Teachers are giving me a hard time pulling kids out of school

[Tinkmom75]

Actually you made my point re. the math course. It takes interaction, rather than the text reading that you seemed to be saying was all that was necessary.
Teachers here are being laid off every year. Schools are condensing to save money. We have two local teacher colleges, and all of the students are having to leave the area.

As for made up stats, I understand the concept of the median teacher salary...thanks. I am referring to your comment about the hours "expected" from salaried employees. I know appoximately 3 salaried employees who work over 40 hours. That would be out of 100's of people.

Care to enlighten me?

Look, I'm not saying school and teachers aren't important. I do think it is ridiculous to say that missing some school time should result in zeros. My mind is not going to change on that. Best of luck to all of you. TTFN

 

[Mickeypooh99]

I know appoximately 3 salaried employees who work over 40 hours. That would be out of 100's of people.

My husband, a salaried employee is still at work right now. He has been there for 11 hours today already. He works at least 50 hours per week, and usually more like 60. Last week his boss called him on Thursday night at 7:30 pm to tell him he had to fly out to another state in the morning. So Friday morning he was on a plane, and returned home Saturday night. When we go on vacation he has to call in to work daily to check his messages, and often he has to "attend" meetings via conference calls.

Most salaried employees I know do work over 40 hours per week.

 

[DisneyLover83]

I have not read this entire thread but thought that I would post regarding the policy in our district. If a child is absent for an unexcused reason (including a trip), the teacher is not required to provide the child with any of the materials or instruction that they are missing while gone. The child also gets a "0" for all assignments that they miss due to an unexcused absence.

I also did not read the entire thread but just wanted to say to the OP that many school disctricts, including the large disctrict I grew up in, do not allow work to be made up unless you are sick/ death in the family. You received a 0 for all work missed for every class and you had to have supporting documentation to prove the absence. I would bend over backwards to get along with the teacher's so that your child does not end up with a weeks worth of 0's as that can put an older child in a bad position for that grading term.

 

[daughtersrus]

Care to enlighten me?

I do think it is ridiculous to say that missing some school time should result in zeros.

What grade do you think that they should get for the missing assignments?

 

[Colleen27]

What grade do you think that they should get for the missing assignments?

They should be allowed to make up the work as they would with any other absence, and be graded on what they actually do.

 

[GraceLuvsWDW]

They should be allowed to make up the work as they would with any other absence, and be graded on what they actually do.

I agree. Mastery of the material should be what is required. Isn't that what the main goal of education is? I am sure no teacher on this thread would state that they are the only ones qualified to teach a child. What happened to a world where everything is not so legislated and regulated? We didn't have these problems. Pretty soon I'm going to have to have a permit to walk across the street.

Education is teaching a child something. It doesn't require a set number of hours. Some need more than others. Some parents are more involved with their children than others. Children, usually with one on one attention from parents can actually do better in school and have a better attitiude. Punishing parents for valuing family time as well as education is not prudent. If the target is the un-involved parent who doesn't read to their child, or enforce values and administer discipline, those who keep their child at home just because they don't feel like taking them, isn't there an easier way to target those parents than imposing severely punitive rules such as automatic zeroes even when coursework is mastered? This teaches an unfair lesson in an unfair world. Mastery of the material should be the ultimate goal!

 

[C&G'sMama]

I agree. Mastery of the material should be what is required. Isn't that what the main goal of education is? .... What happened to a world where everything is not so legislated and regulated? We didn't have these problems. Pretty soon I'm going to have to have a permit to walk across the street.

Education is teaching a child something. It doesn't require a set number of hours. Some need more than others. ....

Well said. We have totally taken common sense out the equation.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Being able to fill in a worksheet or pass a test has nothing to do with mastery of the subject. Give me a break. That is the whole problem with the "teaching to the test" issue.

You can have the best text out there, but that is still just one viewpoint of a subject. Class interaction with a good facilitator is where the viewpoint is tested, or restated in a way that makes sense to different learning styles.

It this were a homeschooler who was saying she just has a kid read a text and fill in the answers, I figure that all hell would break loose.

 

[rgf207]

I agree. Mastery of the material should be what is required. Isn't that what the main goal of education is? I am sure no teacher on this thread would state that they are the only ones qualified to teach a child. What happened to a world where everything is not so legislated and regulated? We didn't have these problems. Pretty soon I'm going to have to have a permit to walk across the street.

