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"Peanuts?" Is that why they lobbied to have their compensation info removed from the public employees' salary/pension database here in NY?
P.S. Can "We grade papers at home!" (Where's the snooze smiley?) be far behind?
Do you want your salary/pension information available to anyone?
When do you think teachers grade papers? I've been waiting for the grading fairy but she just doesn't seem to visit my room. Seriously, If I stay after school to grade, there's always some disruption.
Yet another benefit that does not exist in the South. Remember, everybody, there are quite a few states down here, and in most of them, tenure and unions don't exist, and there is no selling your prep. We just do what we're told, so we lose our prep 2-3 times a week. No complaining allowed. But of course all the work that you were going to do during your planning period must still be done by the same deadline as before. It's part of the "everything else" clause in the contract. Do y'all have one of those, where in addition to the duties outlined in the contract, your duties also include whatever they tell you to do? This includes hall duty, meetings after school, and expected attendance at evening events for parents. Or are you paid for those as well?
I don't think that people get how meager salaries are for teachers in the South
- Unions have no power, or there is no union.
- There is no tenure.
- You pay out of your salary for your "benefits". Thus, outside of pitiful health insurance, you really have no benefits. You also pay for part of that, too.
- Salaries start around $25,000 for first year bachelor degree teachers, and around $30,000 for first year master's degree teachers.
- You receive around 45-50% of your last year salary in retirement, until it runs out. In most instances, you might get $1500-2000 per month. Hardly enough to live on for a senior citizen.
There is a "union," but it is in name only. That isn't the same thing as saying there is "no union."
But in answer to the question in the OP header, yes, teachers are underpaid--grossly underpaid--especially considering the garbage they put up with, in particular with insane administrators.
No desk job in business has anywhere near the stress of this job. You NEED the time off to decompress.
I don't think that people get how meager salaries are for teachers in the South
- Unions have no power, or there is no union.
- There is no tenure.
- You pay out of your salary for your "benefits". Thus, outside of pitiful health insurance, you really have no benefits. You also pay for part of that, too.
- Salaries start around $25,000 for first year bachelor degree teachers, and around $30,000 for first year master's degree teachers.
- You receive around 45-50% of your last year salary in retirement, until it runs out. In most instances, you might get $1500-2000 per month. Hardly enough to live on for a senior citizen.
That's not just the south...that's pretty comparable to my hometown district, well north of the Mason-Dixon. Just a small, rural district without a large taxing body thing.
There is a "union," but it is in name only. That isn't the same thing as saying there is "no union."
It varies. Some states make unions out-right illegal, even in name only. Missouri allows collective bargaining, but no unionization. So you can "join" MNEA, but they are not allowed to call themselves a union, collect dues, or represent you in any matter before the school district other than collective bargaining (and membership has to be open, so administrators frequently join right before collective bargaining starts). Others have actual unions, but no ability to strike, hence making their bargaining powers pretty weak.
Am I the only one who thinks the anti union responses in this thread are from mostly those who've never been in front of a white board? The main reason for a union is protection from liability. I taught vocational secondary education and showed a picture my 16 year old daughter (at the time, 26 now) had colored of Curious George. Next thing you know I was getting called in and questioned about showing pictures of monkey's, and that I had offended someone. Point is, now matter how innocent an act may be other may perceive it much differently. Having a union to stand behind in similar conditions is important. Most teachers already know you don't make a lot of money, and the complaints come from anti union campaigns who see teachers as a tool for an agenda. Reality of our education is the decline in our societies moral fabric which has a direct impact on the students in the classroom. This makes teachers easy scapegoats, because you can't blame parents for allowing their kid to watch Southpark at 4.
Am I the only one who thinks the anti union responses in this thread are from mostly those who've never been in front of a white board?
Of course.
Quote:
I taught vocational secondary education and showed a picture my 16 year old daughter (at the time, 26 now) had colored of Curious George. Next thing you know I was getting called in and questioned about showing pictures of monkey's, and that I had offended someone.
I had a student for detention start acting up in detention. I called the parent who came down immediately. The problem was that he was ready to beat the crap out of his kid - I mean seriously violent. I literally positioned myself between the student and parent. All this happened in the blink of an eye. Guess who got formally noticed and called in for possible discipline proceedings? Me.
Quote:
Reality of our education is the decline in our societies moral fabric which has a direct impact on the students in the classroom. This makes teachers easy scapegoats, because you can't blame parents for allowing their kid to watch Southpark at 4.
Teaching is a profession. If teachers were treated like professionals, I doubt unions would be necessary.
I've often wondered if it would be better if teachers had a guild association model similar to what lawyers or doctors have with the ABA and AMA, respectively. These associations have a lot of power in terms of accrediting training programs and even employers for their professions, but they also do a lot of self-policing and it seems to work okay from them. But most importantly, the important decisions about the future of the profession are placed in the hands of people who have experience and know what they're doing. Could that work for teachers?
There is a "union," but it is in name only. That isn't the same thing as saying there is "no union."
But in answer to the question in the OP header, yes, teachers are underpaid--grossly underpaid--especially considering the garbage they put up with, in particular with insane administrators.
No desk job in business has anywhere near the stress of this job. You NEED the time off to decompress.
there is no Union in south carolina where i teach. believe me being from ohio i looked for one and they dont exist not even in name for teachers.
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