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Sorry to get you off track with the above question. I would like to point out that the "Average Joe/Jane" working a regular job in business works 240 days/yr (5 days/wk X 50 wks/yr- 10 paid holidays.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TuborgP
The reality is that they typical teacher contract is for 190-192 work days with approx 180 of those people student attendance days. You can do the math and the number of days not worked is multiple months.
From the following chart you can see I am being generous by saying 190-192 days. http://legisweb.state.wy.us/PubResea...05/05fs003.pdf
I believe the teachers in my district in Colorado work 180 days, 176 student contact days. Therefore, they have 60 fewer working days than say, an engineer or a nurse. That is the equivalent of 12 weeks. Some of that is in the form of a week at Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas (which I would love!) and a week at Spring Break, plus about one other day per month off.
The flexibility after 3 PM would be very nice, too. Even if you have to put in 2 hrs grading/doing lesson plans, etc, it would be nice to be able to do it at your discretion.
Please note I do not begrudge teachers the time off or the flexibility; we all have our perks in our jobs; I'm just saying.
Sorry to get you off track with the above question. I would like to point out that the "Average Joe/Jane" working a regular job in business works 240 days/yr (5 days/wk X 50 wks/yr- 10 paid holidays.
I believe the teachers in my district in Colorado work 180 days, 176 student contact days. Therefore, they have 60 fewer working days than say, an engineer or a nurse. That is the equivalent of 12 weeks. Some of that is in the form of a week at Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas (which I would love!) and a week at Spring Break, plus about one other day per month off.
The flexibility after 3 PM would be very nice, too. Even if you have to put in 2 hrs grading/doing lesson plans, etc, it would be nice to be able to do it at your discretion.
Please note I do not begrudge teachers the time off or the flexibility; we all have our perks in our jobs; I'm just saying.
To be honest, very dedicated teachers work way passed 3 pm and some come to work as early as 6 30 in the morning. My contracted hours are from 7:45-2:32, so technically, excluding lunch/recess I am working directly with my students for about 6 hours. Now, there are days that I stay late, without getting paid for it, for committee meetings that last til 4 after the meeting starts at 3pm.
My district has scheduled parent conferences during a two week block, and many of our parents can't meet us before my contracted off time of 2:32, so I set up appointments as late as 6:30 pm and as early as 7 am for parents who have to be at work early. Then there are the weekly staff meetings that are held about twice a month from 2:45 to 3:45. We have weekly PLC meetings as a grade level when we aren't having staff meetings that start at 2:45 and typically ends for my grade leave at 5pm.
I typically stay at my school til 4pm to grade papers, prep for the next day, read emails or call back parents who have questions about homework etc. So in a sense we have a 7 hour day. But my work day starts at 7:30, 15 minutes early because I rather be early than late, and it ends at 4pm, me giving the district 1 hour and 30 mins of my time without getting paid for it.
When a nurse or anyone works passed his or her contracted hours, that is called over time with pay. Teachers overtime only comes when it's paid for by attending staff developments afterschool or doing afterschool tutoring or intervention. Any other time is what the district calls me staying until my professional obligations are completed.
To be honest, very dedicated teachers work way passed 3 pm and some come to work as early as 6 30 in the morning. My contracted hours are from 7:45-2:32, so technically, excluding lunch/recess I am working directly with my students for about 6 hours. Now, there are days that I stay late, without getting paid for it, for committee meetings that last til 4 after the meeting starts at 3pm.
My district has scheduled parent conferences during a two week block, and many of our parents can't meet us before my contracted off time of 2:32, so I set up appointments as late as 6:30 pm and as early as 7 am for parents who have to be at work early. Then there are the weekly staff meetings that are held about twice a month from 2:45 to 3:45. We have weekly PLC meetings as a grade level when we aren't having staff meetings that start at 2:45 and typically ends for my grade leave at 5pm.