Education is teaching a child something. It doesn't require a set number of hours. Some need more than others. Some parents are more involved with their children than others. Children, usually with one on one attention from parents can actually do better in school and have a better attitiude. Punishing parents for valuing family time as well as education is not prudent. If the target is the un-involved parent who doesn't read to their child, or enforce values and administer discipline, those who keep their child at home just because they don't feel like taking them, isn't there an easier way to target those parents than imposing severely punitive rules such as automatic zeroes even when coursework is mastered? This teaches an unfair lesson in an unfair world. Mastery of the material should be the ultimate goal!

That makes no sense. There would be total chaos if schools went by your theory. How would a school function if parents and children could come and go as they please. There would be no possible way to teach a lesson. Attendance policies are not just there to inconvenience you believe it or not. They are there for the better of all students.

You know, schools are trying to help you. They aren't just out to get you and make your life miserable.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

They should be allowed to make up the work as they would with any other absence, and be graded on what they actually do.

I agree with the above, but only for EXCUSED absences - funerals, sick, etc.

Vacation should never be excused! Zeroes for that time.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

My son is in high school and attends a very small country school. He has 7 different teachers each day. Every day I receive an email from at least 3 or 4 of them detailing their assignments, tests, etc. The others I receive at least 2 emails a week. They even text test reminders to my phone.

Maybe it's because the school is small and there aren't an overwhelming amount of students to attend to. But 99% of the messages are pretty generic, though...every student would get the same one. It's not like they have to do them individually for each student. It's just type the message once and send to every parent on the email list.

I like this system much better than sending notes home or expecting them to copy their assignments from the board because I had trouble with my son not doing some of his work before this started. Now I know what is going on without having to visit the school and teachers every day.

I would absolutely hate this procedure. There's more to going to school than learning "facts"...it's learning time management and responsibility for one's work. Will you be going to college with him? Work? The Military?

As far as expecting the teachers in the OP to send the info...the last time we took the kids out of school for a week to go to WDW, oldest DD was a Freshmen in HS. She had a friend in each class email her the assignments, and she was a great student (responsible, serious about her work) so her teachers were mostly ok about her missing classes (each class isn't every day, so the most she missed of any one class was 3 days). It turned out to be a pain doing that much HW on vacation, plus making up the remainder when we got back, so we never took them out again. (Elementary school, NO problem; middle school, a little problem here and there; HS...too much work.) With the principal (tough!) we have now at the HS, I wouldn't be taking my DS out; I was ready for a fight over two days he missed when he went to Costa Rica to play soccer.

 

[rgf207]

I promised myself to stay out of this topic, but I can't anymore. If the benefits, pension and days off of a teacher are so important to you, than why don't you go back to become one? It's easy to sit there and think that the grass is always greener on the other side but it's not always.

My dad is a teacher of over 35 years. This summer he decided to redo our kitchen - the cabinets and countertops. Thankfully we have countertops, but as of right now, we have no cabinet doors or even shelves. School started up and his students come before his home. Who knows when we'll have cabinets doors again! LOL! Anyway, what I'm saying is that he works WAY over 40 hours a week. It's not now 4:40 pm. His school day is technically over at 3:45 PM. If he is home for dinner by 7 pm, I'll be shocked.

He works darn hard for the money he earns and it really bothers me when people basically say that teachers dont deserve/earn the money they make.

I agree 100% with this. My dad taught for 35 years and my wife is in her 4th year of teaching. It sickens me when people throw the "They only work 9 months" and they have great benefits BS. What they don't know is that teachers only get paid for the time they work. They don't get paid during the summer or during their breaks. They can elect to get their paychecks dispersed through the whole year. Also, my wife's benefits are not great. We pay a lot of money for health insurance and my wife's pension is horrible. My wife leaves the house at 7:30am and is home at 6pm. She eats dinner and then sits on the couch and does planning and grading until 10pm at least 4 nights a week. That's 14 hours a day.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I agree 100% with this. My dad taught for 35 years and my wife is in her 4th year of teaching. It sickens me when people throw the "They only work 9 months" and they have great benefits BS. What they don't know is that teachers only get paid for the time they work. They don't get paid during the summer or during their breaks. They can elect to get their paychecks dispersed through the whole year. Also, my wife's benefits are not great. We pay a lot of money for health insurance and my wife's pension is horrible. My wife leaves the house at 7:30am and is home at 6pm. She eats dinner and then sits on the couch and does planning and grading until 10pm at least 4 nights a week. That's 14 hours a day.

