Longer school year. Yay or Nay

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

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.

Do the math on firefighters too? They have more vacation than teachers yet I never EVER hear anything said about it. How much of their time is actually spent fighting fires?

It kind of makes me laugh that you assume I wasn't good at teaching...instead of maybe assuming that the teachers you knew were crap at it? If you're not giving it your all....you're not doing it right. If you think that educating youth is a part time job, and one that where you can just phone it in (sounds like the teachers you know)....YOU'RE the one not doing it right...not me.

That being said, I wasn't complaining about the amount of work OR the amount of pay. Everyone knows we're not paid well and that it can be a lot of work. It gets easier as the years go by because you don't have to recreate the wheel for every lesson, but it's still a commitment. One I made willingly, and wasn't complaining about. Was just pointing out that it's not exactly a great paying gig.

And if you think 40 a year is good.....makes me wonder what you'd think is bad.

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

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.

Average work week is supposed to be 40 hours a year x 50 weeks (took 2 off for vacation) and that works out to 2000 hours a year.

Again (for those not understanding this), I wasn't complaining about the amount of hours I worked, just stating what I worked.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

Do the math on firefighters too? They have more vacation than teachers yet I never EVER hear anything said about it. How much of their time is actually spent fighting fires?

Slight difference... Unless you worked a HS full of goth kids with trench coats and access to firearms, you weren't potentially risking your life every time you went to work.

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

It kind of makes me laugh that you assume I wasn't good at teaching...instead of maybe assuming that the teachers you knew were crap at it? If you're not giving it your all....you're not doing it right. If you think that educating youth is a part time job, and one that where you can just phone it in (sounds like the teachers you know)....YOU'RE the one not doing it right...not me.

You'll note that I provided two options... you happened to pick the one to get shitty about, making me wonder about your competence, which at this point I assumed was not the issue.

For the record, I don't know exactly how good my friends are at their jobs, frankly I don't know how good my parents are/were at their jobs either. I do know this, you don't get recognized as teacher of the year in your state, or are heavily recruited by schools all over the region, or work your way up into the highest levels of school administration by being a shitty teacher... However, my friends/family have.

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

That being said, I wasn't complaining about the amount of work OR the amount of pay. Everyone knows we're not paid well and that it can be a lot of work. It gets easier as the years go by because you don't have to recreate the wheel for every lesson, but it's still a commitment. One I made willingly, and wasn't complaining about. Was just pointing out that it's not exactly a great paying gig.

I'm with you here.

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

And if you think 40 a year is good.....makes me wonder what you'd think is bad.

Again, reading comprehension... I said, "ain't bad". "Ain't bad" as in, not necessarily good, but better than a stick in the eye. I know plenty of people at the $40k and under mark who live comfortable lives.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

Average work week is supposed to be 40 hours a year x 50 weeks (took 2 off for vacation) and that works out to 2000 hours a year.

Again (for those not understanding this), I wasn't complaining about the amount of hours I worked, just stating what I worked.

The work year is 2080 paid hours... 40/hrs per week and two weeks vacation.

Actual time worked is a totally different thing... I've worked 50+ hours/week pretty steadily for the past 8 years, some of that time making $25k/yr...

I recognize you weren't complaining about your hours or pay, but you make it sound like being a teacher is right in line with sweatshop workers in Taiwan sewing together Nike's... When the truth of the matter is, it's not a bad way to make a living, especially if you are really good at it...

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

The work year is 2080 paid hours... 40/hrs per week and two weeks vacation.

Actual time worked is a totally different thing... I've worked 50+ hours/week pretty steadily for the past 8 years, some of that time making $25k/yr...

I recognize you weren't complaining about your hours or pay, but you make it sound like being a teacher is right in line with sweatshop workers in Taiwan sewing together Nike's... When the truth of the matter is, it's not a bad way to make a living, especially if you are really good at it...

Fair enough. It's just not coming across the right way on here (surprise surprise on a website full of people who only want to believe what they believe about certain people).

It's not a bad way to make a living, this is true. It's a great career and a passion for a lot of people.

I'm not going to rise to the bait of continually suggesting I was a bad teacher. It'd be pointless and impossible to prove either way.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

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.

You are correct, it is up to the school to teach their curriculum - and for parents to be involved in making sure their life experience includes appropriate education in addition to that which is taught in school.

It is also my job as a parent to stay involved to make sure my children are receiving a quality education. That might mean working with them on their homework [I'll never do it FOR them, but with them - yes]. It could mean going to school board meetings, parent teacher conferences, watching online grading systems, or chaperoning.

I'm all for less vacation and more time in school. Kids, when left to their own devices... who says quality and quantity can't go together?

[Kaneman]

Public school does what its supposed to, set your kid up for a long boring career making money for someone else while you waste away in a cubicle all day. Get 'em used to it when they're young and they'll be more complacent as adults.

It seems to me they spend more time teaching kids absurd moral lessons, how to think and how to act than they do reading, science, history etc. etc. Just look at programs like D.A.R.E. and the like that take up untold hours of time when kids could be.....oh I don't know...FUCKING LEARNING SOMETHING!!!

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by azoomm

I'm all for less vacation and more time in school. Kids, when left to their own devices... who says quality and quantity can't go together?

I do. Because its not going to...its going to be the same ol' bullshit....only more of it, and less time for me to teach the things I'm responsible for.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Public school does what its supposed to, set your kid up for a long boring career making money for someone else while you waste away in a cubicle all day. Get 'em used to it when they're young and they'll be more complacent as adults.

It seems to me they spend more time teaching kids absurd moral lessons, how to think and how to act than they do reading, science, history etc. etc. Just look at programs like D.A.R.E. and the like that take up untold hours of time when kids could be.....oh I don't know...FUCKING LEARNING SOMETHING!!!

Glass half empty, huh? OK

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Glass half empty, huh? OK

No, glass fully realistic.