Is it horrible for a teacher to pop in a movie???

[JoyG]

You guys are hearing it before anyone else. I will not be continuing to teach next year. I have my resignation letter ready and will be turning it in at the end of this next week. I will finish the school year and then I'm done.

I am in awe of those of you who teach. I guess I am just too old and don't have enough patience to do this anymore. Those of you who do have my greatest admiration!

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I did want to point out that you are not alone. Nationwide statistics report that 50% of all new teachers leave the profession within 5 years.

 

[Feralpeg]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I did want to point out that you are not alone. Nationwide statistics report that 50% of all new teachers leave the profession within 5 years.

Thank you! That does make me feel better. Jumping back into the teaching profession is hard enough at any age. I was 54. I've also had some other health issues this year, so just too much for me. I love the kids, but I just get too frustrated. So many of them just don't care about anything. It breaks my heart.

 

[MrsPete]

The point is, your Summer is unpaid, so when you take your yearly salary divided by the number of days you actually work, it's not as low as everyone makes it out to be.

No one said it wasn't stressful. My job is stressful. Doctors, Lawyers, EMT's, Customer Service reps, etc. all have stressful jobs too.

I'm sure it's regional, but there is no teacher shortage around here.

Well, you can figure the math any which way to make it look like teachers are bringing home as much as other professionals -- you can figure up how much we earn per hour, how many hours we're actually facilitating instruction, how much we'd earn if we were 12-month employees, you can figure in the value of benefits, whatever -- but the paycheck still spends the same, and that paycheck is smaller than other professionals.

We Southerners really know about the teaching shortage -- it's very real here. That's a measure of how well teachers are paid; if the pay were "enough", then there'd be no shortage of people willing to do the job.

For the record, I've been teaching 15 years (I'm just about halfway through my career) and I just crossed 40K last year. How many other professionals with college degrees wait a decade and a half to make 40K? There are social workers, and . . . nope, I can't name any more.

That's why most brand-new teachers have a second job during the school year (and a summer job).

I love my job -- something that you don't hear many people say -- and I don't want to do anything else, but I do get tired of people arguing that teacher pay is "just fine". If we want to elevate the quality of our schools, it isn't enough.

 

[MrsPete]

Believe me, I didn't feel bad every now and then, ending a lesson on filibustering showing a 40 minute West Wing episode about a filibuster.

See, that's not "fluff" -- assuming you're teaching government or civics of some type. It's teaching the kids what a filibuster is -- standing in front of class lecturing isn't the only way to teach.

On the other hand, if I were to use the same episode in my English class, it would be fluff. It would have nothing to do with the things I teach.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Wishing on a Star here...

WOW, I am offline for a while, and I miss another 'very predictable' teacher debate.

Guess what. Teachers, take note. I actually agree with you for the most part. IMHO, DaisyChick is WAY out of line!!!!!!

My God, anyone who is this angry and impassioned by an occasional 30 minute video as a break, well, what can I say, they need to 'take a pilllll!!!!"

Seriously, many of you know that I have some major disagreements and problems with teachers. But, you know, obviously, this isn't one of them!!!! I often see teachers who show that they can be 'control freaks'. But, in this case, anyone who can go ballistic and try to tell another professional that they cannot take a reasonable and appropriate break from 'serious work' is really the obvious control freak.

PS: The way to handle this kind of bashing is NOT to start the same-old, we are teachers, we work SO HARD for NO money... That just makes me go

Just call posters like DaisyChick for what they are, and then let it go!

Really, I can't even believe that this has gone on for this many pages now.

 

[torinsmom]

No teacher shortage in the midwest either. Yes teachers were underpaid many, many years ago but not lately. The teachers I know about my age make as much if not more than I would make in my job and that is for working 185 days a year, of course subtract their 2 personal days and that brings it down to 183 days, no weekends, holidays either and as I showed they really only teach a bit over 6 hrs a day, but the have to be there 8hrs. but I would have to work a lot more than 183 days to do it! Some teachers have a lot of take home but others don't- how many papers does a kindergarten teacher have to correct that she can't check in an hour at school? How about Phys Ed teachers? I could put up with a lot of stress for $55,000 a year and their hours. Of course what job that pays 50 thous. doesn't have stress? Plus ours have excellent very cheap benefits, good beyond belief retirement and a guaranteed 4% raise a year. and you wonder why there are so many applicants.

