Why the "Martyr" Perception Amongst Teachers?

[DeluxePrincess]

When I see all the teacher criticism lately, I am glad that I am now a SAHM. One of my old friends who still teaches talks of how the attitudes towards teachers have changed. She works in a high poverty area, but administrators (and so it seems even President Obama) feel that a child's obstacles at home should have no impact on their ability to learn. The new attitude is that an effective teacher can move all children up to the same level of those in the affluent areas. If they don't catch up to the suburban kids, IT'S ALL THE TEACHERS' FAULT. I happen to believe that all children can show progress with a good teacher, but will they all pass the all important test at the end of the year? Probably not. The kids in the wealthy suburbs have support at home. They knew how to write their names before kindergarten. They knew letters and sounds before the school year began. Children without these advantages enter school behind and spend the rest of their years trying to catch up. I'll stop venting now, as this thread is anti-venting. Just had to express my opinions of how attitudes towards teachers have changed.

 

[Pembo]

If you want see the martyr teachers, come to my catholic school. Oy!

 

[DawnM]

It is really hard when there is so much criticism out there of teachers. I loved teaching too and now an a SAHM. I miss it and plan to eventually return (although I was a school counselor when I left and hope to return to that if possible.)

Dawn

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm friends with a LOT of teachers and not one of them grumbles or complains like you see online. BUT, they also seem to stay pretty insulated from the harsh criticism that people love to fling at teachers, so maybe it's easier for them to stay less defensive.

However, I did notice some criticism towards a couple of my friends on FB last month when they were off from school because of the weather. I felt bad for them. It wasn't THEIR fault the roads were impassible, and it wasn't THEIR fault the administrators cancelled school. Why shouldn't they have expressed pleasure at having the days off? They will be making them up in June (with no A/C in these schools, I might add). I just felt bad for them that they were being criticized like that. I think the point can go both ways -- you don't like that you have to be at work in 3 feet of snow? So go back to school and enter a profession that you know will have the days off. Don't take it out on the people in that profession.

Okay, sorry for rambling.

 

[surfgirl]

I believe teachers deal with an incredible amount of criticism from numerous sources. I know that parents tend to blame teachers for everything that goes wrong within a classroom that may involved their child. It's a natural inclination. Mama and Papa Bear see their children as perfect. Quite frankly, teachers are very often the first line of attack. Try having 75 bosses criticizing everything you do. It ain't fun and it ain't pretty.

Not where I live! I don't think you can generalize that 75 bosses are criticizing everything, but I support my kids' teachers. So maybe it is only 74 bosses. (btw, I WISH my children were perfect!)

Teachers tend not to have public support.

bullpucky. You haven't been to our school board meetings. I go and I hear the public support in favor of the teachers.

They are the first on the unemployment line every time there is a budget cut. They have absolutely no one to go to bat for them.

ummm... the union ?

Also, in our district, teachers are being cut because the union agreed upon health care is going up by 28% and the state mandates how much of a tax increase can occur without a voter referendum. The school employees have the platinum standard for health care ... unfortunately, at the expense of their colleagues.

The only reason there are any CUTS is because the BENEFITS are increasing so much.

When is the last time a parents' group protested a teacher being laid off?

Again, you haven't been to our school board meetings. Would you like to read the minutes ?

I know it's the same way in the real world but a teacher's performance is never considered when layoffs occur.

Right. Because they are unionized and it is a seniority thing. I WISH performance was considered rather than seniority!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I don't think it's any different than anybody else complaining about their jobs.

 

[descovy]

.

 

[descovy]

I'll tell you what I think. And you can take it for what it's worth....probably two cents.

I believe teachers deal with an incredible amount of criticism from numerous sources. I know that parents tend to blame teachers for everything that goes wrong within a classroom that may involved their child. It's a natural inclination. Mama and Papa Bear see their children as perfect. Quite frankly, teachers are very often the first line of attack. Try having 75 bosses criticizing everything you do. It ain't fun and it ain't pretty.

Teachers tend not to have public support. When I was a kid, the teacher was all-knowing. If I got into trouble at school, I got in even more trouble at home. Now parents are on the offensive. Sometimes it is warrented and sometimes it is not. A child does not change if a parent approves of their behavior. And by implicitly telling the school that they are wrong, a child is receiving parental approval.

Teachers are zigging and zagging all day. That's a common problem in every profession but it's difficult to get a classroom of students to buy into every zig and zag a teacher is expected to perform.

Teachers are expected to produce students who can pass tests. How can a teacher force a student to perform? Yet, that's what the state, the feds, and parents expect. I always tell parents that I can't force a child to do homework but they can oversee and help a child do what is expected of him.

