Why do so many people have such a false impression about teachers?

Question

I always hear people complaining about how teachers only work 8am-2pm and get 3 months off for summer, therefore they are overpaid and the Unions are just evil organizations that don't teach children anything. I don't know about you, but I believe that developing lesson plans, preparing for parent teacher conferences, actual parent teacher meetings, staff development days, field trips and planning, plus summer school, goes WAY beyond the 8am-2pm myth. Why do people jump to conclusions so quickly? In some ways, I think teachers work harder than CEOs and lawyers but are compensated WAY less.

Answer 1

if the average american would spend two hours in a typical public school classroom as a teacher's helper, then people would get a SMALL IDEA of what teaching is like. i've had parents volunteer with me for half a day on a field trip, and leave exhausted. they always ALWAYS say, "i just don't know how you do this job."

as to "cute but evil's" comments:

*few if any teachers sit in dress clothes in a classroom all day. who wears fancy clothes around kids, with their grubby, marker stained hands? as for sitting...there is no time to "sit." you are *on* and teaching, going from students to student and place to place. sometimes, you might not even have time for a bathroom break, or an adequate lunch break. and yes, as a teacher, your hands DO get dirty, grimy, and germy.

no, you don't "get paid whether you work or not." most teachers get paid MONTHLY (not twice a month like most folks), nine or ten times in the year. you do not get paid in the summer. it is not a "vacation" in the least. some teachers work, or live off of savings. i have elected to have my paycheck cut into smaller chunks so that i can receive 12 checks this year. and after spending nearly 8 hours, 5 days a week, with dozens and dozens of OTHER people's kids, teachers deserve days off. some people can't even stand being around their own kids. imagine educating and practically raising 20 to 100 kids (depending on grade level).....

workers who form unions have every right to strike or make demands. cesar chavez and the farm workers did it. sanitation workers did it with martin luther king. teachers who are unionized should be able to ask for fair compensation. ANY worker deserves fair pay.

Answer 2

When you get a bad teacher, it is tempting to make false generalizations about them all. You are correct in all the things that teachers do. True, their day at school may only be from 8am to 2pm, but they put in a lot of time away from school in preparing their lessons, grading papers etc. It's hard work. Some teachers should not be teaching however, because they really don't have what it takes to understand children, or they seriously lack good communication skills to effectively communicate with parents & children alike. These are the teachers that give some people the impression that teachers have it easy. The vast majority of teachers however, are grossly underpaid for what they do.

Answer 3

I think it comes from people judging people before they have a chance or take the chance to get to know them and their profession. Just because there have been a few bad teachers lately doesn't mean were all bad and we do work way beyond 8-2. We have to arrive by 7:45 am although most teachers/principals arrive at 6:30am and stay until 5:30pm or later. Plus they have homework to do too. Our weekends and weeknights are spend grading papers working on new lessons and activities for our students. Teaching goes way beyond just standing in front of the class telling kids the facts, we support them emotionally and we provide them with skills that will last a life time.

Answer 4

Where would the world be without teachers? Aristotle, Plato, Jesus, Mohammed, Budda, Ghandi, Einstein, etc. - all teachers. I think people who look down on teachers are people who had bad experiences with them, or do not like being in a lower position where they have to listen and admit someone is smarter than they are. Are there bad teachers? Yes, as long as teachers are human there will be bad teachers but there are bad people in every walk of life, there are no more or less in education. Teachers do not get paid commiserate salaries with people who have the same education as they do ( Some one with a BS , MS, or PhD in another area), they choose teaching because they are called to teach more than to collect money. This was my day yesterday 7 30 Meeting, 8 30 - 3 45 taught my classes and on my break had to teach another teachers classes, tutored kids during lunch. 3;45- 5:00 did after school extra curricular activies with students (unpaid) 6 - 10 went to college 10 -12 corrected papers. I do teach summer school, I can not afford to not teach in the summer or have another job. Those three months of vacation are UNPAID. The rent and other bills still need to get paid.

Answer 5

Bless you! That misconception about time has always bothered me. I get to school at 7:30 each morning and NEVER leave before 5:00-6:00. On Fridays I usually stay until 6:30 or 7:00 to prepare for the following week. Now days we are not only preparing lessons - we spend after school time updating websites, structuring technology lessons to supplement our curriculum, and attending in-service trainings or faculty meetings. Our "three months off in the summer" is actually more like 9-10 weeks which is interrupted with week long mandatory courses or trainings. Lots of teachers use their summers to attend graduate school classes as well. Don't even get me started on the hours spent at home grading papers, entering grades in the computer, or going back to school on Saturday and Sunday to catch up on what couldn't be done during the week! Most teachers average between a 50-55 hour work week if not more. People who are critical of teachers should try it for a while. All you have to do is maintain discipline,get in 6 hours of instructional time, play amateur psychologist and nurse, fill in for absent parents, and be a public relation expert - all for $32,000- 60,000 a year with a smile on your face. Any takers?

Answer 6

People have no idea how difficult teaching is. They don't realize that you spend hours and hours outside of class prepping and grading. Not to mention the extra curricular activities you may have to chaperon and so on.

IMO teachers are not paid nearly enough. I have a teaching credential and can make more money and work less hours than I would as a teacher in the private sector.

People who jump to the conclusion that you don't work hard and are overpaid are just ignorant. The answer you got from aarena is one of those ignorant folks who don't understand that teachers teach because they love doing it and want to help kids.

Do you really care what people that ignorant think?

Answer 7

I completely agree. I often get frustrated that teachers get paid so LITTLE relative to the work they do and their importance to society. Someone once pointed out to me that it's because the educational/experience standard to get into teaching is relatively low--a BA and credential, and no work experience. So then there are a lot of people who are "qualified" to do it (even if they're awful teachers), and jobs are easily replaced. This ends in lowering the prestige of the field, and its pay. It also results in many teachers who are lazy and unmotivated, and just work the 8-2, teach their lessons from a teacher's guide, and prove wrong conceptions like the ones you've laid out. Luckily, I think such teachers are in the minority, but they're common enough to uphold these negative stereotypes.

Answer 8

I think that teachers should be more devoted to the kids then always thinking about their salaries and threatening to strike. How can you be doing what's best for the kids when you are always pushing your agendas? It is well known that teachers have always been perceived as underpaid and underappreciated so why do you even go into that profession when you know that you probably won't be happy with the pay?

My hubby works somewhere where he has to work crazy hours, different shifts and he does very hard physical labor but he isn't allowed to strike or complain. He accepts his job for what it is...

I think it must be nice to have a job where you can wear dress clothes and sit in a classroom all day rather than getting your hands dirty...

Most people would give anything to get several weeks off during the school year, half days and three months off during the summer...you guys get salary whether you are working or not so stop complaining...

Answer 9

Of course, teachers are the best! They do more than any other profession. If it wasn't for teachers,there wouldn't be successful people in other fields!
Nowadays, teachers just get no respect! The kids are badder these days, and they have no discipline. The teachers are getting younger and younger these days too! Also, prayer needs to be put back in the school.

Answer 10

I would think its because now days teacher are putting more extracurricular activities in their day with some of the students. Therefore more people are starting to look down on them. Beaside they get paid to teach are kids not to molest are kids.