Good ol' Teachers' Union

[JoeBaD]

The Syracuse Teachers Association union on Friday filed a complaint that has effectively ended the extra remedial classes some teachers were providing for no extra pay in their attempt to better serve students in need.

The sixth-grade teachers chose to add five extra classes at the end of the day to improve students' performance after state standardized test scores for the school were low.

Bast-ards!

 

[JoeBaD]

Isn't anyone else offended by this?

 

[ggavinmoss]

Let me get this straight... the teachers' union stopped teachers from helping students after school for free? If I'm reading you correctly, then that's pretty freakin' lame.

-geoff

 

[JoeBaD]

You got it!

The most recent data for the John A. Shea Middle School showed that 167 of 171 students failed to meet the NY State's math standard and 145 of 162 failed to meet the English standard.

The 5 math and English teachers as well as one special ed. instuctor were working after normal hours FOR FREE.

AND THEIR UNION OBJECTED !!!!!

Doesn't that suck!

 

[slunk]

Shouldn't this be taught in schools anyway? What are the children learning? Nothing?

 

[ggavinmoss]

Totally sucky. I've even heard that some Teachers' Unions are against the idea of "continuing education" for teachers. That is completely hypocritical -- teachers tell students to never stop learning but teachers somehow think that they know enough.

Lame-o.

-geoff

 

[777joee]

My wife teaches fifth grade and I know where you are coming from. First you need to get rid of the Standardized Tests because so much class time is devoted to teaching to the test that things get lost in the shuffle. I commend the teachers for what they are doing but if they got rid of the tests and were able to teach what they need to, then we would not have this problem.

However with the class scores dropping like they are they I know why the tests are there. If you want the grades to improve for the students you have to reduce the class size to allow for more one on one with the teachers. Or you could have the parents spend more time at home helping their own children and not relying on the school system to raise their child but to TEACH their child.

My wife and I suffered through a one income household because we knew if we didn't help our girls we could not expect anyone else to do it. Now with her teaching credintial in hand my wife is back to work and we are paying for the girls to go to college.

Sorry for the rant but this hits close to my heart.:|

 

[Jfur]

I have a simple solution. Pay the already grossly underpaid teachers for doing the extra work and there will be no complaints. And get rid of those endless standardized tests.

 

[JoeBaD]

Those "grossly underpaid" teachers here in upstate NY average over $50k with summers off and every holiday known on Earth.


Don't get me going on our poor teachers.

 

[CYLINDERMAN]

I agree with you 100% 777joee. My wife is a 3rd grade school teacher so I understand what you mean. Parents do need to spend more time raising their children and influence them on the importence of education.

Teachers need to be able to teach and behavior problems need to be addressed directly and to the point. Too much time is wasted with issues other than education.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

jfur got it right. Those teachers should be paid for their work. The school district also has an obligation to teach those students. The onus to fix this problem lies in administration NOT teachers. One might think that the solution is to pay the teachers for their extra work. However, teachers operate under contract. This scenario has no easy solution, nor is there anyone place to point blame.

 

[Texmaster]

<< Those "grossly underpaid" teachers here in upstate NY average over $50k with summers off and every holiday known on Earth.


Don't get me going on our poor teachers. >>



Shoot thats nothing. Here in Dallas the teacher's union fought for a techer teaching 3rd grade english who couldn't READ!

Its about time the truth be told about the teacher's unions.

 

[BlueApple]

Did they(Teachers Union) give a reason? I'd like to hear both sides of the story first.

 

[777joee]

<< Those "grossly underpaid" teachers here in upstate NY average over $50k with summers off and every holiday known on Earth.


Don't get me going on our poor teachers. >>





The one thing that you are missing is that even though as you say they have summers off they have in most cases 180+ days of instruction. They have teacher work days as well when the kids are out of school. Not to mention grading papers and such. My wife is a teacher and she leaves the house before 7AM and gets home arround 6PM every day. Her commute is 15 min. each way. So you do the math. "grossly underpaid" is right when you concider everything.


Remember that a normal job is 52 weeks x 40hrs = 2080hrs.

