DCPS teachers work to the clock

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

Are you naive? Professionals of all kinds typically work well beyond a 40-hour week.

Yes, and they get paid for it through bonuses and raises. Teachers do not.

You are sadly uniformed and likely heavily brainwashed by your union.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

I don't work in DCPS so I don't have a dog in this fight but I'd like to speak to this. Teachers are always guilted into doing "what's best for the kids". And because teachers are generally compassionate and caring people, they buy into it. Case in point--I was at a meeting today where teachers who teach what I teach were basically told that our jobs will be phased out over the next few years. Here was an actual quote from a real teacher upon hearing this "well, if it's best for kids then I can't be against the idea.".

Somewhere along the line teachers have forgotten that we're professionals being paid for doing a job. We're not volunteers. This isn't the Peace Corps. Way too many have been drinking the Kool-Aid to the detriment of their own health, family and wallet because they keep being told to "do what's best for the kids". I fully support teachers working to the rule. We're expected to give more of our personal time and money every year. I have a line item in my personal budget for doing my job. How many other professionals have to buy their own supplies to be able to do their job? I'm expected to run clubs after school without any compensation. Enough is enough. If I'm getting paid for working a certain number of hours per week then that's the number of hours I'm working. Especially since I'm salary when it behooves the school system, but hourly when it behooves the school system like when I have to take 4 hours of sick leave for a 30 minute doctor appointment. They can't have it both ways.

Enough is enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

I don't work in DCPS so I don't have a dog in this fight but I'd like to speak to this. Teachers are always guilted into doing "what's best for the kids". And because teachers are generally compassionate and caring people, they buy into it. Case in point--I was at a meeting today where teachers who teach what I teach were basically told that our jobs will be phased out over the next few years. Here was an actual quote from a real teacher upon hearing this "well, if it's best for kids then I can't be against the idea.".

Somewhere along the line teachers have forgotten that we're professionals being paid for doing a job. We're not volunteers. This isn't the Peace Corps. Way too many have been drinking the Kool-Aid to the detriment of their own health, family and wallet because they keep being told to "do what's best for the kids". I fully support teachers working to the rule. We're expected to give more of our personal time and money every year. I have a line item in my personal budget for doing my job. How many other professionals have to buy their own supplies to be able to do their job? I'm expected to run clubs after school without any compensation. Enough is enough. If I'm getting paid for working a certain number of hours per week then that's the number of hours I'm working. Especially since I'm salary when it behooves the school system, but hourly when it behooves the school system like when I have to take 4 hours of sick leave for a 30 minute doctor appointment. They can't have it both ways.

Enough is enough.

+1 The double standard needs to end. Especially since most teachers work at least 25-50% more hours per week than most principals or assistant principals. Heck, right now at our school (not DCPS), we're lucky if our grade level principal is in the building two days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

Are you naive? Professionals of all kinds typically work well beyond a 40-hour week.

Yes, and they get paid for it through bonuses and raises. Teachers do not.

You are sadly uniformed and likely heavily brainwashed by your union.

I have never in my highly successful public sector professional life received a bonus. Raises were COL until I switched jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, on the clock. Does that mean working more than the 6 hour school hours?
Does that mean working over Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break, which the rest of the US requires vacation time that teachers don't have to work?
What about the professional days that always seem to fall around long weekends?
Give us a break. You get 2 months off with a million off days that no one outside of teaching gets.
And PS., the majority of the US population only gets 2-3 weeks of vacation. Stop whining.

1. I work 8 hours a day, not 6. And I have office hours during lunch, so no real breaks.
2. The past two years I have taken kids on field trips over Spring Break for extra enrichment plus this helps parents out with childcare.
3. The teachers I know usually skip those professional development days to go to our school to actually plan and grade, instead of doing whatever crap they force us to do at PD days.
4. I actually only get paid for 10 months, and over the summer I either take courses to hone my teaching skills or get another endorsement OR I teach summer school.

I would like a cost of living increase so that I could continue to live in the community in which I teach. That's about it really, I am not asking for a huge raise. The cops and firefighters got COLA for 6 years with retro pay, why can't we? So I am not entirely sure who is the whiny little baby is in the situation. But hey, keep on trucking booboo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

I don't work in DCPS so I don't have a dog in this fight but I'd like to speak to this. Teachers are always guilted into doing "what's best for the kids". And because teachers are generally compassionate and caring people, they buy into it. Case in point--I was at a meeting today where teachers who teach what I teach were basically told that our jobs will be phased out over the next few years. Here was an actual quote from a real teacher upon hearing this "well, if it's best for kids then I can't be against the idea.".

Somewhere along the line teachers have forgotten that we're professionals being paid for doing a job. We're not volunteers. This isn't the Peace Corps. Way too many have been drinking the Kool-Aid to the detriment of their own health, family and wallet because they keep being told to "do what's best for the kids". I fully support teachers working to the rule. We're expected to give more of our personal time and money every year. I have a line item in my personal budget for doing my job. How many other professionals have to buy their own supplies to be able to do their job? I'm expected to run clubs after school without any compensation. Enough is enough. If I'm getting paid for working a certain number of hours per week then that's the number of hours I'm working. Especially since I'm salary when it behooves the school system, but hourly when it behooves the school system like when I have to take 4 hours of sick leave for a 30 minute doctor appointment. They can't have it both ways.

