Scranton Teachers' Strike (Reading, Old Forge, Pittston: credit, luxury, public schools)
Northeastern PennsylvaniaScranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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I'm sorry, but I think teachers have got it made. They get payed well, they usually have "gold plated" insurance plans, they get the entire summer off + every holiday, and even days that nobody else gets to take off like The first day of hunting, Columbus day, Martin Luther King day ect. My daughter didn't have to go to school on Friday because "it's Labor Day" Did anyone else get the Friday BEFORE Labor Day off?! Many teachers get something called Sabaticle (I probably didn't spell that right) but anyway after ten years of service, you get to take an entire year off to go somewhere to so called "further your education". I bet many of them chose to go to Hawaii to "learn about tropical plants, and weather patterns". Seriously, can you think of a better job then that? The education levels of America are horrible when compared to other industrialized nations, it's really a national crisis and embarrassment, yet these teachers continue to whine that they always want more, more, more of something. If anything, we should demand more from them (get our childrens ed. levels up to that of Japan's ect.) and if you can't... you get fired just like an average joe would. Do you want to pay even more property taxes? When our children are getting a sub-par education? Maybe instead of taking sabaticle every ten years, our teachers should spend thier summers learning new teaching technic's (that other countries that are beating the socks off America) are using.
Everyone blames teachers if the scores are not that great-what about the disruptions in the classoom that teachers as well as others students have to deal with. Practically any day of the week you can go into SHS office and see a parent complaining-if more parents held their children responsible for their actions, the teachers would accomplish alot more. I know of a child in kindergarten that told the teacher to go to hell, he runs the house and also the classroom, and this was the first day of school. The dad thought it was cute, the mother didn't say a word. How would you like to have this angel everyday(what do you think his test scores will be like?) BTW this was not Scranton School District.
Children should be tested on manners and disciplin by the teachers and if they fall short the parents should get fined. I think they do somehitng like that in China....not that we should ever use them as a moral calculator but you get my drift.
I'm sorry, but I think teachers have got it made. They get payed well, they usually have "gold plated" insurance plans, they get the entire summer off + every holiday, and even days that nobody else gets to take off like The first day of hunting, Columbus day, Martin Luther King day ect. My daughter didn't have to go to school on Friday because "it's Labor Day" Did anyone else get the Friday BEFORE Labor Day off?! Many teachers get something called Sabaticle (I probably didn't spell that right) but anyway after ten years of service, you get to take an entire year off to go somewhere to so called "further your education". I bet many of them chose to go to Hawaii to "learn about tropical plants, and weather patterns". Seriously, can you think of a better job then that? The education levels of America are horrible when compared to other industrialized nations, it's really a national crisis and embarrassment, yet these teachers continue to whine that they always want more, more, more of something. If anything, we should demand more from them (get our childrens ed. levels up to that of Japan's ect.) and if you can't... you get fired just like an average joe would. Do you want to pay even more property taxes? When our children are getting a sub-par education? Maybe instead of taking sabaticle every ten years, our teachers should spend thier summers learning new teaching technic's (that other countries that are beating the socks off America) are using.
I'm sorry you are so ignorant.
Teaching is not an 8-3 profession. I typically work about 4 hours additional per day than my contract requires. So if you wanted to factor that in for roughly 120 days per year, that's 480 more hours of work or 12 more weeks, which is roughly all I get off for the summer.
I would also venture to say you're the type of parent who points the fingers at the teachers, but refuses to provide the vital support at home necessary for your child. Maybe you should research on the hard work teachers do, instead of thinking we work at a country club with all this time off.
I'm sorry, but this makes me angry because it makes light of how hard teachers actually work. Stop being so damn bitter about the profession. All it shows is how truly unhappy you are with the career you chose.
Summers off are indeed nice, but working 12 hour days when my contract calls for 7 and a half isn't the greatest thing in the world.
I love my job, but people like this completely **** me off.
