What teachers really want to tell parents.

[katydidKD]

Originally Posted by GammaPhi88

Oh, there is. I haven't witnessed them personally at my own law school, as most people I've met are wonderful and self-reliant adults, but I've heard stories from the admissions people. Apparently, they get all sorts of nasty e-mails from parents when they reject a student, and to them, this is reinforcement that they made the correct choice. Who wants a lawyer who's mom will call and yell at you when you sue them for malpractice? I'd be mortified if my parents called the law school or one of my professors about anything...I'm 23 next week and capable of that myself!

i'm in law school too! appalling...

[KSUViolet06]

Nobody responded to my question re: grad school heli-moms.

Like, I really want to know if anyone has actually witnessed it at the grad level. I'm appalled and intrigued at the same time. LOL.

The most involved my mom got in my grad school prep and experiences was helping me move into my apt.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Nobody responded to my question re: grad school heli-moms.

Like, I really want to know if anyone has actually witnessed it at the grad level. I'm appalled and intrigued at the same time. LOL.

The most involved my mom got in my grad school prep and experiences was helping me move into my apt.

My dad tried to heli-parent me when I was in grad school. Thank God my mom was still alive and told him to cut that shit out. Also thank God I was raised by my mom and I told him to cut that shit out, too.

What's weird is he never did it in any of my other schooling. Like, not even once. Weirder is he was an elementary school principal and dealt with heli-parents on a daily basis, and knew how annoying they could be.

No joke, he offered to call the registrar for me. "Uh, thanks Dad, but I think I got this. You know, since I'm paying for it myself, I should probably be the one to call them."

[scrapcat]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Nobody responded to my question re: grad school heli-moms.

Like, I really want to know if anyone has actually witnessed it at the grad level. I'm appalled and intrigued at the same time. LOL.

The most involved my mom got in my grad school prep and experiences was helping me move into my apt.

I had this experience as my daughter entered college. All the families sat in the large auditorium during orientation. The Dean explained how all the "business" end of college was the "young adults" responsibility. All grades and financial correspondence would go directly to the student. Of course one angry dad stood up and complained the "I'm paying for this and I get to see everything!" No said Mr. Dean. Students are adults and any information they choose to share is up to them! (I could hardly contain my laughter!) I bet there's one of those parents at every college orientation all over the country!

BTW: I'm a Special Ed teacher. Oh the stories I could tell!

[KSig RC]

Also this thread is a cognitive dissonance factory - we are actually mass-producing, boxing, shipping, and then billing for CD. We might be able to supply the world with a year's worth if somebody uses the word "overpaid."

Teacher threads are the new race threads.

[ASUADPi]

I agree with the article.

I have been teaching for 7 years and everything the article stated, I have dealt with.

Unfortunately, it is the mentality of most of the parents I work with now that their little angel can do no wrong. I'm sorry their 6 years old. Yes, they can do wrong and yes, they will lie to not get in trouble. Accusing me of targeting your child (yes, I have been accused of that as well) is just plain asinine. I have more things to do in my workday than to focus on your kid and their craptastic behavior and therefore always target them.

Heck I just got an email this morning from a parent who essentially accused me of allowing another child to make fun of her son (mind you kid didn't tell me that he was being made fun of). I had to reiterate to mom that I CANNOT do anything if I am not told! Mom, quickly changed her tune.

IMPO, unless you are in the profession, you can't truly understand what a teacher has to put up with day in and day out. Again, that is just my personal opinion.

As for diagnosing, we can't diagnose. Hell, we can't even hint at what we think is wrong. If I went to parent and said "I think Johnny is ADHD, you should take him to the doctor", mom can come back and make the district (or me) pay for the doctor treatments because I "diagnosed" her kid. I know for myself, I'm not taking that chance. I've got a kid right now who I know is ADHD, I am documenting, documenting, documenting. I will then approach the nurse and the guidance counselor on how to approach mom with my concerns. I may know that the kid is ADHD, but I cannot legally diagnose the kid as ADHD (if that makes any sense).

