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Oh what a crock. I have almost taught my son reading and writing part time from home. My district has 1/2 day KG and loads of "clusters" which add even more overpaid "teachers" who do arts and crafts projects (patterns?) and "motor" with my son. I am not an idiot nor am I insensitive. I work as a facilitator who SAVES taxpayers money and helps teachers keep their cushy jobs. I make 33% less than my son's KG teacher without half the benefits or protections. Jobs should pay what the market bears, not what the union can strongarm out of complacent boards and self-interested voting blocs. There is plenty of blame to go around, but on LI, it would do teachers well to keep their yaps shut and take the excellent situation they have with humility, not spout about how "tough a job it is" and how "educated" they have to be. I work with hundreds of them. Half can't fashion a decent email or even manage a spreadsheet. If they had to go out in the private sector they'd be using that "education" to sell cosmetics at Macy's. The good ones seem to realize they have a good thing and are happy to make an above average living doing something they "love." My friend's who are terachers in the city make 33% less than on LI. Are you telling me they have it easier? Again, what a crock!
Elementary teachers work longer days than that. When I taught full time in Elementary, it was an 8 hour plus day, now that I sub it is a 7 hour day. Can't speak for the HS teachers, but I know Elementary is working pretty hard.
Looks like you are counting your lunch hour as time worked.
I just announced my retirement today from my preschool job, one I've loved for 22 years. My total salary after all that time has ended at some $19K, yes, that's it folks, no benefits either, no pension. Parents today absolutely love their kids being in preschool, they value the readiness skills their kids get and the preparation for Kindergarten. Yet, the job isn't valued enough by the employers to pay it's certified teachers a decent salary. Yes, I chose this job, I knew there would be nothing at retirement, I was fortunate enough to have a husband whose job did provide all that we needed. Not everyone is in that position. In fact, right now, there are an overload of public school teachers applying for preschool/daycare/nursery school type jobs just to keep their hands in the field, to get some kind of pay after being let go last year, this year and for next year.
He retired last year from teaching. He also loved his job and his coaching. He was one of those teachers who came in an hour early to do work, worked through his lunch (no teacher's lounge for him ever) and stayed after as long as he could before coaching. We never went on vacations because he stayed home to run practices with other people's children in his district. He never took sick or personal days unless it was totally unavoidable - like when he had surgery. His weekends and nights were spent doing more work, yes, either grading papers or doing planning or making phone calls or typing up tests etc. Over the years he continued with education for himself as well. He was the most dedicated teacher I've known. We realize not every teacher is that obsessive about their job, and it might be unfortunate, but you can't expect everyone to work as hard as others, no matter what the job.
Teaching gets picked on, overwhelmingly, simply because of the taxes that support the whole system. Ok, that's understandable too, but we all need to realize that there are other things in life that cause people to not have as much expendable money as they'd like. Some of it is by choice, some not. What I don't understand is the obnoxious hatred of teachers as a whole just because they are teachers.
As individuals, teachers don't want to have you all feel like they are money-grubbers. They don't have much say in where the pay scale falls as it applies to them - those things were set in motion decades ago. They don't have much say in what they pay for their benefits - same reason. They don't have any say in how the teacher's pension system is set up. They just happened to enter the teaching profession and the salary, benefits and pension are what they are at that point in time.
The teachers at the bottom of the ladder, the newbies, aren't making a fortune by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, when there are pay freezes or staffing cuts, they are the ones to suffer the most because the senior teachers, the ones at the top of the ladder, don't want to give up all that they have earned to help save the newbie's jobs. Again, they don't have much say in the matter, other than their one single union vote against it. Little impact.
My point here is that while we can all disagree on how all of this is handled, how it was handled, how it should be handled - we need to stop with the hatred of each teacher and administrator. They aren't all evil, they aren't all doing this to YOU because they don't care about your plight, they probably even agree with some of you about the abuses in the system - but they can't do anything about it as individuals. Most of them are nice, compassionate people. Complain about the bad ineffective teachers, please! They are the ones giving the profession a bad name. Complain about the admins that are arrogant or do very little for the district! Just leave the rest of them alone - they don't deserve your hatred or anger.
Teachers are important in our society. They do the job many others don't want, they make up for parents who don't teach their kids a thing and expect the schools to raise their kids for them, they try to give all our kids the education and skills they will need for work or college. How much they succeed is affected by the extent of support they receive from colleagues, parents and the community. How well do you work when your boss, your friends, your neighbors are constantly putting you down because of your job? Not well.