Enough is enough.

+1 The double standard needs to end. Especially since most teachers work at least 25-50% more hours per week than most principals or assistant principals. Heck, right now at our school (not DCPS), we're lucky if our grade level principal is in the building two days a week.

Yup, how nice when admin gets to flex their hours and leave early for an appointment or go to to their child's Halloween party but we have to take 4 hours of leave to do the same even though we stayed late every day this week and also came in early, plus ran a club without compensation. My principal takes every opportunity to attend meetings and trainings because she knows she will work fewer hours those days since she won't be in the building. She'll be out of the meeting by 3:30 and on her way home while her teachers are just starting the second shift of their day at that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

Are you naive? Professionals of all kinds typically work well beyond a 40-hour week.

Yes, and they get paid for it through bonuses and raises. Teachers do not.

You are sadly uniformed and likely heavily brainwashed by your union.

I have never in my highly successful public sector professional life received a bonus. Raises were COL until I switched jobs.

Well teachers haven't had COL. So you're ahead of them. Feel better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

I don't work in DCPS so I don't have a dog in this fight but I'd like to speak to this. Teachers are always guilted into doing "what's best for the kids". And because teachers are generally compassionate and caring people, they buy into it. Case in point--I was at a meeting today where teachers who teach what I teach were basically told that our jobs will be phased out over the next few years. Here was an actual quote from a real teacher upon hearing this "well, if it's best for kids then I can't be against the idea.".

Somewhere along the line teachers have forgotten that we're professionals being paid for doing a job. We're not volunteers. This isn't the Peace Corps. Way too many have been drinking the Kool-Aid to the detriment of their own health, family and wallet because they keep being told to "do what's best for the kids". I fully support teachers working to the rule. We're expected to give more of our personal time and money every year. I have a line item in my personal budget for doing my job. How many other professionals have to buy their own supplies to be able to do their job? I'm expected to run clubs after school without any compensation. Enough is enough. If I'm getting paid for working a certain number of hours per week then that's the number of hours I'm working. Especially since I'm salary when it behooves the school system, but hourly when it behooves the school system like when I have to take 4 hours of sick leave for a 30 minute doctor appointment. They can't have it both ways.

Enough is enough.

+1 The double standard needs to end. Especially since most teachers work at least 25-50% more hours per week than most principals or assistant principals. Heck, right now at our school (not DCPS), we're lucky if our grade level principal is in the building two days a week.

Yup, how nice when admin gets to flex their hours and leave early for an appointment or go to to their child's Halloween party but we have to take 4 hours of leave to do the same even though we stayed late every day this week and also came in early, plus ran a club without compensation. My principal takes every opportunity to attend meetings and trainings because she knows she will work fewer hours those days since she won't be in the building. She'll be out of the meeting by 3:30 and on her way home while her teachers are just starting the second shift of their day at that time.

Our principals must be related!

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I left teaching because I couldn't deal with 80 hour weeks. It was the hardest 9 months I ever worked! I actually took a pay cut to do something 9-5 so I could have work-life balance and do stuff like go to the bank or a doctors appointment. I hope DCPS teachers get their pay! They earn it!

[Anonymous]

I lost ten points on my IMPACT evaluation last year due to "Core Professionalism." When I asked what that was, I was told that it was due to me having more than one unscheduled day off aka sick leave. With very rare exception, I was the first teacher there each morning. I would show up around 6:30 am to grade papers, make copies, and set up for the day. I received two awards last year from our principal for "going above and beyond" with volunteering and family engagement. I got sick. I found other teachers to cover my classes. I left detailed sub plans. I did everything by the book and then some. It's become the type of place where getting sick and using three days sick leave is considered unprofessional.

[Anonymous]

You guys should have been working the clock long ago. 5 years without a contract is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost ten points on my IMPACT evaluation last year due to "Core Professionalism." When I asked what that was, I was told that it was due to me having more than one unscheduled day off aka sick leave. With very rare exception, I was the first teacher there each morning. I would show up around 6:30 am to grade papers, make copies, and set up for the day. I received two awards last year from our principal for "going above and beyond" with volunteering and family engagement. I got sick. I found other teachers to cover my classes. I left detailed sub plans. I did everything by the book and then some. It's become the type of place where getting sick and using three days sick leave is considered unprofessional.

His sounds discriminatory and your union should fight it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys should have been working the clock long ago. 5 years without a contract is insane.

While I agree in theory I work in another district with a "contract" and it's worth about as much as the paper on which it's written. It's actually called an "agreement", not a contract. The way it's written basically allows the system and principals to do whatever they want as long as they can justify somehow that it's in the best interest of the school. You can pretty much justify anything that way. Whenever the BOE wants to not honor the "agreement" they can do that as well, but the same consideration does not apply to employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would never ask other (majority male) professions to volunteer their time like we do teachers. Imagine asking a corporate lawyer to give up his weekend "for the client firms." He wouldn't do it, and he would be right not to.

Are you naive? Professionals of all kinds typically work well beyond a 40-hour week.

Yes, and they get paid for it through bonuses and raises. Teachers do not.

You are sadly uniformed and likely heavily brainwashed by your union.

I am not a teacher nor in a union. I work in the private sector where I am rewarded for going above and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Work the clock! Many, many professions do. Anyone who is whiny because they don't get winter, spring, or summers off is jealous.