Re: Put up or shut up
Posted by:
OP II
()
Date: October 24, 2014 11:19AM
causeican Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To Real Teacher Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Real Teacher:
> > I am a teacher (also the OP), and, I am
> going
> > to take a guess that you are young and
> idealistic.
> > I was once too. I have written thousands and
> > thousands of recs over the course of my career
> > (including many this year), and I understand
> your
> > point. However, FCPS will constantly, and HAS
> > constantly , used the "but it's for the benefit
> of
> > the kids" as a way to guilt teachers in to
> doing
> > more work for less money. They go after
> teachers,
> > especially younger ones, and get them to
> sponsor
> > clubs, coach sports (granted their are stipends
> > for this , but the money is not much), tutor,
> and
> > stay way beyond what is required with the
> mantra
> > "It's for the kids". Meanwhile, they load us up
> > with more kids, belabor us with idiotic
> meetings,
> > take away the twelve month pay option for their
> > own economic benefit and cry poverty when we
> ask
> > for raises after five years of not getting
> them.
> > It sucks that kids will be affected if we work
> to
> > the rule in order to try to get what's fair,
> but
> > we have tried every other way, and we cannot
> > expect our emotion to loosen any purse strings.
>
> I’m a real parent and I don’t think you belong
> in the school and should go find another job. I
> DO respect teachers VERY MUCH and its not JUST lip
> service and it IS important to say. Whatever you
> have to do, you have to do. I just hope you take
> it somewhere else and get what you want and
> don’t stay in school!!!!
>
> Mom
Dear Mom:
I don't blame you for how you feel. You , obviously, want what is best for your kids. What is best for your kids, undoubtedly, comes from the fact that teachers will donate their time to write recs, sponsor clubs, etc. FOr the first twelve years of my career I felt the same way.
I have kids too. I want what's best for them too. For twelve years, i poured in hours way beyond what was expected in order to help other people's kids. Then, they froze my pay- told me they couldn't find the money. Ok, I understood. However, after five years of it, I, and many of my colleagues, started to wonder what the deal was. Still, we went to the the board meeting spoke our minds, and we did end up coming away with a "gradual" pay raise this year. My problem is , if the county is so cash strapped that they haven't been able to give us a raise for five years and could only give us a "gradual" one this year, how do they come up with 5 million? Where did it come from? Now, politicians are mocking the board saying "Don't you dare come asking for money next year" because they just blew 5 mill on a useless idea.That means no money for teachers next year.
The public wants us , as teachers, to keep doing the work we have always done, and I get that. Hell, I would like to do it too. I don't want kids to get in the middle of this either. My kids go to school in Fairfax County as well- I want them to have the opportunities I did and those that have been afforded to kids in this county for years. And, as someone accurately stated above, i knew coming in that I would never be rich from this job. However, much of the work that we , as teachers, have always done, has been done for free. Why should we keep oing extra work for free when the county that hasn't given us a raise for years turns around and blows 5 million on something as stupid as this? I am not saying that we should stop trying to provide kids with an excellent education- as I said, my kids go to school here too. What I am saying is that we have got to find a way to make these irresponsible louts realize that they can't lie to us over and over and not expect repercussions. Parents aren't likely to support us until those free services disappear- then political pressure can be applied to make changes and get things back on track.
Also, can ANYONE give me a good reason why school sports shouldn't be cut to provide additional revenue to the schools? If the schools are all about education, and sports have nothing to do with that education, and the teachers are bitching, why not cut the sports programs?