Teaching is not an 8-3 profession. I typically work about 4 hours additional per day than my contract requires. So if you wanted to factor that in for roughly 120 days per year, that's 480 more hours of work or 12 more weeks, which is roughly all I get off for the summer.
I would also venture to say you're the type of parent who points the fingers at the teachers, but refuses to provide the vital support at home necessary for your child. Maybe you should research on the hard work teachers do, instead of thinking we work at a country club with all this time off.
I'm sorry, but this makes me angry because it makes light of how hard teachers actually work. Stop being so damn bitter about the profession. All it shows is how truly unhappy you are with the career you chose.
Summers off are indeed nice, but working 12 hour days when my contract calls for 7 and a half isn't the greatest thing in the world.
I love my job, but people like this completely **** me off.
Well since you are a teacher... then educate me. Why do private schools and charter school do so much better then public schools at a tiny fraction of the cost? Why is the American education system so sub-standard when compared to other industrialized nations? And please tell we why teachers should get complete and free health coverage when just about every other occupation requires the employee to contribute a substantial amount of thier income for coverage? And one more thing "only 12 weeks off!?" I'll gladly trade you for my two weeks off, and I don't get the first day of hunting season, or Columbus day off either. I do respect teachers and the job they do, but honestly, you simply cannot beat the benefits of the job a.k.a every holiday on the calendar-off, many snow days-off, many half days, complete health care coverage, and the entire summer+sabaticle. With all these benefits that other people can only dream about having, why do teachers always go on strike for more? I cannot think of any other profession that offers so much to it's employee's. I'm sorry if you disagree with me, but unless you convince me of otherwise, that's the way I'll continue to see it.
Well since you are a teacher... then educate me. Why do private schools and charter school do so much better then public schools at a tiny fraction of the cost? Why is the American education system so sub-standard when compared to other industrialized nations? And please tell we why teachers should get complete and free health coverage when just about every other occupation requires the employee to contribute a substantial amount of thier income for coverage? And one more thing "only 12 weeks off!?" I'll gladly trade you for my two weeks off, and I don't get the first day of hunting season, or Columbus day off either. I do respect teachers and the job they do, but honestly, you simply cannot beat the benefits of the job a.k.a every holiday on the calendar-off, many snow days-off, many half days, complete health care coverage, and the entire summer+sabaticle. With all these benefits that other people can only dream about having, why do teachers always go on strike for more? I cannot think of any other profession that offers so much to it's employee's. I'm sorry if you disagree with me, but unless you convince me of otherwise, that's the way I'll continue to see it.
I don't care the way you see it. You're obviously ignorant and I'm not out to change your mind.
Who gets completely free health care benefits?
Not me.
I pay 105 dollars every month into my health care. Asking the Scranton Teachers to pay basically 35% of their check for their benefits is awful especially considering they barely make 35 thousand a year, which is way down from other local districts.
You keep talking about the time off, but yet you ignore the fact that this profession isn't just a 9-5. It's much more hours, and when you factor it all in, it's a lot more time consuming than you want to admit.
As for charter schools/private schools...
Class sizes are way down in charter school/private schools, and the parental support is 10x greater than in public schools. If parents are paying extra for their childs education, they are going to make sure homework is done, and the child is getting the proper support at home.
Parents feel they can just send their kids to school and their job is done. It's not. Without that extension at home, the child's education is never going to be up to par with that of a parent who devotes time to making sure the child is meeting their end of the bargin.
There are a lot of ****ty teachers. I'll give you that. There are also tons of ****ty parents, which has a far worse impact on the child's education.
Teachers change year to year. I'm lucky to work with some wonderful ones. The one constant is the parents.
Instead of pointing fingers at the educators that bust their ass, start looking in the mirror if you're not satisfied with your child's results.
I don't care the way you see it. You're obviously ignorant and I'm not out to change your mind.
Who gets completely free health care benefits?
