Why so much hate-Part 2

Continuing the saga. I had to go to school, UNPAID, to setup my classroom and do a meet and greet with parents yesterday afternoon/evening. I spent 5 hours at the school. Time that I was not paid for but did willingly. I am kind of glad that I didn't continue with this. Mr. Slappy is an idiot who is the most social and civilly uneducated person I have read in a while. A few others joined in:


Saluki Rod:
Ms, I salute all who chose to become teachers and stayed in the field. You have chosen to work in one of the most challenging school districts in the country, and you in particular I salute as well.

Also, to all who have morphed this topic into a "we want more school days" rant, that wasn't in the article. The issue is the way the vacation is distributed, not the amount of the vacation.

Ms Teacher wrote:

Looking at your district I now see where you are coming from. a diverse population that is 78% white, 100% of your teachers are white, and the average salary for your teachers is a shocking $15K above CPS.(From your districts figures). And, yes, I am white.
Yes we teacher have so much money to burn. Tell that to my 30K in loans to become a teacher, that I am still paying off. As for the part-time crack, you obviously have NO idea what goes into teaching. We may only be PAID to be in the school for 6 1/2 hours but the average day is FAR from over when the students leave the building. Between developing lesson plans and grading papers, that 6 1/5 hour day is more like a 10 hour day.
We do it because we love it. I can't believe you seriously believe what you say. Or else you have no idea what it takes to become and be a teacher. You should leave teaching to the professionals, since you obviously have no idea what a teacher does.
Life in the city is FAR different than the cocoon of the suburbs. Be care when casting stones, some of us are not as cushioned as others. If a high school drop out, or student on the edge of dropping out, can get a GED and go on to getting a university degree, my job is SO worth it. Trying to make a difference in a students' life is not something to put down.

Ms Teacher wrote:

Wow, so much for compassion or belief in the human race in general. I work, as you say, "in the hood". One thing I do know, children are children, where ever they may live. They all need the same things, love, safety, and mental stimulation. Shame on you for stereotyping. I would gladly take, "my little darlings" to the close mindedness of you.
No system is perfect. No PERSON is perfect. What the focus should be on is what is best for the next generation of American leaders, namely, these little darlings.

Stirs controversy:
Completely agree. My friends and I are all products of Chicago Public Schools and have all graduated from stellar 4-yr universities. 7 of us are engineers, 3 are in law school, 2 are finishing med school, and the rest range from an entrepreneur, to public health advocate. It all comes down to the teachers, the parents, and the student. I know many people who are products of private schools that are major dingbacks (I guess their parents thought it'd be easiest to throw money at the problem of unmotivation).

Anywho, that whole "let kids be kids" mentality is a viewof the lazy. Other countries have kids in school all year-round and still have plenty of "family time" as family is the priority. U.S needs to get onboard.

Mr. Slappy:

Ms Teacher wrote:

Looking at your district I now see where you are coming from. a diverse population that is 78% white, 100% of your teachers are white, and the average salary for your teachers is a shocking $15K above CPS.(From your districts figures). And, yes, I am white.
Yes we teacher have so much money to burn. Tell that to my 30K in loans to become a teacher, that I am still paying off. As for the part-time crack, you obviously have NO idea what goes into teaching. We may only be PAID to be in the school for 6 1/2 hours but the average day is FAR from over when the students leave the building. Between developing lesson plans and grading papers, that 6 1/5 hour day is more like a 10 hour day.
We do it because we love it. I can't believe you seriously believe what you say. Or else you have no idea what it takes to become and be a teacher. You should leave teaching to the professionals, since you obviously have no idea what a teacher does.
Life in the city is FAR different than the cocoon of the suburbs. Be care when casting stones, some of us are not as cushioned as others. If a high school drop out, or student on the edge of dropping out, can get a GED and go on to getting a university degree, my job is SO worth it. Trying to make a difference in a students' life is not something to put down.

Okay its time to teach Ms Teacher. My ISP location may show up as Bloomingdale however that information shows where my provider's server is. But thank you for your research on Bloomingdale, sounds like a nice place.

My son's kindergarten teacher retired last year. Her salary for teaching my son the year before,$102,000. Lots of homework to grade and lesson plans to develop; sandbox, crayons, nap, recess.
Her pension is currently $73,000 a year. In 7 years her pension will increase to $86,000 with a 3% yearly raise after that. In 15 years she will be hauling in $109,000 a year and have removed $1,315,000 from the pension fund.

So stick with it Ms Teacher. Your $30,000 loan will be chump change in a few years and you will still be working a part-time job sitting around all summer.


badger fan:

All right Mr. Slappy. Those salaries are rarely paid out to teachers for quite a few reasons. 1. Teachers rarely last long enough in their profession (due to lack of pay, long hours, etc) to get to that level. 2. Most districts nationwide do not pay their teachers that much.

I checked with my district (yes, I am a teacher) and found that if I choose to work for another 35 years (I'm currently 30) I will be making close to $68,000 a year (not counting for inflation). So in my district, someone with 35 years in (and a Master's degree) is making $68,000 a year. Right now, I make about $31,000, for those of you who are wondering. With a Master's degree.

