Reviews for Teachers?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Sliver

We wall spent 12 years (minimum) in school...I think everyone has a pretty good idea what school is all about.

Plus, you don't hear teachers complaining very often during their 100 days off while the rest of us toil away.

I've been in surgery so I can perform it now too?

If being a teacher is so lucrative and easy, doesn't it make you a sucker for not being one?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

According to peter12, there isn't much stopping you from doing it now.

Hop on the free ride gravy train, my man!

Meh, the double-barrel lottery win of being a teacher is made up of the insane amount of time off, but also of the life-long sweet-as-pie, guaranteed pension until the day you die. I realized how awesome teaching was too late for it to be worth it to go back...I'm 37 now so would need two years in school to get my teaching degree, which would mean I'd retire with my pension at like 65. Hopefully with my current job I retire sooner than that, so I'm going to stay the course.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by peter12

This seems to assume that bureaucrats aren't idiots infused with the fatal conceit of knowledge. Even worse.

So you'd take unregulated idiocy over lax oversight idiocy?

Sounds like a winning education program you're setting up there.

Wait, wait, wait, I almost didn't get the joke.

You're accusing people in education of a fatal conceit of knowledge. Phewf, glad I caught that one, I would've taken your post seriously.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Sliver

We wall spent 12 years (minimum) in school...I think everyone has a pretty good idea what school is all about.

Plus, you don't hear teachers complaining very often during their 100 days off while the rest of us toil away.

ah #### are you kidding me. So as a grade 1/2/3 student you had a good grasp of what school was all about and a good grasp of what the teachers do/did all day?


Come on you can't be serious.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I've been in surgery so I can perform it now too?

If being a teacher is so lucrative and easy, doesn't it make you a sucker for not being one?

Yes, it does. I stupidly listened to teachers complain growing up and thought they had a crappy gig. Then when I was older and watching my teacher friends summer on lakes, take week-long ski vacations in December and March, and not worry at all about retirement or job security like the rest of us schlubs, I realized I had made a terrible mistake.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

So you'd take unregulated idiocy over lax oversight idiocy?

Sounds like a winning education program you're setting up there.

Wait, wait, wait, I almost didn't get the joke.

You're accusing people in education of a fatal conceit of knowledge. Phewf, glad I caught that one, I would've taken your post seriously.

I don't tell people what to do. I only insinuate how dumb I really think they are.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

ah #### are you kidding me. So as a grade 1/2/3 student you had a good grasp of what school was all about and a good grasp of what the teachers do/did all day?

Come on you can't be serious.

If I had stopped at grade 3 I might not have a good understanding, but I went on another 13 years, so yes, I have a pretty good handle on the day-to-day goings on in a school.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I have a pretty good handle on the day-to-day goings on in a school.

Ok then, fill us in on the day to day job of a teacher.

[ma-skis.com]

Not a terrible idea for feedback and support. But part of the problem is the definition of what makes a good teacher. Depending on style, approach, age, demeanor, organization, different teachers will succeed in different schools. Much like many business professionals might succeed in one environment over another.

The idea is fine, but the logistics of just implementation seem overwhelming.

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by Sliver

If I had stopped at grade 3 I might not have a good understanding, but I went on another 13 years, so yes, I have a pretty good handle on the day-to-day goings on in a school.

16 years of grade school.... wow.

[TurdFerguson]

Originally Posted by Sliver

The day at my kids' school goes from 8:05 - 2:36. By 3:00 all the teachers' cars are gone (with the exception of the principal and VP...they are often there until after 4:30). They really do work 3/4 of a day and and 2/3 of a year, yet get paid full-time salaries and have an incredible benefits package.

I hope I can convince my kids to become teachers. I wish somebody had guided me in that direction when I was going into university.

Jeez you have a jaded and spiteful view of the school system and the people lucky enough to work in such a posh system. The maddening thing is that you can cherry pick aspects of the system that completely substantiate your views...I just refuse to believe that you can paint the whole lot with that brush.

My experience is very limited and admittedly bias but I know my wife works a hell of a lot harder then most people in my social/professional networks (even with 7 weeks off in the summer) - hell I get 8 weeks vacation in my gig and i work shorter days. I also know there are lots of teachers like her - evidently, not enough though.

your view of teachers sounds like my view drilling engineers

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

16 years of grade school.... wow.

That's when I clue'd in.

He got me again!

This guy is elite.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by TurdFerguson

I don't know if my wife is in the majority or minority but before going on mat-leave she was working 70 hour weeks as a grade 1/2 teacher. The amount of time she spends/spent researching and planning lessons that would be interesting and engaging for her grade 1/2 was crazy, not to mention the hundreds of dollars that she spends monthly at the dollar store making up for funding shortcomings - i kid you not, its a budgetary item in our household.

Counting only instructional time as working time probably isn't fair for most teachers, although I'm sure some work bell-to-bell. To me, that would be like saying that only your client facing time (meetings) was work. I'm sure there is a lot more that goes into your job then just what your client sees.