Teachers are non-revenue producing employees. They are the first on the unemployment line every time there is a budget cut. They have absolutely no one to go to bat for them. When is the last time a parents' group protested a teacher being laid off? I know it's the same way in the real world but a teacher's performance is never considered when layoffs occur. It's a numbers game. And before you tell me that it's tenure that causes this, consider what a teaching position would be like without it. Everytime a teacher reached a certain pay scale, they will be laid off in favor of cheap, inexperienced labor.

I love teaching. I'm new at it but I'm an old dog. I've been in the private sector and the public sector and I can honestly say that my job teaching rivals the most difficult time I've every had in the private sector. And I have always had difficult circumstances to deal with in both jobs. But I get very few 'atta boys from anyone in the public sector. Maybe that's why teachers are so sensitive. I have a damned thick skin and I pretty much can blow off anything. But that comes from working in sales for many, many years.

I am deleting my other post. You said everything I tried to say, only better. Thank you. I'm just a parent... but I get it...

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

I can't think of any martyrs in my district, but I do find that I need to "justify" my salary and "part-time" job to people who simply don't understand. I think teachers are simply frustrated at times by people who don't get it. Some districts are underpaid in relation to others and that certainly is an added frustration. Many people complain teachers are overpaid (as mentioned before - babysitters.) During the year, I average a 10-11 hour work day. I do pay towards healthcare and my copay is much higher than many in other professional fields.

I wanted to do a bit of an analysis - I imagine there are flaws in this. I am a bit bias It puts a different spin on it... I am comparing this to other career paths that require a college (or multiple college degrees) who are professionals.

My salary is for the 191 days that I work.
Others work 261 (365 converted to 5 day work week)
minus some holidays (Christmas, 4th July, Easter, Memorial Day, etc. - there are 10 federal ones - most professionals - let's say 5)
255 (minus accrued vacation after 10 years- 2 weeks/some people more)
245. Now, let's compare the 8 hour and 10 hour days..
(245 X 8 hour day = 1960 hours and 191 X 10 hour = 1910).
50 hour difference maybe made up by overtime people are paid for extra time?? (or, in some cases, people have 3 weeks vacation...)



My job is incredibly difficult, but (on most days) I wouldn't trade it. I love teaching!

 

[lillygator]

I didn't realize people worked for atta boys!

 

[Teacher03]

I think teaching is a lightning rod type of discussion because the discussion involves an important topic...someone's children.

I 100% agree! I don't think there is anything that parents feel more passionate about. However, I do think it sometimes clouds some parents' judgement, and the teacher or school is an easy target when a child isn't a straight A student or gets into trouble,etc. For the record, I love my job, and just like any other profession, some days more than others, and some classes more than others. The biggest complaint I have is the salary...I would love to make what a public school teacher earns, but I work in a Catholic school so my pay is considerably less.

 

[crs7568]

I feel like lightening is going to strike me down right now, but...

Could "lightening" possibly strike you down? Here is some friendly advice. Make sure you check your spelling before you start complaining about other teachers. It adds credibility to your statements.

 

[PatsGirl]

I feel like lightening is going to strike me down right now, but...

Could "lightening" possibly strike you down? Here is some friendly advice. Make sure you check your spelling before you start complaining about other teachers. It adds credibility to your statements.

Wow It was staying pretty friendly until now. A little debate never hurt anyone until the personal attacks start.

 

[lillygator]

I feel like lightening is going to strike me down right now, but...

Could "lightening" possibly strike you down? Here is some friendly advice. Make sure you check your spelling before you start complaining about other teachers. It adds credibility to your statements.

seriously?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I get stressed, but I would never use it as line to parents to excuse something I said or did. I also think it's wrong to have those kinds of conversations in front of kids. I hate standardized tests as much as the next person, but if you asked my students how I felt about them, they wouldn't know.


I've posted about staying at school late and someone comes along and says 'All the teachers at my kids school leave when the kids leave' or 'you must not manage your time well'. There are teachers at my school that leave exactly 5 minutes after the kids, which is when we can leave, but I many days stay until 5 or 6. Sometimes when I leave, my principal is already gone. I don't do it because I want to be praised or think I deserve a raise because of it. I do it because I take my job seriously and I want to make sure that I have everything in place and ready to go for the following days instruction. If I only did work on my preps or during class time (which some teachers do) it would have a very negative impact on my students and I'm not willing to do that to them.