I typically stay at my school til 4pm to grade papers, prep for the next day, read emails or call back parents who have questions about homework etc. So in a sense we have a 7 hour day. But my work day starts at 7:30, 15 minutes early because I rather be early than late, and it ends at 4pm, me giving the district 1 hour and 30 mins of my time without getting paid for it.
When a nurse or anyone works passed his or her contracted hours, that is called over time with pay. Teachers overtime only comes when it's paid for by attending staff developments afterschool or doing afterschool tutoring or intervention. Any other time is what the district calls me staying until my professional obligations are completed.
First of all, I was responding to TuborgP's post where he said that teachers have some flexibility in the time they spend after school grading papers, etc. They can come home, take the kids to their activiites and do it in the evening, if they prefer. Etc.
When a nurse or anyone works passed his or her contracted hours, that is called over time with pay.
Not necessarily. Both DH and I have had jobs that gave you comp time instead of pay, and sometimes it was difficult if not impossible to actually take the comp time.
Do you have conferences every day, or what? I recall conferences being 3-4 times a year, at most, and I know for a fact that the teachers in my district get scheduled comp time for the conferences. In the fall it's the Monday before Thanksgiving, giving everyone a week off.
If you think that other professionals never have to put in a moment w/o getting compensated, you are mistaken.
If you work additional days after the school year it is by choice and with additional compensation. Many teachers don't work during the summer and enjoy their time off with their own children or with recreational activities. After 3 you can structure your additional time to reflect your personal needs. If you want to go home and take your kids to their activities you can. If you want to relax you can. If you want to grade papers after putting your kids to bed you can. The reality is if you want to leave and duck rush hour you can. At the end of the contractual day it is your time to manage as you wish.
"When you start out your post with "the people I disagree with don't know what they are talking about"....the rest of your post can be pretty easily ignored."
Such as yours? Listen, you are obviously only on here to teacher bash.
-In general- teachers spend their summers working (summer school, second job, tutoring, etc), continuing their education (was that a requirement of your last job?) or taking care of their own children if they still have some at home. Hardly "playing" in the sun. Yes, there are teachers who are in it just for the pension/retirement/paycheck. Yes, there are teachers who are absolutely horrible - I remember them, and I have had to deal with a small number with my own children. So, yes, there should be reform in ways of dealing with or firing teachers who obviously should not be in the classroom.
However, for anyone who wants to claim that teachers have it easy, etc. I *challenge* you to go to your local school and volunteer. See what really happens day to day, and then draw your conclusions.
You are being too kind and our comparing apples and oranges....
Yes, I know the comparison is not a good one. But I'm often too lazy to look up all the data for a state I have little interest in, comparing it the median income at least allows you to know they are not "paid poorly".
Time off? That's bull. You're not actually a teacher so you don't realize that we work during the summer. During the actual school year, just because school is over at 3 does not mean the job stops. Grading, working on plans, etc, etc. It's kind of common sense.
You are not going to convince me of anything, most of the people in my family are teachers. I grew up with multiple teachers and I know exactly what they do during summer, on breaks, etc; it rarely involves working.
Teachers do not work more hours per day than other professions.
By the way, I have worked as a "teacher" before. Just not in K-12.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonnaReed
A successful teacher CAN make it ANYwhere.
You obviously don't know the level of knowledge, commitment, perseverance, patience, resourcefulness and more that is required to be a teacher.
A successful teacher can make it anywhere? Yeah....some how I don't believe that. I realize that the only thing it takes to become a teacher is a degree and the appropriate license.
I've known far too many teachers to have lofty views of them in general.
I know teacher bashing is an old sport. However, you never hear much about police bashing with respect to unions, benefits,salary,etc. Why is that? Are they not public employees? Perhaps they get a good bashing as well, but I don't hear much of it.
Every month or so, there's a teacher bashing thread on this forum. It's really getting old. Those who feel it's easy money, please feel free to teach.
LOL! If parents and administrators were required to spend any amount of time in the classroom, I think the perception of teachers and teaching would certainly change....
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