When did teacher bashing become acceptable?

[Daxx]

Does what you get paid as a teacher in the US depend on what you did before?

In the UK, once you're trained to be a teacher (i.e. you have QTS - Qualified Teacher Status), you're paid a wage per level. You have to meet standards each year to progress to the next level, and these involve more responsibilities. It doesn't matter whether you have just a bachelors, a masters or a doctorate, the same conditions apply. Which is a shame, because I have a masters

Seriously, though, I like our system. It judges you as a teacher, not as an academic.

In NYS, you have to have a masters to teach in the schools. You can teach w/o the masters but have to complete a masters program w/in 4 yrs. or you're out.

A teacher (in my school) is paid for the job she is hired for. Pay increase is not based on individual performance or achievement. It's across the board. Therefore, if the school decides to give a 3% pay raise, everyone in the school, regardless of how many (or few) years they've put in or of their performance/achievement (or lack of) gets the 3% raise.

 

[my2sense]

• Most do not get paid badly for the time they put in.
• They have more time off than most other occupations - whether you look at teaching as a full time or part time job.
• Most I know of live in very nice neighborhoods and drive BMW's, Hummers, etc.
• My mom was an office aid/worker in a nearby county for many years and if she wasn't grading their papers or making their copies she was disciplining their students. He words were believe me, they don't have it bad at all and they rarely go home with anything to do.
• And lets don’t forget the BONUSES - some may get them, some may not, but ours got a $3400 bonus jujst this summer. And that wasn't even their first bonus of the year or the first year getting them.
• Poor teachers and their non-guaranteed raises…I’ve worked where I am for 10+ years…I have a masters degree and work at a privately owned institution…I have only had ONE raise since I’ve been there and for about 8 out of the 10 years a 2% (at MOST) cost of living. There are far more underpaid and underappreciated jobs out there.
• Whoever made this comment is dead on: "It's the martyrdom that gets to me. "Look at all of the sacrifices that teachers have to make."
• Around here they are paid to earn their masters during the summer and they don't have to pay to earn it either.
• “Do you resent that teacher for crying poverty at earning $12K a year!?” - This is probably a very rare thing – sounds very similar to a girl at work who sent out a mass email crying to everyone that people should vote a certain way because the police officers were all very underpaid and start out making $10 an hour. Never mind that that is what they make their first month and then go up exorbitantly after that with different certificates, etc. they must earn. I told her good thing that wasn’t the case with her cop husband who makes in excess of $20/hr plus all sorts of “cash” details that she has told us he doesn’t claim on his taxes. He’s been a cop for 5+ years and isn’t at all a high ranking one. I know what he makes because she told us many months ago and apparently forgot that she did.
• I have an uncle who has worked for 20+ years as a university professor. He is paid far LESS than some of our elementary teachers.
• "Did the math for ya:
$400 / 187 (days in contract) = 2.14
2.14 / 7.5 (duty hours that are on the book, not including before school and after school work) = 29 cents Woohoo! I got a 29 cent per hour raise!" - That’s more than I’ve received in the last 2 years and I have a masters degree and am not in the teaching or education profession – Congrats to you!
• "Originally Posted by SavvyMom I have to work in my profession for 30 years before I can retire with full benefits. WOW! I wish dh only had to work 30yrs and then get full benefits! Once he retires we would have no health insurance so, I expect him to work until we drop dead" – DITTO. Where I work you have to be a certain AGE at which you can retire with any benefits not a certain amount of years in before you can receive FULL.
• "Her contract stays the same - $30,000/year for 40 hours/week for 190 days. This is not a rant. This is a choice that Ms. T made, and she is satisfied with it because it fits her lifestyle. Ms. T feels blessed that she can choose to be at home with her children during the summer. She does not work "part time". She is a full time employee for 190 school days per year. She does not get 8 weeks paid vacation. She does not get any paid vacation. That's okay with her." – That’s still ~$20 per hour which ain't minimum wage…and with all the time off you already have why would you think you might get vacation time?

Teachers new what they were getting into when they got into that field so quit griping!

 

[SavvyMom]

