Posts by GrreatTeacher

I just want to say that that photo on the beach is beautiful. The waves in the background, the slightly sea-sprayed couple, the implied motion, the interaction. It's just a gorgeous, gorgeous moment caught on camera.

I hope you have that one framed and sitting on the nightstand.

20

Hourly vs Salary which is better?

by hoser in

jw
friends

i am hourly.

what are the pros and cons of hourly or salary?.

GrreatTeacher

Yeah, keyser, low-level management is often not worth it.

Possibly middle-management could be worth it, but you usually have to first have experience as low-level management to qualify.

20

Hourly vs Salary which is better?

by hoser in

jw
friends

i am hourly.

what are the pros and cons of hourly or salary?.

GrreatTeacher

Ha ha! That's funny. Teachers hear the craziest things.

The parent of one of my students called the principal to complain her child was being bullied in my class. The principal got all of the relevant details and also asked to also speak to the student.

Principal: So, you've been bullied?

Student: Yes.

P: When did this happen?

S: Today

P: And, who bullied you?

S: Jason

Principal: Really?!

S: Oh, yes!

P: Well that's funny because Jason has been absent for the last 3 days!

20

Hourly vs Salary which is better?

by hoser in

jw
friends

i am hourly.

what are the pros and cons of hourly or salary?.

GrreatTeacher

I am a teacher. I am officially required to be in school 35 hours a week. My pay is bargained for hourly, but my contract requires me to sign an overtime pay waiver.

The effect is that our official school start and ending times add up to more than the 35 hours of the contract. Also, I work 11 hour days to get everything done, including grading papers, writing lesson plans, copying papers, administrative paperwork, creating a document trail for EVERYTHING, modifying assignments for students with IEPs (special ed students,) attending meetings for those students, attending faculty training meetings, collaborative planning meetings, special ed referral meetings, storing and readying science materials and equipment for class, and maintaining the physical classroom space. And, if I need to find a substitute to access any of my personal days for doctor appointments, there is a lengthy process of leaving sub plans which have to be in excruciating detail and likely involve a total new creation of lesson plans because a sub cannot handle science experiments.

So I get everything done from my "35 hour" per week job in 55 hours. I can't even randomly call in sick because of the excruciating 'getting a substitute' process. Today is Saturday and I just spent hours grading labs, which in "time-saving" process must now be entered into the online gradebook. Tomorrow I am pacing the curriculum so I get through the mandatory concepts before the quarterly science assessments. Then, they throw in parent conference days which are, bewilderingly, before report cards, so I will have to prepare grades and narrative comments for each of my students. Then, 4 report cards each year (also with narrative comments), and 4 manatory sets of interim reports.

We are public employees, and as such, are not allowed to go on strike. We would never have to. All we'd have to do is work the actual 35 hours per week of our contract. Public education would fall apart at the seams.