JMHO. Now, I'm sure there will be a plethora of haters responding to this post. Go ahead. Show your true colors. I won't respond. I just felt that all of this needed to be said by someone. If you are honest with yourselves, you will have to say that there is truth in what I've said. To whatever extent you want to believe it is your problem. Again, JMHO.
Who said they hate teachers? We said they are out of touch with the realities of the economy and it has been that way for a long time. And I think we can all agree we never saw teachers picketing that they are paid too much.
I just announced my retirement today from my preschool job, one I've loved for 22 years. My total salary after all that time has ended at some $19K, yes, that's it folks, no benefits either, no pension.
Did you ever stop to think that if it weren't for the abuses of the system perpetuated on the taxpayers by the teachers' unions, paying teachers in private schools this low would not have been possible and people would have gotten a living wage over the years instead of a pittance? They pay you so low because they can: the people who take these jobs either have spouses that are working in the public sector and getting guaranteed pensions and low-cost Cadillac benefits for the entire family for life plus making more than enough to support them (like yourself) AND/OR people will work for these coolie wages to "get experience" for their master plan of being a public school teacher who is compensated in another stratosphere. If LI's public school teachers were not overcompensated, perhaps workers in private schools would have more equitable pay because there would be no incentive at all to work for them otherwise.
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In fact, right now, there are an overload of public school teachers applying for preschool/daycare/nursery school type jobs just to keep their hands in the field, to get some kind of pay after being let go last year, this year and for next year.
That proves my point above. If the teachers' unions had not ballooned the compensation, benefits and pensions to the point where they are unsustainable, none of the above would be willing to work for slave wages to "keep their hand in the field" for when they apply for another LOTTO teaching job in a public school. They would not give a rat's behind and would refuse to accept such crap. In which case, private schools would have to start compensating their employees better or go out of business for lack of personnel.
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What I don't understand is the obnoxious hatred of teachers as a whole just because they are teachers.
I hate high property taxes, not individual teachers. Hint in case someone wants to go here next: I also hate hearing about all "the other people" in the private sector WITHOUT MASTERS DEGREES who earn six figures to try and DIVERT THE SUBJECT. I am not paying for those people's six figures, benefits they barely pay into and "pensions/aka Ponzi Schemes on the backs of the taxpayers" they barely pay into out of my property taxes and property taxes are not raising at an unsustainable level each and EVERY year because of those people in the private sector whose salaries, benefits and retirement DOES NOT COME OUT OF MY TAX DOLLARS.
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As individuals, teachers don't want to have you all feel like they are money-grubbers. They don't have much say in where the pay scale falls as it applies to them - those things were set in motion decades ago. They don't have much say in what they pay for their benefits - same reason. They don't have any say in how the teacher's pension system is set up. They just happened to enter the teaching profession and the salary, benefits and pension are what they are at that point in time.
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the TEACHERS' unions made up of TEACHERS? The teachers' unions are the ones that did this, with the collusion of "yes men/women" education flunkie types OR union members from other districts on the school boards and superintendants that are eager to use the platinum teachers' contracts as "evidence" that they themselves should be paid and hailed like rockstars. Teachers have EVERYTHING to do with it.
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The teachers at the bottom of the ladder, the newbies, aren't making a fortune by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, when there are pay freezes or staffing cuts, they are the ones to suffer the most because the senior teachers, the ones at the top of the ladder, don't want to give up all that they have earned to help save the newbie's jobs.
FTFY:
... don't want to give up ANY of the ground they have mercilessly beaten out of the taxpayers to help save the newbie's jobs.
And your paragraph above belies this claim made earlier in your post:
As individuals, teachers don't want to have you all feel like they are money-grubbers.
Then what are they? They certainly feel free to "eat their young" rather than sacrifice one brown penny to save any of them from getting let go.
Quote:
they aren't all doing this to YOU because they don't care about your plight, they probably even agree with some of you about the abuses in the system - but they can't do anything about it as individuals.
Once again, who is in the TEACHERS' unions? Is it run by ALIENS FROM OUTER SPACE WHO DROPPED OUT OF THE SKY IN THEIR SPACESHIPS? It's teachers! If they "care" about the taxpayers' plight they would stop their unreasonable demands. They don't care about the taxpayers because the taxpayers equal their currently unlimited gravy train ... it is, as Pequaman would say, "FYIGM!" all the way.
I just announced my retirement today from my preschool job, one I've loved for 22 years. My total salary after all that time has ended at some $19K, yes, that's it folks, no benefits either, no pension. Parents today absolutely love their kids being in preschool, they value the readiness skills their kids get and the preparation for Kindergarten. Yet, the job isn't valued enough by the employers to pay it's certified teachers a decent salary. Yes, I chose this job, I knew there would be nothing at retirement, I was fortunate enough to have a husband whose job did provide all that we needed. Not everyone is in that position. In fact, right now, there are an overload of public school teachers applying for preschool/daycare/nursery school type jobs just to keep their hands in the field, to get some kind of pay after being let go last year, this year and for next year.
