Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am an elementary school teacher in Philadelphia, PA. I would just like to inform all the non-teaching "experts" on this forum that teachers in the lower achieving areas ROUTINELY use THEIR OWN money to buy supplies. No I don't mean just for simple supplies such as pencils, notebooks etc (even those those supplies can quickly add up to about 300 dollars a month) I am talking about in the thousands per year! My first year teaching I spent $3,000 because my school district would/could not supply for my class. These resources have helped my students tremendously. Every year I spend over $ 1,000 to make sure my students who are from lower income families have additional resources and support. This is my tenth year teaching. This year alone I spent $5,000 because I wanted to get a projector so all of my visual learners would be supported correctly. Not to mention how many class trips I have paid for so students from disadvantaged homes can have another learning experience. I know other teachers who have done the same for the length of their teaching careers. So please factor that in as a deduction to my $56,000/yr salary. My student loans alone are $38,000. Teachers here are only allwed to deduct $250 on their tax returns for ANY work related materials. My friends who work in cooperate can not fathom this. All of their expenses down to business lunches are paid for.
The fact of the matter is that many students come into the Philadelphia public schools with a vocabulary deficit of 1,000 words or more that they would have needed to score proficient by 5th grade on the standardized tests. At times, I feel like it is a battle that is rigged from the beginning. That's why it is so hard to gauge performance growth using tools like these. Most of my students come to me at least 1 grade in their reading ability. This has been the case when I have in any grade 1-6 here.
As far as job stability and tenure, please turn on the news every once and a while. 30 schools were just closed in the last 2 months alone. This has been happening for the past two years. I was almost laid off two years ago as a result. I know several teachers who were. All I ask is that you understand exactly what is going on here before making stupid remarks which you know NOTHING about.
Thanks!
Why should the district pay for supplies for your class if you and other teachers are going to pick up the tab for them? Btw, I've been teaching for 20 years.
Why should the district pay for supplies for your class if you and other teachers are going to pick up the tab for them? Btw, I've been teaching for 20 years.
As a 12 year teacher with a Masters Degree and National Board Certification I find it a real shame that many still don't get. Yes, there are teachers that don't do as we'll as others just as can be found in any career. However. Many are good teachers and still make much less than their counterparts with equal education in other fields. We are required to participate in continuous education, often take work home at night and over weekends, since planning time on the job is often taken up with meetings and parent conferences. Many including myself teach after school and work all summer just to make ends meet. In Florida we have faced no raises in 5 years, a 3% pay cut (which while it is going to our retirement is it guaranteed it will be there when we retire?), and now the additional 2% from the Federal Government is coming out of our salaries. Well guess what, I make 1/2 of what the teachers in Bucks County PA make. I know Bucks is a higher income area, I grew up in Upper Dublin but before you vilify teachers and salaries you need to remember we are individuals and we don't know all the data behind the salaries.
As a 12 year teacher with a Masters Degree and National Board Certification I find it a real shame that many still don't get. Yes, there are teachers that don't do as we'll as others just as can be found in any career. However. Many are good teachers and still make much less than their counterparts with equal education in other fields. We are required to participate in continuous education, often take work home at night and over weekends, since planning time on the job is often taken up with meetings and parent conferences. Many including myself teach after school and work all summer just to make ends meet. In Florida we have faced no raises in 5 years, a 3% pay cut (which while it is going to our retirement is it guaranteed it will be there when we retire?), and now the additional 2% from the Federal Government is coming out of our salaries. Well guess what, I make 1/2 of what the teachers in Bucks County PA make. I know Bucks is a higher income area, I grew up in Upper Dublin but before you vilify teachers and salaries you need to remember we are individuals and we don't know all the data behind the salaries.
I am sick of the lies spewed that there are all of these "bad" teachers and they are the problem in education.
It shows me the person spewing these lies has been literally brainwashed by neoliberal propaganda which seeks to destroy public education--indeed, ALL public institutions--for private profit.
I absolutely refuse to engage in any "debate" with people who spew hogwash.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
