that is often false and susceptible to market demands. Be that as it may, you can still change you life, if you wish. As someone said - go be a teacher, or move away from the small town (small towns often equal less demand in business which equals less demand for accountants) cause my good friend makes about 50 G's a year as one here in Omaha, fresh outta college.
Finally from what I've read the students who have posted on here give us some hope, they understand the importance of teachers and see that some are worth their pay and others are not. They also show they can use what they are learning, (sorry debater that I didn't follow the rule about not offending the other teams, but what I said had a point, the question is whether or not they will get it). So it shows some teacher do deserve what they are paid. All in all I don't care where the money is coming from as long as it's honest, so please find a way to fund education and better teachers that you are happy to contribute to. Until then I fully support the right to strike whether in the public or private sector.
As a caseworker dealing with foster children with challenging behaviors, impoverished families, foster parents who need help parenting these children, and making sure everything is in order with attending ALL meetings for each child on my caseload and also traveling nonstop and running my own car in the ground, I have little respect for teachers who strike. You want to strike for the children and get them better material so they are able to be empowered, be my guest. Anything that helps the children. The extra work you do, if this does occur, may fill in your long holidays and summer vacation which hardly anyone receives. We can strike if we had unions but while we are not working, i am sure kids would be getting fondled and smacked around with no one saving them. We do not do this because it affects the children, who you are suppose to teach. In conclusion, never bitch about your money unless your working in the inner cities and dealing with the stuff i deal with plus teaching. People would give you more respect if you didnt include raises when you strike.
Oh by the way, i make 29,000 a year.
As a teacher, all I can say is if you feel as though we aren't working to earn our 32k a year, then PLEASE feel free to come into the classroom for a week or month or year and see what we do. I work 12-15 hour days (NOT INCLUDING TIME AT HOME) during the school year, commute 90 minutes a day, pay for ALL of my own materials out of my own pocket (2-3k per year), attend meetings, conferences, workshops, school functions, and other events throughout the year (UNPAID), work on 3 different committees, work as an adviser for 3 clubs (in which I make less than 900 per year to do, if that), and then, on those HOLIDAYS you all speak of, I grade papers, create assignments, plan 9 months of lessons and materials, assess learning and papers, and create the entire reading and writing assessments for the district. In my spare time, I sleep. I stretch my pay for 12 months so I have consistency, although they give all the pay in June, overtaxing me. I do not get any time off during the school year, except for holidays, in which I am spending time grading, preparing exams, reading papers, or attending conferences.
I pay my taxes, do not receive tax benefits for my purchases ($250 is the max...ridiculous), and go to teacher workshops and conferences during my "vacation" in the summer in order to meet my REQUIRED continued education numbers so I can renew my license. I make 32k a year, have a Bachelors degree and a Masters in Education, owe over 65k in student loans, and pay over 400 a month in gas alone. After taxes, I bring home less than 2k a month. Teachers in our district also pay anywhere between $300-1,000 a month in medical insurance (depending on children in the home). That comes out of our pay, not from the district. To make everything even better, my district wants to stop pay (even cost of living) increases AND seniority increases (called steps) for an unlimited amount of time. After leaving the private sector after years of employment, I know that most jobs at least have a 1% increase or bonus for cost of living. We won't receive that either. It is a good thing that I love what I do and love my students because apparently the American public does not. My district has a 80% below poverty rate, the students can't even afford notebooks (which I pay for out of my own pocket) and we have very little to no technology.
Teachers do not do what they do for the money. Let's get that straight. For those districts that pay their teachers more than here in Oregon, then the cost of living and other bills must be higher. I don't understand why so many people fail to realize the work and passion we have for our jobs but if you want to continue downplaying the importance of your kid's education, then you only have yourself to blame when our economy, job markets, and social growth in this country fail. There is going to be a time when we realize that there are not enough teachers in this country because of people like you all. We have to support our public sector. Support our children. So, in conclusion, if you don't like what we are doing, why don't you come on in and see what it is all about. Quit your bitching and educate yourself.
And just to let you all know, I have never met a teacher in my life that has only worked 8 or less hours a day. EVER!
I understand that the intent of your post was in regards to a strike that happened a while back, however both yours, and some others posts, have openly attacked the teaching profession and those that work within it. They say ignorance is bliss, but your ignorance is frustrating, to put it nicely.
I understand we come from different countries, but in the end, we do the same job. In Australia, we are paid an annual salary, based on six hours of work a day, within the school term. Recently, in Australia, all citizens were required to complete a census poll, in which we filled out details regarding our employment and hours worked (amongst other things). I sat down and calculated the amount of overtime I did the week before. Could I mention that this was the average working week, not one I which academic reports etc. were due. I calculated that my average overtime per week, is 35 hours. All of this overtime work is unpaid.
In one week, yes, I get paid to work 6 hours between 9am-3pm, but let me tell you, they are certainly not the hours I actually work. I arrive at school at 7am, and leave after 5pm daily. That’s 10 hours, Monday – Friday. I don’t get a lunch break, because I have playground duty. I am lucky because I don’t work at a school where I am required to coach Saturday sports, however that is not to say, I don’t work weekends. I am involved, as most teachers are expected to be, in extra-curricular activities, and meet with parents daily. I spend at least an hour each night at home after work, marking or preparing, and a minimum of 5 hours on a weekend. That’s 60 hours I work, during the average week. I get paid for 30 hours of that time. That’s HALF what I work. I don’t know of many workplaces or people who wouldn’t put their hand out and expect overtime for that many hours…. one could say, we certainly do deserve our holidays…. which brings me to my next point.