When I went to work for the University, I was given a choice of using the teacher retirement plan, or a private plan. We chose the private for a variety of reasons, one being the instability of the state, and concerns that all of the benefits would be lost by the time we retire.

 

[Colleen27]

Being able to fill in a worksheet or pass a test has nothing to do with mastery of the subject. Give me a break. That is the whole problem with the "teaching to the test" issue.

You can have the best text out there, but that is still just one viewpoint of a subject. Class interaction with a good facilitator is where the viewpoint is tested, or restated in a way that makes sense to different learning styles.

It this were a homeschooler who was saying she just has a kid read a text and fill in the answers, I figure that all hell would break loose.

But right or wrong, the ability to fill out the worksheet/write the paper/pass the test is what is graded and grades are the basis by which progress/mastery is gauged. Kids who miss class may or may not have a more difficult time completing those written assessments because they missed the class discussion and teacher expansion upon the material from the text, but they should be given the opportunity.

 

[rgf207]

yea, we have a Roth IRA set up for DW. I have a great 401K at my office but just her pension would never cut it.

 

[Tinkmom75]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDisneyGirl02
I promised myself to stay out of this topic, but I can't anymore. If the benefits, pension and days off of a teacher are so important to you, than why don't you go back to become one? It's easy to sit there and think that the grass is always greener on the other side but it's not always.

My dad is a teacher of over 35 years. This summer he decided to redo our kitchen - the cabinets and countertops. Thankfully we have countertops, but as of right now, we have no cabinet doors or even shelves. School started up and his students come before his home. Who knows when we'll have cabinets doors again! LOL! Anyway, what I'm saying is that he works WAY over 40 hours a week. It's not now 4:40 pm. His school day is technically over at 3:45 PM. If he is home for dinner by 7 pm, I'll be shocked.

He works darn hard for the money he earns and it really bothers me when people basically say that teachers dont deserve/earn the money they make.

Originally posted by rgf207:
I agree 100% with this. My dad taught for 35 years and my wife is in her 4th year of teaching. It sickens me when people throw the "They only work 9 months" and they have great benefits BS. What they don't know is that teachers only get paid for the time they work. They don't get paid during the summer or during their breaks. They can elect to get their paychecks dispersed through the whole year. Also, my wife's benefits are not great. We pay a lot of money for health insurance and my wife's pension is horrible. My wife leaves the house at 7:30am and is home at 6pm. She eats dinner and then sits on the couch and does planning and grading until 10pm at least 4 nights a week. That's 14 hours a day.

Maybe you didn't read all my posts on the topic. I never said teachers got paid for the summer. I said they make good money for what they do. Do they deserve more, most likely. I was responding to a few who were complaining about long hours etc. My point is a lot of professions have long hours where you don't get compensated for hours worked over 40. I am sorry if I sickened or offended you. It was not my intent.

 

[Tinkmom75]

When I went to work for the University, I was given a choice of using the teacher retirement plan, or a private plan. We chose the private for a variety of reasons, one being the instability of the state, and concerns that all of the benefits would be lost by the time we retire.

We all have these concerns not just teachers.

 

[DancingBear]

Unlike what a PP said, I never said I expect your students to be the center of your universe.

For the record, princessmouse didn't claim that you said that. She was, rather, responding to your quote:

Believe it or not, as important as you undoubtably are, you're not the center of your students' universe - or their families' lives.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

We all have these concerns not just teachers.

Ummmmm....yeah...did I insinuate you didn't?

 

[Colleen27]

That makes no sense. There would be total chaos if schools went by your theory. How would a school function if parents and children could come and go as they please. There would be no possible way to teach a lesson. Attendance policies are not just there to inconvenience you believe it or not. They are there for the better of all students.

Except not all schools have draconian attendance policies, and they don't dissolve into chaos. Our district's policy is that any absence a parent calls in to verify is excused, including family vacations, and somehow we still have excellent test scores and a 97% overall attendance rate.

I think it reflects a very dim view of human nature and parental commitment to think that in the absence of harsh attendance policies, parents would simply allow their kids to "come and go as they please", missing so much school that they are impossible to teach. Yes, there are crappy parents out there, but there are other ways to deal with them without imposing rules on the majority who are good, involved parents who care about their kids' education.