In response to Barbara DeMille’s March 20 Viewpoint, “Taking a stand,” the story told of her father teaching in 1947 can simply not compare to the reality of teachers today. The teachers’ union is not what it used to be — a group of dedicated, overworked and underpaid employees. Yet the stories go hand in hand with anyone who speaks of teachers in today’s age. Let’s be honest when it comes to teachers in upstate New York. The school year consists of approximately 29 weeks during any given school year. Teachers have two options: receive their salary throughout the 29 weeks or break that down throughout the entire 52-week year. You never work a weekend, you never work a holiday and you get a week of vacation every couple of months. Many teachers also have teachers aides and interns for extra helping hands during the day. You will receive the best benefi ts, from medical insurance to a pension that can not be beat. In my district (Mohonasen) teachers can expect to start their teaching career with a salary of $45,000 and retire around $90,000. See for yourself at www.seethroughny. net. The article really struck a chord with me because on top of all the above, teachers are entitled to an automatic pay raise each year. It is becoming increasing harder for citizens to support our teachers’ salaries simply because the residents of each community struggle to continue to pay the never-ending school tax increase each year. Most of us are not on automatic pay raises each year; we are getting less-significant raises, if any at all, and we are losing our jobs and taking pay cuts. The article states that teachers are one of few groups that “must stand alone as moral examples of compassion and wisdom in our greedy chaos.” This statement spews arrogance. In today’s times, our economy is taking a neverending nosedive. What a slap in the face to all hard-working Americans in our towns and cities that work every shift available, that take their pay cuts, that take that second job to pay the mortgage. We are the ones struggling to get by. Any teacher who is crying over lack of a pay raise next year, please step down from your pedestal and join the real world.
Well said Courtney and with all the money that the teachers make the education of the kids is still below the level it should be. The local unions work for the teachers but the international unions care only about power/greed in order to control the politicians on how they vote and who to get elected to keep the money flowing in to buy the next vote.
Have to come in defense of a teacher, my daughter and others like her. She works in a charter school, does not make anywheres close to the amount mentioned in the article, her health insurance is not that great, very high deductible.
School does not end every day for teachers when the kids leave, there are afterschool meetings, planning for the next days lessons, night events that all teachers are mandated to attend. At the charter school my daughter works at they have Thanksgiving dinner for ALL students and parents who want to go, and the teachers plan the dinner, cook and serve the food. They donate food to send home with students for weekends and holidays as they know the kids that might not have a decent meal if not for the extras. My daughter has bought clothes for some students.
And then report card time, meetings are set up with parents and teachers stay until 6 pm, and the sad part is at least half of the parents never show and don't bother to call to reschedule. Then there are meetings for sp. ed to get extra help for kids.
Many teachers buy school supplies for the kids who need them out of there own pocket. My daughter will order a pizza or bake cookies for her kids etc.
And then the emotional side, teachers see alot that we don't see. The children in pain from broken homes, not enough to eat, clothes way to small or too big etc.
Many teachers bring their work home, I can see it in my daughters eyes.
My daughter loves her job though. The school she works at is doing VERY well on state tests. She gets such a smile telling me improvements the kids have made and how proud she is of them, and more importantly how proud the kids are of themselves. Some parents really couldn't give a crap about there kids, we all know that. So when they have a teacher like my daughter who praises them for good work and lets them know they really are cared about.
There are good and bad in every job, don't we all remember the wonderful teachers who make a difference in our life? And we also remember the ones who couldn't care less.
My daughter had a reading teacher at Martin Luther King School, Mrs. Walker. She was an amazing woman who spent most of her time at the school, days and evenings. She was my daughters inspiration to become a teacher. Sadly she passed away many years ago. My daughter came home crying because they announced it in school. We didn't know she was suffering from cancer, as she didn't tell many people. She just kept on working through the pain because she loved her "children' so very very much. She had a song she taught all her kids about "double consonants" RIP Mrs. Walker.
A teacher in a Charter School is like being a teacher in the private sector there's no comparison in salary, benefits, pension, or health-care. Public sector teachers who are members of the big unions are the ones who abused the system over the years that have created the problem IMHO.
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