[AXOmom]

^^^I'm clearly living in the WRONG state. I've taught for over 20 years with enough graduate credits for 2 masters, and I am not within spitting distance of a 6 figure salary. Where is this amazing Snob Hill place? I'm outta here and headed there - LOL!

[KSUViolet06]

As most of you know, I work in a school and am currently studying to become a teacher.

My classmates are 90% teachers.

Their parent stories floor me. For example:

Teacher is working on rainforest unit in 4th grade. Student's big project = a model of the rainforest. There was also a trip to the local Zoo to see the rainforest exhibit. The catch = you had to do your project in order to participate in the zoo trip. Teacher even gave them an extra WEEK between the due date and the zoo trip to do it (like a "last chance to do it or no zoo" week.) Two kids never did theirs. So they were told no zoo trip. Of course they went home crying. Instead of saying "well hun, if you wanted to go on the zoo trip, you should have done the assignment", parents go to the principal and insist that their child be allowed to go. Principal said no. Parents complain to Superintendent, kids get to go. Boo.

[Cen1aur 1963]

I'm no teacher, but I do think teachers are overworked and underpaid.

[ASUADPi]

I'm lucky working with the DOD as I am making 14,000 more than I made in AZ. That being said, not everyone is lucky enough to work with the DOD. Out of all the teachers out there, my guess is that only like 5% of the teachers are DOD teachers. We are such a small percentage.
My pay was horrible in AZ. I lived at home for a few years, as a certified-paid-full time teacher, because my pay wasn't the best and then I had bills to pay. I couldn't afford to get an apartment. When I finally was able to buy a home, I had to have a roommate (because I switched districts and took a pay cut).
Prior to getting the job with the DOD I had given up on teaching in AZ all together. The state had cut funding and about 3000 teachers were unemployed. My problem was I was applying for jobs with all those recent grads. I was (at the time) a MA +30 with 5 years experience. A district would have had to pay me about 10-12K more than a BA with no experience. I was more expensive to hire. I put in over a dozen applications and I got not one interview. When districts are looking at the bottom line, they are going to go for cheap, not experience.

As for now, there is no way I could afford to teach in NC. If I went to the local school district I would take almost a 20K pay cut (the actual amount was 19,560). That is MASSIVE. Heck compared to what I was making in AZ, it would be a little over 5k pay cut. There would be no way I could survive. I have heard that most teachers in my local district, if they aren't married, they live at home or have roommates.

I don't know of a calculation that could show what teachers do to what they should make, but the reality is most teachers stay after their required duty day, they take work home with them, they buy supplies out of their own pockets. In my years as a teacher I have probably spent over 5k of my own money for my classroom.

Teachers shouldn't be working poor, and that is essentially what they are. Teachers should be valued.

But as someone mentioned earlier, until society changes their views on education (which I think would be a great start if the President and congress began changing their views on education), teachers are never truly going to get the respect (including financial) they deserve.

What I do find ironic is that Americans like to think that we are the "best" when it comes to our students coming out of school. That we are so damn smart. Compared to other countries, we are far from it. Japan, Germany, England have 10 times better educational systems than we do. Plus they actually value their teachers. I did a project on the educational system of Germany, teachers are considered high government employees and make and get what they deserve.

Our mentality needs to change.

With that, I have already created the next reality show. Instead of wife swap, teacher swap. Get a 6 or 7 figure CEO (who they always tend to have a lot to say about education but have never set foot in a classroom) switch lives with a teacher. One week in our jobs, their attitudes would change. Now, which network to propose that too? . Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, etc...

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by 33girl

In the small town I grew up in, the people in the big houses on what we called Snob Hill are, increasingly, teachers. It's kind of hard to get people to feel sorry for them having to pay union dues and their own health insurance when most of them are living better than 90% of the people in town.