I don't think she's in the minority - my wife is an elementary teacher and regularly works ~60 hour weeks and it seems pretty common with other teachers I know. The marking and prep actually seems to be a relatively small part of it; a lot of time is spent on things like individualized plans for students, administrative reports, organizing field trips and external programs, dealing with parents, etc. During report card season she's usually still working when I go to bed. Getting 6-7 weeks off in the summer (teachers are back a week or two before students) and 2 weeks at Christmas is nice, though in some respects I'm not sure I'd trade the extra time off for the ability to choose when I take my holidays.

[TurdFerguson]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

I don't think she's in the minority - my wife is an elementary teacher and regularly works ~60 hour weeks and it seems pretty common with other teachers I know. The marking and prep actually seems to be a relatively small part of it; a lot of time is spent on things like individualized plans for students, administrative reports, organizing field trips and external programs, dealing with parents, etc. During report card season she's usually still working when I go to bed. Getting 6-7 weeks off in the summer (teachers are back a week or two before students) and 2 weeks at Christmas is nice, though in some respects I'm not sure I'd trade the extra time off for the ability to choose when I take my holidays.

I totally forgot about IPPs (personalized learning plans for those that learn differently or are 'coded'). Last teaching year year my wife had 32 grade 1/2 kids and had to do 11 IPPs. That means, every topic she was teaching she had to create 12 learning plans/lesson plans....craziness

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

All this commentary from people who aren't teachers.

Spend a week in a school.

However, it is heartening to see that peter12 is in favour of increasing the education budget in the province. I was surprised to see that.

Right, I'm not a teacher, but my wife was. She bailed when it was apparent that I was working way less than her and making way more money. So I definitely have sympathy for teachers and their plight. Its just hard for me to see what teachers are doing in elementary in particular because my wife taught higher grades where there was prep, extra-curricular activities and marking. She worked like a slave.

Originally Posted by TurdFerguson

I don't know if my wife is in the majority or minority but before going on mat-leave she was working 70 hour weeks as a grade 1/2 teacher. The amount of time she spends/spent researching and planning lessons that would be interesting and engaging for her grade 1/2 was crazy, not to mention the hundreds of dollars that she spends monthly at the dollar store making up for funding shortcomings - i kid you not, its a budgetary item in our household.

Counting only instructional time as working time probably isn't fair for most teachers, although I'm sure some work bell-to-bell. To me, that would be like saying that only your client facing time (meetings) was work. I'm sure there is a lot more that goes into your job then just what your client sees.

The budgetary stuff drove me crazy when my wife taught as well. We'd spend a significant amount of money on all kinds of things that almost anyone would agree should be provided.

I know that I'm not going to come across as I mean this, but I find it hard to believe that there is a ton of prep-work for elementary school, particularly in those early years (early years of school, not early years of teaching where they have to design everything from scratch and its clearly very time consuming and demanding). I get that there is time and energy spent for some planning and organization, but teachers have time during the day for that in some prep periods, and then realistically, an hour or two a day should make that doable. I do agree that for higher grade levels its much more difficult and onerous, but honestly speaking, how much prep time can there be for having kids do simple addition math worksheets or simple reading/writing exercises?

[ae118]

Originally Posted by Sliver

We wall spent 12 years (minimum) in school...I think everyone has a pretty good idea what school is all about.

.

Being a student for 12 years means you probably have a pretty good idea of what being a student is all about. It doesn't mean you know a damn thing about teaching.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ma-skis.com]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm 37 now so would need two years in school to get my teaching degree, which would mean I'd retire with my pension at like 65. Hopefully with my current job I retire sooner than that, so I'm going to stay the course.

This is also the type of thinking that traps many teachers into there job of mediocre performance and below average desire.

They think they won't be able to take time to go back to school, or earn x amount of dollars, or retire at a certain age, so they suck it up for another 15-20 years.

I'd hate to think I would ever be in a position where taking time to improve the overall quality of life, particularly when it could potentially be that much better keep me from achieving new goals.

Perhaps systems where adults have the opportunity to go back to school without being punished would reduce the number of employees who are mailing it in in any workplace.

[John Doe]

Originally Posted by peter12

My compensation is commensurate with my education and experience. I also work 84 hour weeks from May to October.

My wife works 84 hours a week from September to June. She has over 20 years experience and a Masters degree. I bet she makes a lot less than you.

She also doesn't have time to post on hockey forums all day.

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

I don't think she's in the minority - my wife is an elementary teacher and regularly works ~60 hour weeks and it seems pretty common with other teachers I know. The marking and prep actually seems to be a relatively small part of it; a lot of time is spent on things like individualized plans for students, administrative reports, organizing field trips and external programs, dealing with parents, etc. During report card season she's usually still working when I go to bed. Getting 6-7 weeks off in the summer (teachers are back a week or two before students) and 2 weeks at Christmas is nice, though in some respects I'm not sure I'd trade the extra time off for the ability to choose when I take my holidays.

My mom has been a teacher for over 30 years and she regularly puts in 9-11 hour days Monday to Friday minimum. And that's only counting the time she physically spends at school. Some days are longer and some are shorter.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

16 years of grade school.... wow.

"I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I'm no dummy."