99 replies to this topic

[awood]

By contract, it's only about 6 hours a day for elementary and 7 for high school. There is a 15 or 20 minute before and after school requirement as well.

Yeah, but if you tell teachers they only work 6 hrs./day for less than half of the year, they get all bristly and defensive! (Much like the Wiz, you aren't allowed to look behind the curtain or it ruins the whole illusion!!)

I love the rant about "grading papers"...my kids have had teachers that have the kids grade papers themselves, then read the scores aloud so she could enter them in the book during class time OR the teacher that holds them all until the end of the grading period and grades them all in one weekend!! Classic.

But I suppose they are busy those hours after school (2:30-3:00pm'ish), working that second job, until I get home about 8:30-9:00pm after leaving the house at 6:30am. I am always hoping that the teacher at least proofreads the homework they sent home so my kid isn't waiting for me to help them make sense of the page they tore out of some book and copied for homework. It just spoils my whole 1/2 hr. with the kids before bedtime when they copy the wrong page!

[Parizienne]

I never said it wasn't a vacation. I said it wasn't a paid vacation.

Are you working? NO
Are you getting paid for the time you work? YES
Bottom line - It is vacation.

[dori2u]

Yeah, but if you tell teachers they only work 6 hrs./day for less than half of the year, they get all bristly and defensive! (Much like the Wiz, you aren't allowed to look behind the curtain or it ruins the whole illusion!!)

I love the rant about "grading papers"...my kids have had teachers that have the kids grade papers themselves, then read the scores aloud so she could enter them in the book during class time OR the teacher that holds them all until the end of the grading period and grades them all in one weekend!! Classic.

But I suppose they are busy those hours after school (2:30-3:00pm'ish), working that second job, until I get home about 8:30-9:00pm after leaving the house at 6:30am. I am always hoping that the teacher at least proofreads the homework they sent home so my kid isn't waiting for me to help them make sense of the page they tore out of some book and copied for homework. It just spoils my whole 1/2 hr. with the kids before bedtime when they copy the wrong page!

You should go into teaching!. I get to spend tons of time with my kids and I love my job. It is a wonderful career.

[Parizienne]

Oh fer cryin' out loud.

I'm not even going to bother straightening this out. You clearly have your mind made up and have wed yourself to half-truths that support your agenda.

Woe is me. I'm underpaid and overworked. Not! But I DO take offense when people suggest that teachers are greedy and only work 6 or 7 hours a day for their keep. That is absolutely wrong.

I love my job. I want to keep it. I want Folsom children ( including my own) to have some assurance that we won't see 1st and 2nd grade CSR disappear which is why I started this topic.

It deeply, profoundly saddens me that there are people out there who are so quick to disparage teachers and who wish to characterize us as greedy monsters who are only out for ourselves. Mostly, we're a dedicated bunch and we do what we do because we love working with kids.


(sigh)

Pari.

Yeah, but if you tell teachers they only work 6 hrs./day for less than half of the year, they get all bristly and defensive! (Much like the Wiz, you aren't allowed to look behind the curtain or it ruins the whole illusion!!)

I love the rant about "grading papers"...my kids have had teachers that have the kids grade papers themselves, then read the scores aloud so she could enter them in the book during class time OR the teacher that holds them all until the end of the grading period and grades them all in one weekend!! Classic.

But I suppose they are busy those hours after school (2:30-3:00pm'ish), working that second job, until I get home about 8:30-9:00pm after leaving the house at 6:30am. I am always hoping that the teacher at least proofreads the homework they sent home so my kid isn't waiting for me to help them make sense of the page they tore out of some book and copied for homework. It just spoils my whole 1/2 hr. with the kids before bedtime when they copy the wrong page!

[pet lover]

I'm a first grade teacher and I spend around one hour per day grading papers. On days that I can't take the time to grade them I save them for the next day and my one hour is now two hours. I think I work hard giving my students' a quality and well rounded education. I like my job, but it does have its challenges now that the government is getting further involved in making policies that don't work!

[awood]

Oh fer cryin' out loud.

I'm not even going to bother straightening this out. You clearly have your mind made up and have wed yourself to half-truths that support your agenda. I have been wed to one person for 17 years, not to anything else....oops spun off in to the prop8 fiasco.