However, that doesn't mean that I think they should cut the funding to the SCHOOL. Funding for education and teachers' salaries are two different things. I'll gladly pay anytime for more teachers to keep the class sizes smaller, updated textbooks, etc. I won't gladly pay, however, so the current tenured teachers are making almost 6 figures a year. I believe most people agree.

As I stated, I am nowhere close to six figures--very, very far from it. And, I've never gotten a raise as an educator. I scrape the bottom of the barrel every. single. month. Right now, the state is still willing to cover my health care, although there was a rise in copays. If I had to pay for my health insurance, I'd have to cancel my gym membership, which is a "luxury" but something I need for my mental health. Gas prices have gone up more than 100% since I started teaching and my pay has only gone down. Those teachers living on "Snob Hill" probably have a husband in corporate america paying for most things. As my mom always tells me, a teacher's salary is a good second income, but it's very hard to live on.

Originally Posted by ASUADPi

With that, I have already created the next reality show. Instead of wife swap, teacher swap. Get a 6 or 7 figure CEO (who they always tend to have a lot to say about education but have never set foot in a classroom) switch lives with a teacher. One week in our jobs, their attitudes would change. Now, which network to propose that too? . Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, etc...

I'm writing to MTV. True Life: I'm a public school teacher.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

Those teachers living on "Snob Hill" probably have a husband in corporate america paying for most things.

ROFLMAO. There is no "Corporate America" in the town of which I speak. If anything, the more monied housing is probably owned by families where both husband and wife are teachers.

Please remember, we are talking Peyton Place type SMALL TOWN, where your name gets you waaaaaay farther than your ability and things have not changed for 100 years (CBS News said it, so it must be true).

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I find it really interesting that this thread has turned into this. I understand why it has turned into this. I just see great irony because the belief that teachers are overworked and underpaid is really what most topics of teaching are embedded in--even when some teachers get angry when people say that is what it is embedded in. Like I said, there is always more than a one-sided story and many teachers would be more tolerant of school system ups and downs if they felt they were working for equal compensation.

If someone is going to try to say that I am making too much money as a teacher, I am surely going to tell them they are sorely mistaken. If it wouldn't have me "found out", I'd have no problem posting my monthly take home pay and compare that to my required living expenses. Then, tell me I live on Snob Hill and don't deserve a pay increase.

Originally Posted by 33girl

ROFLMAO. There is no "Corporate America" in the town of which I speak. If anything, the more monied housing is probably owned by families where both husband and wife are teachers.

You don't know that both husband and wife are teachers on Snob Hill. I live in a teeny tiny town where name goes further as well, but could easily commute ~1 hour in any direction to Corporate America.

/permanently exiting thread now.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSAI

You don't know that both husband and wife are teachers on Snob Hill. I live in a teeny tiny town where name goes further as well, but could easily commute ~1 hour in any direction to Corporate America.

Well, that's nice for you, but not feasible there.

And yeah, I'm not saying anyone makes too much money. I'm saying that compared to other people who live in the town, teachers have one of the best paying jobs. Obviously that is not the case everywhere. It just takes a special kind of cojones for ANYONE in ANY job to bitch about having to pay for your copays when there are people in your immediate orbit who don't even have health insurance.

Oh, and this.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Since social class is about more than salary, it has always been the case that K-12 teachers in many cities were and still are considered of the middle to upper socioeconomic strata.

[ASUADPi]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

These are interesting additions to the discussion and there are a lot of people who feel this way. The teachers (not really on GC but in real life) who choose to defend teaching as a profession when discussing topics that don't require a discussion of teaching as a profession should be prepared to receive this type of response from some people.

I don't want to sound dumb, but I'm confused as to what you mean. I guess I don't understand what you mean when you say "teachers who choose to defend teaching as a profession when discussing topics that don't require discussion of teaching as a profession". I don't get it. I'm sorry.