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Ikb0714, you seem to have a very inflated sense of yourself.
1. Its Lkb not I.
2. How do you know its inflated? I maybe as qualified and hardworking as I seem, the point is you have no idea.
3. I am incredibly proud of my students, my school and the hard work that ALL of us put in. For example, I just got home, from school at 8PM. I coach (for free) an academic team based on the specialty of our school and we are going to Nationals this week (all expenses paid for by the competition so do not worry it is not costing the taxpayer a dime). I am excited and very proud of my students. I suspect we will place top 3 again this year. Three of my students in this competition earned over 20k in scholarships for the school of their choice due to this team. If that makes you think I have an "inflated sense of" myself than you are the one with the issue not me. I work incredibly hard and it pays off for my students.
I was trying to be funny. Apparently - epic fail on my part.
Ahhhh sarcasm. So hard to make work on the internet. Is there a sarcasm smiley? This is the roll eyes (sarcastic) one. I think its ironic because its the only one they had to but a further description in parentheses showing yet again that sarcasm needs explaining on the internet, even for icons. Nice.
Just occured to me. Oh! I don't have any kids! Let's prorate the cost of any educated people to those who don't have kids.
Good idea!
While we're at it, let's make sure that people without children don't get to use the services of anyone who was educated in the public schools, or benefit from any of the taxes they pay, including Social Security.
All teachers around here are required to stay after school for extra help (aka free tutoring) a minimum of two days per week. That isn't just my school but also my daughters, and the district I used to teach at. Maybe its a regional thing?
It is definitely regional. Where are you? Is that contractual? We don't have collective bargaining, but we don't have to do anything like that and I don't think we should have to either. A few years ago there was a small push to have staff take turns staying after school to help kids with homework. The counselors were trying to organize an after school homework club. It never materialized. Staff wouldn't do it. At the time my son was in 2nd grade and I had to pick him up from the after school care provider by 4:30. My main point of opposition to it was: Why should I stay after school to help someone else's child with their homework when I have my own child waiting at home for me to help him with his?
That's not what I meant. They know I'm there early/late so I'm the teacher they go to for help. If they were just hanging out, I could still get things done.
We're a charter school so students/parents are on their own for transportation. This results in many students being dropped off well in advance of school starting or well after it ends. Any of my students in those groups will come in and get help with assignments. If they could walk home or take a bus home, I'm sure they'd be home playing on the Wii instead of getting tutoring.
I do have kids who will come into my room because they can't stay in the building unless they're with a teacher but they just sit and play cards while I tutor other kids. The ones who are stopping me from doing work are the ones who are asking for my help.
But you could say "no". The kids are there because you and the school allow them to be. That's fine, but it is your choice. Saying "no" would give you time to get your work done. Due to a foreign language program, we have many students who come from outside the school boundaries and parents have to provide transportation too. They are not allowed to come early or stay late. It just isn't allowed. Doors don't open until 8:10 and the first bell rings 10 minutes later. Those students who come in that span wait in the cafeteria. It is understood that staff is not available before that time. We are not a baby-sitting service for parents. Students leave when the bell rings. No hanging around.
It is definitely regional. Where are you? Is that contractual? We don't have collective bargaining, but we don't have to do anything like that and I don't think we should have to either. A few years ago there was a small push to have staff take turns staying after school to help kids with homework. The counselors were trying to organize an after school homework club. It never materialized. Staff wouldn't do it. At the time my son was in 2nd grade and I had to pick him up from the after school care provider by 4:30. My main point of opposition to it was: Why should I stay after school to help someone else's child with their homework when I have my own child waiting at home for me to help him with his?
I agree with your post.
In our school, kids are not allowed at school til 15 minutes before school officially starts. Letters were sent home reminding parents of this.
When the school day is over, kids are expected to leave the school unless they are actually involved in school activities ( athletic practice etc)
The night custodians start their job at the end of the school day and they don't need loitering kids hanging around.
Since it is such an easy job how come there has been a shortage of science and math teachers for years?