Woe is me. I'm underpaid and overworked.Here we are at contract time Not! But I DO take offense when people suggest that teachers are greedy and only work 6 or 7 hours a day for their keep. That is absolutely wrong.I know...I do not intend to bash teachers, but when things are tight (as they are for EVERYONE else) and teachers continue to complain about having to do more with less, it becomes furstrating to the taxpayers. When cuts have to be made, you are part of the solution or part of the problem. By in large, I don't see teachers contibuting to a solution? Not allowing parents to fill in as librarians, demanding a raise while hundreds of thousands are being layed off and insurance costs continue to skyrocket, and holding the District hostage when a class gets 1-2 kids over the contract regulated size....this all points to being part of the problem. Often times it's not the lack of commitment of the individual, it is the contract that their Union holds them under.

I love my job. I want to keep it. I want Folsom children ( including my own) to have some assurance that we won't see 1st and 2nd grade CSR disappear which is why I started this topic. And I want assurance's too. Assurance that I won't lose my job, or my house, or my kids college fund! For the rest of the working world, assurances are non-existent. You have to work hard to make things happen and we can hold everyone else's kids hostage when they don't. That is the image that the taxpayers are left with. Throw in a No on Prop8 commercial, and the public embraces the vision of the teachers union even more! NOT (Sorry strayed off again)

It deeply, profoundly saddens me that there are people out there who are so quick to disparage teachers and who wish to characterize us as greedy monsters who are only out for ourselves. I know that it's not fair, but public perception becomes reality. Years ago, when the US education system seemed to be falling woefully behind the rest of the world, people recognized the value of teachers and supported their efforts through taxes and parental involvment. Years later, it appears that throwing money at the problem hasn't fixed it....and the economy is horrible....and teachers (and their unions) continue to lament MORE MONEY! MORE MONEY!! Mostly, we're a dedicated bunch and we do what we do because we love working with kids. Agreed and I am sorry that your profession has been poorly represented, but I can't ignore the facts that as taxpayers we spend A LOT of money on teachers already and expect a return on our investment commensurate with that investment.
(sigh)

Pari.

[Folsom Guy]

I'm a first grade teacher and I spend around one hour per day grading papers. On days that I can't take the time to grade them I save them for the next day and my one hour is now two hours. I think I work hard giving my students' a quality and well rounded education. I like my job, but it does have its challenges now that the government is getting further involved in making policies that don't work!

I have read several reports that state that teachers spend an average of 4 or 500 dollars out of pocket for school supplies. How bout all the Parent teacher meetings, back-to-school nights and other activities.

I think it is a moral crime to pick on school teachers. They have served Folsom very well. While there may be a few black sheep, I think overall they have been good for Folsom.

[dori2u]

Just curious awood, what do you do for a living?

[Folsom Guy]

Just curious awood, what do you do for a living?

And what's your level of education?

[mylo]

I wish I had a strong-handed union to negotiate for me when times got tough...

[dori2u]

And what's your level of education?

Bachelors/Teaching Credential
What's yours?
I'm just curious what he/she does for a living.

[dori2u]

I wish I had a strong-handed union to negotiate for me when times got tough...

It is kind of nice!

[Darth Lefty]

At least your company's union doesn't classify you as "management" even though you're not...

[Orangetj]

[quote name='Parizienne' date='Oct 18 2008, 11:20 AM' post='279452'] But our local union does advocate for my pay and benefits. If they didn't, I'd likely be making minimum wage.


Do you really believe this or were you just exaggerating to make a point? It seems that unions often do a very good job of convincing workers that all manner of terrible things will happen without the beneficent union there to "fight the good fight". Having been closely involved with pay/benefit decisions throughout my career and having seen how things work out with both union and non-union people in a number of professions, the differences are often immaterial. In fact, in some cases the union makes things worse for their membership overall by taking such an adversarial stance and forcing extreme positions on both sides.

[Barb J]

Do you really believe this or were you just exaggerating to make a point? It seems that unions often do a very good job of convincing workers that all manner of terrible things will happen without the beneficent union there to "fight the good fight". Having been closely involved with pay/benefit decisions throughout my career and having seen how things work out with both union and non-union people in a number of professions, the differences are often immaterial. In fact, in some cases the union makes things worse for their membership overall by taking such an adversarial stance and forcing extreme positions on both sides.

Too true! I think most people have the bad view of teachers BECAUSE of the unions! Most people would probably be MORE supportive if the Union didn't exist. I know I would. It really ticks me off that the Union just pumped $1 million into a Prop that supposedly doesn't have anything to do with the schools - why would they take any position at all? It doesn't matter what side you are "for", that's alot of money for the Teacher's Union to be putting into a non-education related proposition. That's why people get mad!

I opted out of my Union when I worked for the State because I didn't want them spending my money on crazy political causes. I still had to pay "fair share" for the "salary negotiating" that they did for my bargaining unit and it chapped me every month.

Barb