Do you have any sympathy for striking teachers?

Question

I don't. I think they are losers that can't get real jobs, who only work 3/4's of the year.

Answer 1

None! The old lie about teachers being underpaid is worthless. In the school district I am living in now the starting salary is $39,800 per year. PLUS they get $400. a year added to their salary for every course they take beyond the Bachelor's degree AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PAYS FOR THE COURSE! Each teacher is entitled to 12 sick days, five personal business day, three "professional improvement" days off with pay. A teacher earning a Masters degree gets kicked up to another salary scale that increases their pay by $9000 a year and my tax dollars have paid for the courses! In addition after ten years a teacher is entiled to a sabatical year to "refresh their skills" NO SYMPATHY AT ALL!!!!

Answer 2

If you support public education, I believe you should support teachers when they strike. If you want to retain and attract good teachers, you have to pay them a decent wage/benefits. I know many fantastic teachers that have left the profession because they simply could no longer afford to remain a teacher. The pay in the private sector was much better. Most of these teachers wanted to own their own homes and support or start their families. It simply could not be done unless their spouse earned a huge income, especially in areas where the cost of living and housing were so high (ie. San Francisco Bay Area). The teachers that decide to remain are making a huge personal and financial sacrifice because they're dedicated to their students. Are there bad teachers out there? Absolutely! But there are bad police officers, bad firefighters, bad soldiers, bad politicians, etc. Every profession has its bad apples. The great majority are hard working and dedicated to their jobs. You can't punish and have blanket opinions of all of them based on a few bad ones.

Keep in mind that while often the strike issue is over salary/benefits, there are often other issues at hand. Please be sure to investigate before making a final judgement. You might be surprised at the working conditions the general public expects teachers to endure.

Judging by many of the responses, it's easy to see the ignorance when it comes to how hard teachers actually work. True, teachers are paid for 9 months of work but have you ever calculated the number of hours a typical teacher works a year? Many teachers I know, including myself, work 60 or more hours a week. Multiply that by the 40 weeks we work a year and it comes to about 2400 hours a year. If you consider a full time worker works 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year, then it comes to 2000 hours a year. In reality, a teacher works 10 MORE 40 hour weeks than a typical full time worker. Please don't be so naive to think that teachers are part time workers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Also, considering the amount of education required to become and stay a certified teacher (4 year bachelors plus a graduate degree) , teachers are not paid well at all (especially when compared to other professions that require similar education).

Teacher hate to strike because they put their students well-being first. Administrators know this and use it against teachers, negotiating with good confidence that a strike is a very low probability. If you see striking teachers, you know that it's come down to the last straw for the teachers and they've probably been offered something that is unreasonable.

I've never had to strike and would only do it as an absolute last resort, knowing how it would hurt my kids. Even as I write this, the teachers in my district have been working without a contract for over a year. I think if this were a profession other than teaching, there would have been a strike long ago.

Answer 3

ok I love this one. I am not sure I what I did wrong because I got 4 weeks vacation this year and have never had a paid holiday. As for striking you really have to look at the big picture because you probably do not have all the facts. For example the district I work in was given money so that the teachers could have a 5% raise in part because median home costs had gone from $134,000 to $318,000 in four years with no raises in district and our district somehow found a way to spend it so we got 2%. Not sure what they did with the other 3%. It is the only job that requires continuing education but provides no tuition help. I would gladly work more hours (or get paid for all of the hours i do work) and cover the summer if they would pay me. I would love to be able to get supplies paid for and not by me. Now my district cannot strike it is part of our negotiated agreement.

Get the whole story and realize that a job that requires a college degree and as much of your life as teaching does should pay as much as any other profession. $28,000 starting is not fair and for a lot of well educated teachers is such a turn off they run after a year. The fear that too much pay will draw bad teachers to the ranks is BS because the kids can smell them a mile away and will chew them up and spit them out in a few days. We are paid for 7.5 hours a day even though I teach 7.5 hours plan and think about lessons that worked and didn't and how I will change the next days lesson to correct things while Joe idiot professional goes home to sleep rest and relax until the next day at work.

Answer 4

Actually, I somewhat share your opinion. Although I think teaching is a real job, unfortunately it seems there are very few real teachers. As for striking, I was always under the idealistic impression people became teachers because they cared about the youth, and hence, the future of America. In reality, it would seem they are more interested in their own well-being. I've never heard of teachers striking for better text books, or smaller class sizes, only larger salaries and more benefits. Sympathy for striking teachers? Not a chance! While they strike, the kids go without their education. Not much dedication among the striking teachers, I guess.

As for their "low pay", the average teacher's salary is $46,000 per year. Oops! I mean 9 months!!

Answer 5

My husband is a teacher and not a loser. He teaches high school special ed, in the past he has had to change diapers, tube feed and has lifted kids so much he has a bad back.He has 18 plus years of education.Teachers may get 2.5 months off but many still go in for meetings and to work in their rooms. They have to pay from their own money for classes to get their certificates renewed every few years.Some work 1 or 2 jobs during break to supplement their income.Where we live $48,000 comes no where near supporting a family.Do you know they do not get paid for striking ?Of course they don't like to do it but living cost money and they want to provide for their families like everyone else.Being a teacher does not mean you should be poor.What if a teacher was paid like a babysitter? 30 kids at $5.00each an hour?I know the answer because my teachers were not losers.I think America's getting a good deal.Also, if teaching is easy money, Why not become one?

