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Disengagement and/or social isolation is definitely a problem, especially for teachers new to the profession or to a particular school. However, I have to stress that the difficulties that I have experienced as well as observed usually have very little to do with the teacher who is having difficulty.
Teachers don't "feel" socially isolated; they actually are socially isolated, due both to the lack of interaction with other adults as well as issues with the adults (i.e. other teachers and administrators.) Every teacher that I have spoken to has told me that their first year was hell. And a lot of it has to do with the attitudes of the students as well as the adults who make a point of "tesing" the new teacher; it really is akin to hazing ("how much do you love your school, how much are you willing to sacrifice to be a part of this team.")
I know that this exists in many work environments but it is all the more difficult with teaching because it is a profession that has very high expectations (in terms of education, behavior, etc.) but that pays a wage and offers a prestige/respect factor that in no way corresponds to the work that is put forth. I think that a lot of teachers would tolerate these poor working conditions if they were being paid a salary that reflected the amount of time, energy and sacrifice that they put into their jobs.
I would compare being a teacher to being a police officer--another profession that is also grossly underpaid and that is often completely disrepected on a daily basis--but I think that the comraderie among police officers makes up for the other difficulties that they face on a daily basis. This is something that I think is completely lacking in teaching; you can call it "social isolation" but I prefer to simply refer to it as a lack of comraderie.
You could substitute "nurse" for teacher in the bolded portions and be pretty much spot on. I don't want to get into a whining contest, but many nurses work alone or with only an ancillary staff, are also working in very stressful conditions, and don't get a lot of respect from their patients (substitute students for teacher) or their parents in the case of pediatrics. We also have to deal with doctors, cleaning staff and everyone else in the milieu. And talk about hazing! "Nurses eat their young" is a common saying. I guess I'm saying it's not just teachers, and teachers don't necessarily have it worse than everyone else.
You should all go follow a nurse around for a day, and we nurses should shadow a teacher for a day. The old "walk a mile in his moccasins" idea!
You could substitute "nurse" for teacher in the bolded portions and be pretty much spot on. I don't want to get into a whining contest, but many nurses work alone or with only an ancillary staff, are also working in very stressful conditions, and don't get a lot of respect from their patients (substitute students for teacher) or their parents in the case of pediatrics. We also have to deal with doctors, cleaning staff and everyone else in the milieu. And talk about hazing! "Nurses eat their young" is a common saying. I guess I'm saying it's not just teachers, and teachers don't necessarily have it worse than everyone else.
You should all go follow a nurse around for a day, and we nurses should shadow a teacher for a day. The old "walk a mile in his moccasins" idea!
My mother and sister-in-law are both nurses, so I understand your complaint Katiana. I observed the disrespect they both received from Doctors in particular, but their patients were often like my students - appreciative and totally the reason they did their job. But then they also had the patient who threw things at them, just like my student who decked me when I got in the way of the kid he was fighting.
Please don't take offense to our comments - didn't see anybody here who said we have it worse than nurses. And quite frankly I personally don't think I have it worse than many other professions. I just don't recall my mother ever hearing the comments similar to the ones we teachers get about being lazy because we have summers off and that we deserve the poor pay we receive because of it. At least my viewpoint is not so much that we work hard, but that we work hard and are still viewed as a lazy, overindulged class of workers. Make sense?
You know, I work in a high-energy, high-demand profession, too. One that requires lots of extra hours. One that requires nights and weekends. One with deadlines and capricious clients. And, yes, there are times when I don't feel like going to work.
But, guess what? I don't get a two-week vacation at Christmas. I don't get one week off for Spring Break. I don't get off for Veterans' Day, President's Day Weekend, or one over several Work Days scattered throughout the year. I don't get 10-12 weeks off every summer, either. In fact, if I took off a month, I wouldn't be able to feed my family.
In short, the average teacher gets more time off in the average year than the average worker gets in seven. I just have a hard time dealing with the complaints on this matter.
You know, I work in a high-energy, high-demand profession, too. One that requires lots of extra hours. One that requires nights and weekends. One with deadlines and capricious clients. And, yes, there are times when I don't feel like going to work.
But, guess what? I don't get a two-week vacation at Christmas. I don't get one week off for Spring Break. I don't get off for Veterans' Day, President's Day Weekend, or one over several Work Days scattered throughout the year. I don't get 10-12 weeks off every summer, either. In fact, if I took off a month, I wouldn't be able to feed my family.
In short, the average teacher gets more time off in the average year than the average worker gets in seven. I just have a hard time dealing with the complaints on this matter.
