Teacher Criticisms...(rant)

That_Girl

I'm not even asking for a raise. I made about 33,000 last year (11th year teaching...but had furloughs and the such) and I'm content. I love my job. I can pay my bills. Good enough for me.

At the moment, my school is on lockdown! WOOT! Good ol' lockdown. There's some "activity" in the neighborhood...actually right here outside my window...so we can't leave the building. It's been 2 hours...I finally took my kids to go use the restroom without leaving the building.

But...where I teach, it's just sad. There are some really bad teachers. There are some really bad kids ( I was told to EFF OFF the other day by a kid when I told him to stop swinging on the stairs). Good times.

People who aren't in these classrooms have NO CLUE what it takes to teach here. However, if you feel you could do a better job, then please...come show me

6heatherb6

<<<<<<< Homeschooling parent... Guess yelling at my wife is out of the question huh? :laugh:

Definately!!
Praise her efforts
Get out of her way
All the best :flowerforyou:

blink1021

Referring specifically to public school teachers...

I am a state employee also. I am paid an annual salary less than yours. You are off through the whole of June and July while I work. But you tell me that you can't teach my child for 8 hours a day for 180 days out of the year. This same child that I teach at home and deal with for that remaining time that you don't. Granted, there are other children to teach, but sometimes this is just hard for me to swallow. I actually don't mind paying teachers more, but I do want them to teach my child and not give up halfway through the year just because she is one of your more challenging students.

Thank you I agree and then they want you to start taking time off of work to meet with them on their schedule. I understand it is my child but you can't meet me halfway. In order for me to meet you in the middle of the day I have to take the whole day off of work. My son was sick one day and I was called by the teacher to come and get him thats fine but I work 30 min away and I told them this. Twenty seconds after I hung up the phone I was called back and told if I am not ther in 10min they would call DSS and have them pick my son up. I cannot shorten my commute and before anyone starts I do not send my son to school sick. If he has a fever or is visibly sick he does not go.

onefitdiva

My only problem with teaching is the tenure, not the salary or benefits. I have seen teachers stay way past retirement. Usually these are the same teachers who have lost their passion and patience for it and the children. The ones who suffer are the kids. They need to recognize when they just do not have the ability to be effective in promoting a learning environment and make way for young, enthusiastic teachers who have so much to offer. I do think however teachers get a lot "heat" from people who have no clue tho, my aunt is a teacher, she puts up with a lot but loves it every day.

That_Girl

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

Shannon2714

First off, I am a teacher.

I teach in a community/technological college. I see the product of the American education system and all I can say is that if I worked on a production line and put out that kind of a product, I would be fired.

I enjoy teaching older students because they recognize the value of spelling and grammar as well as making a study schedule. They work hard and expect a lot from themselves.

The younger group, for the most part, have no clue what a study schedule is, expect to not have homework, can't spell, have no concept of capitalizing the first word of a sentence or using punctuation, and can't do simple math without a calculator. Additionally, they have no research skills, believe any of the Wiki sites are suitable for research papers, copy and paste without citations, and then wonder why I gave them an 'F' on their paper.

I have to re-teach every student who comes out of schools these days. I have to have them bring in calendars and create a study schedule. I have to explain to them how to take notes, how to do assignments, and how to study for tests. I still have students that will ask me what is on the tests because they can't seem to grasp an understanding of what is important and what isn't important, even when I stand up and say, "Now this is important, so pay attention."

They want every test to be a multiple choice test. They panic when they have to write out a paragraph for short answer essay. Half the time I have to find an interpreter to read their printing. They don't know how to write in cursive. Those that do write must be going on to be doctors because I sometimes have to ask who the paper belongs to or what it says.

They call me at all hours of the day, and sometimes at night, because everything is an 'emergency'. They can't follow the syllabus. Most don't hand in assignments on time and some even insist that the assignments are optional according to the school. If they were optional, would I have assigned them points and included the points in the final point count?

