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People pick careers for a variety of reasons. The medical field pays better than teaching but doesn't have as much vacation. That is a trade off that every individual can make for themselves. They have a right to work less and make less or work more and make more. Only the individual can weigh their opportunity costs.
But you know what isn't normal? Judging the choices made by others. Enjoy your career and I will enjoy mine.
I do agree that some people aren't fit for certain careers that they have chosen. It should also be noted that people get to choose their own spouses. If the combination of job and spouse don't work then one or the other needs to go.
I DO enjoy my career, and I hope that you enjoy yours. Just tired of all the whining and entitlement issues related to certain careers. I thought this is supposed to be an information forum, not a chat room.
My point is, whether I worked zero hours and got paid nothing, or 100 hours/week and got a lot, I wouldn't complain about it; I would go do something that I enjoyed, and thus no complaints on this end.
I think the saying "Do you want cheese and crackers with that whine?" is applicable.
No really, I mean it. Most teachers today do not belong to a union.
BTT. I don't think the OP is even visiting this forum anymore...
And I don't think you did the web search. Which labor union is the largest in the US? It took 0.17 seconds to find. (about 3 million members in the teachers union).. The teachers' union in MA was so strong, that the teachers were out the door the same time as the students. After-school conferences? Yeah, right.
I DO enjoy my career, and I hope that you enjoy yours. Just tired of all the whining and entitlement issues related to certain careers. I thought this is supposed to be an information forum, not a chat room.
My point is, whether I worked zero hours and got paid nothing, or 100 hours/week and got a lot, I wouldn't complain about it; I would go do something that I enjoyed, and thus no complaints on this end.
I think the saying "Do you want cheese and crackers with that whine?" is applicable.
You are right that this is an information forum making your post all the more puzzling... I'm not sure how it applies to the OP.
You are right that this is an information forum making your post all the more puzzling... I'm not sure how it applies to the OP.
The OP stated that the balance of chores during the summer are not (as an opinion) fairly divided between the two individuals in the summer. My statements are on the basis that married people should work together as a team, picking up the slack when needed. I guess I really shouldn't comment, as the Mrs. does literally everything here now, including working year-round, and I haven't done anything for years, but that is for a couple to work out.
This thread essentially degraded into 'teachers deserve time off and are entitled'. Those of us who never even considered getting every summer off find that extremely self-centered, especially since in my case, it got more and more difficult in my field as the years went on, as the responsibility levels grew. Thus my (relatively) little sense of compassion here. Same is true with the Mrs. So my only advice to the OP is to balance the work load in your partnership. All I can think of, when I read this stuff is that summer is 'Peggy Bundy' time. Having a challenging job gets the endorphins flowing better than almost anything else.
And I don't think you did the web search. Which labor union is the largest in the US? It took 0.17 seconds to find. (about 3 million members in the teachers union).. The teachers' union in MA was so strong, that the teachers were out the door the same time as the students. After-school conferences? Yeah, right.
Realize that not everyone is covered by a union. MANY are in right to work states. Many who aren't don't have a union either. Many who belong to an association affiliated with a union do not have a collective bargaining situation.
Here in Texas, you can be a member of TSTA (Texas State Teachers Association) which is affiliated with the NEA. HOWEVER, teacher contracts here are set by the state, not negotiated by TSTA/NEA. Salaries are set locally, again, not in a collective bargaining situation. So the NEA membership, while high, does not 100% represent the members that they negotiate contracts for.
The OP stated that the balance of chores during the summer are not (as an opinion) fairly divided between the two individuals in the summer. My statements are on the basis that married people should work together as a team, picking up the slack when needed. I guess I really shouldn't comment, as the Mrs. does literally everything here now, including working year-round, and I haven't done anything for years, but that is for a couple to work out.
This thread essentially degraded into 'teachers deserve time off and are entitled'. Those of us who never even considered getting every summer off find that extremely self-centered, especially since in my case, it got more and more difficult in my field as the years went on, as the responsibility levels grew. Thus my (relatively) little sense of compassion here. Same is true with the Mrs. So my only advice to the OP is to balance the work load in your partnership. All I can think of, when I read this stuff is that summer is 'Peggy Bundy' time. Having a challenging job gets the endorphins flowing better than almost anything else.
My comment is that you chose a career that doesn't get summers off but that pays more. No one made that choice but you. Having the summers off is part of the profession, I view it as being the largest part of my compensation. It really shouldn't be surprising that teachers would be defensive at the implication that they shouldn't get that time off. Honestly you sound a bit bitter towards teachers and about your own work schedule. If it's really that bad Teach for America is always looking for talented individuals such as yourself.
Personally I would actually LOVE to work year round as long as I could receive monetary compensation equal to the amount vacation I would be giving up.
But that is neither here nor there. It is not the job of you nor I to decide what the OP's wife deserves. Either they will be able to work it out like my wife and I have (I do most chores during the summer) or they will get a divorce. It has nothing to do with your or my ideas of what anyone "deserves."
My comment is that you chose a career that doesn't get summers off but that pays more. No one made that choice but you. Having the summers off is part of the profession, I view it as being the largest part of my compensation. It really shouldn't be surprising that teachers would be defensive at the implication that they shouldn't get that time off. Honestly you sound a bit bitter towards teachers and about your own work schedule. If it's really that bad Teach for America is always looking for talented individuals such as yourself.
Personally I would actually LOVE to work year round as long as I could receive monetary compensation equal to the amount vacation I would be giving up.
But that is neither here nor there. It is not the job of you nor I to decide what the OP's wife deserves. Either they will be able to work it out like my wife and I have (I do most chores during the summer) or they will get a divorce. It has nothing to do with your or my ideas of what anyone "deserves."
(last paragraph)........"it is not the job of you nor I to decide what the OP's wife deserves"
You seem to forget the OP started this thread specifically to get our opinions.
He got them... I'm sure that when he showed her this thread she saw the light.
My advice to the OP talk to her and figure it out or end it. My opinion on who does the dishes is completely useless to the OP.
Our opinions are our opinions and they only matter to us but they can offer insight into what she might be thinking. He really needs to talk to her. I know I'd be majorly PO'd if dh started telling me to do things once summer got here because someone on the internet told him to. I work damned hard to earn that time off so if I want to watch Netflix for two weeks straight that's what I'm doing. That's how it works in THIS house. Dh knows I spend the first couple of weeks vegging out, then I spend the next few weeks with the grand kids at the zoo, beach, whatever and finally I spend the last few weeks getting my ducks in a row for the start of the school year. That's how it rolls here. I really don't care what people on the internet think about that.
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Our opinions are our opinions and they only matter to us but they can offer insight into what she might be thinking. He really needs to talk to her. I know I'd be majorly PO'd if dh started telling me to do things once summer got here because someone on the internet told him to. I work damned hard to earn that time off so if I want to watch Netflix for two weeks straight that's what I'm doing. That's how it works in THIS house. Dh knows I spend the first couple of weeks vegging out, then I spend the next few weeks with the grand kids at the zoo, beach, whatever and finally I spend the last few weeks getting my ducks in a row for the start of the school year. That's how it rolls here. I really don't care what people on the internet think about that.
