Longer school year. Yay or Nay

[goof2]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

I'm all for year round schooling.

I taught at a school that had 1 week off in October, 2 in December, 1 in February, 2 in April, 1 in May, and 4 in August. You still got the feeling of summer without the brain drain that most kids go through.

As for teachers using those breaks to update their education, not really possible and means no vacation for the teachers. And bitch however much you want about teacher's vacation (and yes, there will be bitchers), but you wouldn't work a full year without vacation.

I guess I'll be the bitcher since no one else is stepping up. When you taught you had 11 freaking weeks of vacation and I can only guess that is in addition to the single days off also peppered throughout the school year. How much of that time was really spent "updating education"? If the school system dropped some of those 11 weeks you can't tell me teachers would end up with "no vacation". If their actual vacation amounted to 2, 3, or even four weeks they would still be doing about as well as most of us slobs working normal jobs.

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by goof2

I guess I'll be the bitcher since no one else is stepping up. When you taught you had 11 freaking weeks of vacation and I can only guess that is in addition to the single days off also peppered throughout the school year. How much of that time was really spent "updating education"? If the school system dropped some of those 11 weeks you can't tell me teachers would end up with "no vacation". If their actual vacation amounted to 2, 3, or even four weeks they would still be doing about as well as most of us slobs working normal jobs.

In England there are no days peppered through the school year. Those are your holidays and that's it.

My time spent updating was done after school at classes taught on weeknights.

I'm not arguing with the amount of vacation teachers get. I still would've been a teacher whether I got 4 or 14 weeks off a year, or 2 for that matter. Just that they are entitled to vacation....the amount is up for debate.

I was making what amounted to 40,000 a year. That's it. And my work schedule looked like this: at school every day by 7 and left at 6 only because they locked the building. Went home to plan and or mark usually for about an hour a night give or take. Sundays were usually spent planning or marking for about 2 hours. So my work week was approximately 60 hours a week, for $40,000 a year. Night courses were paid for on my own dime, and done in my own time. Did I need 12 weeks of vacation a year? No. But what was I going to do....go into school and work when there were no kids to work with?

Keep in mind, I'm not complaining one little bit about what my job was. But it sounds like you're bitter you didn't get the same amount of holidays. So if you wanted 12 weeks then quit your bitching and become a teacher.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

In England there are no days peppered through the school year. Those are your holidays and that's it.

My time spent updating was done after school at classes taught on weeknights.

I'm not arguing with the amount of vacation teachers get. I still would've been a teacher whether I got 4 or 14 weeks off a year, or 2 for that matter. Just that they are entitled to vacation....the amount is up for debate.

I was making what amounted to 40,000 a year. That's it. And my work schedule looked like this: at school every day by 7 and left at 6 only because they locked the building. Went home to plan and or mark usually for about an hour a night give or take. Sundays were usually spent planning or marking for about 2 hours. So my work week was approximately 60 hours a week, for $40,000 a year. Night courses were paid for on my own dime, and done in my own time. Did I need 12 weeks of vacation a year? No. But what was I going to do....go into school and work when there were no kids to work with?

Keep in mind, I'm not complaining one little bit about what my job was. But it sounds like you're bitter you didn't get the same amount of holidays. So if you wanted 12 weeks then quit your bitching and become a teacher.

They didn't give bank holidays to the schools?

I'm not bitter at all about getting less vacation than a teacher. I wouldn't want to be a teacher even if they had 24 weeks of vacation. My point was teachers can loose some of their vacation and even after time spent updating their education they should still have some vacation, contrary to your earlier post.

Concerning the hours and pay, it shouldn't have come as any surprise. I would say quit your bitching and do something else but it looks like you already decided to do so.

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by goof2

They didn't give bank holidays to the schools?

I'm not bitter at all about getting less vacation than a teacher. I wouldn't want to be a teacher even if they had 24 weeks of vacation. My point was teachers can loose some of their vacation and even after time spent updating their education they should still have some vacation, contrary to your earlier post.

Concerning the hours and pay, it shouldn't have come as any surprise. I would say quit your bitching and do something else but it looks like you already decided to do so.

I would reply but I'm too tired to explain to you how dense you sound.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

In England there are no days peppered through the school year. Those are your holidays and that's it.

My time spent updating was done after school at classes taught on weeknights.

I'm not arguing with the amount of vacation teachers get. I still would've been a teacher whether I got 4 or 14 weeks off a year, or 2 for that matter. Just that they are entitled to vacation....the amount is up for debate.

I was making what amounted to 40,000 a year. That's it. And my work schedule looked like this: at school every day by 7 and left at 6 only because they locked the building. Went home to plan and or mark usually for about an hour a night give or take. Sundays were usually spent planning or marking for about 2 hours. So my work week was approximately 60 hours a week, for $40,000 a year. Night courses were paid for on my own dime, and done in my own time. Did I need 12 weeks of vacation a year? No. But what was I going to do....go into school and work when there were no kids to work with?

Keep in mind, I'm not complaining one little bit about what my job was. But it sounds like you're bitter you didn't get the same amount of holidays. So if you wanted 12 weeks then quit your bitching and become a teacher.

If you do the math, that comes out to about 2,460 hrs/year... I haven't had a job where I worked under 2,500 hrs/year since college... and $40k/yr ain't bad.

That said, night courses, all that additional time put in, etc, etc... Sorry, I hate to be a dick, but I know a number of teachers and none of them have all this shit to do and make decent money... either you had the worst teaching job ever, or you just weren't very good at it.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

I would reply but I'm too tired to explain to you how dense you sound.

Which part sounds dense, the part where a teacher could have 6 or 8 weeks off giving them enough time to update their education and still have a vacation, the part where teachers don't get paid a ton and can work long hours being common knowledge, or the part where you have chosen to do something else?

[dReWpY]

i make my students do one lab research report a semester and the rest is just studying for the lab test, no homework

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

While I agree with most of your post, you do know that it's not the school systems to job to be the sole teacher of your children right?

No, it is the school system's job to educate. I know it is nice to say "you need to educate your kids too" but not everyone on the planet has a college (or even HS) degree and can help their kids. That is where the teachers come in. You are paid to educate kids becuase the parents aren't able to. If you can't perform your job then that is a problem.

Now if you are referring to educating your kids such as "use/don't use a condom" or "Stay away from drugs", then yes that is the parents business and their responsibility.

The main problem is we have a government monopoly of our education system where parents can't choose what school their child is educated at unless you are able to move. The day we have competition in education is the only day we will have win for our children. Because I promise you there are teachers out there who can educate your child very well without giving them 3 hours of HW at the house. And those are the teachers we need to reward and praise.

[dReWpY]

only problem is that the good schools will except only the best, wealthiest students and the divide between the has and the dont has will continue to grow and widen

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by drewpy

only problem is that the good schools will except only the best, wealthiest students and the divide between the has and the dont has will continue to grow and widen

Drewpy didn't go to school year round.