He retired last year from teaching. He also loved his job and his coaching. He was one of those teachers who came in an hour early to do work, worked through his lunch (no teacher's lounge for him ever) and stayed after as long as he could before coaching. We never went on vacations because he stayed home to run practices with other people's children in his district. He never took sick or personal days unless it was totally unavoidable - like when he had surgery. His weekends and nights were spent doing more work, yes, either grading papers or doing planning or making phone calls or typing up tests etc. Over the years he continued with education for himself as well. He was the most dedicated teacher I've known. We realize not every teacher is that obsessive about their job, and it might be unfortunate, but you can't expect everyone to work as hard as others, no matter what the job.
Teaching gets picked on, overwhelmingly, simply because of the taxes that support the whole system. Ok, that's understandable too, but we all need to realize that there are other things in life that cause people to not have as much expendable money as they'd like. Some of it is by choice, some not. What I don't understand is the obnoxious hatred of teachers as a whole just because they are teachers.
As individuals, teachers don't want to have you all feel like they are money-grubbers. They don't have much say in where the pay scale falls as it applies to them - those things were set in motion decades ago. They don't have much say in what they pay for their benefits - same reason. They don't have any say in how the teacher's pension system is set up. They just happened to enter the teaching profession and the salary, benefits and pension are what they are at that point in time.
The teachers at the bottom of the ladder, the newbies, aren't making a fortune by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, when there are pay freezes or staffing cuts, they are the ones to suffer the most because the senior teachers, the ones at the top of the ladder, don't want to give up all that they have earned to help save the newbie's jobs. Again, they don't have much say in the matter, other than their one single union vote against it. Little impact.
My point here is that while we can all disagree on how all of this is handled, how it was handled, how it should be handled - we need to stop with the hatred of each teacher and administrator. They aren't all evil, they aren't all doing this to YOU because they don't care about your plight, they probably even agree with some of you about the abuses in the system - but they can't do anything about it as individuals. Most of them are nice, compassionate people. Complain about the bad ineffective teachers, please! They are the ones giving the profession a bad name. Complain about the admins that are arrogant or do very little for the district! Just leave the rest of them alone - they don't deserve your hatred or anger.
Teachers are important in our society. They do the job many others don't want, they make up for parents who don't teach their kids a thing and expect the schools to raise their kids for them, they try to give all our kids the education and skills they will need for work or college. How much they succeed is affected by the extent of support they receive from colleagues, parents and the community. How well do you work when your boss, your friends, your neighbors are constantly putting you down because of your job? Not well.
JMHO. Now, I'm sure there will be a plethora of haters responding to this post. Go ahead. Show your true colors. I won't respond. I just felt that all of this needed to be said by someone. If you are honest with yourselves, you will have to say that there is truth in what I've said. To whatever extent you want to believe it is your problem. Again, JMHO.
It is not a personal attack against teachers except for the ones who want to bemoan the hardships and unfairness of the job. There are 350+ teachers in my district who make over $80k and work 181 days per year. The district only has 5000 kids (my high school alone in Brooklyn had 5000 kids)!! The market dictates an assumption that a preschool teacher could not qualify to become a teacher and thus the pay grade is low (it may not be fair, but that's how capitalism works).
The teacher's union drives a stake between teachers and the community when they get guaranteed 7% raises (3 1/2% step, 3 1/2% union) year after year in down economies while their neighbors get laid off or take pay cuts and get hit with tax increases to pay pension fund coffers or be threatened with the loss of sports and libraries.
It is a broken system that requires consolidation and compensation based on performance. As it stands, I continue to espouse that teachers take what they've got with aplomb and good nature and NOT point out the late hours grading papers. We all work late. Even in August when they are on the beach. Or getting paid extra cash working at a summer camp where their kids get to go for free or at 20% of regular cost. Or even summer rec for their own district which pays $25.00 an hour. Enough already.
I dont think your ever going to get through to some of these people. They will defend their situation until the end, as will we. When you receive great things for so long, you become accustomed to it, eventually believing you deserve it.... This happens in every industry...
I understand that teachers think their value is high.. and I agree.. we all would like good teachers, however it is simply unsustainable at these levels and although we would like to pay everyone 1 million dollars a year, it just cannot happen. You teachers have to understand that this is not an unlimited source of revenue.
We are forcing people to leave.. hell, I have been thinking about leaving NY state for some time now... Maybe NJ, its bad, but not as bad as NY.