Not me.
I pay 105 dollars every month into my health care. Asking the Scranton Teachers to pay basically 35% of their check for their benefits is awful especially considering they barely make 35 thousand a year, which is way down from other local districts.
You keep talking about the time off, but yet you ignore the fact that this profession isn't just a 9-5. It's much more hours, and when you factor it all in, it's a lot more time consuming than you want to admit.
As for charter schools/private schools...
Class sizes are way down in charter school/private schools, and the parental support is 10x greater than in public schools. If parents are paying extra for their childs education, they are going to make sure homework is done, and the child is getting the proper support at home.
Parents feel they can just send their kids to school and their job is done. It's not. Without that extension at home, the child's education is never going to be up to par with that of a parent who devotes time to making sure the child is meeting their end of the bargin.
There are a lot of ****ty teachers. I'll give you that. There are also tons of ****ty parents, which has a far worse impact on the child's education.
Teachers change year to year. I'm lucky to work with some wonderful ones. The one constant is the parents.
Instead of pointing fingers at the educators that bust their ass, start looking in the mirror if you're not satisfied with your child's results.
Look, I understand what you're saying, and I know it's not all the teachers fault. We live in a country where being bad, and acting like "gangsta's" has become cool. Even with good parenting, children often become troublemakers and dropout because of the peers they end up hanging with. That's not my contention. My issue is that teachers (good and bad) already have it pretty damn good compared to just about everybody else. I don't know where you come from, but in Luzerne County, Pa. many, many "teachers" are underqualified and merely get thier jobs because of nepotism (a daughter in law of a member of the school board ect.), and hardly deserve more, more, more of anything. This happens all the time here. I couldn't be a teacher. I don't have the education or the patience for that job, my own daughter wants to be a teacher, and I support her 100%. So, it's not like I am "against teachers" or something. I am just saying that there are much worse things to be in life that don't offer anything close to what teachers already get. Have you ever seen the TV program Dirty Jobs on Discovery Channel? I never hear of people that do those horrible jobs going on strike every other year? Look, just like any other job, raises should be tied to performance, and not just a given! And if you are not up to par, you should be fired like you would be in the real world.
Look, I understand what you're saying, and I know it's not all the teachers fault. We live in a country where being bad, and acting like "gangsta's" has become cool. Even with good parenting, children often become troublemakers and dropout because of the peers they end up hanging with. That's not my contention. My issue is that teachers (good and bad) already have it pretty damn good compared to just about everybody else. I don't know where you come from, but in Luzerne County, Pa. many, many "teachers" are underqualified and merely get thier jobs because of nepotism (a daughter in law of a member of the school board ect.), and hardly deserve more, more, more of anything. This happens all the time here. I couldn't be a teacher. I don't have the education or the patience for that job, my own daughter wants to be a teacher, and I support her 100%. So, it's not like I am "against teachers" or something. I am just saying that there are much worse things to be in life that don't offer anything close to what teachers already get. Have you ever seen the TV program Dirty Jobs on Discovery Channel? I never hear of people that do those horrible jobs going on strike every other year? Look, just like any other job, raises should be tied to performance, and not just a given! And if you are not up to par, you should be fired like you would be in the real world.
Think of it this way....
Let's say you do a job for 7.50 an hour.
Someone just starts doing the same job you are across the street that you've been doing for 3 years, yet that employer starts them off at 11.50 and pays for all their health benefits.
You can't quit, because if you do, you're not guaranteed to get a job because of how scarce this job is.
What are your options?
You don't have many.
I agree that striking is ****ty, but it's the only way they can actually get near to what other districts are paying their teachers.
NEPA's biggest problem is as you said nepotism. Teachers never get hired based on their credentials anymore (unless you have experience elsewhere). The kid who kills themselves in college to get a high GPA, does a great job student teaching, and is involved in a lot in college isn't getting in the door anywhere unless they have a connection.
