Teacher handcuffed leaving school board meeting

[sam_gordon]

$24K per year is $10/hour.

Oh good grief, it was ROUNDED, not exact numbers. In fact, you said $20K which I am sure is ROUNDED as well.

So you're rounding from $11.53 down to $10 to prove a point and it's ok? That's the difference between $24K and $20,800. I apologize that I rounded $20,800 down to $20K.

If you look back, you'll even see where I "showed my work". I thought teachers liked that.

 

[sam_gordon]

You don't consider a single public servant, receiving a substantial raise when 100's of other public servants haven't received a single, even small one in 10 years an injustice, which BTW means "an unfair act"?
While I don't think I would have stayed on the job that long if I was one of those teachers, the fact that it even happens that way is pretty appalling.

You are correct. I was wrong in my statement.

 

[monsterkitty]

I got promoted to management just over two years ago. The first two winters, my office wouldn't get above 55 degrees despite the heat being on all day. I had the HVAC crews out to make sure everything was working. It was. My office was just cold. After two years of suffering, this year I finally got a space heater. Despite temperatures in the teens or single digits, I haven't been cold in my office yet this year. Now, should the company make sure the environment is conducive to work? Of course. But I finally took matters into my own hands and fixed my own problems.

Teachers aren't the only ones suffering through poor pay, cold (or hot) working locations, and not getting respect. Should they be paid more? Yes. Should schools have functioning heat and AC? Yes. But complaining on an anonymous internet message board gets you no where. Find another school. Find another job. Get into administration. Yes, everyone complains about their job. But I swear I don't hear about it as much as I do from teachers.

Sorry, but education isn't like the real world. I have 29 years in my district. If I were to move to another district, I would only be given credit for 5-7 years, depending on the district. Most professions reward for years of experience when you move from one district to another. Education does not. I can also only move districts if others districts haven't already cut instrumental music.

I can't have space heaters in my room because of fire codes. They're a little different than in the real world. I'm a big kid. I can dress appropriately for the conditions. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for the kids. You know, the future of our country. You don't think I've brought the concerns up?

I'm not interested in going into admin or leaving my school. I'm there for the kids. Not me. I love the kids I teach. I'm not complaining about conditions for me. I'm complaining about the conditions that our students have to learn in. There's a difference. I'm fighting for my kids, not me.

 

[DawnM]

So you're rounding from $11.53 down to $10 to prove a point and it's ok? That's the difference between $24K and $20,800. I apologize that I rounded $20,800 down to $20K.

If you look back, you'll even see where I "showed my work". I thought teachers liked that.

And there we go. Yup, you need to have the last word. I am not even going to dignify this with an argument.....it is ridiculous.

 

[amberpi]

55 degrees? It sounds like ya'll work in the gulag. I'm actually not kidding when I ask this, aren't there labor laws against such working conditions? I can't imagine having children and trying to teach them in such an environment, but I'm genuinely concerned. Teacher, adult, child, whatever, that does not sound like it should be ok.

 

[sam_gordon]

Sorry, but education isn't like the real world. I have 29 years in my district. If I were to move to another district, I would only be given credit for 5-7 years, depending on the district. Most professions reward for years of experience when you move from one district to another. Education does not. I can also only move districts if others districts haven't already cut instrumental music.

If I left my company (after 27 years), I would have credit for 0 years.

I can't have space heaters in my room because of fire codes. They're a little different than in the real world. I'm a big kid. I can dress appropriately for the conditions. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for the kids. You know, the future of our country. You don't think I've brought the concerns up?

I'm genuinely curious. Does the HVAC not work or is there not one?

 

[monsterkitty]

55 degrees? It sounds like ya'll work in the gulag. I'm actually not kidding when I ask this, aren't there labor laws against such working conditions? I can't imagine having children and trying to teach them in such an environment, but I'm genuinely concerned. Teacher, adult, child, whatever, that does not sound like it should be ok.

It's actually the law that sets my classroom up for the environment. My room is in the middle of the building, with no windows or outside air source. By law, they must bring the air in from outside. It's like when you go to the movies in the winter and it's really cold in the theatre. They're bringing air in from outside. So whatever the air temp is on the roof that is being pumped into my room, that's the temp in my room.

