So tired of the "teachers work for free every day" FB posts

[marlynnp]

No, PP is saying that whether you take 10 checks or 12 (where allowed), it's the same TOTAL - and that total is based on a 10-month or "200 day" contract. A salary of $48,000 for working 10 months could be 10 checks of $4,800 each or 12 checks of $4,000 each.

lol, I know how it works. Just trying to get the following admission...

No, I am saying I don't get paid an annual salary. My contract very specifically says that I have a ten-month contract. If I had an annual contract, I would be paid 1/6 more.

Right. You have a contract and know the exact terms of compensation. So, why all the "I only get paid for 10 months" angst? You get paid for your work as agreed upon and I expect teachers to be as capable of budgeting their money as any other worker.

 

[RadioFanatic]

But your salary for that timeframe often is as much if not more what people make for a full year. I also have "contracted hours" in that I'm only supposed to work 7.5 hours a day, but I also have work that needs to get done which more often than not extends past that. But you know what? That's life.

 

[disykat]

lol, I know how it works. Just trying to get the following admission...



Right. You have a contract and know the exact terms of compensation. So, why all the "I only get paid for 10 months" angst? You get paid for your work as agreed upon and I expect teachers to be as capable of budgeting their money as any other worker.

What angst? It's an explanation. We get paid for 10 months (or more accurately 185 days or whatever amount of days is on our contract.) None of us are complaining that we only get paid for 10 months. We are explaining.

The angst comes when people continually tell us we are getting paid for not working. We don't. We have lots of days we are not contracted to work. We can enjoy the perk of lots of free time, but still correct a misconception that we're getting paid for all those days we're not working.

Many teachers get paid well. Many don't. It really depends on the state, the district, and many other factors. It's like some of us are reading different threads. I don't see the main point of this discussion as being about amount of pay. ???

I know people look at things differently, but are you saying that you think most people in other professions would really not care when they are on their non contracted time complete strangers are berating them for being on paid vacation? Having enough money to spread through the year does not make every day a work day, and thus every not working day a paid vacation day.

I honestly don't care if you make 100,000 in one day. My opinion would be that's a lot of money for one day and it should spread easily throughout a year or more. I wouldn't insist you were being paid all the other days. I had a friend who got paid $400 a day in her profession so she only worked one day a week and stayed home with her kids the other days. I didn't insist she was being paid to stay home. She got paid for the day she worked.

Yes, it's semantics. But those semantics are very meaningful to me because they are about me. I'm not sure why they're so important to non-teachers, but my belief is they are important to a lot of people because of the perception that we get paid for time we are not working. Thus, the desire to correct that perception.

 

[marlynnp]

What angst? It's an explanation. We get paid for 10 months (or more accurately 185 days or whatever amount of days is on our contract.) None of us are complaining that we only get paid for 10 months. We are explaining.

Other professionals understand teacher contracts. Your 'explaining' comes across as complaining.

The angst comes when people continually tell us we are getting paid for not working. We don't. We have lots of days we are not contracted to work. We can enjoy the perk of lots of free time, but still correct a misconception that we're getting paid for all those days we're not working.

I believe you perceive a misconception that does not exist.

I know people look at things differently, but are you saying that you think most people in other professions would really not care when they are on their non contracted time complete strangers are berating them for being on paid vacation?

I couldn't care less about a strangers opinion of my work schedule. I've never known any other group that gets so worked up about what 'complete strangers' say.... and "berating"? really??

Yes, it's semantics. But those semantics are very meaningful to me because they are about me. I'm not sure why they're so important to non-teachers, but my belief is they are important to a lot of people because of the perception that we get paid for time we are not working. Thus, the desire to correct that perception.

I think it's your perception that others believe you get paid for not working. Most non-teachers believe you get paid a fair amount (or in some cases not enough) for the time you work and you have off summers.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Right. You have a contract and know the exact terms of compensation. So, why all the "I only get paid for 10 months" angst? You get paid for your work as agreed upon and I expect teachers to be as capable of budgeting their money as any other worker.

