Note: I am merely venting out my frustrations with this post. I’ve been so strained with the whole negotiations between our district and the association that it’s draining me. Being involved with the association also makes it more tiresome, because not only am I dealing with issues at my school, but also all the other issues at other schools within the district. Therefore, please excuse my bitterness and disgruntlement.
I am so sick and tired of all those ignorant *sorry* people out there who think that teachers have it easy because we only work 7-hour days and have vacation all the time. I don’t blame those who just don’t know any better, but I do blame those who come and complain to us when they don’t even know what we do.
With all the negotiations going on between our association and the school district, there has been much talk about how teachers are complainers, and that what we are asking for is unreasonable. They obviously don’t understand all the time and effort we put into our work.
If you ever knew a teacher well enough, you’d know that we don’t only work the 7-hour day. We are PAID a 7-hour day, but probably work an extra 3-4 hours every day UNPAID. When do you think we have the time to correct papers, plan lessons, do report cards, hold meetings, etc?!?!?! If you are naive enough to believe that we can do all that during the day AND teach the kids while we do that, you must have been from a different planet.
And yes, we have summer and winter and spring recess and holidays off… blah blah blah… But if you don’t teach, you probably didn’t know that we aren’t paid a penny for those. Most people have 10 paid holiday dates a year, e.g. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and so on. We don’t get paid for those. Most people have 2 weeks of paid vacation a year. We have vacation, just not paid. We are said to be “salaried” when in fact, we are paid daily. If we need to miss a day for any reason, that comes out of our paycheck.
My husband, brother, and even best friend can attest to the fact that I work more hours than what I’m supposed to. I spend SOOOOOOOOOO much time on my school work, my husband tells others that I don’t have a life. I have so much to do ALL the time.
Don’t get me wrong. I love to teach, and I’m not complaining about going the extra mile for my kids. I’d do anything within my ability to ensure that my kids get the best education they can get. I’m not usually one to complain for I try to see things on the positive side for the most part. However, this whole negotiations thing is taking a toll on me. Our contract has been expired since June, the district won’t negotiate, and I’m tired of all the politics involved in this. I just want to get back to what I love to do, and that is to teach. I’m just complaining about the disrespect that people have been showing towards teachers due to their ignorance. *sigh* I just want it to be over……