You may speak for your state, but in NC, a teacher WITH a master's degree AND 30 years experience still does not make $55,000. We don't get a 4% raise each year. We got an 8% raise last year, only because we were losing teachers left and right to other states and had not had more than a 1% raise in forever. Here is a link to the new teacher pay scale for NC.
http://www.ncae.org/salaries/proposed0607.pdf
I make $33,000 a year(our charter school has not yet adopted the public school pay scale) and I have been teaching for 7 years! Health insurance is free for the employee, but pricey if you add your family. Retirement is taken out of your pay automatically, so that is YOUR money. Don't know if the state adds anything, because our school doesn't have state retirement, just a 403B.

I arrive at school at 8am and work until 3:45. That's almost 8 hours and that is when I am SUPPOSED to leave. I could take a lunch break, but that would mean I would need the time I would lose after school. We have a one hour rest time that we are not teaching, but we are working on lesson plans, cleaning the classroom, returning parent call and emails, making copies, record keeping, checking work etc. etc. etc. Our K's go to art and PE once a week, but we still have the 3's and 4's, so no break there. We usually leave the school around 4:30(need the time to finish what couldn't be done during rest time) Some afternoons, we have IEP meetings or staff meetings. Later in the evening, I usually check email again and answer any questions, then I will use some resources on the internet to come up with activities to do with the kids. I would say I spend 30 minutes to 1 hour each night on school stuff.

And yes, I am checking work in kindergarten. My kids do addition, multiplication, reading workbooks and worksheets, science and geography booklets and the list goes on. Someone has to check them! There is also lots of recordkeeping involved and planning what each child needs to do next. Teaching is a whole process, no matter what age the child is(or at least it is when it is done right)

Marsha

 

[daisyduck123]

ITA.
as a previous poster said, when it comes to understanding how hard teachers work, you either get it or you don't.

Said perfectly.

 

[Hannathy]

Yeah I guess the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics doesn't know what they are talking about ie $34.06 per hr. average. Earn 20% more than other comparable workers.... I guess you are the ones below $34. but remember 1/2 are also above the $34.


If most RN's worked only 190 days they would earn less than $40,000.

I'm not saying teachers don't work but it isn't slave labor and it isn't any more stressful than a ton of other jobs and you can't argue the hours and days worked are great.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I'm not saying teachers don't work VERY HARD but it isn't slave labor and it isn't any more stressful than a ton of other jobs and you can't argue the hours and days worked are great.

Well said. (with the VERY HARD that I have added in bold-caps.

That is why I posted:
"PS: The way to handle this kind of bashing is NOT to start the same-old, we are teachers, we work SO HARD for NO money... That just makes me go "

There have got to be more valid arguments that can be used!

So, please do give up the 'martyrdom' and the 'sainthood'.

 

[Beth76]

Didn't read the whole thread. Looks like it got heated though. My sophomore year of HS I had spanish first hour. On more than one occasion our teacher would come in a few minutes late saying "I have a headache, we're watching soccer." So we'd sit there for 45 minutes watching soccer in spanish having know idea what they're saying since they talk so fast. I'm still not fluent in spanish

 

[MomPOM]

I didn't read the entire thread either but it seems like it deviated a bit from the OP. I'm just going to put in my .02 on the OT.

I absolutely would have a problem with it. I send my son to school to learn, not to watch television. And what about the parents who make the decision to not let their children watch tv or movies? I would think that would be a pretty serious issue for them.

If the movie has to do with the curriculum then that's fine, but just popping in a cartoon to have a break is not really okay to me. I can't imagine that I could get up in the middle of a meeting at my job, pop in a cartoon and say, "This meeting is just too much for me right now. Watch this and we'll talk when I'm feeling better."

 

[TJ's Mom]

Yeah I guess the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics doesn't know what they are talking about ie $34.06 per hr. average. Earn 20% more than other comparable workers.... I guess you are the ones below $34. but remember 1/2 are also above the $34.


If most RN's worked only 190 days they would earn less than $40,000.

I'm not saying teachers don't work but it isn't slave labor and it isn't any more stressful than a ton of other jobs and you can't argue the hours and days worked are great.

You are right about getting an automatic raise. The difference between 12 and 13 years of teaching is less than 1% (before taxes). I got an automatic raise my first year of teaching when I was still kind of lost and the same raise when I was teacher of the year.

I am curious to see what hours the US Bureau of Labor calculates. Do you know? I am not saying this sarcastically, I am truly curious. Do they take in account the time outside of the 8-hour day? What about summer trainings that teachers are required to do?

Also, I do know some nurses. The ones I know get overtime after their 40 hours. So, I think you can't necessarily compare the two.

