S-state/county/town/school
T-taxes
A-applied
R-rectally

I will start by saying this: You guys have no idea what you are talking about.  1.  It is ILLEGAL for teachers to strike so that is never going to happen.  2.  Instead of striking, we (yes, I'm a teacher) simply  do our jobs.  Here's what I mean:  At my school (all schools are different) we are required to be there from 7:40 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.  So, we wouldn't strike, we would go in together at 7:40 and leave together at 2:35.  We wouldn't stay after to help students.  You may think that sounds horrible but it leads me to my third point.  3.  We don't get paid for staying after school.  How many of you work at your job for free?  In my first few years of teaching, I sepnt about 2 hours a night (on average) getting things ready.  How many of you a) bring your work home and b) don't get paid for working on it?  How many of you go to meetings as part of your job and don't get paid for it?  How many of you go through 45 HOURS of REQUIRED training and get $111 for it?  How many of you go to work, go home, and come back for parents' night and don't get paid for it?  You want to talk about not being able to pay your bills?  I have been teaching for 6 years and I still only make $38,000.  For 3 years, I coached my school's trivia team FOR FREE because it wasn't in the contract so I couldn't get paid for it.  I put in about 35 hours a year doing that FOR FREE.  4. School is the only place where people (students) show up, DO NOT do what they are supposed to, and think it is perfectly OK.  What I mean is 95% of all students are , at some time, off task and misbehaving.  But nobody sees a problem with that.  Everyone says, "You can't yell at my kid!"  Well, how many of you have a job where you have to "babysit" the people under you.  Teaching is 99% babysitting, discipline, paperwork, and meetings.  It is only 1% teaching.  If I only kept the students who truly wanted to learn Biology (my subject) I would have about 5 students per class.  Nobody goes into a restaurant and trashes the place, no body goes to the movies and beats up the pocorn vendor.  But kids come into school EVERY DAY and REFUSE to learn.  So why are they coming?  So, if you think I make too much money because I work more hours than I get paid for with kids who don't care if I do my job (not to mention my job depends on them doing well, even though they sleep through class or go to the bathroom for 10 minutes everyday during my class) maybe you should become a teacher and ask for less money.  By the way, if you can read this, thank the underpaid, underappreciated teacher that taught you.

First, you are absolutely correct when you say that school has become nothing more than a babysitting service. A very expensive babysitting service at that. And I also agree that parental involvement is key!!

Second, I strongly suggest that you look for other employment where you are able to make a difference. Cause from what you are saying, it is a 'no win situation'. Come join us in the private sector world.  Perhaps you may like that better! I know a few teachers who have left the teaching profession and have gotten excellent private sector jobs. This appears to be a profession that is not for you right now.

Third, there are some excellent teachers out there that do stay after school and give a lot of their time for the kids. And I do see them making a positive difference.

And last, I can't help but comment on your comment about working for free. No most wouldn't. But we are also not reaping the benefits that the public sector employees are reaping. If I sexually abused one of my co-workers, I would clearly be dismissed WITHOUT pay!!! And the taxpayer wouldn't have to pay for me OR the person(substitute) that had to replace me. And maybe you do make $38,000/year, but what is your TOTAL benefit package worth?

I do have a great respect for our educators! They are, in part, the people who shape our future through our youth. But I have to believe that in a  private sector job, most people would look elsewhere for employment if they were that disgruntled at their job. I don't see thousands of teachers, cops or state workers leaving their jobs to seek new employment. I can only assume it is their benefits that keep them there. That is what they tell me anyway!

And welcome to the message board and thanks for sharing your information with us. Perhaps you can shed some light on the situation and perhaps there are things we, as a community can do to improve the present existing conditions.

I could never be a teacher,,,,,I would paddle the kids......

Most of us who worked in the private sector never got the summer off, 1 week off for Christmas Vacation, 1 week off for spring recess, any every single holiday that comes along. Teachers should put in extra time every day to make up for some of the time they get off. You have many valid points about the way kids are today in school and I for one would like to see discipline brought back into the schools as there would be a lot more respect shown to teachers and other adults. There have been other states where teachers have gone out on strike and schools around here have had late starts due to teachers strikes. Some of us in the private sector got 2 weeks vacation for 10 years b4 we got a 3rd weeks vacation. I could be forced to work for 50 hours on any given week if the company deemed it necessary, never got a summer vacation for 15 years until I got enough seniority to bid on 1 week vacation. If I messed up at work I'd be fired on the spot and would lose my pension as well. So you see your job as a teacher isn't as tough as you thought. Besides that many of us would volunteer our time after work to be little league coaches, scoutmasters, and volunteer fireman and you don't get paid for that either.

What a sad post... Just sad.  To think, that a person charged with educating our children would take such an approach to their career is beyond me.  I feel that both Mohonasen and Schalmont are excellent school districts.  I have always been glad that my children attended Mohonasen, but never spiteful towards another district.  However, after reading that post, I am glad that no one close to me has studied under a teacher with such a negative attitude toward his or her career.  Shame on you!

My husband has worked 29 years for the same employer.  3 weeks vacation, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, 4th of July,Labor Day and Memorial Day off. 5 personal and/or sick days.  Our standing joke at the end of the year is wondering how much the pay cut will be for the following year.  No pension, only what we have saved through the years, not even an employer match anymore.  As for the valid points you make about SOME of the kids?  I thank you for your valiant efforts to educate them. Your job is definately not an easy one.  I had a couple of teachers in school that had such an impact on the molding of my overall life, I still think of them on ocassion.  I would hope all teachers strive to be one of those.  I agree with Bumble, maybe you ought to look for other employment,  you seem very unhappy with your current position.