I don't have any angst. If you read my previous posts on this thread, I already stated that I feel I am fairly compensated for my ten months of work. I never said that I should be paid more or anything.

I was just correcting someone's common misconception that teachers' salaries are for the year even though we only work ten months. I find (both online and in real life) that a lot of people seem to think they know about teachers' terms of employment despite having never taught themselves. While some teachers might have twelve month contracts, every one I know personally has a ten month contract.

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't have any angst. If you read my previous posts on this thread, I already stated that I feel I am fairly compensated for my ten months of work. I never said that I should be paid more or anything.

I was just correcting someone's common misconception that teachers' salaries are for the year even though we only work ten months. I find (both online and in real life) that a lot of people seem to think they know about teachers' terms of employment despite having never taught themselves. While some teachers might have twelve month contracts, every one I know personally has a ten month contract.

It's a distinction without a difference.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

But your salary for that timeframe often is as much if not more what people make for a full year. I also have "contracted hours" in that I'm only supposed to work 7.5 hours a day, but I also have work that needs to get done which more often than not extends past that. But you know what? That's life.

That is true. In fact, I know a couple of people with a Masters who make less than me. But it is also true that I know other people who have four-year degree or have no degree at all who make way more than me (and still would even if they only made 10/12 of their salary and had summers off.)

I can't speak for other teachers, but I have no complaints about my ten-month salary. The state I work in is very fair. But it is a ten month salary. It is not an annual salary. So, yes, it does bug me when people say I get summers off and get paid for them. I don't. I accepted that fact when I took a job as a teacher, and I wish others would realize it is a fact too instead of arguing that it is semantics.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Other professionals understand teacher contracts. Your 'explaining' comes across as complaining.


I believe you perceive a misconception that does not exist.

Apparently not everyone does understand because at least one person on this thread stated that teachers get paid an annual salary, and I have heard plenty of professionals in my real life say things like, "Oh, I wish I got paid summers off."

Complaining would be more like--"teachers are so underpaid" or "we should get paid for summer vacation" or "teaching is soooo much harder than other professions." I don't recall seeing those types of complaints on this thread unless I missed them.

Correcting misconceptions about our profession is no more complaining than correcting someone's misconceptions about something at Disney on the Theme Parks board.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

It's a distinction without a difference.

Care to explain? I am not sure what you mean by this.

 

[mom2rtk]

Care to explain? I am not sure what you mean by this.

It means that most people don't care to play semantics with it. If you get paid in 10 months something remotely close to what they get in 12, what you get in 10 checks versus 12 is immaterial to them.

I assume you still get health benefits in the summer months?

Look, there's plenty about teaching that I could never do. And God bless the people who will do it with far more patience than I ever could. We've had a handful of great ones through the years.

But when someone comments on having summers off, why not just smile and say "yes, it's nice to have time to recuperate for the next year."

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

It means that most people don't care to play semantics with it. If you get paid in 10 months something remotely close to what they get in 12, what you get in 10 checks versus 12 is immaterial to them.

I assume you still get health benefits in the summer months?

Look, there's plenty about teaching that I could never do. And God bless the people who will do it with far more patience than I ever could. We've had a handful of great ones through the years.

But when someone comments on having summers off, why not just smile and say "yes, it's nice to have time to recuperate for the next year."

Yes, I do still get health benefits. I also got them on maternity leave despite the fact that I wasn't working. I then needed to pay back my contributions for the months I missed when I returned to work; we just don't have to do that for the summer because they take the amount we owe for health benefits and divide it by ten months instead of twelve so that we don't have to pay for them over the summer since we don't get paid then.

