[vegas2005]

Originally Posted by cecnj

Not at all---obviously you haven't taught. I left the corporate world, where I worked about 50 hours a week, to become a teacher. I took a hefty pay cut (happy to, because I do enjoy teaching!) and work at least 60 hours a week. I do not have summers off (cannot afford to) and have no teacher friends who do. We all work year round and have part time evening/weekend tutoring jobs to help pay the bills. I bring work home each evening and on weekends. We are expected to coach and advise students, meet with parents, and coordinate myriad other activities, etc. I do not mind any of this. What I do mind is others who are not teachers passing judgment on what teaching involves. If you don't teach, you do not know. Period. No, I do not work 8-3. I arrive at 7:05 each morning, beging tutoring at 7:15 and leave school at around 4:30 (except for 3 days a week when I coach until 6:00). I also have no prep period this year (that means I teach from 7:15 until 3:15, no break and must sit with my students during their 20 minute lunch period.) That is not a short or easy day. Parent phone calls and emails take place in the evening, as does grading. Lots and lots of grading.

All this said---I do enjoy it and was happy to take the pay cut to work with kids (even the challening ones, and there are many). Teachers seem a target for those who are unhappy in some way and feel they have some intuitive knowledge of a profession for which they have neither prepared nor participated. Just my two cents (not valuable to most, I know, since I'm one of those dreaded teachers!).

Taught for 3 years, but maybe I am the exception. I found my fellow teachers lacking the work eithic to make it in corporate. All most of them seem to do is complain.

Maybe you are the exception too. I am inspired by your committment!

[jfkIII]

That seems to be problem...too few are like cecnj. I just wish, in each community, that you could take all the teachers that love to teach...and isolate them to a school filled with just the students that want to learn, and funnel the majority of education spending there. They could then turn all the other schools into babysitting centers...paying those teachers at babysitter rates.

As a taxpayer, we see so much money going to education...and nothing in return except poor standardized test scores, increased drop out rates and unprepared graduates. Is it the teacher's fault?...maybe. The kid's fault?...maybe. The administration's fault?..possibly. The parent's fault?...probably.

Our society has produced children that, in some ways, are unteachable of proper and appropriate knowledge, yet fully learned (and at very young age) of the things they shouldn't know. Peer pressure is still so strong...and bullying (including cyber Bullying), violence (i.e., weapons, shootings) and disrespect for adult teachers has become the norm.

There are exceptions...the great teacher, the student thirsting for knowledge...but they far outnumber the slackers...both teachers and students. Hence the revolt against teachers...pouring more money into the current education system isn't going to help the situation, when you've got unteachable kids raised by slacker parents. And when it comes to government spending cuts...they look to programs that just are not giving much of a return. Unfortunately, the return on education no longer justifies the amount being spent.

[jfkIII]

^^^ I meant to say that "the slackers far outnumber the exceptions" in the last paragraph.

[vegas2005]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

That seems to be problem...too few are like cecnj. I just wish, in each community, that you could take all the teachers that love to teach...and isolate them to a school filled with just the students that want to learn, and funnel the majority of education spending there. They could then turn all the other schools into babysitting centers...paying those teachers at babysitter rates.

As a taxpayer, we see so much money going to education...and nothing in return except poor standardized test scores, increased drop out rates and unprepared graduates. Is it the teacher's fault?...maybe. The kid's fault?...maybe. The administration's fault?..possibly. The parent's fault?...probably.

Our society has produced children that, in some ways, are unteachable of proper and appropriate knowledge, yet fully learned (and at very young age) of the things they shouldn't know. Peer pressure is still so strong...and bullying (including cyber Bullying), violence (i.e., weapons, shootings) and disrespect for adult teachers has become the norm.

There are exceptions...the great teacher, the student thirsting for knowledge...but they far outnumber the slackers...both teachers and students. Hence the revolt against teachers...pouring more money into the current education system isn't going to help the situation, when you've got unteachable kids raised by slacker parents. And when it comes to government spending cuts...they look to programs that just are not giving much of a return. Unfortunately, the return on education no longer justifies the amount being spent.

Totally agree.

Our kids are soft.

When I grew up, the older kids would beat the crap out of me, in pickup sports games and other crap.

Today, the kid goes home and cries and the parents call the cops!