Few students coming out of school have logic or reasoning abilities. They can't read well enough to understand the material that is presented to them. Simple words stump them, so you can imagine what larger words associated with Anatomy and Physiology do to them. They can't form complete sentences and half their sentences make no sense.

I wouldn't worry so much if this was just one or two students coming out of highschool. Unfortunately, this has been about 95% of the students coming out of highschool. That's another thing: I put the number of points that they get correct on their test and they can't figure out the percentage that they got on the test. I have to do it for them!!

What people don't realize is that the ACT, PSAT, and SAT (tests used for college placement) have been dumbed-down so that the students today can get an acceptable score! Otherwise, there would only be Asian, Middle East, African, and European students in our colleges and universities.

Do I think that teachers deserve a raise? Not when they are producing the students that I have to re-teach every block.

The raises that teachers receive should be tied to how well their students do. Yes, there are students whose parents don't encourage them. Yes, there are students who don't want to crack open a book. I've had some of those as well. You motivate them. You talk with the parents and motivate them as well. If they are not interested in their child's education, then you talk to Social Service and Child Protection.

I homeschooled both my children from fifth grade on. Why? My daughter kept being passed on to the next grade even though she could not read, so I took the reins and pulled her out of school. She is an avid reader now and an electrician. My son kept getting beat up in fifth grade by a gang of girls. They didn't just beat up him, they beat up other boys as well. He ended up with a concussion and fractured ribs, so I pulled him out of school. This happened in the playground in front of playground monitors, by the way! He is now an honor student at Penn State. They both scored higher than children who went through public and private schooling on their placement tests.

We live in a society where knowledge is necessary to make a living, yet our students are not being educated well enough to prepare them well enough to make a living. They can't balance their check books, read, write, think for themselves, think logically, perform math, etc. They don't have the motivation to do anything other than what is asked of them. They need their hands held for just about everything. In Europe, adolescents are cognizant of the world and their place in it. In America, adolescents are cognizant of only themselves and what's in it for them.

I blame this on a school system who wants to make every child feel good. The every child is a winner concept is ridiculous because it makes children less motivated. Why excel if you are not going to be recognized for what you do? So every child produced will be mediocre at best and that is pretty much what I am seeing in the community colleges today.

I was going to pick which parts to cut out and which parts to quote, but it all fits with where I am going. I was a stay at home mom for over 7 years and am now going back to school full time. Seeing the work put out by some of my "peers" makes me physically ill. 18, 19, 20 year olds with horrendous grammar, terrible spelling, etc. I don't understand for the life of me how these students even graduated high school let alone got accepted into college!!! THEIR teachers are the ones that should be fired.

MaximalLife

It's not so black and white. There is so much wrong on so many levels. SO many parents don't do their part, and So many teachers don't do there's. I'm in and out of different classrooms every day, I see many excellent teachers, and I see many horrible teachers.
To me, it's not really a matter of who's to blame. The fact is that as a nation, we are failing our students. And something different needs to be done.

I have two graduated, one graduates this year and one next year. If I had to do it again, no way in hell would my kids be in this school system.

^^^^^^^^^
THIS

_binary_jester_

My only problem with teaching is the tenure, not the salary or benefits. I have seen teachers stay way past retirement. Usually these are the same teachers who have lost their passion and patience for it and the children. The ones who suffer are the kids. They need to recognize when they just do not have the ability to be effective in promoting a learning environment and make way for young, enthusiastic teachers who have so much to offer. I do think however teachers get a lot "heat" from people who have no clue tho, my aunt is a teacher, she puts up with a lot but loves it every day.

The union allows them to "coast", just like many here that have adapted the KMA attitude because they are just waiting for retirement.

jennajava

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

drog2323

It also blows my mind that people say, "Must be nice to get off at 3:30."

I also am already at work before you're even awake, genius. It evens out.

I am not debating you. but I know lots who are into work at 7am or 730am and are working until 6pm or later. and during the evenings. Not that it's a pi$$ing contest. just saying.