In terms of your suggested comment, I might say something like that if someone said something innocuous like, "I wish I had summers off." But when people add, "and got paid" to that statement, I usually just nicely say, "Oh, we don't get paid for the summers like many people think." And very rarely, if ever, does it cause a debate.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes, I do still get health benefits. I also got them on maternity leave despite the fact that I wasn't working. I then needed to pay back my contributions for the months I missed when I returned to work; we just don't have to do that for the summer because they take the amount we owe for health benefits and divide it by ten months instead of twelve so that we don't have to pay for them over the summer since we don't get paid then.

In terms of your suggested comment, I might say something like that if someone said something innocuous like, "I wish I had summers off." But when people add, "and got paid" to that statement, I usually just nicely say, "Oh, we don't get paid for the summers like many people think." And very rarely, if ever, does it cause a debate.

We're just not going to see eye to eye on this.

I'm glad your district is paying its share of your health coverage all 12 months of the year. I was starting to think maybe they were trying to get by with something.

I'm sure you'd win this argument in court, but it would be on a technicality.

 

[castleview]

I teach, so I have many friends who are teachers. Many of them are FB friends as well.

I am getting so tired of the "Every school in America has teachers working for free every day" type of posts. It always goes on to talk about how we come in early, stay late, and do work at home grading or responding to e-mails or whatever, and then always mentions how we don't get overtime.

Well, guess what? We're salaried. We're not hourly employees. That means we don't get overtime. We all entered this profession knowing this. We entered it knowing, too, that we don't get bonuses, but we also know that we don't have to report to our workplace during winter break, spring break, and for just over 2 months every summer.

I hear teachers complain that they feel like "the public" doesn't treat them as professionals, and yet they turn right around and complain about doing work outside of normal work hours. Most professionals I know do this!

/Rant over, flame suit on.

I have no love for anyone who pulls the martyr routine on FB. But while teachers are certainly professionals, I rarely see them being treated like professionals be it at public meetings or with certain administrators. DH was an engineer before he became a teacher and the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't treated as a professional. He can take that with a grain of salt, though.

I, on the other hand, seriously believe public ed is under attack right now by people interested in privatizing the industry - be it shady charter school operators, the Walton family, and voucher proponents. Attacking teachers is an easy thing for politicians and investors to do. So I get why teachers don't feel like they are treated well.

 

[tasha99]

It means that most people don't care to play semantics with it. If you get paid in 10 months something remotely close to what they get in 12, what you get in 10 checks versus 12 is immaterial to them.

I assume you still get health benefits in the summer months?

Look, there's plenty about teaching that I could never do. And God bless the people who will do it with far more patience than I ever could. We've had a handful of great ones through the years.

But when someone comments on having summers off, why not just smile and say "yes, it's nice to have time to recuperate for the next year."

I get why teachers get defensive about "free" summers off. It is unpaid time off, as contracted, but some people seem to resent that teachers don't work summers. As for making in 10 months what some people make in 12, you'd have to compare skill sets. I make much more per hour since I quit teaching (I work a lot less and bring home a lot more money now that I'm hourly and in the private sector. Depends on the subject you teach.)

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

We're just not going to see eye to eye on this.

Agreed. Agree to disagree.

 

[jessie31383]

I have to wonder where the people live that are not getting paid over the summers. I have a TON of teacher friends and know that they are getting paid over the summer. They were given a choice to either get paid just during the school year while working, or to divide it out for the whole year. They all chose to get paid all year long. If you really think about it, how is that any different then a regular salary job. You are offered a salary for the entire year. It is supposed to cover so many hours. Sometimes you may work more, sometimes you might actually work less, but that is the salary for the year regardless. My friends get paid over the summer while they are not working as teachers, and many get part time jobs over the summer to make extra money.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I have to wonder where the people live that are not getting paid over the summers. I have a TON of teacher friends and know that they are getting paid over the summer. They were given a choice to either get paid just during the school year while working, or to divide it out for the whole year. They all chose to get paid all year long. If you really think about it, how is that any different then a regular salary job. You are offered a salary for the entire year. It is supposed to cover so many hours. Sometimes you may work more, sometimes you might actually work less, but that is the salary for the year regardless. My friends get paid over the summer while they are not working as teachers, and many get part time jobs over the summer to make extra money.

