[Charles Wallace]

Originally Posted by Madreof3

, for the amount of time that teachers get off they actually get paid a decent salary.

It's not as clear-cut as it seems.

For one, you are NOT paid for overtime at all. Secondly, you are basically compelled to put in overtime as stipulated in the teacher contract. For instance, if I am an English teacher and I have assigned my 180 students a five-page essay that takes me one minute/page, I am now in for a solid fifteen hours of grading -- ALL UNPAID.

The solution? Well, for many teachers, the solution is "Don't assign papers." If you think I'm somehow kidding or being flip, check out how many students entering UNLV need remedial writing.

Secondly, many teachers -- not all, clearly, but I'm going to be bold here and say "most" -- put in hours over the summer, again unpaid. I personally put in many hours worth of work over the summer by updating my website, creating a slew of new webpages for my upcoming classes, linking the webpages to online resources, and so on. I also spent a very good amount of time reading new works to teach for the upcoming year and preparing lesson plans, syllabi, and well-crafted assignments. I have no idea how many hours I put in, none of which were compensated, but I'm fairly sure I put in several weeks' worth of work.

In short, it's not so simple.

[Charles Wallace]

Originally Posted by Madreof3

When was the last time any teacher had to work a holiday? Any holiday.

I always go in over Christmas break - and I always have papers to grade over EVERY weekend, EVERY holiday, every staff development day, and so on.

[movingon2vegas]

I don't even know where to begin after reading this thread. It is soooo full of blatant racism it's SICK!!! All I have to say is when I move to Vegas I pray to GOD my child doesn't end up in the classroom with a sub who probably couldn't care less if she learns anything or not. Someone who believes that just because someone isn't well off or their parents didn't go to college they don't give a d*mn about their education. I am a college graduate and I do instill in my daughter the importance of an education. I also know plenty of other parents who might not be making the most money, and they might not have completed college. However, their children strive harder then other students to succeed!!! As I sit here shaking my head over some of the posts in this thread, I think I might just have my daughter come to this thread so she can read how "some" people feel about kids just because they aren't well off!!!

[jfkIII]

...and this is the point I was making to you about considering your daughter in your move.

[WOHR]

It's so sad that this thread has gone on to be about racism. That was never the intention when I started it. The only intention was to find a good school where my children could get a great education (please no comments on how bad the schools are here). We are not a racist family and I raise my children to accept all people for who they are not what they look like. I had my own fill of racism growing up, some people had a problem with me being half Asian. Today's society seems to be growing up some because I rarely run into it anymore, but of course on this site it seems to be popping up again and again
This city is so ethnically diverse and I think that is what makes this city great So to all you racist people out there you can .........................
Grow up people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[movingon2vegas]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

...and this is the point I was making to you about considering your daughter in your move.

lol I stand... somewhat corrected!! lol However, racism and classism is an unfortunate fact no matter where you live. It is what it is. Some people will always feel they are better then others and look down on others based only on the color of their skin or how much money they make. My job is to prepare my daughter for it and let her know just because some people are morons that doesn't mean everyone is. You have to take the bitter with the sweet.

WOHR: I see where you were attempting to go with the thread. I too am moving to Vegas with a child so I'd like to know about the schools also. Unfortunately some people want to live in a bubble and feel that everyone should believe what they believe. On the other hand this thread was a great help to me. I am the type of parent who is really involved in my childs education and I keep in regular contact with the teacher. After seeing some views in this thread and learning that some of these people could actually end up teaching my child I will be an even more active parent. When you have someone in a position of authority who already thinks the kids aren't worth the effort it can't turn out well for the children.

[olecapt]

I maintain a set of tables that rank the schools academically off their No Child Left Behind scores....

Clark County School Rankings and Performance

Charlie Wallace, a local teacher, suggests that you use the raw data from CCSD. You can get at that by clicking the name of each school in the rackups.

I will do a new version of these as soon as CCSD publishes the new achievement reports. I think they are due any day now.

[MuayKat]

Ahhh you've hit on a topic near and dear to my heart...I've been teaching for CCSD for three years (I taught for three years prior in California) and my experience with the school district is: I intend to get out.

