Funky Boss
Normally I run my nonsense here and at Sticks of Fire before submitting to local papers. However, this latest assault on teachers had me so infuriated that I rushed an op-ed off to The Tampa Tribune first.
Work schedules will change for high school teachers next year. Read my response.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
posted by kate @ 11:04 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Kate
What is with the teachers complaining all the frickin' time?
Most people work at least 9 hours a day, whether it's all at the office or taking some work home.
Teachers in Broward County start at $39,000. That's more than Public Defenders and State Attorneys start at, and they went to Law School.
You have almost 3 months vacation per year. Pro Rating a 9 month salary over 12 months would be the equivilant of $52,000 per year.
Crybabies. If you want full-time pay, get a full-time job. I'd love to have 2 months off every summer. I'd love to get out of work at 3:00 pm. I'd love to have a union that ensures that if I molest a kid, all that happens is they move me to an adminstrative job.
My 4 year old neice told me she wants to be a teacher, the problem is, she can't, she doesn't cry enough.
moderate
moderate,
I agree to a point that, at times, the protests of teachers are misplaced.
However, I have to devolve back to one basic disqualifier in any rebuke that I might muster, and, that disqualifier is that no amount of money could convince me to be the caretaker, quarter horse and instructor of any group of elementary, middle school or high school age youth. Certainly, I would like to enjoy those benefits to which you point. However, I would in no way want the burdens that come with that package.
Teaching is different from other jobs in that it is there isn't any let up to put things down and take a breather. You are basically playing "air traffic controller", yet the blips on the radar screen are kids, each of whom bring their own set of variables and problems to the table.
The salary comparison to public defenders and prosecutors is not commensurate. The pay of prosecutors and public defenders is perhaps too low, but there is no way that we can compete with the lure of the private sector. Many times, new attorneys choose to take those positions for the sole purpose of getting experience to move onto the greener pastures of the private sector. For teachers, there are no such greener pastures. As said, we can't compete dollar for dollars in the legal profession, so retention there will always be a problem. On the other hand, if we were to make the working conditions and pay at least slightly more competitive in the teaching profession, we might not see so many good former teachers selling real estate or insurance.
Another problem facing the teaching profession, and, in turn, communities, is the same that is facing all in the public service professions, including police officers and firefighters. They can no longer afford to live in the community in which they work. Imagine a married couple of a teacher and a firefighter trying to get a loan for a house in Collier County. Between housing, property taxes and property insurance, it is all but impossible.
I always find it ironic that the same people who will reason that paying a corporate CEO an obscene amount of money or University president a high six figure salary is justified because it is market driven and, "if you want the best, you have to pay the price". Yet, in the same breath, they will deny that if we raise teachers' salaries that we will attract a higher quality of applicants, retain those teachers that are worthy of the increase, and most probably alleviate some of the day to day middle income problems facing some teachers which will result in their having higher morale, self esteem and better performance.
It is all so very free market. If one continues the drum beat of paying less, you will get less. If you pay more, you will get more.
On the other hand, I didn't quite find anyone who was left unscathed in Kate's article. The Legislature, the School District, the union and her fellow teaching professionals. It truly hit the nail on the head.
I tend to subscribe with Governor-elect Crist's assessment of the Class Size amendment - the people passed it into the Constitution. Whether I, or anyone else, disagrees with it, it wasn't a "suggestion", it was a directive. That directive did not say to play a shell game or a hand of "three card monte" in order to fulfill that requirement. It should be inferred to mean that, rather than making sacrifices or creative accounting within the school walls in order to give the appearance that that goal is met, sacrifices or budgetary reprioritizing should be done outside of the school. It just makes sense that the voters asked that the schools and teachers be held harmless and those steps necessary be taken in order to meet that goal of enhancement. In the instance mentioned in the article, Kate correctly points out that it is the former exercise that is being carried out rather than the latter.
Regardless, moderate, I hope that you and yours are doing well. You all deserve nothing but the best.
What AP said. Especially: "It should be inferred to mean that, rather than making sacrifices or creative accounting within the school walls in order to give the appearance that that goal is met, sacrifices or budgetary reprioritizing should be done outside of the school."
And don't lump me in with complaining teachers or anyone else for that matter. There's a difference between b*tching about a new grading system or extra duty (hehe) and presenting a good argument against bad policy decisions. My guess is that you know there's a difference as well, Assbag, or you wouldn't be visiting this site to gaze into my baby blues every day.
Merry F*cking Christmas.
Assbag? (too much schnitt)
Don't devolve Kate, it doesn't suit you.
Here's a hint. Once you start complaining, you lose people for the rest of what may be a valid argument.
By the way. It wasn't your "Baby-blues" I was looking at. I'd say the shirt was more of a Royal Blue.
AP - I hope you're doing well too. My other half is doing just fine. In a sad massocistic way, I think she misses you guys.
M
Hey Moderate, who is complaining? You might want to check that log in your own eye before trying to remove the splinter from someone else’s. You seem to have complaining down pat.
The argument is one of accountability, good faith and funding. The amendment (voted for in a free election) states that the funding must come from the state government. It specifically precludes requiring funds from district and local levels to carryout the class-size reduction amendment. Adam’s Professor did hit the nail on the head when stating, “…rather than making sacrifices or creative accounting within the school walls in order to give the appearance that that goal is met, sacrifices or budgetary reprioritizing should be done outside of the school.” I do not consider it complaining when we “the people” demand that our leaders follow a directive voted for in an election. Elected officials work for us, it is not their job to find shell games to circumvent the will of the people. Assuming you graduated from high school and, that you paid attention in American Government class, you should know this.
Finally, do you think it does a service to the rest of us when you defend employers sucking every extra hour possible from their workers? I spent fifteen years in the business world and enjoyed most of it. There is one thing I did not particularly enjoy, though. You know as well as I do supervisors are a dime a dozen and every employee has one on each shoulder. Do not drag me back into that sad fact because you want professional teaching to follow a business model. We perform a necessary public service and as a professional teacher, I want to keep it that way.
Merry Christmas and be happy that the New Year will bring more of the same: freedom and democracy.
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