NEWS--I am a teacher, why am I hated? (faculty, advantages, graduating)
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1) Most people like and support teachers.
2) 100% agree that politicians will blame anybody BUT the voters and low-class parents want you to have all of the responsibility and none of the control.
3) *some* of the teachers unions are political shills that serve to funnell money to politicians and keep the status quo. They contribute to stagnation of blocking changes to some areas where schools can improve and often don't even help their rank and file but promote cronyism.
It's a complex dynamic and small-minded people tend to fail in comprehending this. They tend to knee-jerk lump all teachers and unions etc. into *good* or *bad* and can't see any nuance.
That's not what I said (did you pay attention when they taught reading comprehension?). I said that if I were laid off I could draw unemployment during the summer as I did two summers ago. The state recognizes that I am paid only from mid August to the middle of June so when I was laid off in June, I started drawing unemployment in June. I am not paid for the summer. I'm off during the summer.
If I am not laid off, I don't draw unemployment because I have a job waiting for me in September. I'm treated like a seasonal worker.
And that varies greatly by state.
Missouri does not allow laid off teachers to draw unemployment until the following August. And they define laid off narrowly. Not having your contract renewed is considered completion of temporary employment and not eligible for UI. To receive unemployment, you must actually be laid off on the basis of seniority in a district wide layoff.
I'd say that's a pretty accurate list of right wing talking points that they've used to stir up public hatred towards educators.
The fact that a lot of them are bogus doesn't shame them at all.
The RWNJs who think Limbaugh is a newsman also think those are real.
Teachers aren't hated, but the teachers unions are. And when teachers sell their souls the devil called a Teachers Union, they should expect to be judged by the company they choose to keep.
They talk about all of the things that are beyond their control, and the excuses as to why Johnny can't read. But they are perfectly willing let the union fight for their jobs when that they should be let go because of incompetence. They are perfectly willing to let the union fight to keep from paying a portion of their own benefits, when the taxpayers are being soaked for those benefits and those governments are going broke. They are perfectly willing to cry about having to work long hours, and the fact that they don't have the tools to properly teach their students. But they are perfectly willing to call in sick to demonstrate against losing their cushy lifestyle, leaving the students without teachers for days.
No you aren't hated, but you are hardly respected. Because you're seen for the self-centered, greedy, manipulated and hypocritical segment of the work force that you have become. You talk about the extra hours you work, and the credentials that you must maintain as if you are the only ones that do that. If you left your little educational bubble for one minute, you'd see that the rest of the world works more hours per day than you do, THEN works in the evening and weekends, THEN educates themselves, THEN pays for their own benefits and retirement.
If you want to gain back that respect, you would throw off the chains of slavery called the "unions" and start walking the walk.
Teachers aren't hated, but the teachers unions are. And when teachers sell their souls the devil called a Teachers Union, they should expect to be judged by the company they choose to keep.
I used to think that was the case until moving to a non-union state. Only two districts in all of Missouri have teachers unions (and the legislature is trying to break up both of those districts right now, which would dissolve those unions). Teachers are far more hated and disrespected here than I ever saw in heavily unionized Iowa or Oregon. When you look at the states that have been most aggressively anti-teacher with recent legislation (Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia, Missouri, etc.) they are almost uniformly non-union states too.
It is amazing how many letters to the editors we get here decry the "teachers unions" even though we do not actually have teachers unions here!
I think "hatred of teachers unions" is just used as a euphemistic proxy for teachers, when in realty it is exactly the teachers that people hate. We get the same thing for our police department when people slam our "police union" even though we are not unionized either.
And that varies greatly by state.
Missouri does not allow laid off teachers to draw unemployment until the following August. And they define laid off narrowly. Not having your contract renewed is considered completion of temporary employment and not eligible for UI. To receive unemployment, you must actually be laid off on the basis of seniority in a district wide layoff.
Given we're only paid for the days we work, I consider that very unfair. If I were paid for the summer, then I'd be ok with that. I'm not paid for the summer. I'm paid, only, from August until June. Most districts force us to have our pay parsed out over 12 months so they can draw interest on the money longer. I'd rather they paid it to me so I can draw interest on the money.
You have to be actually laid off here as well. It's prudent to wait to see if a district is going to recall you before you take any money because you're not entitled if you end up called back. When I was laid off two years ago, it was a termination so I was eligible for unemployment immediately. The charter school tried to tell me I wasn't eligible until September but the state said otherwise. They go by the last day you are paid for not the last check you receive.