It totally depends on the district or area in which you teach. My district only offers 10 month contracts, and they will not spread those payments out over 12 months even if you wanted them to do so. Many of the other districts around us are the same way. I know there are plenty of people who work in districts like your friends, but that is not everyone's experience.

 

[disykat]

I have never met a working person who didn't know whether their holiday time and time off was paid or unpaid, regardless of when their paychecks arrive.

My son is a salaried engineer and doesn't get paid overtime, so he may work an hour or two over without extra compensation sometimes - just like teachers. His paycheck is spread out equally throughout the year - just like teachers. However, he can still tell me exactly how many holidays and paid vacation days he gets. If he were required to work those days, he would get comp time - because those days are paid time off. I'm not sure why the concept of paid time off versus unpaid time off is so difficult for some to understand.

My husband is also an engineer, but one who isn't "salaried" so he does get overtime pay. He also keeps track of his pay, his vacation pay, his sick leave, etc. Close track, because his paycheck varies. He'd be happy to correct someone if they were telling him something about his compensation package that wasn't true. I'm not sure why teachers would be different.

I'm not saying it's not a fair way to get paid. No one here has said that. It just IS the way we get paid. We do get paid sick leave, something not everyone gets. Again, I don't see stating how our pay works as complaining. We don't get paid FOR work during the summer because we aren't normally contracted to do work during the summer.

The only member of my family that doesn't keep track of how he's getting paid is my younger son who is not yet a professional. He is just happy to be getting a paycheck and as long as money goes in the bank he figures it's all good. Even then, despite his not yet a professional status, he understands that when he doesn't work he won't get paid - even when a check arrives during that time period for past work!

 

[amadeusMozart]

Just over a year ago I received my BS Mathematics to teach High School Math in Texas. Oddly I was not picked up at as math teacher in the DFW area. Lets say I was confused and upset.

Starting pay for a teacher in DFW area average is $47k. Now in itself that not that bad of pay for 1st year teaching. There are areas in Texas that a 1st year teacher gets paid around $25K. That is horrific. There are several states that do not come close paying teachers near $47k for 1st year. Great example I was talking to a mother of high school history teacher in Omaha Nebraska. He been teaching for 10 plus years and has MA Education. He get around $45K. Over 10 years of teaching and obtained MA he gets paid $45K.

I still have a heart to teach mathematics to students, but after looking at the national pay increase for teacher per year. I cannot provide for my family down the road. I have to put food on the table. Sadly a teacher might not get a $250 to $500 a year increase. They have just as good chance to get $250 to $500 deduction in pay per year. My sister-in-law teaches high school English in DFW area and been teaching for 7 years and only makes $46K. That 7 years of teaching and my 1st year of teaching in the DFW area was going be around $47k to $50k. But again I was not hired either.

I took a job as Software Engineer in the Omaha Nebraska area. Lets say I make more then $50K. My teaching friends in Arkansas don't even make 1/2 of what I make. The 2 supervising teacher during my student teaching year makes about 1/2 of what I make. They been teaching for YEARS!

Yes, Software Engineers is a specialty field right now. But teacher should not be paid so low or (may or may not) get pay raise. Dealing with Teacher Education Boards, Teacher Unions, ministration, parents, and students; teacher should absolutely get paid more.

Here the catch 20/20: To pay teacher more we have pay more property tax. The money has to come from somewhere.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Preach, sister!!!

They're annoying. As you said, I think this applies to almost any professional position. I used to be a children's librarian, and while my teacher friends were writing curriculum and grading papers at home, I was planning the summer reading program, weekly storytimes, and cutting out construction paper shapes for crafts or otherwise assembling or shopping for crafts, all "unpaid". It's what you do when you care about the work that you do, and we all go into these professions knowing that this is what we're signing up for. If it's someone just passing along a pro-teacher message on fb it doesn't bug me so much, but when it's a teacher posting I get super annoyed.