Raise your hand if you're surprised?
Honestly, I think I would be more surprised to hear of a government entity that is actually in the black.
Anyways, our brand-spanking, new governor has decided that in order to offset this deficit, state employees salaries will be reduced by 8%, while their health care fees are also raised making the total reduction closer to 10-12%. I shall save my opinion about this for perhaps another post or then again maybe not because it would require me to speak a bit too much of politics, which I avoid like the plague!
However, all the salary reduction talk has provided for some interesting emails in my inbox. The other day I received this from a fellow teacher...
After being interviewed by the school district administration, the prospective teacher said:
"Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning..you want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.. you want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams. You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps??
You want me to do all this and then you tell me.I have to take a pay cut??"
It really is amazing what little money teachers make, for the job they do. They spend more time with kids, than most parents, so technically, they are raising these kids. Very sad!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, they cut your pay, add extra curriculum to teach, take away planning times and expect you to do a darn good job with the kids? Where is the incentive to be the best, high quality teacher there is? NO incentive at all. Harford County is being cut too -- but not the teachers. Course we won't get our measely 3% pay raise either.. oh well!
ReplyDeleteWow I thought it was only in South Africa where teachers weren't rewarded appropriately!! I can never understand how the people that we entrust with our most precious possessions are never rewarded accordingly. Really sad. Thanks for keeping up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true! And here in Florida it's the same thing. Just a few years ago they were BEGGING for teacher's and now they try to stuff as many kids in a room as possible to avoid hiring teachers! I used to think that when I left the classroom to raise my kid's it would be the one profession that would be safe to go back. Now that I am searching for next year, it doesn't look good. So sad, very sad! And worst of all it's our kid's who suffer.
ReplyDeleteHave fun in Florida!