• Most do not get paid badly for the time they put in.
• They have more time off than most other occupations - whether you look at teaching as a full time or part time job.
• Most I know of live in very nice neighborhoods and drive BMW's, Hummers, etc.
I live in a nice neighborhood (to me) and I drive a 2000 Windstar. My husband thankfully contributes to our finances with his job. I have no complaints about my living situation and I don't resent anyone else that lives better than I do.
• My mom was an office aid/worker in a nearby county for many years and if she wasn't grading their papers or making their copies she was disciplining their students. He words were believe me, they don't have it bad at all and they rarely go home with anything to do.
Our secretary would laugh in my face if I asked her to grade papers or watch one of my kids.
• And lets don’t forget the BONUSES - some may get them, some may not, but ours got a $3400 bonus jujst this summer. And that wasn't even their first bonus of the year or the first year getting them.
We don't get bonuses in our district, but I'm sure some do. Lucky them!
• Poor teachers and their non-guaranteed raises…I’ve worked where I am for 10+ years…I have a masters degree and work at a privately owned institution…I have only had ONE raise since I’ve been there and for about 8 out of the 10 years a 2% (at MOST) cost of living. There are far more underpaid and underappreciated jobs out there.
Of course there are.
• Whoever made this comment is dead on: "It's the martyrdom that gets to me. "Look at all of the sacrifices that teachers have to make."
• Around here they are paid to earn their masters during the summer and they don't have to pay to earn it either.
I wish it was that way here. I would get a raise - a good one - after earning my Masters. I have to pay for it myself and do it on my own time. There's nothing wrong with that.
• “Do you resent that teacher for crying poverty at earning $12K a year!?” - This is probably a very rare thing – sounds very similar to a girl at work who sent out a mass email crying to everyone that people should vote a certain way because the police officers were all very underpaid and start out making $10 an hour. Never mind that that is what they make their first month and then go up exorbitantly after that with different certificates, etc. they must earn. I told her good thing that wasn’t the case with her cop husband who makes in excess of $20/hr plus all sorts of “cash” details that she has told us he doesn’t claim on his taxes. He’s been a cop for 5+ years and isn’t at all a high ranking one. I know what he makes because she told us many months ago and apparently forgot that she did.
• I have an uncle who has worked for 20+ years as a university professor. He is paid far LESS than some of our elementary teachers.
University teachers usually do get paid less than public school teachers. It doesn't seem fair does it?
• "Did the math for ya:
$400 / 187 (days in contract) = 2.14
2.14 / 7.5 (duty hours that are on the book, not including before school and after school work) = 29 cents Woohoo! I got a 29 cent per hour raise!" - That’s more than I’ve received in the last 2 years and I have a masters degree and am not in the teaching or education profession – Congrats to you!
Thank you.
• "Originally Posted by SavvyMom I have to work in my profession for 30 years before I can retire with full benefits. WOW! I wish dh only had to work 30yrs and then get full benefits! Once he retires we would have no health insurance so, I expect him to work until we drop dead" – DITTO. Where I work you have to be a certain AGE at which you can retire with any benefits not a certain amount of years in before you can receive FULL.
So do I. I have to be 65 and have 30 years in to get those benefits. What I meant was, I have to work 30 years to be eligible to retire when I become 'of age'. Sorry for the confusion.
• "Her contract stays the same - $30,000/year for 40 hours/week for 190 days. This is not a rant. This is a choice that Ms. T made, and she is satisfied with it because it fits her lifestyle. Ms. T feels blessed that she can choose to be at home with her children during the summer. She does not work "part time". She is a full time employee for 190 school days per year. She does not get 8 weeks paid vacation. She does not get any paid vacation. That's okay with her." – That’s still ~$20 per hour which ain't minimum wage…and with all the time off you already have why would you think you might get vacation time?

Teachers new what they were getting into when they got into that field so quit griping!

We are not griping! That's the point. Any time we point out the "real" situation, we are accused of griping. It's just the way it is. We do vent sometimes just like any other worker/parent/spouse/kid etc. Do we not have that right? We chose our profession so we have no right to vent a little?

 

[chobie]

We are not griping! That's the point. Any time we point out the "real" situation, we are accused of griping. It's just the way it is. We do vent sometimes just like any other worker/parent/spouse/kid etc. Do we not have that right? We chose our profession so we have no right to vent a little?

First post and its to complain about how easy teachers have it.

 

[MM27]

Does what you get paid as a teacher in the US depend on what you did before?

In the UK, once you're trained to be a teacher (i.e. you have QTS - Qualified Teacher Status), you're paid a wage per level. You have to meet standards each year to progress to the next level, and these involve more responsibilities. It doesn't matter whether you have just a bachelors, a masters or a doctorate, the same conditions apply. Which is a shame, because I have a masters

Seriously, though, I like our system. It judges you as a teacher, not as an academic.

In New Jersey the pay varies greatly depending on what part of the state you work it. I know some districts in Southern NJ that start in the upper 20,000 range and some districts in northern NJ that start in the low 50,000 range (both with Bachelor degrees) It varies from district to district, but mine does a Bachelor level, masters level, masters plus 30 credits level. I know some districts do it differently though. We are required to have a masters 5 years after getting tenure or we do not move up the salary guide.

Now here is the thing. There are two different types of districts that are the higher paying ones (and most are in the northern part of the state). There are some that are affluent, suburban districts where you have to wait until people die before you can get a job, and even then you need to know someone. Parents are ever present and there is constant pressure to be "the best school" The other districts that offer higher starting salaries are the urban areas where you have lack of parental support, severe behavior problems, high turnover of teachers and administrators, the list goes on and on.

