My Friend Is a Teacher, And The Boss Sucks! Advice?

[Yeah_Baby]

[Sample00]

just as a side note, since this thread has derailed so much anyways...

my wife, gets a week or so off at Christmas. typically she doesnt have marking to do at this time because she feels that Christmas is a strong family time and she doesnt assign her kids homework that needs to be done right before Christmas. She also doesnt assign homework during the holidays. She does however spend some of this time planning for the next semester.
Spring break is another story. Typically she will get 3 or 4 days off at this time, because she is typically marking or working on projects.
Summer - my wife is out of the school by usually July 10th and returns on August 15th to prep for the coming year.
I dont see 3 months off anywhere in that year.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Then how much time does she get off? I can't be that far off base. There's 8 weeks in the summer, 1 week at Easter, 2 weeks at Christmas, plus Thanksgiving Day, Rememberance Day, Family Day, Labour Day and Victoria Day. That's very close to 3 months dude.

Yeah, and I bet those PD days you had off as a child the teachers sit at home and eat bon bons too.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Yeah, and I bet those PD days you had off as a child the teachers sit at home and eat bon bons too.

I didn't count a PD day as a day off.

[flip]

No offence YB but how about instead of just posting emoticons and random sarcastic stuff you actually try and discuss the issue like Sample00 is doing.

At least he is being cooperative and helpful. Like I said before, I have no vested interest in this argument/discussion. I neither love or hate teachers, I don't think they are a bunch of martyrs as your posts seem to imply, nor do I think they are leeches as others have suggested. I'm happily just extracting info from Sample who, thankfully, is willing to share some information in a constructive way.

I guess I should point out that I don't mean that as an insult to YB, I just know how quickly emotions can get out of hand and a thread can turn into a debacle of monumental proportions. Sometimes fighting fire with fire just won't work. No matter how hard you want to scream, staying calm is often more effective.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by flip

No offence YB but how about instead of just posting emoticons and random sarcastic stuff you actually try and discuss the issue like Sample00 is doing.

At least he is being cooperative and helpful. Like I said before, I have no vested interest in this argument/discussion. I neither love or hate teachers, I don't think they are a bunch of martyrs as your posts seem to imply, nor do I think they are leeches as others have suggested. I'm happily just extracting info from Sample who, thankfully, is willing to share some information in a constructive way.

thanks for the compliment but after that last post by Sliver, I think my head did explode just like the emoticon!

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sample00

just as a side note, since this thread has derailed so much anyways...

my wife, gets a week or so off at Christmas. typically she doesnt have marking to do at this time because she feels that Christmas is a strong family time and she doesnt assign her kids homework that needs to be done right before Christmas. She also doesnt assign homework during the holidays. She does however spend some of this time planning for the next semester.
Spring break is another story. Typically she will get 3 or 4 days off at this time, because she is typically marking or working on projects.
Summer - my wife is out of the school by usually July 10th and returns on August 15th to prep for the coming year.
I dont see 3 months off anywhere in that year.

I don't mean to read too much into your post, but it sounds to me like she is choosing to spend her free time at the school. That's different from working and her schedule is certainly not typical of your average teacher.

We all know teachers - will somebody please back me up that the schedule he's describing is not the norm.

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I don't mean to read too much into your post, but it sounds to me like she is choosing to spend her free time at the school.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I don't mean to read too much into your post, but it sounds to me like she is choosing to spend her free time at the school. That's different from working and her schedule is certainly not typical of your average teacher.

We all know teachers - will somebody please back me up that the schedule he's describing is not the norm.

do you really think they walk out on the last day of school and are done?
do you really think they walk in on the first day of school and start teaching?

if you do, "dude", you really have no clue.

Christmas holidays are no long two weeks. havent been for a while.
Spring break is a week, thats it

even if they took all the time off that you suggest, its 2.5 months and they more than make up for that in overtime that is spent teaching, planning, marking and overall putting up with your shyt!

[flip]

Sample00, just curious, has your wife ever taught grade 12?

Do a lot of teachers not get invited (or is it forced, I don't know) to go to Edmonton to mark diploma exams?

I know my English teacher did it but hated it. He said reading 400 papers (usually written by, um what is a PC word I can use, not really smart kids) can be absolutely soul crushing.

I only ask because, even if paid for it, that seems like another chunk of lost summer that isn't normally accounted for.


Also, Sample, what you are describing for a teacher, at least to me, doesn't sound as bad as someone like Russic made it out to be.

I don't think teaching is either an underpaid job, nor is it a totally slack job. Only thing I could say is that unlike some other professions it may be easier to not put in as much effort because it is very difficult for a school board (especially a unionized one) to measure the worth of a teacher.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sample00

do you really think they walk out on the last day of school and are done?
do you really think they walk in on the first day of school and start teaching?

I think if they want to they could have everything wrapped up within a day or two of the end of the year. Tell you what - two days after the school year ends I'll take a picture of a school's staff parking lot and it'll be virtually empty (say less than 10% full). I'll bet money on that.

I think they start trickling in on a part-time basis about a week before classes start. I'll take a picture of that too if you like.

Originally Posted by Sample00

if you do, "dude", you really have no clue.

WTF

Originally Posted by Sample00

Christmas holidays are no long two weeks. havent been for a while.

