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I can't believe how full of themselves some "teachers" are and then they wonder why people have animosity against them. MY personal animosity is towards the high property taxes and the fact that the taxpayers are getting ripped off, but reading this tripe makes me wonder ...
So please tell us, since you had to bring up the contention that becoming a surgeon, an anesthesiologists or a lawyer was on your agenda, what medical school or law school were you admitted to that you chose not to attend and instead chose to be a teacher? Let's stay in reality here.
Although I can't speak for most teachers, 5 teachers in my school have doctorates and 2 practice medicine as well. They teach because they love it. I myself have a degree beyond my Masters. Many are very educated.
I wonder if salaries were lowered if the students would still have the benefit of learning from these very educated professionals?
"New York faces a $20 billion deficit over the next 2½ years. This can only be solved by reducing expenses, not raising taxes yet again. Property taxes statewide are 70 percent above the national average; our income, sales and business taxes are among the highest in the nation."
But you do have a nice 6 week beach season, which makes it all worth it
Explanation in case you don't understand the concept: That article is discussing Prince George's County, MD (which has ghettoville schools and nonpremium pay) NOT Long Island (only a handful of ghettoville schools, but the pay is worth working ghetto). Of course schools in PGC will have higher turnover. What does that have to do with Long Island schools? It is reporting on a survey of 4000 teachers from PGC. For example, do you think LI public school teachers would have cause to make these statements (from survey):
As for what I have bolded in the on topic part of your statement, I guess you have never worked in private industry because we also get emotionally invested and we also do not always leave our work at work. Especially these days when our employers have us on an electronic leash (cell phones, e-mail, etc.).
I understand the concept just fine. You don't have to be condescending. It's a national statistic. I just picked the shortest article I found on google because, being a teacher, I'm aware of how short attention spans can be. Anyway, to find the statistics on Long Island, I'd have to search each district individually. The simple point I'm trying to make is that teaching is not easy. I never said other jobs were easy, but there is a misconception that teaching is a cakewalk.
I have no intention of putting down individuals in the private sector. I'm sure they work hard as well and have their own stress to deal with.
I don't think the intention of the thread is to compare careers, but to discuss teacher salary on the merits (or lack thereof depending on which side you're on) of the job itself.
Last edited by MegDrew; 02-17-2010 at 12:03 PM..
Reason: Don't know how to use quote feature. :P
I wonder if teachers have all this time during the day to constantly post while at work like most are? Even at work, you guys have time to bash them...crazy
Although I can't speak for most teachers, 5 teachers in my school have doctorates and 2 practice medicine as well. They teach because they love it. I myself have a degree beyond my Masters. Many are very educated.
I wonder if salaries were lowered if the students would still have the benefit of learning from these very educated professionals?
If these exact educated professionals chose to quit because salaries were lowered, then no, not from those people, but from other people equally qualified.
I don't advocate lowering salaries to fix the tax problems. Let teachers make the 21st century salary while they are working! I advocate bringing the other equation of the union demands (pension instead of 401k, fully paid health plans in retirement instead of medicare, guaranteed job instead of annual review, etc.) into the 21st century. That is what is killing the taxpayers ... the entitlements we can no longer afford to promise to pay for life!
Another thing that might help a lot is to keep all the separate school districts on a hierarchy level of Principal on down.
Then take the ADMINISTRATION out of the picture totally for each school district, and put that on a County level. Also put purchasing, benefits administration, human resources, maintenance, accounting, and all the rest on a County level. Getting rid of all those repetitive departments and administrators would save a lot of our tax dollars and the discount purchasing power of a combination like that would save even more.
Explanation in case you don't understand the concept: That article is discussing Prince George's County, MD (which has ghettoville schools and nonpremium pay) NOT Long Island (only a handful of ghettoville schools, but the pay is worth working ghetto). Of course schools in PGC will have higher turnover. What does that have to do with Long Island schools? It is reporting on a survey of 4000 teachers from PGC. For example, do you think LI public school teachers would have cause to make these statements (from survey):
As for what I have bolded in the on topic part of your statement, I guess you have never worked in private industry because we also get emotionally invested and we also do not always leave our work at work. Especially these days when our employers have us on an electronic leash (cell phones, e-mail, etc.).
I did some volunteer work painting walls in one of the schools in PG County. You're talking bullet holes in the windows of kindergarten classrooms. That's one reason why there are housing breaks and incentives for cops to move into the neighborhoods.
Oops, yes, I just went there. I guess this means that the police and teachers on Long Island are in collusion, as clearly a safe atmosphere in which to teach children is an elitist privilege of the civil service. Those pesky unions are at it again.
If these exact educated professionals chose to quit because salaries were lowered, then no, not from those people, but from other people equally qualified.
I don't advocate lowering salaries to fix the tax problems. Let teachers make the 21st century salary while they are working!
Let me ask you this: Do you favor school year-round?
I realize there are a lot of reasons for and against such a thing, but strictly with respect to teacher salaries, if teachers didn't have the summer "off," would it make a difference?
There is a huge difference between public/private workers. The benefits are one but a huge one at that. But this is nothing new I had many choices at a young age (20) and chose a career that had great benefits and a even better pension plan. I weighed out all my options and did what I felt was the right choice. I could have made more $ elsewhere but looking back, I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I have friends and neighbors now that make over 300k a year, good for them, it's their career and they choose it also.
Yes it would be perfect if you worked private and had public's benefits but this isn't a perfect world. When you are young and weighting out your options, didn't anyone consider this? They only time I get jealous is when I see a basketball player gets paid 30 Million and can't make 40% of his shots or a pitcher can't win 12 games for the 20 million you pay him!
There is a huge difference between public/private workers. The benefits are one but a huge one at that. But this is nothing new I had many choices at a young age (20) and chose a career that had great benefits and a even better pension plan. I weighed out all my options and did what I felt was the right choice. I could have made more $ elsewhere but looking back, I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I have friends and neighbors now that make over 300k a year, good for them, it's their career and they choose it also.
Yes it would be perfect if you worked private and had public's benefits but this isn't a perfect world. When you are young and weighting out your options, didn't anyone consider this? They only time I get jealous is when I see a basketball player gets paid 30 Million and can't make 40% of his shots or a pitcher can't win 12 games for the 20 million you pay him!
The disparity between civil servant compensation and private sector employees' compensation has never been greater on LI, thanks to stagnant private business on LI and the union's stranglehold on the policians.
This isn't about one great career move over another, it's about people in these jobs getting lucky that certain county executives pandered to their union.
The disparity between civil servant compensation and private sector employees' compensation has never been greater on LI, thanks to stagnant private business on LI and the union's stranglehold on the policians.
This isn't about one great career move over another, it's about people in these jobs getting lucky that certain county executives pandered to their union.
Actually, the trend towards higher pay for government workers is more of a national issue.
Soon, we will all work for the government as do the employees of General Motors, Citicorp, AIG, etc.
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Anyway, to find the statistics on Long Island, I'd have to search each district individually. The simple point I'm trying to make is that teaching is not easy. I never said other jobs were easy, but there is a misconception that teaching is a cakewalk. 
I had many choices at a young age (20) and chose a career that had great benefits and a even better pension plan. I weighed out all my options and did what I felt was the right choice. I could have made more $ elsewhere but looking back, I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I have friends and neighbors now that make over 300k a year, good for them, it's their career and they choose it also. 