With the teaching profession you have some who work the minimum amount of hours and others who work their butt off. Teaching is one profession that is hard to discuss because of this. I know teachers who I am embarrassed to call a teacher for the lack of quality they do in their classroom. If those are the ones you know, it would be hard to understand. It is just frustrating to be thrown in the same lump as those teachers. I think that is where the frustration comes from. So on that note, I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

 

[DISUNC]

OT

Am I the ONLY ONE who has TV at work?????

I work in IT 12-14 hours shifts (3nights) we have TV's All over the place. Many times I just take a break and watch whatever!!!!!
We also have a Game room, and WIDESCREEN TV mini Theatre for watching movies. (i rather DIS in my down time)

In fact we encouraged in my job to take breaks, go for a walk, watch cartoons!!!!!

And I am always ahead of schedule ith all my work!

 

[torinsmom]

Man, I wish I made $34 an hour! LOL Nobody here in NC or the states around here makes that much teaching. Of course, I couldn't find per hour wages at the US Bureau of Labor site, just average yearly salary. Those were $15,000 more than what I make. I love my job, though, and it wouldn't be worth moving to another state to make more. I imagine that salaries are dependent on cost of living in a particular area, just like other professions.

Teaching is an awesome profession; nothing like the feeling I get when a child goes from knowing no letter sounds at 4 to reading chapter books in kindergarten! It's great to know that you play a major role in 25 childrens' lives everyday. I have never wanted to be anything else besides a teacher!

Marsha

 

[aprilgail2]

OT

Am I the ONLY ONE who has TV at work?????

I work in IT 12-14 hours shifts (3nights) we have TV's All over the place. Many times I just take a break and watch whatever!!!!!
We also have a Game room, and WIDESCREEN TV mini Theatre for watching movies. (i rather DIS in my down time)

No you are not! We have a TV at work ( its even CABLE TV!), and a computer, a DVD player, a CD player, sometimes we bring in playstation or X-Box to play.

 

[KristinBelle]

Wouldn't bother me.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

As a kid, this is wonderful. And they are in school for a long day as well. So I am sure they enjoyed the down time. As long as it wasn't happening more than once a month. I don't see the problem with it. Esp. if its only 30 min!
But I see the above posters point, i mean when some schools have rules SO STRICT toward the parent on attendance and other things and then your kids come home to say "we watched TV in school today" i would be a little "ticked" too.
But our dd's school is not like that AT ALL> they are great about vacations and time off for the kids. And I love that the kids and the teachers get a few min. to process their thoughts int he middle of the day sometimes, with a quick cartoon. It's fine.

 

[torinsmom]

As a kid, this is wonderful. And they are in school for a long day as well. So I am sure they enjoyed the down time. As long as it wasn't happening more than once a month. I don't see the problem with it. Esp. if its only 30 min!
But I see the above posters point, i mean when some schools have rules SO STRICT toward the parent on attendance and other things and then your kids come home to say "we watched TV in school today" i would be a little "ticked" too.
But our dd's school is not like that AT ALL> they are great about vacations and time off for the kids. And I love that the kids and the teachers get a few min. to process their thoughts int he middle of the day sometimes, with a quick cartoon. It's fine.

Luckily, our school is not so strict on attendance. We feel that time spent with family on vacation and traveling is educational. We have kids that are originally from other countries, such as India and Italy, and they will be out for 3-4 weeks at a time. It is considered "cultural studies" and counts as an excused absence. Really now, we all know that the kids learn more in a week at Disney than they do in a week at school! Unless a kid is really behind, it does not affect them to be out for a week. The only time the school gets involved is if a child misses a lot of days with no real explanation.

Marsha

 

[disney junky]

Wow...didn't read all the responses, but all I can say is you are one brave soul to post that question here....

 

[Dina]

See, that's not "fluff" -- assuming you're teaching government or civics of some type. It's teaching the kids what a filibuster is -- standing in front of class lecturing isn't the only way to teach.

On the other hand, if I were to use the same episode in my English class, it would be fluff. It would have nothing to do with the things I teach.

Yes-- I was teaching AP Government. In that class there were about 2 or 3 episodes of the West Wing that I showed during the course of the year -- depending on what they seemed to be having trouble understanding-- I'd mix it up year to year (you can actually find instructional handouts to go with all of the episodes on the web-- besides being my favorite show, it really is a great instructional tool). Sometimes I also liked to show clips of "Dave" and "The American President." I miss my job so much! I'm starting nursing school now (not because of the money, but I wanted something with more flexibility so I could get my kids to school in the morning and work more when my husband gets home at 4pm and weekends). I really miss it though.