My rant

Lauren over at LiveLaughLove posted this great blog rant about being a teacher.  She discusses how people talk about how "unfair" it is that teachers get summers off.  And how it royally pisses her off (ok, maybe not in those words exactly) that people talk trash about our work schedules all the time.

I say, PREACH ON SISTA!!

I get really annoyed when people say teachers are underworked, overpaid and protected by ridiculous unions.  

Well, here is what I have to say about that.

I have not had a raise in two years.  We rolled our contract over because there is literally NO MONEY in our district to pay the teachers any more and if we would have changed ONE WORD contractually, we would have taken a huge pay cut.  We do get a "step" every year...which is less than $50 per paycheck.  Other than that, the only raises I have gotten were for my blocks of credit.  Blocks of credit that equal about $1200 a year.  Blocks of credit are 4 classes (12 credits).  ONE CLASS of THREE CREDITS is $1200 in my master's program.  

You do the math.

Let's not forget to mention that Ohio requires their teachers to have their master's degree.  And we are not compensated for it like the business world often does.

And how many other professionals have to attend to HOURS of grading during their time at home?

As for summer vacays, Lauren nailed it on the head.  My last three summers have been spent at class from June through the end of July.  At the beginning of August, I finally was able to sit down and plan my units for the year as well as get my room set up.  Before THAT I was working part-time to supplement my income, as many of my fellow teachers are.

In the past six years, I have been a friend and parent to some of the hundreds of teenagers that I educate.  I have had students confide in me, confess to me, cry to me, come out of the closet to me.  I have been a drama director and been so consumed with work that I practically forgot what my husband looked like.  I have laughed with them and shared my own trials and tribulations with them, in the hopes that something I say will make a difference.  Some of these kids have no one that cares about them.  I try and be that person.

It is about shaping young minds and trying to teach them not just about The Great Gatsby and the research process, but about life.  

So the next time you say it is unfair how much time off a teacher has, think long and hard about it.  Because I promise you, the grass is not always greener.