I'm ALL for working less, more holidays and more pay! I don't see working ridiculous long hours as a badge of honor. So more power to those who work less and have a great balance!

That_Girl

My daughter goes to a great public middle school. I work with her when I get home. I made sure she could READ in 1st grade.

I teach 5th grade and most of my children come to me at 2nd grade level...or they do not speak English.

Stop judging what you do not know. I'm a woman, not a miracle worker.

_binary_jester_

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

We have a pretty fair-sized list of school supplies we purchase every year, in addition to the school fees and property taxes.

Not complaining, just sayin'.

CathiAnne

Teacher here - college level. I hear you loud and clear and couldn't agree more. Same issues, just moved to college.

Shannon2714

Before I get attacked, I taught elementary emotional support to put myself through grad school and my husband is a teacher for kids with autism..so it's not like I don't understand. I'm now a school psychologist and work in a school for end of the line kids with behavioral problems. While I agree full-heartedly that teachers do not get the respect that they deserve, I do not believe that most are underpaid or overworked <---in most situations// Again, I have all the respect in the world ...for MOST teachers.

Teaching should be something that you love to do. I get so angry when I hear teachers tell me that they are not paid enough to deal with *that* kid or spend that much time doing lesson plans. It's your job! If you don't absolutely love working with kids and you are outraged at the salary that you make, you should probably do something else.

I agree. My husband loves his job. Yes, it's stressful at times....yes, he has the occasional "difficult" child...but, he has wanted to teach his entire life. He rarely complains, and when he does, it's simply to let off a little steam and then he's good.

TeeRaceFisher

I always respected teachers, but then I married into a family of all teachers and it tripled my love and admiration of them. It is CRAZY the amount of work, time, effort and LOVE that these people put into their jobs. One of my brother-in-laws teaches middle school civics- he chose to stay in that job at a small rural farm town school without any pay raises,(but insurance copay increases) because he wants the best for the kids. Even though he was offered non-teaching jobs. He gives up personal days to help kids who are struggling, he spends his weekends and afternoons coaching the basketball team. Our other family members give up just as much UNPAID time to help their students,and people complain because they get a holiday off when office workers don't? (and believe me, family holidays are often cut short due to the teachers needing to finish preparations or grading)

These people are responsible for the education, and more often than not, entire upbringing of future generations. Shouldn't they be treated with a bit more respect and compensated fairly for their efforts?

meg7399

Woah...teachers get paid in the summer? I don't!!! I signup for summer school so I can have some income. I also have 2 part time jobs. Missouri makes it so you have to get your M. Ed. I did...spent a year unemployed because who wants to pay for an over-qualified teacher??? I now have 30,000 in student loans!!! I make before taxes, union dues, health insurance, appox $41,000 and thats Master level pay. Its livable, but I am barely making a dent in my loans. I have seen teachers easily get fired numerous times, so unions don't protect us that well. I am expected to be a teacher, a nurse, parent, counselor, social worker, chef, bathroom attendent, friend and baby sitter with my kids. Its a hard job that requires constant training! Its not a nine to five job. I get here at 7am and I am home by 5:30...and I do bring work home with me. So much wrong with everything!

That_Girl

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

We have a pretty fair-sized list of school supplies we purchase every year, in addition to the school fees and property taxes.

Not complaining, just sayin'.

Nice! We have nothing.

espruell

Teachers should be paid in gold bullion and be allowed to retire at age 45. If it was left up to me, just based on my experience with homework with my ONE child, our nation's children would not only be uneducated but I would have murdered them all by the second day of school.

Thank god for teachers!!!

Applause!!!!!

UsedToBeHusky

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

We have a pretty fair-sized list of school supplies we purchase every year, in addition to the school fees and property taxes.

Not complaining, just sayin'.