 

[sajetto]

I'm a teacher with a Master's Degree. I make 3K more per year than a teacher that doesn't. I don't consider my salary to be a great one, but ya know what......I DON'T CARE. I didn't go into this for the money, my husband's salary is what supports us. I LOVE this job. I don't care what anyone says about it, I LOVE it. Yes, I see some terrible things, I work long hours, and it can be exhausting, but there isn't anything else I can think of right now that I'd rather do. As the years go by, things might change, but I don't expect them to.

Yes, I have days where parents can be difficult.
Yes, I have many bosses and the demands that each set can be even more difficult
Yes, there are days when I see levels of poverty and depression that would break anyone's heart
Yes, there are days that I go home so tired I can barely make it to the bed

BUT, I make a difference. I love my students and the feeling I get when I see them learning can't be replaced.

The opinions that others have about teachers don't bother me or anyone else on the staff I work with. We all know that those who have never taught have absolutely no idea what is included in this job and we don't expect them to know either.

 

[MM27]

We all know that those who have never taught have absolutely no idea what is included in this job and we don't expect them to know either.

Well said

 

[beagle744]

Teacher bashing is not acceptable per se, but it is inevitable. Why? Because it's the one person a parent entrusts the education, safety and well-being of their children for 35-40 hours per week. Given the depth and scope of this relationship, differences of opinion on how the children are handled will occur between teacher and parent on occassion.

If we left our kids in the cockpits of 747's in the care of airline pilots for 40 hours per week, airline pilots would be bashed too.

 

[Lanshark]

If we left our kids in the cockpits of 747's in the care of airline pilots for 40 hours per week, airline pilots would be bashed too.

There have been a few I'd like to try that with

 

[Daxx]

They have more time off than most other occupations - whether you look at teaching as a full time or part time job.

Yeah, tell that to the construction worker who doesn't work Nov thru Feb. and gets unemployment. Uh --4 months off vs. less than 10 weeks w/holidays and vaca.!? BTW -- that 2 weeks at Easter break was knocked down to one week years ago and now it's become 3 days off. So, some of us are def. working more than what some of you believe! And, no ... my school does not get a mid-winter recess. Spring break is now Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday off. Woo hoo. Why bother!?

•Most I know of live in very nice neighborhoods and drive BMW's, Hummers, etc.

Let's see ... I drive a used Saturn 4-door that's coming up on 7 yo. DH drives a used van that's roughly 7 yo. Neighbor who is a teacher drives a that's prob. 5 yrs. old, other neighbor who is a teacher drives a Malibu, a few years old. Not one teacher in my school or the nearby charter school pulls in w/a Hummer or BMW. I live in a nice neighborhood -- and that's b/c I wasn't the only person paying for the house!!! If I had to buy a house on my income, I'd be better off renting!

•My mom was an office aid/worker in a nearby county for many years and if she wasn't grading their papers or making their copies she was disciplining their students. He words were believe me, they don't have it bad at all and they rarely go home with anything to do.

Did your Mommy go home w/these teachers, too? If not, then how would she possibly have a clue! Secondly, office workers do NOT correct papers. Your mother was really that stupid to grade someone else's tests? Does your mother not know how to say "No, it's not my job"? If I even asked our one secretary to do correcting, she'd tell me to f-off (and rightly so). Plus, I'd be in huge trouble w/the principal for even asking!

•And lets don’t forget the BONUSES - some may get them, some may not, but ours got a $3400 bonus jujst this summer. And that wasn't even their first bonus of the year or the first year getting them.

What's a bonus?

•Around here they are paid to earn their masters during the summer and they don't have to pay to earn it either.

Yeah, around here that doesn't happen in teaching! My school pays nothing. If I have to take any mandatory teacher courses, I have to pay the fees. School's not going to pay them OR for me to get my masters degree! School could give a rat's patootie about my school finances. If my principal says "You have to attend this mandatory NYS teachers class and it's $300", that $300 is coming out of my pocket. The school isn't going to pay for me to go.

•“Do you resent that teacher for crying poverty at earning $12K a year!?” - This is probably a very rare thing

Not if you're a first year Christian/Catholic school teacher!

•I have an uncle who has worked for 20+ years as a university professor. He is paid far LESS than some of our elementary teachers.

And, I'll bet he complains about it every chance he gets.

••"Did the math for ya:
$400 / 187 (days in contract) = 2.14
2.14 / 7.5 (duty hours that are on the book, not including before school and after school work) = 29 cents Woohoo! I got a 29 cent per hour raise!" - That’s more than I’ve received in the last 2 years and I have a masters degree and am not in the teaching or education profession – Congrats to you!

