Appalled at the anti-teacher attitude!

[lisettelovebug]

I was reading how one of the school district's teachers may go on strike - they've been working without a contract for 2 years. You should read what someone wrote. I was appalled!
http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs...DATE/309140022
Of course I had to put my comment on there! I can't believe that anyone could say stuff like that!

[Dancing Lotus]

Okay just let me say that I love teachers. I do think that they are not paid enough. What that person wrote was just disgusting.


With that said , plenty of people go without health insurance or have to pay dearly for it. My dh has to pay for our insurance and its 800 a month for cover me and our two children. Thats equal to 5 dollars an hours out of his pay.

[emily_hope]

That was really rude.

[Holly]

I agree with the comment form the NYer.
I am so happy my DSon quit school.
He is doing great and just got another raise to $11.00 an hour. Will get another in Dec.
Our school system in this area is a big joke ( A bad one at that ).
If I could do it over I'd have home schooled
The teachers are really bad here and what foul mouths they have.
(Sorry I'm pretty much fed up with schools and teachers ) JMHO

[jamie79]

First I want to say I have great respect for teachers. Having said that there are things in Grumpytoes post that I agree with. I am blessed to have bright kids who behave but even they have had a couple of teachers that left something to be desired.

Holly, I am surprised at any parent who says they are happy that their kid quit school. If it were a bad school situation were there other alternatives that you and your son could have tried besides quitting. No offense, but $11 an hour is not that much money these days

[Telephus44]

Sorry, but I'm generally anti-teacher. Well, I take that back - I'm anti-teachers unions. (I'm also generally anti-union, too) I wouldn't be that rude or blunt, but I agree with the majority of what the first person commented. There are many teachers in my family, so we discuss this a lot at family gatherings... :-)

[ilovechocolate]

There are teachers who shouldn't be teaching----they either just don't like young people or they know their subject but can't communicate it to students.

But the majority of teachers that I know (and I'm a teacher) really love students and want them to do well. Most of us just accept all the hard work, the extra hours and classes that are required to maintain our certification, and the endless new inititatives that our system thrusts upon us. Why? Because working with kids is worth it!!! To see a child's academic growth and the increase in maturity and work habits and perseverance from August to June is an incredible rush.

Plus---kids say the dardnest things! They really keep us young.

Example: I co-teach part of each day with a 4th grade teacher. She's black, I'm white. One day DS 19 dropped by the school to check with me about something. He came into the classroom and I introduced him to the kids. My co-teacher (who taught him in 4th grade and they love each other dearly) immediately told the kids that he was HER son! So we bantered back and forth (He's my son! No, he's MY boy!) until she asked the kids, "Who does he look like?"

And the kids all pointed to her and said, "YOU, Ms. Powell!"

Kids----I love them!!

[mommy4ever]

I can agree and disagree with the comment. In many cases, there are valid points. But today's world isn't what it was when I was in school. BUT, I've come to realize it depends on the school. It depends on the area. We suffered through elementary the last 3 years for ds13. He scraped through a C student. We picked a school out of our neighborhood with open borders, and in his first reportcard he had a 90%+ average?

In my dd school. We have a kindergarten teacher that has been teaching kindergarten for 24 years now. Yes, twenty four. We LOVED him, I cried when dd8 was no longer in his class. I did talk to him and he told me it will be likely he'll have dd3 in his class as he likes to deal with families. But that is only if he is still ENJOYING teaching. He said if he no longer enjoys it, it's time to retired. So far he's still there and dd3 starts next fall. I'm excited for her. We haven't cared for other K teachers. They all switched grades the year after my kids went through. He told me he is there because he loves it. Yes, it's a job, he wouldn't do if for free, but it's definitely something he loves.

Now in ds new school, the median age of the teachers is about 35-40. So really a fairly young staff. They are all so much fun. Even the older ones, they command respect, the kids gravitate to them too,even if they are the more stern in the school. The kids do love them. They strive to get good grades.

I do agree with the comment about teaching to the test. I'm in Canada, and it does happen here. They had dd10 so stressed last year about these exams, they were trying to get us to buy books to help them study. I did these SAME tests growing up. We only knew the week before, so that we'd be well rested and fed for long days of testing. I told her. These aren't going to affect her grades, this is more of a test to see how the teachers are doing their jobs. If you don't know it now, (end of the year) then it's not your fault. But they kept sending the forms home. I just threw them out. Despite not "prepping" my daughter, she was in the top 10% of our province. So the teachers did their jobs. I do need to speak to the principal about the pressure put on the kids. That isn't right.

But it's how it is. Better averages in a school=more awards=more resources. It's sad when kids can't have their own text books. The costs of education are tremendous. I know many teachers spend out of pocket to get some fun learning tools.

As to not going to an open house, it's kinda sad. They aren't being paid hourly. They have a contract. We have friends who went through working 70hours/week(not a teacher) for several months and didn't get a dime extra because of contract. It's a contract, you agree to do it, you do it. It's how contracts work. Thankfully my kids schools now, are great. Teachers all seem to enjoy what they're doing, and go the extra mile. I do try to send little thank you's. Gift certificates, home baked goodies, and always an ornament at Christmas. An old school, we had to pay for the privilege of kids staying at school for lunch. The teachers refused to do supervision, parent committee had to hire some one to do it. There was no afterschool activities, no lunch time activities. And then they wonder what the school is getting vandalized at recess etc. Idle hands = trouble. A few clubs would really cut back on it.