You want to talk time? I get to work by 7:00 every day. I leave around 4:30 (hoping to beat the traffic home). That's on a day when I don't have any extra-curricular committments. On those days, when I'm chaperoning a dance or selling tickets at a game I'll arrive home after 10:00 or sometimes midnight. Then I get up and do it again the next day. I also bring work home with me - I've got plenty of papers to grade. I sometimes spend my Saturdays and Sundays working on lesson plans for the next unit. And my winter and spring breaks? Those are used to catch up on all the work that students turn in right before they leave.

This summer, I taught summer school for two weeks (getting paid about $17.00 an hour - I make more bartending). And next week, I'll be at school 3 days working on a project with other teachers. Do I get paid more to go? No.

On a whim, I went back through my calendar and looked at all the days I stayed late at school. I counted up the hours. I then added 4 hours a week of "extra work time at home" to the total number of hours. I added it all together and divided by 52. I came up with about 56.8 hours a week. Hmmmmm. Do you see why we need summer breaks?

By the way - in order for me to buy a condo, I had to get a part-time job teaching at the local junior college during the school year AND get a bartending job in the summer. No - I didn't get one with a lake-view. I'm in a diverse neighborhood, on the south side of Madison (which for a single, white woman is not the greatest place to live).

So get over yourself already. I'll take a 9-5 business day (my kids would be awake when they got there - read up on teen sleep research, they're worth almost nothing before 9:00 and we get them at 7:30) with martini lunches (to deal with the bureaucratic tests we administer and the parents who have no part in their child's life) and bonuses for performance (for kids who graduate - all of mine did last year, a feat for teaching at an alternative school for at-risk students).

You, Mr. Slappy, obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Kudos to your son's kindergarten teacher. I can only imagine the crap she had to put up with dealing with you. She deserves every cent she got.

Mr Slappy wrote:

Okay its time to teach Ms Teacher. My ISP location may show up as Bloomingdale however that information shows where my provider's server is. But thank you for your research on Bloomingdale, sounds like a nice place.
My son's kindergarten teacher retired last year. Her salary for teaching my son the year before,$102,000. Lots of homework to grade and lesson plans to develop; sandbox, crayons, nap, recess.
Her pension is currently $73,000 a year. In 7 years her pension will increase to $86,000 with a 3% yearly raise after that. In 15 years she will be hauling in $109,000 a year and have removed $1,315,000 from the pension fund.
So stick with it Ms Teacher. Your $30,000 loan will be chump change in a few years and you will still be working a part-time job sitting around all summer.

(This is the last post I wrote before leaving for school)
Ms. Teacher:

Mr Slappy wrote:

Okay its time to teach Ms Teacher. My ISP location may show up as Bloomingdale however that information shows where my provider's server is. But thank you for your research on Bloomingdale, sounds like a nice place.
My son's kindergarten teacher retired last year. Her salary for teaching my son the year before,$102,000. Lots of homework to grade and lesson plans to develop; sandbox, crayons, nap, recess.
Her pension is currently $73,000 a year. In 7 years her pension will increase to $86,000 with a 3% yearly raise after that. In 15 years she will be hauling in $109,000 a year and have removed $1,315,000 from the pension fund.
So stick with it Ms Teacher. Your $30,000 loan will be chump change in a few years and you will still be working a part-time job sitting around all summer.

You are a very sad man who should be pitied. If you honestly believe that ALL your sons Kindergarten Teacher does is nap, recess, sandbox, etc. There is so much more to being a teacher. A Teacher observes and facilitates a child's well-rounded development. An INVOLVED parent would know this.

As for her salary, it again proves the economic area in which you live. If I say nothing else regarding money, Teachers are not in it for the money, benefits, etc. I left corporate USA BECAUSE I LOVE TEACHING. I took a huge salary cut, time with my own child and husband, weekends, all so I could make a difference in the lives of children who are not as fortunate as others. To some of these kids I am the only mother figure they have.

Shame on you for turning it all into dollars and cents. Not everything in life is about the almighty dollar. At the end of my life I will sure feel good about all that I have brought to my students rather than if a stock price rose or fell.

The only thing you have taught me is that ignorance and elitism seem to go hand in hand. I'll continue going to "the hood" as you call it and continue to feel good about the students I have helped. You can go back to counting your money and living in your plastic bubble where "those little darlings" live far far away from you.