I do have to say that I truly enjoy when it snows in my room. Yes, snows. If the snow is coming from just the right direction, it will come in through the intake vent. It breaks up the day a bit and we can all sing, "Do you want to build a snowman?" It's fun! When "Frozen" came out, many students brought me Olafs. He's become the class mascot.

 

[sam_gordon]

It's actually the law that sets my classroom up for the environment. My room is in the middle of the building, with no windows or outside air source. By law, they must bring the air in from outside. It's like when you go to the movies in the winter and it's really cold in the theatre. They're bringing air in from outside. So whatever the air temp is on the roof that is being pumped into my room, that's the temp in my room.

I do have to say that I truly enjoy when it snows in my room. Yes, snows. If the snow is coming from just the right direction, it will come in through the intake vent. It breaks up the day a bit and we can all sing, "Do you want to build a snowman?" It's fun! When "Frozen" came out, many students brought me Olafs. He's become the class mascot.

I will say that's ridiculous (as well as not being allowed a space heater).

 

[amberpi]

It's actually the law that sets my classroom up for the environment. My room is in the middle of the building, with no windows or outside air source. By law, they must bring the air in from outside. It's like when you go to the movies in the winter and it's really cold in the theatre. They're bringing air in from outside. So whatever the air temp is on the roof that is being pumped into my room, that's the temp in my room.

I do have to say that I truly enjoy when it snows in my room. Yes, snows. If the snow is coming from just the right direction, it will come in through the intake vent. It breaks up the day a bit and we can all sing, "Do you want to build a snowman?" It's fun! When "Frozen" came out, many students brought me Olafs. He's become the class mascot.

Well, ya'll stay safe and warm...that's nuts though!

Regarding years served, in the private sector the more experience, the higher the salary, right?

 

[kirstenb1]

Sorry, but education isn't like the real world. I have 29 years in my district. If I were to move to another district, I would only be given credit for 5-7 years, depending on the district. Most professions reward for years of experience when you move from one district to another. Education does not. I can also only move districts if others districts haven't already cut instrumental music.

I can't have space heaters in my room because of fire codes. They're a little different than in the real world. I'm a big kid. I can dress appropriately for the conditions. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for the kids. You know, the future of our country. You don't think I've brought the concerns up?

I'm not interested in going into admin or leaving my school. I'm there for the kids. Not me. I love the kids I teach. I'm not complaining about conditions for me. I'm complaining about the conditions that our students have to learn in. There's a difference. I'm fighting for my kids, not me.

I understand. I'm a sub, and our local elementary school is 60 yrs old. The rooms are very cold, or run very hot, often adjoining each other! I always wear layers, not knowing the temp of the room, til I get there. The kids and I are usually wearing our winter coats in the colder rooms. I love our teachers, and find they are the least complaining, most humble people I know. If you're not a teacher, but want to see a humorous view of the profession, pull up Gerry Brooks on You Tube. He addresses a lot of the random crap teachers have to deal with, that if you're not there everyday, would go right past you.

 

[StephMK]

55 degrees? It sounds like ya'll work in the gulag. I'm actually not kidding when I ask this, aren't there labor laws against such working conditions? I can't imagine having children and trying to teach them in such an environment, but I'm genuinely concerned. Teacher, adult, child, whatever, that does not sound like it should be ok.

If you want to be appalled, look up Baltimore City school heat. Both lack of heat and the controversy over keeping schools open on over 90 degree days. I’m not there but sounds horrible.

Thankfully, our school has good heat. We have students who sometimes go without heat at home so yes, teachers will fight for temps to protect their students. It is hard enough to keep them focused on a good day, so much harder if they are freezing or melting. And that’s not mentioning hunger or sleep needs.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

But you feel justified in trashing teachers.

It isn't worth discussing with you. You have lost all credibility. I know you need the last word and will comment again......

It's true that the poster you're responding to does need the last word but you're becoming too emotional about this. Just calm down.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, yes, there are whiny teachers just like there are whiny folks in any line of work, but I don't think that the teacher who is the subject of this thread is one of them, at least not in the context that we saw.