Why?
Administration, pay (hey, I know it is Vegas, and I've really tried to just ignore the fact that cocktail waitresses make more than I do, but with the number of master's degrees that I have, and the fact that I am more than willing to work more school days...I'd be happy to try and plunk down several thousand dollars for a boob job to apply for the cocktail jobs..but, well, I can't afford it, ha!), I am locked in to a school for two years (meaning, I cannot leave the school that I am at and transfer to another school until the two year deadline), overcrowded classrooms (I've had upwards of 40 kids in my classroom, over 10% who did not speak English, and I've had my classroom stacked with IEP's over 30%), I cannot speak for the incoming kids but last years group (I'm a middle school teacher) could be heard screaming down the hall "Latesha, get the f*** back here" while punching holes in walls, constantly talking back to the teachers (they know better than to do that with me...I've worked with felons...so felons in training do not scare me)...then administration saying "don't tell parents that you have 35 kids in your room" (um, why not? many people can barely manage their own children, try managing 35 or more, getting them to actually raise their hand to ask or answer a question, or answering a question without back talking, while making sure each and every one is meeting the state standards for the subject matter in spite of the fact that I had no control over whether they ate breakfast or took their meds the night before...or try to get them to understand that even being an NFL or Rap star they will need to be able to READ the contract...that is if they can drop the "I'm a gangsta" attitude long enough for someone to actually tolerate them)....and be more understanding with the kids (this doesn't work, but "sit down or get the heck out of my classroom" sure does...they sit down)...where I'm at as far as location in the school district, I am a warden...kids throw food while they are being escorted back to the various "wings" of the school, they threaten campus monitors...

Whew, I need to take a breath...

Now, I am not saying this doesn't happen in school districts in other areas of the country...

But, what I do know is that for all of the "casino" money that supposedly supports the schools (perhaps some of you will have more information on this) we could at least have more after school tutoring programs, or homework help programs, I'd be glad to stay after school and earn some extra shills and help the kiddos become at least better educated future casino employees...

Also, there is very little mobility...your neighborhood administrators can only get into the "program" if they are "sponsored" by other administrators....hmmmm...now, this may work in the capitalistic side of things (I worked in that side of the pay scale before becoming a teacher)...but we aren't talking about producing widgets...this is human development...how can any change in the system be instigated when the same people are continually promoted...but that aside the BIGGER problem is that CCSD has very little to NO competition...ok ok ok Las Vegas Day School, but I personally looked at the prices for that...and I cannot afford to send my son there...kudos to those of you who can...

Hey, I believe in the public school system...but CCSD must break into smaller parts...pay its teachers more, and will the administration please stop ganging up on us so they don't look bad to the parents...

Other than that, I wouldn't mind staying in Las Vegas...I'll say hello to you, I'll tolerate the crazy people who flip me off when I'm not doing 55 in a school zone...I've come to ignore the Summerlin to 95 North exit narrowing to one lane and the afternoon traffic that ensues because of it...crime is everywhere in the world...I like the restaurants...and the fact that you can get just about anything you desire here (except, of course, a better paying teaching job, DOH!!)....

[MuayKat]

[quote=Charles Wallace;1281990]It's not as clear-cut as it seems.

For one, you are NOT paid for overtime at all. Secondly, you are basically compelled to put in overtime as stipulated in the teacher contract. For instance, if I am an English teacher and I have assigned my 180 students a five-page essay that takes me one minute/page, I am now in for a solid fifteen hours of grading -- ALL UNPAID.

The solution? Well, for many teachers, the solution is "Don't assign papers." If you think I'm somehow kidding or being flip, check out how many students entering UNLV need remedial writing.

Oh yeah, we have mandatory nights where we stay unpaid. It is in our contract. Also, we can be "directed" by the administrator to stay after school hours...there are specific provisions for this.

The school day doesn't end for us when the bell rings. Multiply the number of students you have by the number of assignments. Being a middle school teacher, science nonetheless, if I assign 175 students 2 pages of homework five days a week, that comes to 1,750 pages of grading. And understandably we have to justify our grading scale. And, we are expected, during parent teacher conferences to essentially know the details of the students cognitive abilities, while parents sit across from us and essentially want us to be absolutely aware of everything about their child as they are (remind them they need to go to the nurse to take meds, I'm stuck on the meds thing lately, or to wear their glasses, and put on their jacket...you know, protect 35 human beings like they are our own kids...which is fine...but we also need to make sure they are making those test scores!! and learning to read, write, calculate...and get along of course!!!)...