But, you get bonuses and other incentives. Lots of teachers have gone w/o raises for years. You can go to your boss and ask for a raise. I can't.

•Where I work you have to be a certain AGE at which you can retire with any benefits not a certain amount of years in before you can receive FULL.

At a Catholic school, you retire w/zero benefits. How's that? Plus, if I were to pay for medical benefits, I would have v. little left in my paycheck.

•Teachers new what they were getting into when they got into that field so quit griping!

Maybe you'd make more money if you were paying attention to the teacher when she taught the difference between new and knew! What we DIDN'T know when going into teaching was the great animosity some people (such as yourself) have for teachers. Maybe you're jealous that you don't get a summer break?

I'm going to guess that you went out and got yourself a new "user name" to just post this. Why not have the guts to post this under your real user name like the rest of us are doing!??! Know what's worse than a teacher basher? A COWARD!

 

[chobie]

Daxx,

 

[Lanshark]

I'm going to guess that you went out and got yourself a new "user name" to just post this. Why not have the guts to post this under your real user name like the rest of us are doing!??! Know what's worse than a teacher basher? A COWARD!

 

[Daxx]

Daxx,

Oh, no, no, no, no ... I do not need bowing down to. I am just a humble teacher and do not need any extra accolades lest I be called a martyr or in need of any special respect. But, I thank you just the same!!!!

 

[#1hockeymom]

I have had to catch up due to Tornado/power issues at home. I lugged my lesson plans to the motel we're currently residing in. School starts officially for the kids in a week. I hope I'm back home by then!

I teach in the inner city of Flint. I have 2 autistic students in my class, 5 emotionally impaired, 8 cognitive impaired. To say we're going to make AYP off of my class is rediculous. I love my kids and they make progress, but rarely at grade level.

My car? It is a brand new Ford Freestyle. My entire family works for Ford. I haven't had a non "A plan" car in my lifetime. My vacations? Not off my salary. I'm married, as are most of the teachers who people have issues concerning their transportation/vacation choices.

I love my profession so I guess, yes, you can bash me for loving my job. Do not, however, bash me for making too much, caring too much, or God forbid have the month of July and a few days to either side off without pay.

 

[Daxx]

I'm going to guess that you went out and got yourself a new "user name" to just post this. Why not have the guts to post this under your real user name like the rest of us are doing!??! Know what's worse than a teacher basher? A COWARD!

Yeah, thanks ... I'm quite proud of these as well:

Did your Mommy go home w/these teachers, too? If not, then how would she possibly have a clue! Secondly, office workers do NOT correct papers. Your mother was really that stupid to grade someone else's tests? Does your mother not know how to say "No, it's not my job"? If I even asked our one secretary to do correcting, she'd tell me to f-off (and rightly so). Plus, I'd be in huge trouble w/the principal for even asking!

Maybe you'd make more money if you were paying attention to the teacher when she taught the difference between new and knew!

Maybe you're jealous that you don't get a summer break?

 

[disneyjunkie]

Here is the payscale for the NY public schools. http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres...2A6CF754EEC/12738/certifiedteacherssch101.pdf


How is he making 98,000 a year?

That's the pay scale for NYC public school teachers (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island).

Teachers on Long Island (not part of the city) make more. Teachers upstate make less.

 

[Daxx]

I have had to catch up due to Tornado/power issues at home. I lugged my lesson plans to the motel we're currently residing in.

I'm going to guess that your school isn't going to reimburse you the hotel fee b/c you worked on your lesson plans there, right?!

But, if you worked for a major corporation and had to relocate to a hotel and worked out of the hotel, many companies would allow you to expense it.

 

[Daxx]

He makes 98,000 a year as a teacher

He teaches in Queens

That's the pay scale for NYC public school teachers (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island).

Teachers on Long Island (not part of the city) make more. Teachers upstate make less.

He teaches in Queens, not LI, so the info. that Chobie posted is accurate for a teacher in Queens. Do teachers on LI make more than $98K a year? If so, I'm gonna go live w/my niece's in-laws and teach on LI!

 

[#1hockeymom]

I'm going to guess that your school isn't going to reimburse you the hotel fee b/c you worked on your lesson plans there, right?!

But, if you worked for a major corporation and had to relocate to a hotel and worked out of the hotel, many companies would allow you to expense it.

LMAO!! My poor laptop monitor! ahhhh no. We, and I bet you are the same, can't even have a Christmas party unless it is on our buck.

 

[Daxx]

LMAO!! My poor laptop monitor! ahhhh no. We, and I bet you are the same, can't even have a Christmas party unless it is on our buck.

Yep -- and guess who drinks the most liquor?? The person who signs our paychecks and makes more money than the rest of us but feels he doesn't have to pay since he does sign our checks!!!