Posted by whatusay on March 10, 2011, 8:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Great news!!"
I think that most teachers who think they are under-appreciated, under paid and have deplorable working conditions should hit the private sector for two or three years.
And I don't mean a part time job here or there, but in a high pressure, high responsibility, insane environment, with only your performance and work ethic to stand on.
No "tenure" or guarantee of maintaining that employment, but with yearly or bi-yearly performance reviews, being held accountable for your own performance and maybe the performance of your team, in a fast paced, non-stop environment.
Work a job where you have five paid holidays a year, and MAYBE two weeks paid vacation, maybe. Where overtime is expected, not requested, and if you are salaried, with no compensation for that overtime.
And do all of the above on your own, you hold the responsibility of keeping that job based on how hard you work, hopefully not pissing off the wrong people and MAYBE getting an annual raise. There would be no union to back you up if you were underperforming or were ineffective, no union to DEMAND you get a raise even when you didn't earn it, no tenure to fall back on when you committed an offense so aggregious that your job might be on the line, or simply because you were a lazy oaf, riding on the coat tails of that union.
Teachers who have came straight from college into a teaching position have no clue how it works in the real world, none.
Newsflash: NO ONE WORKING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, JUGGLING ALL THE ABOVE IS GREETED WITH HUGS AND PATS ON THE BACK EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. THEY DON'T EXPECT HUGE AMOUNTS OF PRAISE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF THEIR INTELLIGENCE AND ABILITIES. ANDTHEY DON'T FEEL CHEATED NOR DISRESPECTED AND BAWL LIKE BABIES CRYING FOUL. THEY ARE USUALLY GRATEFUL JUST TO HAVE A JOB.