We don't complain about the time off . The complaint is that the time off doesn't compensate for the lack of pay, long hours and lack of respect. In fact, people think the time off is reason to diss teachers.
I just finished my first year and I could not go at the pace I did for 46 weeks a year. I'd burn out in no time. Sadly, the summer break is needed because teachers are pushed too hard during the year. Personally, I'd rather have a 60 hour work week for 46 weeks out of the year than a 70 hour work week for 40 weeks out of the year but it's the latter I have.
And I really don't get where people think teachers have that much more time off than the average person. We don't. When I was an engineer, I had 6 weeks vacation and 3 weeks worth of holidays off and I never worked weekends. Now I have 12 weeks vacation plus about a week in holidays but I work weekends for 40 weeks out of the year. I don't have more time off as a teacher. I just work it all during the school year. In fact, I work a lot more as a teacher than I did as an engineer.
Personally, I'd like to see a year round scedule that gave teachers a more sane work schedule. The abrupt change from school year to summer and back again is difficult. I'd rather keep the same pace but have occaisional weeks off like I did when I was in industry.
Out of couriosity, how much are you paid for the job you do? I'm willing to bet, more than I am for teaching.
You know, I work in a high-energy, high-demand profession, too. One that requires lots of extra hours. One that requires nights and weekends. One with deadlines and capricious clients. And, yes, there are times when I don't feel like going to work.
But, guess what? I don't get a two-week vacation at Christmas. I don't get one week off for Spring Break. I don't get off for Veterans' Day, President's Day Weekend, or one over several Work Days scattered throughout the year. I don't get 10-12 weeks off every summer, either. In fact, if I took off a month, I wouldn't be able to feed my family.
In short, the average teacher gets more time off in the average year than the average worker gets in seven. I just have a hard time dealing with the complaints on this matter.
Right, but do people respect you, both at your job and outside of it? Do you have people threatening/harassing/abusing you on a regular basis, either verbally or physically? And, yes, I would also like to know how much you make, because chances are it is at least double what a teacher makes.
Furthermore, many teachers either work in the summer or are back in school, either for a Master's or extra coursework (courtesy of NCLB.)
Moreover, I agree with the posters who take issue with being treated disrespectfully because they get summers off or "lots of vacation time," or any other reason. Honestly, not every teacher likes having tons of free time. I would gladly work more for more pay. But that isn't how it works. There are some teachers who don't like having tons of time off, for various reasons (one of which is that it interrupts the flow of the school year and sidetracks students.) Do you know how boring and miserable it is to be a single teacher and have the summer off when everyone else is working, and then to have all of those people angry with you because you have time off? Talk about social isolation.
As I said before, either you get it or you don't. But if you don't get it, I think that you should really listen to what teachers are saying, and realize that there is definitely something wrong when this many people are complaining. It's very easy to label "whiners" and "complainers" when you are, for the most part, happy in your work. Even if you could use some extra vacation time, you go to your job and feel good about it. Sure, you have the occasional bad day but for the most part, you are happy with your work--as are others around you--and you feel good about yourself.
Well, guess what? That isn't the reality for a lot of teachers. For a lot of teachers, their working life is the opposite of yours--mostly bad/challenging days with fewer good/peaceful days. And if you really wonder why teachers complain, then I suggest that you teach for a year. You will probably find yourself wishing for the good-ol'-days when you had less vacation time but a satisfying job.
Also, allow me to point out something extraordinarily obvious:
Teachers do not decide to have summers off. This issue is decided for them.
If you would prefer teachers to work year-round with two weeks off and federal holidays only, then by all means, this option is available to you as an American citizen. You have two ways to make this happen:
a. Vote for an increased number of school days per year. The United States sends its children to school for approximately 180 days/year. By contrast, Japan sends its children to school for 243 days a year; South Korea for 220. Obviously, you surely realize that this would cost money for operating costs, transportation, and salaries, but those teachers would definitely be working. Call your congressional representative.
Right, but do people respect you, both at your job and outside of it? Do you have people threatening/harassing/abusing you on a regular basis, either verbally or physically? And, yes, I would also like to know how much you make, because chances are it is at least double what a teacher makes.
Furthermore, many teachers either work in the summer or are back in school, either for a Master's or extra coursework (courtesy of NCLB.)