[Dancing Lotus]

I agree with the comment form the NYer.
I am so happy my DSon quit school.
He is doing great and just got another raise to $11.00 an hour. Will get another in Dec.
Our school system in this area is a big joke ( A bad one at that ).
If I could do it over I'd have home schooled
The teachers are really bad here and what foul mouths they have.
(Sorry I'm pretty much fed up with schools and teachers ) JMHO

Maybe I am missing something here?
I wonder if in 10 yrs you will still be happy, or rather he will still be happy.

[Holly]

He is going to get his diploma online
this winter. The principal screwed him over so much as he does with half the kids in school that almost 1/3 of the kids are quitting and getting their degree online.
The company he works for is paying
for him to get his cdl license. He will get a raise then plus another in Dec.
They fly him to Baltimore every week
pay for his food $30.00 per day. Pay for his motel room 3 nights a week.
He has a chance to move to Alabama in 1 year starting pay $25.00 an hour.
Not bad for an 18 year old when have the kids around here that graduate are flipping burgers at Micky D's
This school here is a rotten place to go. We have the highest suicide rate for kids in this school for the state of NY.
Yes I'm glad he quit..

[HandyMom]

It all depends on the school because they are different. My dd was failing in one school and so we changed schools (same district). Now she is making straight A's and loves it.

[PurpleButterfly]

I support the teachers in my school district. We've been blessed with caring hardworking teachers, including my sons special ed teachers. Not all teachers work 8-3, my son's kindergarten teacher called me from school one evening at 8pm. I pay for this school district by paying high rent, but i want my children to be here. Its heart breaking to think of children being taught by teachers that dont want to be there and dislike children. Everyone, everyone, everyone deserves health care without having to pay and arm and a leg for it.

[i.m.cheap]

Everyone, everyone, everyone deserves health care without having to pay and arm and a leg for it.

I agree with that statement. We can't afford healthcare coverage. My DH's job (well actually he has two jobs, and goes to school) does not provide any benefits at all, and we live on less than $24,000 a year.

I didn't mean to get off topic. My oldest dd is a public high school teacher, and at $35,000 a year, in a high cost of living area (Denver, CO) she is not overpaid. She usually puts in ten hour days, plus takes work home.

[Holly]

Please don't get me wrong. I know some wonderful teachers ,but they are not in this school district and there was no other district to send him to.
I have friends who are teachers and they are very good .

[AmyBoz]

As a teacher, I am always saddened when people attack teachers when the union asks for more money or to maintain the benefits that they've had in the past.

As far as careers go, there is no more important job. Teaching is so much more than just imparting information, as if children are just empty vessels that we fill with knowledge. We are teachers, counselors, in some cases surrogate parents. We listen and comfort during stories of childhood angst, home drama, and try to boost them up when they are feeling less than what they are. We are referees and we teach other methods of dealing with emotions than anger and violence. We take our students home with us each and every night; not physically, but in our hearts as they break for them when times are tough and soar with them when they meet with success. I'm only three weeks into my school year and I am connected to my students already and our relationships will continue to develop and grow as the year goes on.

I have 107 students and even though I've never seen them before the first day of school, I knew every one of their names by the fourth day of school. After school I communicate with parents, grade papers, do lesson plans, give small group study sessions, make copies, and any other variety of things that I can't do during the day. Oh, and did I mention that due to my schedule, during the school day I can only go to the bathroom at 7:30, and then not again until 12:53, and then not again until 2:18?

I change my lessons year after year, making them better, more interesting, making sure they catch the attention of the kids. I'm not looking to create a student who can pass a standardized test. I'm looking to create a lifelong learner. Someone who loves learning and who is always looking for opportunities to extend their knowledge base.

My kids still have to take the President's tests, and if they don't pass, they don't get penalized...I do. So, yes, one of the classes I teach is called Test Prep. It's a reality that we all have to live with in the United States today. So, I do my best to help them be successful there, but I don't sacrifice a good education to do it.

I teach all sorts of children. We are 45 minutes outside of NYC and have students whose parents work on Wall Street and make ridiculous sums of money. 6-figure salary be damed...many of my kids are millionaires hundreds of times over. Yet, at the same time, I have 10 students who are currently living in the Homeless Solutions shelter that is in our town, and many of my students are the children of parents who can't always provide three meals a day for their family. But they are all equal in my room and I treat them the same in a personal regard, yet I meet their individual needs educationally, even if that means that each kid gets a different test or different homework assignment based on their learning styles or ability levels.

Oh, and did I mention that although I've been teaching for 14 years, have a Masters in Education and am in the midst of earning my Principal's certification, that I still don't earn enough to not work during the two summer months of July and August? I work straight through, as well as teach piano lessons after school to also supplement our income.

I have tenure and cannot be fired. I disagree with that system more than I can adequately express. Yet, I do see the logic in that we are the only profession that is judged by people who know nothing about the profession. School board members are most often not educators and have spent no time in a classroom. Parents often have agendas that have nothing to do with education in general, but only anger that their child didn't get an "A". Hey, perhaps your child didn't earn the "A", yet, time and again, I've seen excellent teachers without tenure get let go because of parental pressure due to grades.

And before anyone says that I am the exception, rather than the rule, I strenously disagree. I believe the majority of teachers ARE like me. Yet, it's always the negative that makes a larger impact in a discussion. Bashing, not celebrating seems to be the culture of our society. In my school, none of what I do is out of the ordinary. In fact, those who do not approach their jobs in this fashion are looked down upon and it has been suggested many times that they find another career.

So, when someone bashes teachers, my best response is one that has been said many times before. Come and give it a try. Be everything to 107 kids. Teach them, guide them, comfort them, laugh with them, cry with them, love them. Give everything you have to these kids, not just because you get paid for it, but because it is who you are. And then try to hold your tongue when people say you don't deserve this or that.