^^ This

That_Girl

Woah...teachers get paid in the summer? I don't!!! I signup for summer school so I can have some income. I also have 2 part time jobs. Missouri makes it so you have to get your M. Ed. I did...spent a year unemployed because who wants to pay for an over-qualified teacher??? I now have 30,000 in student loans!!! I make before taxes, union dues, health insurance, appox $41,000 and thats Master level pay. Its livable, but I am barely making a dent in my loans. I have seen teachers easily get fired numerous times, so unions don't protect us that well. I am expected to be a teacher, a nurse, parent, counselor, social worker, chef, bathroom attendent, friend and baby sitter with my kids. Its a hard job that requires constant training! Its not a nine to five job. I get here at 7am and I am home by 5:30...and I do bring work home with me. So much wrong with everything!

Our salaries are spread out over 12 months. That's all.

I have been teaching 11 years and brought home 33,000 last year. I don't complain about my salary. I have never marched for a raise, etc. I became a teacher because I love it...not for the money. I have lived comfortably, albeit paycheck to paycheck, but who doesn't these days?

I, too, have about 28,000 in student loans (since 1998! The interest just grows! UGH!) But I was told to wait to get your Masters as you won't be hired at entry level with a Masters and they don't want to pay.

I really hate the politics of the educational system. I just love to teach. Last year's class was SO AWESOME! We had a ball and most kids went up 2 levels on the state exam. I was in heaven. This year...it's trying my patience and I'm a bit frustrated, but...they can be taught. I just have to up my game a bit.

Pollywog39

I'd pay them babysitting wages.

$300 X 180 = $54,000. (Just a minute, I think my calculator needs batteries.)

...they could get the minimum wage, and instead of just babysitting, they could read the kids a story. We can round that off to about $5.00 an hour, times five hours, times twenty children. $5.00 X 5 X 20.

That's $500 a day times 180 days. That's $90,000.

Babysitting wages are too good for those teachers. Did anyone see a salary guide around here???!

that's perfect!!!!

lol........................................

In our district, the HIGHEST level teacher with a PhD and more than 9 yrs of experience makes $67,281. They get a longevity raise after 15, 20, and 25 yrs of seniority. Our benefits are pretty decent, but as in all things, they are going down each year. Yes, they get summer vacation, winter recess, and spring recess......and staff development days, etc.........but I love how you put the numbers together based on babysitting wages and such.

As I said earlier, you could not PAY me enough to be a teacher in today's world. Just the basic lack of respect is disgraceful........these people are with our CHILDREN for 9 months out of the year! They must jump through hoops, fill out forms, update websites on the kids grades, etc daily, be professionally-developed constantly (which pulls them out of the classroom, and disrupts the cycle). and this doesn't include the "kid contact" time..................unless you are in the school on a very regular basis, people just do not GET it. They remember how school was when they were kids (especially people of my age group - over 50), and they think "what's the big deal?" It IS a big deal......and the changes aren't necessarily for the better.

Teachers have my utmost respect!

jennajava

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

We have a pretty fair-sized list of school supplies we purchase every year, in addition to the school fees and property taxes.

Not complaining, just sayin'.

Awesome for those teachers. I work in a Title 1 School District. This means the majority of the children live below the poverty line. They don't buy the things on that list, because they can't.

jennajava

Woah...teachers get paid in the summer? I don't!!! I signup for summer school so I can have some income. I also have 2 part time jobs. Missouri makes it so you have to get your M. Ed. I did...spent a year unemployed because who wants to pay for an over-qualified teacher??? I now have 30,000 in student loans!!! I make before taxes, union dues, health insurance, appox $41,000 and thats Master level pay. Its livable, but I am barely making a dent in my loans. I have seen teachers easily get fired numerous times, so unions don't protect us that well. I am expected to be a teacher, a nurse, parent, counselor, social worker, chef, bathroom attendent, friend and baby sitter with my kids. Its a hard job that requires constant training! Its not a nine to five job. I get here at 7am and I am home by 5:30...and I do bring work home with me. So much wrong with everything!

Take your pay, divide it by 12. That's how we get paid.

