Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A Happy Plainview Parent":
You must be a happy plainview parent who is also an over compensated Plainview teacher. Lets look at it from another point when we compare teachers to the real world. Other than plainview teachers:
who works 830-330 ?
who only works 180 days a year?
who has a guarenteed job?
Who gets off all major holidays + spring break, winter break, christmas/ hannakah break?
who has a pensionplan that guarentees 2% a year for every year you work which equates to a plainview teacher retiring on a $78,000 pension after 39 years?
who gets a guarenteed 8% return on there 401k plan? answer teachers do. That is why they are over compensated on the backs of plainview residents who work 7-7 to pay their taxes. Teachers need to work out in the real corporate world to get a sense of reality. I am not angry just another happy plainview parent :}
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you sound jelous
ReplyDeletewho works 8:30-3:30? not me, im a teacher and I get to school around 7:30 am when we had a contract and on most days I didn't leave until 4:45 or 5:00pm. Then on weekends when I spend about four or five hours grading reports and projects.
ReplyDeletewho works 180 days a year? not me, in the summer to supplement my income (Im new and I have thousands of dollars owed in student loans as does my spouse) I work in a camp so i can get a discount for my kids because otherwise we couldn't affoard camp.
who has a guarenteed job? not me and not any teacher. we are subject to the whims administration and not any tenured teacher who can be removed for cause.
who has a pension that guarentees 2% a year? I do. do you think thats a lot? I won't be able to retire until 2044, do you think that $78,000 will be a lot of money by then living here on Long Island?
who is guarenteed 8% return on thier 403b plans (teachers don't get 401k plans)I don't those plans are subjected to market variations which as we know are not insured.
maybe parents who have the time to complain about teachers should try becoming one so that you can get a real appreciation for the job we do
As a response:
ReplyDelete1. Teachers DO NOT get a 401k plan. They CAN invest THEIR OWN money in a 403b plan with a private company and there are NO GUARANTEES on return rate.
2. All of the days off are not for PLAINVIEW TEACHERS they are for TEACHERS.
You can see the jealousy coming through in your writing. Here is the bottom line: If YOU love the benefits, the easy job, the hours, etc. APPLY for the job. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
Just something to think about.
GOOD MORNING PLAINVIEW!
ReplyDeleteAnnunciated in the same style used by the character played by Robin Williams in the movie Good Morning Vietnam. It makes for a fun way to start an email!
In any event, this is from “A happy Plainview parent.” I'd like to answer some responses to my first post and then make two comments. Due to certain restrictions this blog post will be divided into PART I and PART II.
PART I
RESPONSES:
a. I am not a teacher in Plainview, or in any other district
b. I do not feel that my children are being held hostage (at least according to my dictionary)
c. if you are working 7/7, then I am truly sorry for the necessary, but lost, time away from your children
d. As for who "has it better than a Plainview-Old Bethpage (POB) teacher?" Although I hate getting into this aspect of the discussion, one group that may "technically" work fewer days is college and university faculty. Additional people who work fewer days per year would be: my brother, the surgeon, a high school friend who now works as an EMT for North Shore, and an old neighbor who worked for the LIRR. However, for college and university faculty, you may wish to look at the following URL for some slightly out-of-date, but useful information on salaries at public and private institutions:
http://www.insidehighered.com/workplace/2005/04/25/pay
My first post here started with my claim that “every post on this blog is valid whether it comes from a deeply held personal belief or a factual statement.” This type of discourse is an inherent part of a democratic system (Yahoo!) and I would like to (buy a vowel?) make the following two comments:
CORE EDUCATIONAL VALUE
The primary reason that we bought in Plainview was the educational value of POB. That is the reason that the family across the street bought a few years ago (daughter in Middle School), the couple down the block a couple of years ago (they have a one year old), and the young couple last month.
With that said, the calculable educational value of POB stems from the core subjects and those closely related (Project Challenge, band, Chinese, sign language ...) subjects becoming inextricably intertwined to mold our children intellectually and emotionally. This eventually grows and turns into the age-old question stated by proud grand parents the world over: "so, my grandson/daughter just got early admission to _______, we are so proud." This could become an entire blog onto itself, so we will ignore it.
Further to core education, I believe, that there should be a seamless transition between learning in school and at home. Not that one replaces the other, but they become a powerful sum. However, we must clearly and distinctly separate the aspects of education that add to the “intellectual development” and those “unstructured” experiences that may or could add a modest aspect to the “social and emotional development of a child.” Personally, I understand that events like the basketball game may have some value, but I trust the we all agree that they do not add in the same way or weight to any child's education. Just as having a child watch a NOVA episode on rockets is not the same as a "Phineas and Ferb" building a rocket.
PART II
ReplyDeleteBENEFITS, QUALIFICATIONS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Another aspect that I’d like to make is that the benefits teachers receive usually come under scrutiny in challenging economic times and more so because the benefits (salary) are publicly available. By the way, may salary is publicly available due to my position and the nature of the company; however, how many bloggers here would be willing to post a copy of their W-2 or a copy of their "benefits" package. But, back to teachers, in good times, they receive, in my humble opinion, even harsher treatment as an occupation wholly categorized as: "those who can't." However, if we stretch beyond “what do they make …” and ask what are the minimum qualifications that go along with the benefits, we see a list that includes an undergraduate college degree, National and State tests passed, and a minimum of a masters level education (a few even have doctorates). If we stretch beyond benefits and minimum qualifications, and ask what are some of the responsibilities that go along with the benefits and minimum qualifications, we see below a list, of things that I, personally, would not wish to do, that include:
a. development of a unique curriculum (it usually takes me a week or so to prepare for a one hour technical talk)
b. adjusting the curriculum and teaching styles for the variances of each student capacity (maybe each topic has to be done three or four times …)
c. continually monitoring each students progress (direct supervisor for ~25 kids
d. issues of discipline (now this is a real lightning rod)
e. issues of money (maybe not poverty, but certainly families that are struggling)
f. relationships with parents (I’ll only say that I am difficult, but supportive)
g. relationships with the PTA (how can one essay have two lightning rods?)
h. being collegial
I’d like to end with one additional statement about point “h”. The teachers are part of a Union, and when they are visible to other Union members they must speak in the same voice. We all know that if they don’t ”tow the line” the retaliation would not be the same as, say, finding a horse head in your bed (ala Don Corleone), but it would lead to professional suicide and emotional isolation. However, I find that the teachers we know (who teach our children) are very approachable in Fairway, respond to notes, and are, in general, reachable.
Most importantly, all of the teachers we have had the pleasure of working with to educate our children are professionals.
Sincerely,
A happy Plainview parent