Okay, so how long are Christmas holidays? You said "a week or so" and now you're saying they aren't two weeks. Sounds like it's somewhere in the middle. I'm hardly off base here.

Originally Posted by Sample00

Spring break is a week, thats it

I said that, too.

Originally Posted by Sample00

if they took all the time off that you suggest, its 2.5 months and they more than make up for that in overtime that is spent teaching, planning, marking and overall putting up with your shyt!

As pointed out by another poster, for better or worse, overtime is expected in our society and largely uncompensated; however, I very much doubt that, on average, teachers put in 2.5 months of overtime in the 9 months a year they work.

[Sample00]

my wife is a teacher/assistant principal of a middle school 6-8.

many grade 12 teachers are asked to come in and help correct diploma exams though.

I believe in my wife is fairly compensated for what she does. and thats just the honest truth. Would I ever do her job, not a chance cause I'd probably kill the little s!!

the thing about a teacher is, its ongoing. Yuo cant get away from your job, it encompasses yuo and surrounds you for the entire time you are at the school and then you bring the stuff home.

its not like you or I, when we are bored, we go on CP for a while and exchange interesting comments. She doesnt get that luxury. She goes from the time she gets to work until she's done marking or whatever it is she is doing. you really have to see it to believe it.
now maybe my wife is different, but honestly, we've been together for 16 years and its only gotten worse with her work, definately not better.

[Yeah_Baby]

The death of my CP experience will be bitter sweet. At least I'll be compensated

[Sample00]

Sliver, what you think you see is inaccurate. Teachers may not necessarily be at school working. A lot of the things they do are at home.

You assume cause you see an empty parking lot, that they aren't working. You are wrong!

you assume they trickle in to school a week before cause you see some cars in the parking lot. Ever thought that they might already have done a whole bunch of prep prior to that.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sample00

my wife is a teacher/assistant principal of a middle school 6-8.

many grade 12 teachers are asked to come in and help correct diploma exams though.

I believe in my wife is fairly compensated for what she does. and thats just the honest truth. Would I ever do her job, not a chance cause I'd probably kill the little s!!

the thing about a teacher is, its ongoing. Yuo cant get away from your job, it encompasses yuo and surrounds you for the entire time you are at the school and then you bring the stuff home.

its not like you or I, when we are bored, we go on CP for a while and exchange interesting comments. She doesnt get that luxury. She goes from the time she gets to work until she's done marking or whatever it is she is doing. you really have to see it to believe it.
now maybe my wife is different, but honestly, we've been together for 16 years and its only gotten worse with her work, definately not better.

Very true. I would hate the lack of anonymity when you go to say the mall and kids are all up in your face. Or you couldn't get drunk on heroin beers at the dome without worrying a student or prudish parent would not like it.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sample00

Sliver, what you think you see is inaccurate. Teachers may not necessarily be at school working. A lot of the things they do are at home.

You assume cause you see an empty parking lot, that they aren't working. You are wrong!

you assume they trickle in to school a week before cause you see some cars in the parking lot. Ever thought that they might already have done a whole bunch of prep prior to that.

What can I say? We aren't going to agree on this. As Flip said, though, thanks for taking the time to explain your point of view. I really think your wife is the exception and not the rule but I've been wrong before.

[Sample00]

and as a side note, Sliver. how many weeks holiday do you think a person is entitled to..paid, after 25 years service...after 5 years service....
Teachers like any other profession are entitled to holiday time. Sadly they cant go whenever they want to. Their holiday time is already pre planned for them.
you make it sound like teachers have this great holiday plan. I'm telling you thats not the case from a first hand experience.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sample00

and as a side note, Sliver. how many weeks holiday do you think a person is entitled to..paid, after 25 years service...after 5 years service....
Teachers like any other profession are entitled to holiday time. Sadly they cant go whenever they want to. Their holiday time is already pre planned for them.
you make it sound like teachers have this great holiday plan. I'm telling you thats not the case from a first hand experience.

I don't know - there are probably too many variables to just pull a number off the top of my head. I'm not trying to skirt your question, I seriously just don't have a good answer.

I'll go back to my central point, though, I think they have a better-than-average compensation package that is probably one of the best modern man has ever known, yet they seem perpetually unhappy with it.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Sample00

oh its a good deal to have it start upon retirement, but I will say that having been in the financial sector for many years, teachers are terrible financial planners. its a real kick in the ass when you hit retirement and your income is cut to less than half. many teachers dont plan for it.
many teachers will continue to substitute to offset income. but they have to be careful about that too cause I believe you can only sub so much and they start taking away pension.
most teachers are still young enough that they can become walmart greeters and offset their pension income.

So correct me if I am wrong. But it seems like you are saying the teachers' pension is a good deal if it starts upon retirement as opposed to 7 years early?

Then why doesn't your wife just work till retirement instead of collecting her pension early?

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Very true. I would hate the lack of anonymity when you go to say the mall and kids are all up in your face. Or you couldn't get drunk on heroin beers at the dome without worrying a student or prudish parent would not like it.

we live in a small community. My wife cannot go to the grocery store without conducting parent/teacher interviews.
we cant go to a bar/lounge to have drinks. Parents would file a complaint to the school division about how unprofessional my wife is drinking in public. and the funny thing is, we both drink pop and non alcholic beverages.
Being in the public eye here, in a small community, can have its drawbacks