I certainly get stressed. A good day in my classroom is what we call a "3 B" day, no bites, blood, or bruises. Lord knows I vent, but to my parents or boyfriend. I would never make a comment in front of the kids or to the kids parents. That's unprofessional. If you want thave professional pay and want to be o considered a professional, then you need to act like a professional.

I also work a lot of weekend/night hours. I get one 40 minute plan time a day. Half of that time is spent on the phone with parents or making copies. That is also when I tend to schedule my IEP meetings. For every lesson plan, I have to write 2-3 because I have K-5 special ed in one room so we teach in small groups. I would love to get it all done during my plan time, but there just aren't enough minutes in the day. It doesn't mean that we don't have time management skills, it just means that some weeks there is not enough time in the day.

 

[CookieGVB]

I couldn't do it - I'm glad there are others who can. Would love the 3 months and school vacation and snow days and all the other supposed perks, but not willing to be the target of kids and their parents to do that.

Some parents are awful, but let's face it - just as in any other profession, there are some awful teachers who are just phoning it in.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I couldn't do it - I'm glad there are others who can. Would love the 3 months and school vacation and snow days and all the other supposed perks, but not willing to be the target of kids and their parents to do that.

Some parents are awful, but let's face it - just as in any other profession, there are some awful teachers who are just phoning it in.

Almost none of the teachers in my school take a 3 month vacation. They either teach summer school, are on planning committees, or have outside jobs.

It's not a great salary, but I'm pleased with it. I am grateful that it gives me the opportunity to work in a theme park during the summer- that is what I truly love to do (and having that second job gives me a little more financial security.)

It's not uncommon in some areas for teachers' kids to qualify for free/reduced, particularly in rural districts that can't afford a competitive salary.

I think the other reason you sometimes hear teachers complaining is because of the economy. Right now, most states are in over their heads and the cuts are coming from education. They keep adding more they want us to do, passing all these laws that essentially make us responsible for every single thing in the child's life, but they won't fund them. Last month, our stated decided not to pay every single district $650,000. There was no warning. When it was time for that money to come in from the state, the state simply said they weren't going to be paying it. I don't understand how that is even legal.

I have said many times, I would much rather take a modest pay cut and not have to lay off any teachers than go up on the salary schedule and start cutting positions. I wish the union felt this way.

 

[surfgirl]

They keep adding more they want us to do, passing all these laws that essentially make us responsible for every single thing in the child's life, but they won't fund them.

In our school district, the teachers are going to be asked to teach an extra class or two/week (and there are complaints). However, even with this added class, they are still teaching less than their union contract states they can teach per week. I'm not saying they don't deserve a break in the day, or lunch, or a planning period... I'm just saying that the union has agreed upon x classes/week and most teachers are presently teaching 4 or 5 less than the full load they can take.

I have said many times, I would much rather take a modest pay cut and not have to lay off any teachers than go up on the salary schedule and start cutting positions. I wish the union felt this way.

I agree! We had teachers step forward and offer to have in-service days unpaid to try and save some 'heads' from being cut. Our administration could not accept it, because they would have been in violation of the contract. When they asked the union to re-open the contract for these terms, the union said, 'no'.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

In our school district, the teachers are going to be asked to teach an extra class or two/week (and there are complaints). However, even with this added class, they are still teaching less than their union contract states they can teach per week. I'm not saying they don't deserve a break in the day, or lunch, or a planning period... I'm just saying that the union has agreed upon x classes/week and most teachers are presently teaching 4 or 5 less than the full load they can take.
.

Is this a middle school? I teach elem, so the only plan time I have is when my kids are in specials. I know our middle school is talking about taking away common plan time and having teachers teach then so that they can save money. I'm guessing that this must be a plan time in addition to other plan time.

 

[rie'smom]

Around here the teachers doing the most grumbling are those who resent having to work. You have to understand that we live in a small town but it is fairly wealthy. Everyone more or less has friends than span the economy. I volunteered to read tests to kids at my daughter's school and have to say that I was shocked at the comments made in the teacher's lounge about people or their children who come from wealthy families. Some of those women were vipers and this was at a Catholic school!

Oh and as for me volunteering, I did it for 2 years going up and down 2 sets of stairs sometimes a total of 40 times/day 5 days/week and didn't hear very many thank-yous. In fact, some started to treat me as though it was expected that I'd be at their beck and call. No thanks.

On the other hand when my older son was in grade school at a different Catholic school in town, I also did volunteer work. The principal there forbade teachers from talking about students or their families unless it was to say something nice. Needless to say, the teachers there were a lot happier. There were also fewer parental complaints about the teachers.