I don't think that she stood up and complained about teachers having it rough compared to other workers in other jobs; she complained to her board that funding a substantial pay raise for the Superintendent while simultaneously withholding ALL pay raises for district teaching staff (regardless of individual merit) was poor use of limited district personnel funds. I don't know if she was herself eligible for a raise had one been on the table for teachers, but the board crying poverty and claiming that it had no money available for pay increases to teaching staff for an entire 10 yr period was obviously disingenuous, if they could come up with the cash to to give, in one year, a raise to the superintendent that was equivalent to the annual salary of an entry-level teacher.

It really doesn't matter if other professions have difficult working conditions and low pay; what's in question here is whether a teacher in that district had a legitimate complaint to take to the board regarding poor stewardship of public funds. If the financial situation is actually how she described it, then I think that she certainly did, and furthermore, any resident of the district would have had grounds to raise the same point.

Administrative bloat is a real problem in public education at all levels, and I can say that, because it's the profession I'm in. I'm an administrator, and my work is needed for accreditation, but I don't teach. I'm in higher ed, not K-12, but we have the problem on an even greater scale: schools are over-relying on adjunct faculty and claiming that they cannot afford to hire full-time instructors while at the same time hiring more and more full-time staff in administrative positions (though not usually in my field; you see it more in Admissions, Finance, and Development, especially.)

 

[momz]

Well, yes, there are whiny teachers just like there are whiny folks in any line of work, but I don't think that the teacher who is the subject of this thread is one of them, at least not in the context that we saw.

I don't think that she stood up and complained about teachers having it rough compared to other workers in other jobs; she complained to her board that funding a substantial pay raise for the Superintendent while simultaneously withholding ALL pay raises for district teaching staff (regardless of individual merit) was poor use of limited district personnel funds. I don't know if she was herself eligible for a raise had one been on the table for teachers, but the board crying poverty and claiming that it had no money available for pay increases to teaching staff for an entire 10 yr period was obviously disingenuous, if they could come up with the cash to to give, in one year, a raise to the superintendent that was equivalent to the annual salary of an entry-level teacher.

It really doesn't matter if other professions have difficult working conditions and low pay; what's in question here is whether a teacher in that district had a legitimate complaint to take to the board regarding poor stewardship of public funds. If the financial situation is actually how she described it, then I think that she certainly did, and furthermore, any resident of the district would have had grounds to raise the same point.

Administrative bloat is a real problem in public education at all levels, and I can say that, because it's the profession I'm in. I'm an administrator, and my work is needed for accreditation, but I don't teach. I'm in higher ed, not K-12, but we have the problem on an even greater scale: schools are over-relying on adjunct faculty and claiming that they cannot afford to hire full-time instructors while at the same time hiring more and more full-time staff in administrative positions (though not usually in my field; you see it more in Admissions, Finance, and Development, especially.)

You are spot on in identifying the issue at hand, which is the disparity in pay grades between administrators and staff. This is clearly the issue being debated by the teacher in the original post. And I agree, it is a problem that s not unique to education.

I think where the issue is with all the additional discussion on this thread is a problem that is more specific to the Dis. There is a continual rant concerning teaching conditions, whether it be salary, parent involvement or lack of involvement, hours spent in class vs hours spent preparing/grading/attending events/etc. honestly, it gets tiresome and it depicts teachers as bitter, which is unfortunate.

Having worked in the private sector for 25 years and now teaching, I can tell you, from my experience, teachers are not unique to the issues that are constantly complained about on the dis. In fact, I am finding that teaching is a welcome breath of fresh air compared to the private sector. I find it to be fun and rewarding. While at the same time, I think there is too much monetary value given to administration as compared to staff, however, this is the case even more so in corporate America.

Like others have stated, im tired of the bitter whining from some teachers on the dis, it makes us all look ridiculous.

Btw, I'm enjoying MLK day at home, I plan to spend a couple of hours grading papers, but that's no big deal. In my previous position, I would be working a full day at the office today.

 

[DopeyDame]

55 degrees? It sounds like ya'll work in the gulag. I'm actually not kidding when I ask this, aren't there labor laws against such working conditions? I can't imagine having children and trying to teach them in such an environment, but I'm genuinely concerned. Teacher, adult, child, whatever, that does not sound like it should be ok.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/baltimore-schools-winter-heating.html