Many states have different rules for seasonal workers because they are seasonal workers. One here is that I can't draw unemployment even though I am not working for pay during the summer. I'm not sure how they justify that when my step son can draw unemployment during the winter because he can't work in construction. He makes 6 figures the 10 months he works and is then eligible for unemployment for the two they shut down. My dad always got to draw unemployment when the plant shut down for changeover. They shut down every year at the same time, just like schools do, but he was considered laid off. I'm not. Go figure. Just another example of how teachers are treated differently.
I think teachers get a bad rap and I think most of this stems from a breakdown of parenting. I'm in my 30's with kids. When I was growing up, the teachers were respected and a call from the school meant big trouble with my parents. That was the norm. Now parents coddle their children and seem to have issues with telling their kids "no". I have heard friends state things like, "Johnny was told so and so by a teacher and I told him not to listen to her." and things of that nature. I have heard parents believe everything that their kids says is gospel and it's not possible their child would lie about something that happened at school.
My rules for my children are this: You are not required to like your teacher. You are not required to like the work assigned by said teacher. You ARE required to treat your teacher with respect. You ARE required to complete your tasks as assigned to you. If you have a question or an issue with a task assigned to you, you are to take the issue directly to the teacher on a one on one basis and ask respectfully for clarification. As a parent, if I have an issue with the teacher, I schedule an appointment with the teacher and discuss it.
As an adult, I get up and go to work every day. I work with people I don't like at times. I do assignments I don't like at times. Kids must learn that these things are expected of them and these things will ALWAYS be expected of them. Parents do their children a disservice when they make excuses for bad behavior and allow it to continue. Those kids will be in for a rude awakening when they grow up and get in the real world.
As a parent, it is YOUR job to make sure your child is behaving in class. It is YOUR job to make sure homework assignments are completed. It is YOUR job to bring to the attention of the teacher if there is an issue that impacts learning. It is YOUR job to make sure your children are not distracted by devices that shouldn't be on during the school day. It is YOUR job to parent YOUR child.
Teachers deserve a lot of respect. MUCH more than is given to them. This war on teachers is going to have an impact. People are changing their majors and going into different fields because of the current climate. It's sad too because it's really all political based issues. A way to further divide the country. Hate the public education system, hate on the rules and regulations, etc. but to hate on the teachers, the ones that have the least amount of control over the system, is just misplaced anger that doesn't fix a thing.
I agree 100% here, but I'd add a few things.
Teachers' pensions in many areas are simply too rich (as is true for other public sector workers). I work in the public sector. On my 50K salary, my employer paid $18,000 into my pension last year. As much as I am loath to admit it, that is just not even remotely sustainable.
It's also almost impossible to get rid of bad teachers, thanks to the teachers' unions. Even liberal leaning folks are starting to admit this. See Waiting for Supermanfor more.
Teachers aren't hated, but the teachers unions are. And when teachers sell their souls the devil called a Teachers Union, they should expect to be judged by the company they choose to keep.
They talk about all of the things that are beyond their control, and the excuses as to why Johnny can't read. But they are perfectly willing let the union fight for their jobs when that they should be let go because of incompetence. They are perfectly willing to let the union fight to keep from paying a portion of their own benefits, when the taxpayers are being soaked for those benefits and those governments are going broke. They are perfectly willing to cry about having to work long hours, and the fact that they don't have the tools to properly teach their students. But they are perfectly willing to call in sick to demonstrate against losing their cushy lifestyle, leaving the students without teachers for days.
No you aren't hated, but you are hardly respected. Because you're seen for the self-centered, greedy, manipulated and hypocritical segment of the work force that you have become. You talk about the extra hours you work, and the credentials that you must maintain as if you are the only ones that do that. If you left your little educational bubble for one minute, you'd see that the rest of the world works more hours per day than you do, THEN works in the evening and weekends, THEN educates themselves, THEN pays for their own benefits and retirement.
If you want to gain back that respect, you would throw off the chains of slavery called the "unions" and start walking the walk.
Let me tell you about that devil. That "devil" works to keep my class sizes down so I can teach your kids more effectively. That "devil" makes sure I get the supplies I need in my class so I can teach your kids. That "devil" makes sure I get the training and support I need. And that "devil" will be there to support me in the event a parent or adminstrator has it out for me when all I'm trying to do is teach your kids.