Moreover, I agree with the posters who take issue with being treated disrespectfully because they get summers off or "lots of vacation time," or any other reason. Honestly, not every teacher likes having tons of free time. I would gladly work more for more pay. But that isn't how it works. There are some teachers who don't like having tons of time off, for various reasons (one of which is that it interrupts the flow of the school year and sidetracks students.) Do you know how boring and miserable it is to be a single teacher and have the summer off when everyone else is working, and then to have all of those people angry with you because you have time off? Talk about social isolation.
As I said before, either you get it or you don't. But if you don't get it, I think that you should really listen to what teachers are saying, and realize that there is definitely something wrong when this many people are complaining. It's very easy to label "whiners" and "complainers" when you are, for the most part, happy in your work. Even if you could use some extra vacation time, you go to your job and feel good about it. Sure, you have the occasional bad day but for the most part, you are happy with your work--as are others around you--and you feel good about yourself.
Well, guess what? That isn't the reality for a lot of teachers. For a lot of teachers, their working life is the opposite of yours--mostly bad/challenging days with fewer good/peaceful days. And if you really wonder why teachers complain, then I suggest that you teach for a year. You will probably find yourself wishing for the good-ol'-days when you had less vacation time but a satisfying job.
Unfortunately, I have to spread some rep around before I can rep you again but you are right on target with this.
I'd GLADLY work more for more pay but it doesn't work that way. I wish it did. 8 weeks more pay would put me up to where I need to be to take care of everything I need to take care of. I'd be able to afford to put something in my 401K, my kids college funds and still pay the bills. I could even spent a few hundred on my classroom. Too bad it's not happening.
Teaching makes me miss engineering, that's for sure. I miss being respected and I miss being able to actually be able to afford to go on vacation when I was on vacation. Someday....
Also, allow me to point out something extraordinarily obvious:
Teachers do not decide to have summers off. This issue is decided for them.
If you would prefer teachers to work year-round with two weeks off and federal holidays only, then by all means, this option is available to you as an American citizen. You have two ways to make this happen:
a. Vote for an increased number of school days per year. The United States sends its children to school for approximately 180 days/year. By contrast, Japan sends its children to school for 243 days a year; South Korea for 220. Obviously, you surely realize that this would cost money for operating costs, transportation, and salaries, but those teachers would definitely be working. Call your congressional representative.
.
And our children would learn more and forget less over their summer. Comparing us to countries that send their children to school only 220 days per year, their kids get 45 more days of school per year. That's more than an extra year in school every four years. More than 3 extra years of our school years in 13 years kids are in school. We NEED this if we're going to compete in a global market. 175 days a year is not enough. 200 days a year is not enough. Our kids don't need 12 weeks off in the summer.
My mother and sister-in-law are both nurses, so I understand your complaint Katiana. I observed the disrespect they both received from Doctors in particular, but their patients were often like my students - appreciative and totally the reason they did their job. But then they also had the patient who threw things at them, just like my student who decked me when I got in the way of the kid he was fighting.
Please don't take offense to our comments - didn't see anybody here who said we have it worse than nurses. And quite frankly I personally don't think I have it worse than many other professions. I just don't recall my mother ever hearing the comments similar to the ones we teachers get about being lazy because we have summers off and that we deserve the poor pay we receive because of it. At least my viewpoint is not so much that we work hard, but that we work hard and are still viewed as a lazy, overindulged class of workers. Make sense?
I give you kudos for the job you do Katiana!
Last things, first, thank you wyolady!
I realize no one said teachers have it worse than nurses. However, there have been a number of teachers who answered "Yes, but" when others pointed out that many professions have to deal with similar issues (work with little or no support from other adults; treated disrespectfully by others, including sometimes co-workers, etc). All professionals, and probably all workers, have to deal with these issues.
Most people don't refer to nurses as "lazy", but many people, including friends and relatives of mine, are very critical of the nursing care they get/got in hospitals, and act like everything that happens to them in the hosp. is the nurse's fault, e.g. a late meal, etc. A few have made me pretty angry with such talk (which goes beyond late meals, but you get the idea, I'm sure).
I do not think teachers are lazy, far from it! It is also a job I don't think I would want to do, and I respect teachers. I would say 99% of my kids' teachers were wonderful, and the few who weren't, well, that's life.
I think it would do all of us well to focus occasionally anyway, on the postives of our jobs, and not the negatives. I know I'm in it for the long haul (just finished paying college tution, now have to plump up the savings acct for retirement), so I need to be happy doing it.
There are a number of professions that face burn out issues. Teaching is one of and nursing is another. However this is the education forum and not the health care forum.
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. The complaint is that the time off doesn't compensate for the lack of pay, long hours and lack of respect. In fact, people think the time off is reason to diss teachers. 
