Teachers, The Best Of Our Best.

K2

School started here yesterday and earlier in the week I saw the teachers preparing to get locked in a classroom for 6 to 8 hours a day for nine months. Most seemed excited about it.

My hats off to all teachers. I couldn't last 2 hours in their shoes.

Peladu

Some are excited because the future father of their baby is sitting in the second row and finally knows how to tie his shoes...

Speedy Petey

School does not start here for another 2+ weeks and my wife has already been several days in her (three) classrooms. I took today off to do some wiring and help her do some ladder work at school.

It's nice to see some accolades for teachers in today's world. I agree they are sometimes some of the most underappreciated folks around.
Too many parents think they can just drop off their three year old and school will teach them manners, etiquette, how to tie their shoes and go potty.
I tell you what, yes, there are some lazy teachers out there. Mostly old school and fed up. But there are some incredibly great ones too. Many more than bad ones.
At the same time there are some lazy ass parents as well!

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oldgoat

My wife is a substitute teacher and started on Tuesday with a class. Seems like the system had to go to the Phillipines(sp?) to get enough math and science teachers and they couldn't get here in time to be ready. I think that teachers are far better than I would be because I would be ready to strangle some of those brats.

River Rat Dad

Here in Mi school cannot start till after labor day by law. My kids are all out of school now (20,22,24).
Teachers are very well paid in my school district for a contracted 186 days of work. They also have a very nice health care package and liberal personal time.

Speedy Petey

If you knew any teachers personally you would know they are paid just enough for their "186 days" of work. Some are not paid enough.

I knew someone would bring this up.

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River Rat Dad

In Ann Arbor the average salary is $52,000 for the 186 days. I do know some teachers. I respect the good ones. I wish the bad ones would go away. I wish the below average ones were forced in some way to improve. I wish the teachers unions would spend a whole lot less energy defending the bad ones and the below average ones.

Peladu

I purchased my second house from a retiring high school librarian.
Her salary was $75,000 a year. She retired with a 75% package.
She retired and is now making $50,000. And I used to make fun of the librarians.

theworx

Too good. Read that and had coffee squirting out my nose. Not quite as pleasant as beer squirting out my nose (but a close second) !!!

Speedy Petey

The 186 days is irrelevant!
I know plenty of IBM'ers (and others) who make three times as much, with similar education, who work not many more days, can work from home, and do not do "homework" at night such as writing tests, developing lesson plans and grading papers.

You want to comment about underworked overpaid folks look at the corporate world first.

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theworx

I've had some good teachers while growing up. The worst were at University (they make you do all the work and then tear you apart because your opinion is not the same as theirs). My best teachers were at trade school. Maybe it's because I was older and knew a lot of stuff they didn't but, they showed me respect for what I allready knew and taught me tricks to make my work easier and more productive. I had a great relationship with them. I have total respect for teachers!!!

River Rat Dad

With all due respect Speedy, I never said they were "underworked overpaid folks". Those were your words, not mine. I believe in MY SCHOOL DISTRICT, they are fairly paid for what they do.

And the 186 days is relevent. Its relevent every time contract negotiations come up.

Its also importent to note that the corporate world is the private sector. Performance is not my business unless I work for the company in question or own stock. Public school teachers are paid by "we the people". Accountability in that regard is to the tax payers that pay their salaries.

George Z

And professional athletes get what?
Teaching should be a well paying job.

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Speedy Petey

RR Dad, one thing I will absolutely give you. I do NOT agree with the principle of tenure and the impervious status of some bad teachers. In fact we have one at our school. She is in the union and also has tenure.
She can almost do no wrong in the eyes of the system, yet many parents are not happy with her AND her performance.

The "underworked overpaid" was implied IMO. It seemed that is what you were inferring.
Sorry.

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River Rat Dad

My three daughters went through public schools from K through 12. I am not in the least bit unhappy with the results from their public school education.
In an ironic twist, two of my daughters favorite teachers, turned out to have "issues". One was the first tenured teacher to be fired in 25 years the year after he taught 3rd grade to my youngest. The other, a 5th grade teacher who was a favorite of two daughters was fired years later for inapprpriate e-mails with female students. In both situations my daughters had no problems and liked the guys.
I shouldn't say this, but I am slightly suspicious of any male who wants to teach elementry school. Feel free to blast me for the thought...

oldgoat

I think if more people went to the school and saw what they had to put up with and the restrictions they have put on them they might think a little different. Too many parents act as if their little darlings can do not wrong and heaven forbid the teachers might actually expect anything out them that might interfere with going out to the games and practices, let alone failing the star QB because he expects to get by on his athletics instead of a brain. Tenure is atwo way street. Without tenure the teacher becomes fair game for the parents that have influence or PC groups. I do agree that if a teacher is shown to be bad that they should be removed, but how do you set the standards for what a bad teacher is? If it was such a great job that is so well paid for the time they put in in is kind of funny that nationwide most districts have a hard time filling the math and science fields. Like I said ours had to go overseas to find some and they still couldn't get enough.
I wouldn't be suspicious of any male that wants to teach elementry. Actually you see as much problems with the female teachers as you do male. More and more it is getting though that the schools are doing more background checks and if it is brought to their attention they will suspend until it is checked out. You will find molesters in any setting that has contact with children.

Speedy Petey

No, no blast. I agree to a point. It is just not all common these days for guys to teach the young ones.

Back in the day was different. I went to elementary school from '70-'77.
There were two to three classes of each grade in my school.
One fourth, two fifth and two sixth grade teachers were men.
That is unheard of these days.

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R&S Exteriors

Many teachers more than earn their money. My sister is a teacher and she is very good at it. BUT many teachers DO NOT earn their money and unfortunately it almost takes an act of congress to get rid of a bad teacher (at least in Pennsylvania).

The teachers union is so strong and they go out of their way to protect the bad teachers. A principle even has to tell the teacher days ahead of time before they can sit in on their class to watch them teach. The union also does everything possible to keep out any type of testing or accountability

I'd be more than willing to pay great teachers $70,000 a year if we could get rid of the bad teachers. It's not a job that I would want or could handle and I would not expect to get paid for "acting" like a teacher as many do.

It is not fair to the children or the tax payers to keep a bunch of slackers on the pay roll.

mdshunk

I agree, but on every job, you'll have a certain number of people just "putting in time". There's not much you can do except maybe move to a differnet school district. I was the product of a private school education, and I recommend that to a parent that is concerned that each and every teacher that their child comes in contact with is top notch. Even at that, nothing is assured.

joasis

My wife and I were both teachers, me for 4 years, my wife for 6...and we both got out of education. Money isn't the only issue, and in Oklahoma, pay is at the bottom nationally (although i was in tech ed for 3 years), but rather, discipline is a major player in how kids learn. And I for one, have no answers how to correct this problem. All I can tell you is if I or my own kids acted like the ones I had to deal with...well...to say the least, corporal punishment is the rule.

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