I was never pro union but after two years of working in a non union school where safety rules were broken daily, work loads were too high to do a qulaity job and the pay so dismal, many of us needed second jobs to make ends meet, I'm glad to be in a union district. If my only choice is to teach in a non union school again, I will not teach. The open hatred and disrespect of teachers is much worse when you're going to work every day and working in dismal conditions for lousy pay. I may still be hated but I have a lab that is large enough to be safe, the union stands up for me when I cite safety research on class sizes in lab based classes and, at least, some day I can hope to make a decent wage. I think the union has done a lot to improve education. My teaching conditions are so much better now that I can concentrate on teaching instead of trying not to have a stroke or a heart attack. I can be a teacher now . I can do labs without fear I'm placing my student's in harms way. It's sad it takes a union to do this but it does. I've seen first hand what you get without a union. That's why my kids no longer attent a non union charter school. While the union's job is to look out for the teacher, they end up, by doing so, looking out for the kids too.
And, FTR, I pay a portion of my own benefits (about 20% more than I did when I was an engineer and no one told me I didn't deserve my benefits then...go figure...) and 11% of my pay goes towards my pension (compared to zero percent when I was an engineer (pension plans are almost identical). I WISH I had the benefits people like you think I have. I don't.
Try approaching parents as equals (I know, you will choke on it at first, but give it a try). You are dealing with other professionals, teachers aren't the only ones who got past high school. Just because the child is experiencing some problems doesn't mean the parent is some piece of dirt. My dh is an engineer, I'm a CPA. Many other parents in our school district are professionals as well.
I far from hate teachers, as I am a certified one, with a Masters. Some of my friends are also teachers.
But I agree. Some of them think they are above 'the parents.'
If I happened to drop in a conversation with any of my son's teachers/administrators (when he went to school) I also teach, they don't even acknowledge I am a professional on their level or higher (many don't even have Masters). They glaze over and brush it off. I tell them this so they don't try to BS us. We had enough of that.
I think teachers get a bad rap and I think most of this stems from a breakdown of parenting. I'm in my 30's with kids. When I was growing up, the teachers were respected and a call from the school meant big trouble with my parents. That was the norm. Now parents coddle their children and seem to have issues with telling their kids "no". I have heard friends state things like, "Johnny was told so and so by a teacher and I told him not to listen to her." and things of that nature. I have heard parents believe everything that their kids says is gospel and it's not possible their child would lie about something that happened at school.
My rules for my children are this: You are not required to like your teacher. You are not required to like the work assigned by said teacher. You ARE required to treat your teacher with respect. You ARE required to complete your tasks as assigned to you. If you have a question or an issue with a task assigned to you, you are to take the issue directly to the teacher on a one on one basis and ask respectfully for clarification. As a parent, if I have an issue with the teacher, I schedule an appointment with the teacher and discuss it.
As an adult, I get up and go to work every day. I work with people I don't like at times. I do assignments I don't like at times. Kids must learn that these things are expected of them and these things will ALWAYS be expected of them. Parents do their children a disservice when they make excuses for bad behavior and allow it to continue. Those kids will be in for a rude awakening when they grow up and get in the real world.
As a parent, it is YOUR job to make sure your child is behaving in class. It is YOUR job to make sure homework assignments are completed. It is YOUR job to bring to the attention of the teacher if there is an issue that impacts learning. It is YOUR job to make sure your children are not distracted by devices that shouldn't be on during the school day. It is YOUR job to parent YOUR child.
Teachers deserve a lot of respect. MUCH more than is given to them. This war on teachers is going to have an impact. People are changing their majors and going into different fields because of the current climate. It's sad too because it's really all political based issues. A way to further divide the country. Hate the public education system, hate on the rules and regulations, etc. but to hate on the teachers, the ones that have the least amount of control over the system, is just misplaced anger that doesn't fix a thing.
I wish we had more parents like you.
I think you are spot on with this post. Especially the part I bolded. We didn't create this system. We didn't make the rules. We're trying our best to teach your kids in spite of the system and the rules.
And someday, your kids will thank you. We are not required to like every person we work with but we are required to treat them with respect and do our best to work with them. They will be one up on their peers in the work world.
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I wish we had more parents like you. 
