03-12-2003, 08:35 PM
My family has three generations of educators. During those years and years of teaching, we've collectively weathered 3 major strikes. In every case, EVERY CASE, it was NOT about Teacher's income.
It was about classroom resources.
It was about Classroom sizes.
It was about Governmental promises to expand needed areas of education that went ignored.
It has never been about wages. Although, the School Boards (hence: Government) love to shine the light on that little issue SOLELY and the media is always hungry to snap it up and chew on it. Teachers want to teach, just as Pete said.
My wife is a prime example of Pete's hour example. (This is an Albertan example) She works from 8:30am to 5pm daily. During that time, 9am to 330pm is the actual instruction time. The excess time is taken by doing prep, marking, counselling, Parent meetings, tutoring (huge one, that), Yearbook and Writer's Club. She gets home at 5pm and visits her family through supper until 8pm, when the kidlets go to bed. At that point, she pulls out her work and proceeds to mark until 10:30 or 11pm.
Makes for a rather long day.
Add to this consideration the Coaching she's done on past years (which is NOT paid extra for, thankeeverymuch) and the various evenings and weekends that THAT ties up.
Now, Canadian schools are a tad different than US Schools. We run through until the end of June.. so only 2 months of summer holidays, compared to your three. However, that only really adds about another 20 or so days of actual "teaching".
The final point is: Teachers are paid that "yearly amount" based on their actual year (that being either the 180 days or 200 days). Most Teachers have their income spread out over the 12 actual months of the year so they don't starve to death in the summer.
That is: Teachers get paid enough. Teachers get paid enough that they're quite comparable to other situations with similar surroundings from similar personal post-secondary.
What Teachers do NOT get enough of... is support. Support from their Administration. Support from their Government. Support from their students' parents.
So, when someone tends to be drawn along by their lip by the Media-mongering of "Those greedy Teachers"... I get a tad upset at the myopia they suffer from.
*tips helm*
It was about classroom resources.
It was about Classroom sizes.
It was about Governmental promises to expand needed areas of education that went ignored.
It has never been about wages. Although, the School Boards (hence: Government) love to shine the light on that little issue SOLELY and the media is always hungry to snap it up and chew on it. Teachers want to teach, just as Pete said.
My wife is a prime example of Pete's hour example. (This is an Albertan example) She works from 8:30am to 5pm daily. During that time, 9am to 330pm is the actual instruction time. The excess time is taken by doing prep, marking, counselling, Parent meetings, tutoring (huge one, that), Yearbook and Writer's Club. She gets home at 5pm and visits her family through supper until 8pm, when the kidlets go to bed. At that point, she pulls out her work and proceeds to mark until 10:30 or 11pm.
Makes for a rather long day.
Add to this consideration the Coaching she's done on past years (which is NOT paid extra for, thankeeverymuch) and the various evenings and weekends that THAT ties up.
Now, Canadian schools are a tad different than US Schools. We run through until the end of June.. so only 2 months of summer holidays, compared to your three. However, that only really adds about another 20 or so days of actual "teaching".
The final point is: Teachers are paid that "yearly amount" based on their actual year (that being either the 180 days or 200 days). Most Teachers have their income spread out over the 12 actual months of the year so they don't starve to death in the summer.
That is: Teachers get paid enough. Teachers get paid enough that they're quite comparable to other situations with similar surroundings from similar personal post-secondary.
What Teachers do NOT get enough of... is support. Support from their Administration. Support from their Government. Support from their students' parents.
So, when someone tends to be drawn along by their lip by the Media-mongering of "Those greedy Teachers"... I get a tad upset at the myopia they suffer from.
*tips helm*
Garnered Wisdom --
If it has more than four legs, kill it immediately.
Never hesitate to put another bullet into the skull of the movie's main villain; it'll save time on the denouement.
Eight hours per day of children's TV programming can reduce a grown man to tears -- PM me for details.
If it has more than four legs, kill it immediately.
Never hesitate to put another bullet into the skull of the movie's main villain; it'll save time on the denouement.
Eight hours per day of children's TV programming can reduce a grown man to tears -- PM me for details.