Do teachers "really" have it that bad???

[Pokinfun]

Everybody has heard from thier youth that teachers have lost pay. They know that going in. It is a calling for some. So I have no sympathy. Like somebody else posted. You don't hear about the firefighters or cops complaining about thier pay or at least it doesn't make it to the media. Most firefighters I know have second jobs or thier own business. Anybody that wants more money needs either more hours or another job. End of story.

The only reason these guys get any attention is because they belong to one of if not the largest Unions in the country.

No, their is not a teachers union in Oklahoma. One of you younger teachers just had a his first child this year. Nice young man, coached, very religious, wanted the American Dream. He resigned at the end of the year to become a firefighter because it was still helping people, but better pay.

 

[Pokinfun]

according to national statistics it would appear they aren't doing a very good job of it.If I was number 48 out of 50 at my job I wouldn't be asking for a raise I would be expecting to be terminated

maybe you should ask if Oklahomans value education.

 

[rawhide]

according to national statistics it would appear they aren't doing a very good job of it.If I was number 48 out of 50 at my job I wouldn't be asking for a raise I would be expecting to be terminated

Show me where OK teachers are 48 out of 50 in anything other than pay. I understand people's perceptions of what schools are like and what teachers do represents the truth to them.
Previous posts mentioned market demand. Market demand is why teachers are leaving the state & the profession in droves. If other factors didn't keep me here I would pack my bags and be gone tomorrow.
Only work 9 months? I just completed 30 years in the classroom. Not one of those years did I work fewer hours than someone working 50 weeks a year, 40 hours a week.
More should and can be said than I will attempt on my phone. But I'll conclude with this. Put your finger in my belt loop and hang on for a couple of weeks and your perception will be quite different.

 

[JD8]

according to national statistics it would appear they aren't doing a very good job of it.If I was number 48 out of 50 at my job I wouldn't be asking for a raise I would be expecting to be terminated

They might be 48 out of 50 because we loose good teachers to better pay and benefits out of state.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/educ...cle_9d7266e8-2d0d-5e5d-a274-5a969198a4e8.html

You also have to consider how much funding has been cut.

Not sure why it's rocket science in Oklahoma, you want the best and brightest? You pay them more. This applies to a majority of job descriptions.

 

[Pokinfun]

Show me where OK teachers are 48 out of 50 in anything other than pay. I understand people's perceptions of what schools are like and what teachers do represents the truth to them.
Previous posts mentioned market demand. Market demand is why teachers are leaving the state & the profession in droves. If other factors didn't keep me here I would pack my bags and be gone tomorrow.
Only work 9 months? I just completed 30 years in the classroom. Not one of those years did I work fewer hours than someone working 50 weeks a year, 40 hours a week.
More should and can be said than I will attempt on my phone. But I'll conclude with this. Put your finger in my belt loop and hang on for a couple of weeks and your perception will be quite different.

you know, when I was in the Army I had guys tell me it is a job that people do if they are failures or low IQ. A few of the guys on here think teaching is the same thing, we are actually over paid for what we do.

 

[Pokinfun]

They are 48 out of 50 because we loose good teachers to better pay and benefits out of state.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/educ...cle_9d7266e8-2d0d-5e5d-a274-5a969198a4e8.html

You also have to consider how much funding has been cut.

I do not like that guy. Being the state teacher of the year does not equal being a great classroom teacher. It does equal being a good politician.

 

[JD8]

Your response is typical of this board; I bet you didn't even read my post...I am not saying they make too much, I am getting answers to form a better opinion. So far, it would appear that the noob teachers do pretty well but the teachers who have been at it awhile need the raises; the ones who have paid their dues...that is where my opinion is leaning. And again, if academia itself hadn't been complicit in the breakdown of the family, then some of these 40k teachers could do fine if they married someone who made the same or more than them and only had the number of kids they could support. I think say having a total family income of 100k with one kid and 2-3 months off in the summer wouldn't be so bad?

None the less, as a tax payer I think we could give the teachers who've been teaching awhile a raise with lotto money, or from wasteful spending such as OMES, but I don't think they need to raise our taxes...as mentioned, they knew what they chose. The new teachers start out higher than I did with a bachelor's, it just appears once you get to the 10yr mark, it could stand to be higher if they were a good teacher.



I am learning, evolving, open-minded...(but since you mentioned higher education, I still say academia has had an impact that isn't always positive Thanks for educating me none the less

Actually, if one understands the history of this board, it's responses like yours that are typically regurgitated from time to time. You have one anecdote that I guess you're basing your opinion on. Well, come take a look in most cities in Oklahoma and talk to the teachers. Find out how many have other jobs to make ends meet and I'll guarandamnteeya a vast majority don't have multiples homes on the lake.

 

[JD8]

I do not like that guy. Being the state teacher of the year does not equal being a great classroom teacher. It does equal being a good politician.

I'll disagree with that as a rule but that's a red herring. Point remains that many good teachers, or kids just out of school, go elsewhere.

 

[cjjtulsa]

you know, when I was in the Army I had guys tell me it is a job that people do if they are failures or low IQ. A few of the guys on here think teaching is the same thing, we are actually over paid for what we do.

Good point. Wouldn't it be something to see some posts saying, "you guys knew what you were getting into when you joined the military, so stop whining about your PTSD - I have no sympathy".

Too many here remind me of the childless who think they know all about raising kids.

 

[saddlebum]

They might be 48 out of 50 because we loose good teachers to better pay and benefits out of

so you're saying the one ones we have left are the bottom of the barrel and don't deserve the raise they are asking for?