I dont think your ever going to get through to some of these people. They will defend their situation until the end, as will we. When you receive great things for so long, you become accustomed to it, eventually believing you deserve it.... This happens in every industry...
I understand that teachers think their value is high.. and I agree.. we all would like good teachers, however it is simply unsustainable at these levels and although we would like to pay everyone 1 million dollars a year, it just cannot happen. You teachers have to understand that this is not an unlimited source of revenue.
We are forcing people to leave.. hell, I have been thinking about leaving NY state for some time now... Maybe NJ, its bad, but not as bad as NY.
Well said and the sad truth. I also think about leaving. $11k in taxes on my Levitt cape is very hard to swallow. The schools aren't THAT good and it's insulting to see the superintendent make $380k/yr plus golden benefits and be lectured that it's a necessary expense to maintain the quality of "education" we have.
Supposedly they just laid off 60 teachers (and hacked who knows what programs). THAT is not the answer to the problem, but it clearly supports ILOVELI's post above that the teachers will throw their own under the bus rather than lose a "contracted" raise that is not justified in today's marketplace.
How do we get school districts to spend within their means and not negotiate packages that give away the farm? From the top down it is a mess. Makes me want to leave for sure. I will be told I'm fortunate taxes will ONLY go up 3-4% this year. What a bargain!!
Well said and the sad truth. I also think about leaving. $11k in taxes on my Levitt cape is very hard to swallow. The schools aren't THAT good and it's insulting to see the superintendent make $380k/yr plus golden benefits and be lectured that it's a necessary expense to maintain the quality of "education" we have.
Supposedly they just laid off 60 teachers (and hacked who knows what programs). THAT is not the answer to the problem, but it clearly supports ILOVELI's post above that the teachers will throw their own under the bus rather than lose a "contracted" raise that is not justified in today's marketplace.
How do we get school districts to spend within their means and not negotiate packages that give away the farm? From the top down it is a mess. Makes me want to leave for sure. I will be told I'm fortunate taxes will ONLY go up 3-4% this year. What a bargain!!
Get the insiders (education toadies and suck ups, elderly ignoramuses and housewives with nothing to do with their lives who couldn't balance a budget if it meant the firing squad, and teachers' union members from other districts) OFF the school boards and get people who WILL ACTUALLY REPRESENT THE TAXPAYERS onto the school boards. Otherwise, when there are budget shortfalls, the union members with seniority and the superintendants and administrators will continue to refuse to sacrifice one brown penny and fire new teachers and/or take it out of the children's portion of the budget EVERY SINGLE TIME as they have consistantly done for decades. Enough already!
It is not a personal attack against teachers except for the ones who want to bemoan the hardships and unfairness of the job. There are 350+ teachers in my district who make over $80k and work 181 days per year. The district only has 5000 kids (my high school alone in Brooklyn had 5000 kids)!! The market dictates an assumption that a preschool teacher could not qualify to become a teacher and thus the pay grade is low (it may not be fair, but that's how capitalism works).
The teacher's union drives a stake between teachers and the community when they get guaranteed 7% raises (3 1/2% step, 3 1/2% union) year after year in down economies while their neighbors get laid off or take pay cuts and get hit with tax increases to pay pension fund coffers or be threatened with the loss of sports and libraries.
It is a broken system that requires consolidation and compensation based on performance. As it stands, I continue to espouse that teachers take what they've got with aplomb and good nature and NOT point out the late hours grading papers. We all work late. Even in August when they are on the beach. Or getting paid extra cash working at a summer camp where their kids get to go for free or at 20% of regular cost. Or even summer rec for their own district which pays $25.00 an hour. Enough already.
My son's Jr HS social studies teacher received $90,063 in 2008 and was paid $104,661 in 2010 for an increase in pay of $14,598. That's only one of the hundreds of teachers and administrators who are receiving healthy raises when many of the taxpayers are getting deluged with increases in school taxes, property taxes as well as costs of food and utilitities, etc. I had to change health insurance plans as my increase would have gone to $2,100 a month for a family. It would be something of a relief to see administration and teachers paying full cost of their health, dental insurance.
Looking at my school district's contract, the taxpayers currently subsidize 85% of the cost of the teachers health insurance (looking solely at Teachers contract.)
Another sweet deal was this:
"Effective for all teachers retiring July 1, 1997 and thereafter, all retired
teachers entitled to benefits pursuant to this paragraph, shall receive the same health
benefits as active teachers and shall be required to contribute to the cost of premium
to the same extent as the individual teacher contributed during the last year of his/her
employment."
I'm sorry but something has to give. You can't get blood from a stone.
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