Mr. Slappy:

badger fan wrote:

All right Mr. Slappy. Those salaries are rarely paid out to teachers for quite a few reasons. 1. Teachers rarely last long enough in their profession (due to lack of pay, long hours, etc) to get to that level. 2. Most districts nationwide do not pay their teachers that much.
I checked with my district (yes, I am a teacher) and found that if I choose to work for another 35 years (I'm currently 30) I will be making close to $68,000 a year (not counting for inflation). So in my district, someone with 35 years in (and a Master's degree) is making $68,000 a year. Right now, I make about $31,000, for those of you who are wondering. With a Master's degree.
You want to talk time? I get to work by 7:00 every day. I leave around 4:30 (hoping to beat the traffic home). That's on a day when I don't have any extra-curricular committments. On those days, when I'm chaperoning a dance or selling tickets at a game I'll arrive home after 10:00 or sometimes midnight. Then I get up and do it again the next day. I also bring work home with me - I've got plenty of papers to grade. I sometimes spend my Saturdays and Sundays working on lesson plans for the next unit. And my winter and spring breaks? Those are used to catch up on all the work that students turn in right before they leave.
This summer, I taught summer school for two weeks (getting paid about $17.00 an hour - I make more bartending). And next week, I'll be at school 3 days working on a project with other teachers. Do I get paid more to go? No.
On a whim, I went back through my calendar and looked at all the days I stayed late at school. I counted up the hours. I then added 4 hours a week of "extra work time at home" to the total number of hours. I added it all together and divided by 52. I came up with about 56.8 hours a week. Hmmmmm. Do you see why we need summer breaks?
By the way - in order for me to buy a condo, I had to get a part-time job teaching at the local junior college during the school year AND get a bartending job in the summer. No - I didn't get one with a lake-view. I'm in a diverse neighborhood, on the south side of Madison (which for a single, white woman is not the greatest place to live).
So get over yourself already. I'll take a 9-5 business day (my kids would be awake when they got there - read up on teen sleep research, they're worth almost nothing before 9:00 and we get them at 7:30) with martini lunches (to deal with the bureaucratic tests we administer and the parents who have no part in their child's life) and bonuses for performance (for kids who graduate - all of mine did last year, a feat for teaching at an alternative school for at-risk students).
You, Mr. Slappy, obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Kudos to your son's kindergarten teacher. I can only imagine the crap she had to put up with dealing with you. She deserves every cent she got.

Nice rant. If you stay in Hooterville for 20 more years your $68,000 will double to $136,000 @ 3%. Not bad money for an area with a low cost of living. If that isn't enough move to Chicago and a better paying district.

By the way, there are millions of us working 60 hours or more a week and we DON'T get a summer break. Quit your whining and you could get your papers graded faster.

Stella:

Mr Slappy wrote:

With a dropout rate of almost half you aren't even close to mediocre. Maybe if taxpayers didn't have to contribute so much to your pension, benefits and inflated salary for a part-time job we could "focus" the money on the student.

I am not a teacher but I am a parent of 2 teenagers.
Why are you attacking this person just because they are a teacher. First of all I believe that teaching is a state job so teachers don't collect social security like most people they collect a pension. Teaching is almost becoming a dangerous job -- every day teachers risk their lives whether they teach in the "hood" or the most elite of suburbs. Teachers today have to put up with a lot of crap from kids and when they try to talk with the parents most parents are in denial -- Not my little johnny or suzy - is the standard response. Parents need to take more responsibility for their children and their actions.
In regards to LW the dad should have held the kid back until the teacher finished changing and then let the kid go say hi -- these parents are probably typical parents who will deny that their son ever does anything wrong -- The parents made more of an issue out of this than need be --

KTR:

Mr Slappy wrote:

Nice rant. If you stay in Hooterville for 20 more years your $68,000 will double to $136,000 @ 3%. Not bad money for an area with a low cost of living. If that isn't enough move to Chicago and a better paying district.
By the way, there are millions of us working 60 hours or more a week and we DON'T get a summer break. Quit your whining and you could get your papers graded faster.

You DO get a summer break (hmm, even fall, winter, and spring) from your company ... you, my friend, CHOOSE not to take it. NEVER complain about a teacher's schedule...

Mr. Slappy:

stella wrote:

I am not a teacher but I am a parent of 2 teenagers.
Why are you attacking this person just because they are a teacher. First of all I believe that teaching is a state job so teachers don't collect social security like most people they collect a pension. Teaching is almost becoming a dangerous job -- every day teachers risk their lives whether they teach in the "hood" or the most elite of suburbs. Teachers today have to put up with a lot of crap from kids and when they try to talk with the parents most parents are in denial -- Not my little johnny or suzy - is the standard response. Parents need to take more responsibility for their children and their actions.
In regards to LW the dad should have held the kid back until the teacher finished changing and then let the kid go say hi -- these parents are probably typical parents who will deny that their son ever does anything wrong -- The parents made more of an issue out of this than need be --

I suppose you make $100,000+ teaching kindergarten.

Mr. Slappy:

KTR wrote:

You DO get a summer break (hmm, even fall, winter, and spring) from your company ... you, my friend, CHOOSE not to take it. NEVER complain about a teacher's schedule...

What are you babbling about breaks? If I want to complain about teacher's getting a 2 1/2 month vacation in the summer plus breaks in winter and spring the First Amendment allows me to. Never got past 8th grade yourself eh?

It seems Mr. Slappy just wanted to attack everybody. I am glad I went to school and did something productive rather than listening to the rantings of an idiot. I was able to see my students and how much they have grown over the summer, meet parents I had not met before and had a really good time.