TDGee

Just the other day I was yachting with a few pubic school teachers, we dined on a lovely pheasant and caviar fresh from Russia.

Pubic school? Is that like one of the performing arts schools, but specialized for the adult entertainment industry? This is awesome!!
I wanna be a teacher there!! :bigsmile: :laugh:

fudgebudget

The average national salary for teachers in the U.S. is $49,720. That's a decent salary.

I'm personally kind of tired of the rhetoric myself. I hate to be "that guy", but Teaching is something you need to have a calling to or a love of. A large majority of teachers fit into that category, but there are those that saw teaching as a profession where you get 3 months off each year.

I am tired of every time they want to raise our taxes, the "Save the Children" , "Educate or Future" banners are thrown up.Personally, I spent as much time teaching my daughter's as they got in school. I have spent a fortune on schoolbooks, supplies and events.

I salute those teachers that make a difference in our children's life, but I have no use for the politics. If they are not happy, choose another profession.

Go ahead. Beat me up.

That average salary means that half the people in the profession make less than $49,000. In New Mexico where I live, a teacher's minimum salary is $28,000. If you start in the mid-$30k's here then you're making more than a lot of teachers.

Also, cost of living is a huge consideration. A teacher making $49k in San Francisco or Manhattan is going to be eating a lot more ramen than someone making $49k in Idaho.

That_Girl

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

We have a pretty fair-sized list of school supplies we purchase every year, in addition to the school fees and property taxes.

Not complaining, just sayin'.

Awesome for those teachers. I work in a Title 1 School District. This means the majority of the children live below the poverty line. They don't buy the things on that list, because they can't.

Me too. South Central Los Angeles. We can't even send home supply lists to the parents.

_VoV

<<<<<<< Homeschooling parent... Guess yelling at my wife is out of the question huh? :laugh:

Definately!!
Praise her efforts
Get out of her way
All the best :flowerforyou:

My kids are older now (16 and 19), but we home schooled both of them. My oldest is in his first year of law school, my youngest is finishing up her associate's degree. These were kids who were very poorly served in public school for various reasons, and it wasn't because they were geniuses. They aren't little Einsteins--just average kids who needed to be taught to their talents, and otherwise left alone to explore.

I am not politically conservative in the least, but would just like schools to go back to emphasizing academic excellence. Let kids learn at their own pace; don't dumb down, and don't whip kids with learning differences to perform beyond their abilities and make them feel like total failures.

I think the educational system in the US is broken, and needs a major reinvention. Until that time, I think throwing money at it isn't going to help. And, yes, I think teachers work very hard, and deserve to be paid well, but I think unions hurt their cause by making people resent that they keep the bad apples at work and advocate for payment methods that do not reward the best teachers.

iuangina

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

We have a pretty fair-sized list of school supplies we purchase every year, in addition to the school fees and property taxes.

Not complaining, just sayin'.

Awesome for those teachers. I work in a Title 1 School District. This means the majority of the children live below the poverty line. They don't buy the things on that list, because they can't.

Me too! I have to find ways to make the little bit of school supplies we get from a local charity last all year.

Dnc2Luz

Hot topic for sure. I workout with many teachers, and I hear you. It's easy to negative. Wish teahers and parents both peace. .

drog2323

And as far as I know, my district doesn't pay for the Masters program. LOL We don't even have writing paper for our kids!

THIS! All you teacher bashers, do YOU buy all of the supplies for your job? Because I do!

I think you are forgetting the small business owners (and micro business owners) - like myself. I work my *kitten* off. I buy my supplies. I do my own business development. I do my own work. I am the IT guy. I am the mail guy. but HEY...I am not complaining. because I CHOSE this profession. Just like the teachers did!

seriously, why are some teachers on here bashing those who aren't teachers. Just because you buy your supplies (and trust me, I know you do..and I KNOW you spend a LOT OF $$$ And time on doing outside work)...but don't think you are the only ones.

#GRINDING daily.