We thought, and hoped, this was true. It's not.
A few years back, we researched the public school system where we live, in the hopes my husband could start a second career before the current one totally destroyed his health via 80-hour work weeks and virtually no vacation (he accrues about 8 weeks a year after 22 years with the same corporation, but he's not allowed to take more than one 2-week vacation a year). He's one of the few people with a super-IQ who can explain very complex matters in an understandable way, and he knows all there is to know about the hard sciences. He's a guest-teacher at the local University and got excellent reviews from both students and Professors.
So we thought, we'll move to the state we want to retire (less urbanized, more nature-oriented). Same situation there; you have to know someone who has hiring power to get a job. They like to hire education majors, because they are allowed to teach ANY subject (not necessarily well). And they don't know how to handle people who didn't enter the ranks of Teachers in their early 20s.
I'd love to hear from someone who actually made this transition recently, from a technical career to Teaching, and how/where you did it. For the good of the educational system, we need more teachers with "real world" experience.
A few years back, we researched the public school system where we live, in the hopes my husband could start a second career before the current one totally destroyed his health via 80-hour work weeks and virtually no vacation (he accrues about 8 weeks a year after 22 years with the same corporation, but he's not allowed to take more than one 2-week vacation a year). He's one of the few people with a super-IQ who can explain very complex matters in an understandable way, and he knows all there is to know about the hard sciences. He's a guest-teacher at the local University and got excellent reviews from both students and Professors.
So we thought, we'll move to the state we want to retire (less urbanized, more nature-oriented). Same situation there; you have to know someone who has hiring power to get a job. They like to hire education majors, because they are allowed to teach ANY subject (not necessarily well). And they don't know how to handle people who didn't enter the ranks of Teachers in their early 20s.
I'd love to hear from someone who actually made this transition recently, from a technical career to Teaching, and how/where you did it. For the good of the educational system, we need more teachers with "real world" experience.
Here, they like to hire general science majors vs. hiring those of us who majored or minored in our subject area. I went back for an ed major only to find that with a dual major in chemistry/math and a minor in physics, I'm only employable at charter or private schools. I'm too limited in the scope of what I can teach for a public school district. 85% of the time (at least the positions I've seen posted) require a DX/DI (general science cert) just to interview for a math, chemsistry or physics position. Just a few years ago the state was screaming that we need people with my certs in the classroom. Problem is, there are few jobs for us and the few there are have many applicants.
I made the switch but I had to accept very low wages, for a teacher, and no benefits to do it. If you're in a position where your wages and benefits don't matter, do it and find a job in a charter school. Just don't do what I did and expect the kind of wage they post on income survey's for the state. Those numbers are for state teachers and they don't include teachers working in charter and private schools. I didn't realize there was a two tiered system (it's feast or famine). Had I realized that, I would have spent the time I spent getting my MAT geting a PhD in chemical engineering and taught at the college level.
But you could say "no". The kids are there because you and the school allow them to be. That's fine, but it is your choice. Saying "no" would give you time to get your work done. Due to a foreign language program, we have many students who come from outside the school boundaries and parents have to provide transportation too. They are not allowed to come early or stay late. It just isn't allowed. Doors don't open until 8:10 and the first bell rings 10 minutes later. Those students who come in that span wait in the cafeteria. It is understood that staff is not available before that time. We are not a baby-sitting service for parents. Students leave when the bell rings. No hanging around.
Saying no doesn't facilitate relationship building.
I wish the school would do what your school does. Then it's not me kicking the kids out. Unfortunately, they leave it up to the individual teacher and it seems I always have someone coming in early to take a test or staying after to redo a lab or get tutoring. I have to be at school an hour early today because a student who was supposed to stay after tomorrow and retake a test couldn't stay. I have gone to a sign up sheet for make up labs and am restricting that to two days a week.
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This is the roll eyes (sarcastic) one. I think its ironic because its the only one they had to but a further description in parentheses showing yet again that sarcasm needs explaining on the internet, even for icons. Nice.