Answer 6

I must say that while pay and benefits are most often what make it into the news the teachers are actually striking over issues in their contract. That very often may include smaller class sizes and other things that benefit the students.

If you tally the hours that a teacher works it is more than you think. I bring home at least 2 hours of work each night. I spend hours in workshops and pay for them out of my own pocket. I also pay to keep my license, and I do that by taking additional classes at the university. This is not cheap and it is quite time consuming. It does however help to ensure that we are up to date in the latest things in our field and helps with technology updates.

I pay for many things in my classroom and by things for the students as well (candy, stickers, special paper, etc.). All of my students appreciate these things and it helps as a form of extrinsic motivation.

I am proud of what I do and I am sorry that you feel the way you do. As for striking... I have never striked and hope very much that my school never does. I have a family to provide for. Unless the contract is completely unreasonable, I prefer to work and not strike. I believe that many teachers share my opinion but I also know that there are many who do not share my idea of what is reasonable.

Answer 7

Not really - - I compare the class sizes, the amount of time the school day is (how many hours, and teacher contact time), the length of the school year, and the fact that they can't be found around the school even 5 minutes AFTER the school bell rings and RUSH out with the students to LEAVE at the end of the day ...

AND THEN COMPLAIN how overworked they are?

NO -- The school year is DEFINITELY SHORTER -- Teachers have LESS Students, they even have at least ONE period for "planning" (but where is the Planning -- I see no syllabi, no class outlines, no orderly progression through the course with my children's work, etc etc etc -- so where is the PLANNING anyway?), there is NO working with Teachers in the Evenings, I hear excuses of all kinds as to WHY assignments are NOT graded ... etc etc etc -- so

NO SYMPATHY at all -- ESPECIALLY with the amount of time they have for LIBERAL Vacation Days, LIBERAL Sick Days, Hours that do NOT even make for a Regular Work Day for the AVERAGE Working Parent, they do NOT want to even grade outside of school hours (Gosh -- wish I could live my professional level stuff behind - UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD to finish my work ON TIME -- which meant LOTS of hours of overtime that I am NOT compensated for).

NO SYMPATHY when they won't even schedule a conference with the Child's Parent(s) for a time the Parent is Available -- NO SYMPATHY when they STRIKE, NO SYMPATHY period.

My Mother was trained as a Teacher -- and she started teaching in the 1930s (during the Great Depression) -- she had a circuit and walked/rode farm animals (or carts) to each of the schools in the circuit -- working VERY LONG days -- doing all the work all the time, then going to the next school -- working VERY LONG days, etc etc etc -- SHE did not get to enjoy time off, vacation time, sick leave, helpers, days off, or anything that teachers nowadays do enjoy. SHE DID THE WORK as a Teacher because she LOVED the Profession and was Willing to give all of herself to HER STUDENT's Education -- something I do not see nowadays.


To the teacher who complains about Continuing Education Requirements -- ALL Professions with Certifications (from Medical to Law to Accounting/Finance to any others -- and my Bachelor's Degree was in Accounting/Finance -- and yes, I am Certified) -- ALL require Continuing Education -- for which WE PAY our OWN WAY for those Hours to KEEP our Certifications Current -- and I've done this for several decades NOW MYSELF -- so that Complaint is INVALID at this time. I am sick and tired of hearing the complaints when Teachers will NOT realize that they are NOT the only profession that requires that practicioners HAVE Continuing Education -- and I will bet the Amount of Hours of Continuing Education I HAD to do to keep my Various Financial Certifications in place were FAR GREATER than anything a Teacher has to do in a year. This was on top of the Continuing Education required of all our Military Personnel annually -- yes, annually -- so again, here is another profession heavily requiring continuing training/education too.

Answer 8

None whatsoever. But not for the reasons you listed. Those reasons are bogus.

The real reason I disapprove of striking teachers is that a strike is supposed to hurt the company you work for in order to make them want to meet your demands. Any time that a public service worker, such as a teacher, strikes, they only hurt the people they serve, such as the children. The school districts couldn't care less, except that it makes them look bad.

Answer 9

Dave Hutchings has made a needed valid evaluate his revue. some instructors who've a wealth of journey outdoors the lecture room could have a valuable place to play interior the learning gadget. It might desire to be remembered that some instructors have by no ability fairly left college. by ability of that fact I mean they start up off extensive-unfold college at 5 years of age top by using to 11 years of age the place they enter the secondary training sector till they attain 18years of age. They then enter the two instructor training colleges or college and back back into the extensive-unfold or secondary portion of training. specific; I also have a definite sympathy for the astonishing instructors.

Answer 10

They have very good reason to strike. Many teachers spend an average of $2000.00 of their own money durring the school year on their classrooms. They get paid very little for their time (they don't get paid for all of the overtime they work), and I think our government should get their priorities in order, stop paying themselves so much, and put the money where out future is...in out children!!