And when students are gone for long periods of time, we are expected to have homework ready at the drop of a hat...but not TOO much homework or we'll be questioned on that...oh, and yeah, we'll be questioned on NOT ENOUGH homework too, which tends to ebb and flow with parental whim...meanwhile, we must homogenize the students socially, but NOT TOO much because we don't want to truncate any diversity within the classroom...and, we must individualize instruction to reach all learners...ESPECIALLY if they have an IEP because I tell you right now, if any of the students have an IEP in classroom, teachers are LEGALLY bound to provide individualized instruction...regardless of the term "reasonable accomodation" in the federal law: IDEA....

Hey, I'm sorry, I cannot stop in the middle of teaching 40 students about Pellagra in order to call you on the phone because your student hasn't quite learned about authority structure...we are already a bit behind on the state science standards because 5 parents want conferences with all of the middle school teachers on the same day because their kids are problems at school...so I need to stop planning for the other 170 students willing to learn and pay attention to the problem students...wow, if this was the school system when I was young...I would have caused MORE problems to get all the attention I needed...whew!!!

I have a 30 minute lunch...I cannot take pee breaks in the middle of class...I cannot leave my students in the room alone...rumor has it that there are teachers who do...well, dagnabit call me a law abiding teacher, but I won't do it...

Hey, I do love teaching...it is a stressful job...I wouldn't mind having more work days, or, as I just posted, being paid more to stay after school and help the kiddies...

Keep in mind the sheer number of tests I have had to take in order to become a teacher...(hmmmm the RICA, the CSET which is actually three tests, CBEST, the PRAXIS...darn, I've lost count...but since I was a Calif transplant, there were three other classes I had to take including Nevada Constitution...so mo' money, mo' money, mo' money) the number of graduate units I have beyond the Master's Degree (we're looking at 75), and the fact that I've taught ALL grade levels (elementary, middle, high school), and kinds of students...special education, ED, the aforementioned felons, and your mainstream students, including GATE kiddies...oh, I think it counts just a smidgen that I've survived three years of CCSD...oh and yeah, did I mention the 123,000 dollars in school loans that I have? man, should pursued that stripping career instead...wow!

Every teacher I know works upwards of 60 or more hours per week. Many have second jobs. Again, add more days to the school year, and that is fine.

I invite the people that say "oh you guys get paid pretty good for having the summers off" to work in a classroom for a year. Really, we'll switch jobs. I'm a tough cookie. I'll work outside in construction (hell I've done long distance running in the heat, slammed sledgehammers on tires for conditioning, been punched in the face and stomach while training with male Muay Thai fighters....), I'll be a line cook, whatever. Other than that, those comments are like someone not voting and then complaining about what was passed, or who was elected. And no, it doesn't count that your mom was a teacher. That is like saying I'd be a good school administrator because my mom is one...whateva...

[movingon2vegas]

Muay Kat: I am totally applauding you right now!!!! Finally an intelligent answer about how the schools are instead of just ... well it's the low income kids who suck!!! You're situation seems like it sucks big time and I really respect you for what you are doing. I do feel that teachers should be one of the highest paid professions. I honestly don't understand why they are the lowest. I mean teachers are the ones who educate the future CEO's and such.
I am not a Vegas resident yet however I hope to be moving there next year. What needs to happen for CCSD to break up into the smaller sections that you spoke of? Has this idea ever been put to a vote?? As I said I plan to move there next year and my daughter will be entering the 5th grade. I hope to be able to afford to live in an area where the school is good. I do know though that sometimes this doesn't really matter. I believe it is the parents responsibilty to take an extremely active role in their own childs education. Do you feel that has been the problem in your school? You mentioned that the adminstration doesn't want you to tell the parents there are so many students in the classroom. Why not? If the parents know this is there some sort of law stating the parent can pull their child out and transfer him/her? In Ohio where I live if the school in your district is an AR (at risk) school the parent is allowed to get an out of district permit to send their child to a better school of their choice. Sometimes they are even allowed to get a voucher for private schools. Do they have this in Vegas???

I know my daughter isn't there yet, but I want to thank you for your dedication to the kids, sounds like it's hard. It also sounds like you you're ready to go but you haven't just thrown up your hands and said screw these kids, while you sit in the front of the class and read novels!! YOU ROCK!!!!