So my wife works 7AM to 6Pm = 11hrs-30 min. commute time = 10.5hrs day x 180 = 1890 hrs minimum. Not to mention the Saturdays that she spends correcting papers, doing advance planning, calling kids parrents to make sure that they don't fell behind etc.... "grossly underpaid" YOU BET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Just my $.02

 

[777joee]

<<

<< Those "grossly underpaid" teachers here in upstate NY average over $50k with summers off and every holiday known on Earth.


Don't get me going on our poor teachers. >>



Shoot thats nothing. Here in Dallas the teacher's union fought for a techer teaching 3rd grade english who couldn't READ!

Its about time the truth be told about the teacher's unions. >>




The real problem is with the unions for all people. IMHO all they do is protect people that can't speak for themselves. When unions first started mind you they were the right thing for the time but I feel that now they only serve to protect their weakest links.

Remember survival of the fittest. We are getting weak for passing along our weaker links.

Just my $.02

 

[JoeBaD]

777joee,

My thanks and sympathy to your wife.

However, yours is not the norm up here.

Our Latham school district ( a suburb of Albany) is rated very highly. However, my kids rarely ever get homework. Why, probably because the teachers don't want to correct it. And the faculty parking lot-near empty within 1/2 hour of school being let out.

Again, kudos to your wife but don't believe all, or even most, teachers share her dedication

 

[777joee]

<< 777joee,

My thanks and sympathy to your wife.

However, yours is not the norm up here.

Our Latham school district ( a suburb of Albany) is rated very highly. However, my kids rarely ever get homework. Why, probably because the teachers don't want to correct it. And the faculty parking lot-near empty within 1/2 hour of school being let out.

Again, kudos to your wife but don't believe all, or even most, teachers share her dedication >>



Thank you.

Well that just goes to prove that the union is protecting the teachers that don't want to work. If the teachers got paid by their performance instead of their seniority they would get off their dead a$$es and teach. They need to have a real fear of loosing their jobs just like everybody else in the world.


Once again I thank you.

 

[CYLINDERMAN]

<< Shoot thats nothing. Here in Dallas the teacher's union fought for a techer teaching 3rd grade english who couldn't READ! >>



Things like this is what drives the devoted teachers away from teaching!



<< The one thing that you are missing is that even though as you say they have summers off they have in most cases 180+ days of instruction. They have teacher work days as well when the kids are out of school. Not to mention grading papers and such. My wife is a teacher and she leaves the house before 7AM and gets home arround 6PM every day. Her commute is 15 min. each way. So you do the math. "grossly underpaid" is right when you concider everything. >>



777joee you are exactly right!

 

[Ferocious]

heh, when I went to school....I and my parents took accountability for how I did.

If I got a bad mark, it was because I deserved it! I simply decided to study harder and voila! I got good marks.

We didn't go whine and cry about it.

 

[CYLINDERMAN]

<< heh, when I went to school....I and my parents took accountability for how I did. >>



NOW student gets bad mark and parents blame teacher. Then teacher is required to change teaching method to suit the slacker. No wonder there is a problem!

 

[Cyberian]

<< The most recent data for the John A. Shea Middle School showed that 167 of 171 students failed to meet the NY State's math standard and 145 of 162 failed to meet the English standard. >>


Are you serious??!!

That's abominable performance!!

 

[Spendthrift]

<< Those "grossly underpaid" teachers here in upstate NY average over $50k with summers off and every holiday known on Earth. >>



dang as soon as i finish teaching in japan im moving to NY, thats nice. out in washington state starting salary is around $24k. if i coach a sport, have a masters degree, and 15 years experience i can top out at around $55k.

however teaching is tough. during student teaching i was always took off between 3 and 330pm. could stand to stick around the school. however, i have never worked so hard at something in my life. i started preparing for teaching at 7pm every weeknight. went to bed around 10pm. woke up at 4am to finish preparing and grade papers and then spent all day at school until 3pm. id like to think i earned that little 4hr break from 3pm to 7pm. i had no life. i hated it. i dont know how these teachers that have been doing it for 20+years keep from getting burned out.

777joee and the others are right on the money. props to your wife and the other teachers out there.