I teach out of the area, but I will be re-locating back to NEPA next summer with my wife, who's also a teacher.
I'm coming back with a Master's degree, 2 years of special education teaching experience and my wife is coming back with 3 years of elementary teaching experience. We both worked at the 10th biggest district in the country and have sterling performance reviews.
Yet, I have a bad feeling we will have a hard time getting in somewhere.
I hope I'm wrong, because I think we are both big assets for any school district.
Think of it this way....
Let's say you do a job for 7.50 an hour.
Someone just starts doing the same job you are across the street that you've been doing for 3 years, yet that employer starts them off at 11.50 and pays for all their health benefits.
You can't quit, because if you do, you're not guaranteed to get a job because of how scarce this job is.
What are your options?
You don't have many.
I agree that striking is ****ty, but it's the only way they can actually get near to what other districts are paying their teachers.
NEPA's biggest problem is as you said nepotism. Teachers never get hired based on their credentials anymore (unless you have experience elsewhere). The kid who kills themselves in college to get a high GPA, does a great job student teaching, and is involved in a lot in college isn't getting in the door anywhere unless they have a connection.
I teach out of the area, but I will be re-locating back to NEPA next summer with my wife, who's also a teacher.
I'm coming back with a Master's degree, 2 years of special education teaching experience and my wife is coming back with 3 years of elementary teaching experience. We both worked at the 10th biggest district in the country and have sterling performance reviews.
Yet, I have a bad feeling we will have a hard time getting in somewhere.
I hope I'm wrong, because I think we are both big assets for any school district.
You don't happen to know Greg Skrepnak...Do you? look I don't want to anger anyone, i just see things differently then you, and judging from the rest of the post on this topic, most of the people are in your corner...not mine. We can probably go back and forth all night on this topic, and we won't get anywhere. Good Luck when you come back to NEPA, I hope it works out well for you and your wife.
You don't happen to know Greg Skrepnak...Do you? look I don't want to anger anyone, i just see things differently then you, and judging from the rest of the post on this topic, most of the people are in your corner...not mine. We can probably go back and forth all night on this topic, and we won't get anywhere. Good Luck when you come back to NEPA, I hope it works out well for you and your wife.
I wish I did know someone as it would make it easier, but I'd actually like to get the job based on my skills and experience.
W-B Proud, there is a very logical explanation as to why students at private and/or parochial schools tend to outperform their counterparts at public school districts---The Almighty Dollar. I know some "Average Joes" like weluvpa (Dan) are products of Scranton Prep, but there is also a higher proportion of students hailing from affluent households in a school like that as opposed to, per se, Carbondale Area. Students attending schools that their parents pay top dollar for are often children of parents who have worked hard through their lives, earned degrees, are gainfully employed, and will do anything possible to ensure that their children may even outpace them in the future. Public schools are the dumping grounds, more or less, for all students. While most students attending a place like MMI Prep or Wyoming Seminary might be children of professionals, there are many children attending public schools who come from broken homes, single-parent households, English-as-a-second-language households, learning disabilities, etc.
In case you haven't noticed, the public school districts around here that are always the top contenders are the districts where the typical resident lives on a cul-de-sac and drives a BMW---Abington Heights, Crestwood, Dallas, North Pocono, etc. As compared to many other inner-city school districts, parents in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre should actually be rather satisfied that their children often at least reach their expected benchmarks, if not even surpass some of them.
It's not fair of you at all to expect a public school district in a city like Scranton---where over 20% of the city is impoverished---to be performing as well as a school district like Abington Heights---where Abington Township (Waverly) has one of the highest median household incomes in the state at around $80,000.
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look I don't want to anger anyone, i just see things differently then you, and judging from the rest of the post on this topic, most of the people are in your corner...not mine. We can probably go back and forth all night on this topic, and we won't get anywhere. Good Luck when you come back to NEPA, I hope it works out well for you and your wife.
