Why does no one acknowledge how overworked teachers are?

[Anonymous]

Social workers are overburdened for sure. Teachers are also overburdened. One does not negate the other. This happens to be the schools and education board, which is how it came up, but if you want to start a thread about overburdened social services professionals on the jobs and careers board, anyone is welcome to it. (As a teacher, I would post my support and sympathy, personally).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure in 33 pages this has been mentioned, argued, dismissed and ridiculed...but while I appreciate our teachers, I don't think they're any more overworked than I am. It's a job for a paycheck. If one feels it's too much, there are other jobs.

What are you compensated for being overworked? I’m sure it’s a lot more than teachers.

Haven’t visited this thread in a while, but apparently the assumption that all parents make more than teachers is persisting.

My kid’s teacher makes $125k a year. I make 70k and my DH makes 105k. I have a graduate degree and he went to an Ivy. We both work in public interest jobs. Our jobs can be draining and hard (I am a social worker, he is a civil engineer who works for municipal government). Plus we have small children.

I am sorry teachers feel overworked. I’m sorry anyone does. But teachers are not uniquely burdened in this way snd many of the parents of the kids in your classrooms are underpaid and overworked. Unless you work at a high SES school, in which case— your job as a teacher is easier and that is also your choice.

NP, but as a social worker I assume you are overworked and understand the emotional toll that working with certain populations can take on your mental health. I’m a teacher and my DH is also a civil engineer. He is not overworked and underpaid.

[Anonymous]

Teachers are overworked, under appreciated, and as of this evening in Newport News, now a victim of a shooting caused by one of their own 6-year-old students. I don't want them to quit or burn out but at the rate we're going who can blame them?

[Anonymous]

The old timers (20+ years of teaching) in my HS department who have confided in me are just gritting their teeth until retirement --they all have said at one time or another how done they are with this job.

I'm 4 years in and would like to leave too. I'm so slammed with work that it's difficult to spend time on job searches.
I worked in the private sector previously and becoming a teacher was one of the dumbest decisions I ever made.

There are about 25 of us in the department and all but four have 20 years of experience or more. The other four have been there for less than five years. No one in the middle.

[Anonymous]

When the old timers leave, education is in for a real whirlwind. Old timers started in the 90’s and early 2000’s when things were still under control. They stayed in for the pensions and lack of easy career change. The current batch of new teachers doesn’t really have a good reason to stay. Pensions take at least 10 years to best in my state, MD. Better to leave now than suffer for at least 10 years.

Not many new teachers are going into teaching programs. No one has anything good to say about the teaching profession at the moment. It is difficult to recommend it as career to college kids.

[Anonymous]

"Why does no one acknowledge how overworked teachers are ?"

Two reasons:

1) Because teachers constantly tell us how overworked and underpaid they are;

2) Because everyone else is also overworked and underpaid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Why does no one acknowledge how overworked teachers are ?"

Two reasons:

1) Because teachers constantly tell us how overworked and underpaid they are;

2) Because everyone else is also overworked and underpaid.

I disagree with #2. Everyone I know easily makes double what I do as a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Both my husband and I feel overworked but don’t receive any gift cards on our birthdays, holidays, and /or PW (Profession Week). We are not allowed to take gifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both my husband and I feel overworked but don’t receive any gift cards on our birthdays, holidays, and /or PW (Profession Week). We are not allowed to take gifts.

Neither do I. I teach in a Title 1 school so we don't typically get gifts. If we do, it's homemade cookies or a handmade card. Not every teacher is living the life of Riley with all of the gift cards from their students. We don't have a PTA and we might get a meal twice a year paid for by our admin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Why does no one acknowledge how overworked teachers are ?"

Two reasons:

1) Because teachers constantly tell us how overworked and underpaid they are;

2) Because everyone else is also overworked and underpaid.

I disagree with #2. Everyone I know easily makes double what I do as a teacher.

Really? What do you make? If it's over 40k I can introduce you to a lot of my family and friends who don't make double. If it's over 50k...hi!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When the old timers leave, education is in for a real whirlwind. Old timers started in the 90’s and early 2000’s when things were still under control. They stayed in for the pensions and lack of easy career change. The current batch of new teachers doesn’t really have a good reason to stay. Pensions take at least 10 years to best in my state, MD. Better to leave now than suffer for at least 10 years.

Not many new teachers are going into teaching programs. No one has anything good to say about the teaching profession at the moment. It is difficult to recommend it as career to college kids.

By your measure I’m at old timer at the ancient age of 44! I started teaching in 2002, I’ve got quite a number of years ahead until I can retire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Why does no one acknowledge how overworked teachers are ?"

Two reasons:

1) Because teachers constantly tell us how overworked and underpaid they are;

2) Because everyone else is also overworked and underpaid.

I disagree with #2. Everyone I know easily makes double what I do as a teacher.

Really? What do you make? If it's over 40k I can introduce you to a lot of my family and friends who don't make double. If it's over 50k...hi!

Do they have multiple degrees? Most teachers have Master's degrees and more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Why does no one acknowledge how overworked teachers are ?"

Two reasons:

1) Because teachers constantly tell us how overworked and underpaid they are;

2) Because everyone else is also overworked and underpaid.

I disagree with #2. Everyone I know easily makes double what I do as a teacher.

Really? What do you make? If it's over 40k I can introduce you to a lot of my family and friends who don't make double. If it's over 50k...hi!

Do they have multiple degrees? Most teachers have Master's degrees and more.

I’m generally sympathetic to the cause here but let’s not pretend that teaching degrees are the same difficulty or rigor as many other degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both my husband and I feel overworked but don’t receive any gift cards on our birthdays, holidays, and /or PW (Profession Week). We are not allowed to take gifts.

I promise you, the 3 gift cards I received, 2 for $5 and one for $10, do not make any difference in my workload, burn-out, physical danger, etc.

-spec ed teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like a lot of the “overworked” is more just frustration at handling behavioral issues (either directly or indirectly through not getting enough subs to agree to teach at the school due to behaviors), so why don’t teachers try to do something about the behavior? Most parents want much higher behavioral expectations in the schools too. We talk so much on DCUM about wanting to change different laws, so why is nobody talking about changing whatever laws allow behaviorally disruptive kids to stay in classrooms and drive out all the good teachers? Have the teachers (either through unions or not) actually tried to change this? Or everyone just assumes it’s too hard?

WTF? Can we all live in your fantasy land?