Holidays. Wonderful, aren’t they? Holidays for a teacher is better described a ‘relief from face-to-face’, or ‘working from home’. Point out one diligent teacher who does not spend a whole chunk of their holidays writing mandatory educational programs that detail each and every lesson for the next 10 weeks for each and every key learning area.
In regards to healthcare, our system is very different to yours. We receive no benefits and I pay $265 monthly for basic cover. Living in Sydney is incredibly expensive; half of my fortnightly pay goes straight to paying off rent, so owning a home will never be a reality for me. I work for the state system and I am lucky as I work at a well-resourced school which provides much of what I need for work, there are many things a teacher is required to pay for themselves, from their own pocket. Stickers, stamps, resource books, posters, paint and paintbrushes, stationary, art and craft resources ………. The list goes on…….. I claim an average of $3,500 each financial year and am refunded $300 annually as I am paying of an accumulated tertiary education debt.
I would like to know what Phillip, who says that “most teachers don't even know what a hard days work is” does for a living and if he thinks he could do a better job that any one of us. Those that think that teaching is merely babysitting, then let’s think about it like this; if a babysitter charges $10/hour for each kid under their care, then they should be earning about $250/hour, based on a classroom size of 25. For 6 hours’ work a day, that’s $1,500 - for babysitting!!! And I haven’t even begun talking about differentiated lessons to cater for the extensive and challenging needs within a classroom; helping each individual achieve success in their learning, whilst managing behaviour and maintain a peaceful classroom environment.
Nick, who calls teachers “bludgers, complaining, lazy, greedy, winging”….. tsk tsk - not entirely sure what classrooms you spend your time during December, but I can assure you in mine, and those of all my colleagues, we work until the very last day, as there is this thing called a syllabus which sets out a list of outcomes each student should achieved by the end of the year. So much work is required to be undertaken throughout a year and teachers often struggle to ensure that all work is completed.
Let me tell you about the first day of school, as a beginning teacher. It’s playground duty and two fourth graders are belting each other. I know that I am not allowed to touch them, yet I am expected to extend a duty of care to the victim. Standing on the side of them trying to ‘reason’, the bully decides to belt me instead. This is observed by the principal who suspends the student for a month. On his first day back, he stabs his teacher with a kitchen knife. Violence is one thing many teachers have to deal with daily, but that’s not all. Many parents tell me how they can’t wait for school holidays to end, because of how demanding their children are at home. Imagine having up to 30 to manage all day long; it’s exhausting; physically and mentally. And no one prepares you for another challenge; parents. I have been berated in front of the entire class because another teacher didn’t select his deaf daughter to sing in a musical. Always justifying myself to someone.
I am trying to undermine anybody else’s job here, I am merely standing up for my own. All conscientious teachers deserve every cent they make and recognition for all the work you don’t see them do. Unless you are one yourself, you cannot understand how much it is a way of life, and not just a profession. So please accept this is an educational insight into the profession of teachers, from someone who is one, and therefore able to give a more accurate picture of the realities of teaching.
I've actually never seen a less intelligent, less educated thread on the internet in my life -- and i often troll ESPNs message boards. Wow.
Do you even know what we teachers do? Yeah, we get 10 weeks off in the summer, but our days are not over at 3:00. Lesson planning, grading, and creating/organizing activities takes up many hours each week at home. Saturdays and Sundays too... Fuck off
Loving A Teacher's comment!
Also, teachers do not get paid for sitting around all summer. Each pay check has a reserve amount taken out which is then spread out over the summer weeks. Thus, they put money aside and get it back on summer break.
Many teachers work summer school and second jobs because they can't afford to live off of their salary.
You say we teach 6.5 hours a day?
Hmm. What about lesson planning, which is around 2 hrs a week. Grading homework each night. Grading tests over a weekend? Analyzing data. Documenting reading levels, behavioral reports, communicating with parents, attending school functions...
We dont get bonuses like the rest of the corporate world. We dont get Long lunch breaks.
Please stop this joke of a post and worry about something that you are educated in knowing.
Ass
Bonnie Ramsey 4 years ago
First, let me say that I am not a teacher. That being said, I would like to point out that the salary you mentioned for teachers are in very few areas. There are many states that teachers make much less. Also, there is more to being a teacher than just standing in front of a class talking for a little over 6 hours per day.
In most cases, that teacher is responsible for close to 30 students at once, attempting to give personal attention to the needs of any who need it. Also, there was a day when a teacher could maintain control of her classroom with the full support of school authorities. Now, teachers are expected to teach 30 students in a classroom where they have absolutely no control over any discipline whatsoever.
Violence against teachers has been rising steadily and there is nothing the teachers are allowed to do to keep control of their classrooms when students become unruley.
As for the pay, I also know several other professions that make this much and more without having to take responsibility for 30 children at once! I say that teachers deserve a pay raise long before the sports figures, screen writers and politicians! They literally hold the future of our country in their hands with these students and I fully believe that they deserve much more than what they are getting now!
As for the health insurance, while it may cost them less per month, chances are the coverage is not what many of the higher priced insurances would pay. If it is with Blue Cross, which many state employees have, then I know it isn't!
Granted, they are off during much of the summer. However, their day doesn't stop when the school is dismissed. Do you think that those homework and tests papers grade themselves? Do you think that daily lesson plans just magically appear on their desks each morning? No, this is done by the teachers at home after school.
While many of us think of their jobs as easy when compared to a 9 to 5 job, how many employess have to take their work home with them at night to prepare for the next day?
I believe that there is much more to teaching than meets the eye and we should be working on getting these teachers a raise and giving them authority to take back control of their classrooms so that their teaching efforts will be more effective and beneficial to the future of our country.
Bonnie Ramsey