Its too bad. We have become a nation of babies.

And now we have the biggest baby in the highest office too.

[cecnj]

Don't forget that some parents bully teachers. I have been threatened with a lawsuit and cursed at in front of students for "failing" to allow a student to retake an essay exam (for the third time) and I have been slapped by a parent in a hallway filled with students because her daughter was given detention for cutting my class. Somehow the teacher has become villain to some parents. I entered the profession because I like and believe in young people. I expect them to do their best each day, and I expect the same of myself. Why parents would want otherwise boggles my mind.

When we berate teachers and call them names, we send the message to young people that there are certain adults (namely those in whose custody we place our children each day) for whom kids do not need to show respect. I often wonder why a parent would send a child to a school filled with adults for whom that parent has only enmity, and expect a positive outcome. Kids learn from their parents. The positive, helpful, and supportive parents outweigh the bully parents and for that, I'm thankful. It helps to keep me in the classroom. If teaching is so easy, I wonder why the parents who complain that teaching is the easiest job out there, aren't teaching themselves. I also wonder, if it is truly a cakewalk, why teaching has one of the highest attrition rates among those entering the profession. Many prepare for several years to teach, enter the profession, and leave before finishing the first year.

[tr00th]

Originally Posted by cecnj

I also wonder, if it is truly a cakewalk, why teaching has one of the highest attrition rates among those entering the profession. Many prepare for several years to teach, enter the profession, and leave before finishing the first year.

That's what happened to me, I wanted to be a teacher. I went to school for it, and in my first year in school I had to do an internship at a middle school. I saw how the students treated the teachers, how the parents treated them, how the school and state treated them and how for one day of class all the work and things they needed to do. It's amazing to say the least.

I can say that is what scared me away from it. It's crazy how much stress teaching is, and this is coming from someone who fixes helicopters that fly with people on them for a living, my job is less stressful then a teacher's. I respect teachers more now then I ever have after my two week internship at that school.

[jackiehathaway]

Im moving in june,im a cdl b class truck driver.....is this a smart move?

[vkvidal]

Well said cecnj... Teaching is NOT as easy as many think ! I was a school nurse for 3 years ans left the NICU for a slower pace, boy was I in for a surprise ! I made many teacher friends..... you couldn't pay me enough to put up with what they did. Truly heroes in my book and you definitely have to LOVE what you do!

[cpanelo]

Good luck to you! I am also a special educator and am looking into finding a job. I have already applied to CCSD and it is quite a lengthy process on getting an interview. I applied a month ago and had to turn in all this paperwork. They haven't even called me back yet with an interview! But I think it's because they are quite swamped there and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

It's good to know that we are both in the same boat. Just know, I am rooting for you! (as well as for me! LOL)

[Nolan05]

cpanelo....it does take quite a while for an interveiw; then after your interveiw you are only put into the hiring Q, then you will not get a call unless you are Highly Qualified then there is a problem right now with teachers being RIF'd many more bumping others out of jobs so they can continue to work. I was told yesterday that the only jobs that may be open are for "H.Q" teachers in amth, science and Spec. Ed. I also completely agree that teaching is a hard profession right now and I have questioned why I still want to do it as teachers' are taking it every way there is right now. All you hear about is how all the schools problems are because of teachers. I agree that ther are plenty of teachers who do not deserve to be in the classroom anymore as you have to be willing to change the way you teach as the kids and technologu change.

My wife has won awards for teaching and loves doing it and I consider her a saint for putting up with what she does. We have spent hundreds if ot thousands on teaching aids and books and we have 19 totes in the basement right now full of worksheets-books and other classroom materials. Dealing with parents has become a nightmare for many teachers as they are indeed bullied to give grades that the kids do ot deserve. I wrote a paper for one of my classes called " The Wussification of the American Child" and got raves for it. It talked about all we do to make our kids soft and to thnk that everything should be handed to them, not earned. Sports is a great example also; all kids earn trophies for every sport they play and it was never like that before. There used to be a MVP and most improved etc...now every kids knows that they will get one so why listen and learn about the real way to play sports. Vegas 2005 had it right...you learn by playing sports with the older kids and taking your lumps and growing from it, not running home and getting mommy to call the kids parents and complain because they did not let you win!