And yes, welcome to the board.

I am 45 hours required every week and many times more are required and get the same pay every week...You need to get a taste of the real world...you have it made..

Teaching is an honorable and admirable profession.  I know many teachers, they are awesome motivators of kids.  It is sad that this one has clearly forgotten his/her mission.

I agree with you Renee. This is clearly not a person who should be educating children.  To say that 95% of kids have something wrong with them and to boast about how they go into school right at 740 am and do not stay to help the kids that need help speaks volumes about this particular teacher and perhaps many others.  He/she actually thinks that taxpayers in the district will look favorably on them as a group for using these tactics.  38,000 after 6 years of teaching is definitely not enough to pay a qualified, motivated educator, with a Masters, but the Biology teacher that wrote the post above certainly does not deserve 38,000 to be teaching our children.  Who is this teacher anyway?  I understand the whole union mentality, but where's the integrity of a person like this that seems to put the children last?  Shame on the school administration for hiring such a person.  They need to do much more thorough checks of potential teachers before they are hired.  Try the private sector ...........

Wow.  Ok I apologize for sounding so harsh.  I'm not complaining about my job.  I love my job.  I couldn't imagine doing anything else.  I am stressing all of these points because I am sick and tired of people complaining about teachers.  My only goal was to point out things that many people don't know about teaching because they are not teachers.  You may not believe this, but I am proud of the fact that I never bad mouth another profession.  I learned early on that if I don't want people complaining about my job, I'd better not complain about theirs.

You should  read more carefully.  I never said that I go in right when I'm supposed to and leave as soon as I can.  It doesn't speak volumes of me because I never said I did it.  I said that (if it comes down to it) teachers do that because we're not allowed to strike.  I never said that 95% of kids have something wrong with them.  I said at some point they are misbehaving.  How many of our children are PERFECT angels?

Shame on me?  Shame on all of you that bash teachers without being one.  You have no idea, just like I don't know what it is like to work at IBM, or a nurse, or a cop, or a construction worker, or a lawyer, or a politician.  So, I keep my mouth shut about those professions.

I comprehend the difficulties of working in the private sector.  No job security, sometimes no pensions, horrible benefits, little vacation.  But now who is complaining?  It is not my fault that not everyone chose to be a teacher.  If my "benefits" are too good to be true, why didn't you all become teachers?  No body stopped you.  You could have had what I have.  You can't cry foul if you didn't take an opportunity that you clearly had as much as I.  Again my goal was to bring to light things that people may not know and should consider before complaining about teachers.  By the way,  I feel that education should not be paid for by taxes.  It is unfair in many ways.

You are right, education should not be paid for by taxes. And the MAJORITY of ones education isn't paid for by taxes. Education is what a person learns to do. School is just a means and resource to add to ones education and we extract from it what we can, like wringing out a wash cloth. Education is life long and doesn't just exist in some building that is heated/cooled with windows and doors. Education is what a person learns as a child to make important and the 'paid teachers' certainly are not the main source of educators.
The tax paying public, again, has shouldered the system with certain responsibilities that should have never been given over to such entities, just because money is involved---the same old line "I want what I deserve, I pay taxes, 'they' should do this and 'they' should do that." What we are basically saying is that we want to pay someone else to shoulder our responsibility---no different than the silly thought that social security is exactly that, social security and a good retirement......what a misnomer......

I wasn't complaining about my job either it paid my bills, it fed my 4 kids, paid my mortgage, and enabled me to buy some of the nicer thin gs in life. I was just pointing out that every job has some drawbacks and if you like your job you learn to put up with them. I also had a nice benefit package, pension, 401k matched by company, health care paid for by company, life insurance paid for by company, dental paid for, and security. There are trade offs that must be accepted in order to get a good job as the companies need to be profitable in order to pay for salaries and benefits. Teachers get good pay and benefits that are paid by the taxpayers thru their property tax and at this period in time taxes are going up faster than their incomes are. The people in NYS can't afford to keep paying more in income tax, property tax, sales tax, and all the other taxes that this state levies. All we're saying is that there must be caps placed on some of these taxes or in the future we won't be able to afford to live in this state. If you've read our other posts we also don't approve of the amount of money the police officers get when they retire either as we have to pay for that as well. Look at the other side of the coin b4 condemning us for complaining that we can't keep paying these high taxes, you'll be in our shoes when you reach retirement age.

I don't complain about my job. If I am truly that unhappy at my job I will seek new employment and leave. I've done it in the past and would do it again in a heartbeat. But I will say that I would take a job at $38 grand/year and have all the holidays, including the federal and state holidays, winter recess, spring recess and the summers off. Couple that with all of the benefits and it's a cake job!

Yes it is a cake job. Even though I do respect our educators, and there are some really great ones out there, I also know that it would take almost an act of congress to get one of  you guys/girls fired. Even though it is well deserved. I have relatives and good friends who are teachers. Some have opted for substituting. And ya know what the subs say? That they can work every single day cause so many teachers take time off. So here we are the taxpayer, paying for the teacher's salary AND the substitute. WE CAN'T AFFORD IT ANYMORE!

And teaching is not my forte. I am gifted in another field, which I love. And thank God it is in the private sector world where benefits, unions or days off don't keep me at a job I don't like.

I guess I didnt realize the teachers pay, i couldnt live on it....I guess thats why i didnt choose to be one....I have a great pension, health benefits...5 weeks vacation...holidays, just have to work a little harder( longer ) for it...your job really isnt to good to be true.....I chose the money, I thought you chose the children...