Dr. Duran must go
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Anonymous
NP here. I wonder why it tends to be teachers who complain. Do teacher preparation programs only take people who are fundamentally incompetent and make everything harder than it needs to be? Does being in the classroom turn you into a whiner? Because I don't understudy why, if their jobs aren't uniquely bad, do we see more teachers whining than other government employees? Why are there shortages? Why do fewer people than ever want to go into the profession? I don't understand the ins and outs of the health insurance issue but there do tend to be a lot of teacher complainers and a lot of people telling them to shut it. It's an interesting dynamic. |
Anonymous
Speaking of teacher haters. |
Anonymous
No, my personal opinion is that the most rational reason for all the complaints is that teachers do indeed have cause to complain, and I'm always a little baffled that people tend to come to the conclusion that teachers are just whiners who don't understand the realities of employment. |
Anonymous
Teaching is a job that a lot of people start right after college and some stay their entire working life. I think that can lead to a lot of blind spots in how other people's jobs also suck. I also think a lot of teachers have an inaccurate idea of how much other people make and how much work they do. I feel lucky that I spent a few years outside of education. I think it gave me a lot of perspective. |
Anonymous
Amazing when you craft a whole argument off a flawed assumption. |
Anonymous
Why do you think it’s flawed? |
Anonymous
This. I work alot of hours outside of normal business hours like many salaried staff. But I’ve never had to buy basic supplies, I can use the bathroom whenever I want, I get a proper lunch break most days. I get the occasional perk like an unexpected day off, ability to telework now, no worries about showing up late or leaving early from time to time, and so on. Pay-wise teachers now do well or better than many college educated but the working conditions blow. I really believe teachers stay in these jobs because they love the kids. |
Anonymous
The place to be is Syphax. Good pay and lots of leave. |
Anonymous
The conditions aren’t great in the classroom compared to the cushy WFH gig some people get. In person is a must. But not all teachers love kids. Let’s call it for what it is: there are few jobs that pay an average of $80k per 10-month year with a bachelors, come with a pension and retiree medical, honor weekends and holidays, don’t put you on a plane away from your kids all the time, give you lockstep raises based on credentials and seniority, and provide reasonable job security regardless of performance, plus the well known benefit of holiday breaks and summers off to recover. I think teachers are rational actors and can weigh the pros and cons of their personal career alternatives. We have a teacher shortage now because for a long time we had a teacher glut, those people moved on, and now we are facing some demographic realities. If teachers have a specific problem they want the parents to lobby to fix, they need to be a lot more professional than “If you don’t let me keep Kaiser because APS, I’m leaving.” Feel free to try out FCPS, you might like it better there, you might hate it. Feel free to try out the private sector and get used to taking conference calls while your kids are home for the fourth time that month due to some religious holiday. Work a few Christmases, or Disney trips, or spend a week away every quarter at some dank conference room in Cleveland, just to be laid off at the first sign of trouble. Give it a go and see how you like it. Tie your arguments to how this actually hurts kids, not your personal needs, and you might get somewhere with the parents. A lot of us want to help you but some of ya’ll sound downright irrational. |
Anonymous
Your welcome  btw I was the PP who you said I didn't watch but knew what it was about.
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Anonymous
And then when they did come talk to the teachers, apparently they were dismissive and disrespectful and did not inspire confidence about taking care of them through the closure. One of the teachers who spoke last night said that the APS staff also cut the meeting off abruptly because they had somewhere else to be. Sounds like Duran had to come in and do a cleanup job afterwards. APS has been impressively bad on the rollout for this. |
Anonymous
Try adding something useful. The adults are talking. |
Anonymous
I actually haven’t had an issue about insurance, because I did not have Kaiser. However, I do have an issue with you. I have seen many posts on here, and they must be from you, all about teachers with a Bachelor’s making $80K. (With a ton of resentment.) That’s inaccurate. After 14 years in the system, an APS teacher with a Bachelor’s would make $80K. It is also inaccurate that a teacher cannot be fired. You’re are generalizing a rare few teachers. Just like you are hyper-focused on the insurance thing (and it was indeed a debacle), and not looking at all of the other concerns on this thread. However, we do need teachers, so please give up your jealousy and that dank room in Cleveland. According to you, you don’t even have to like kids! As a parent, I am concerned about the impact that class sizes and equity grading will have on my child’s education. As a teacher, I know that Syphax is a mess, and must be fixed. A lot of my tax dollars are going to salaries in that building, and I am seeing very little return. That 14-year teacher making $80K on the other hand, is probably worth every penny. |
Anonymous
| Is there such a thing as a good superintendent? I recall people really didn't like the guy before Duran. |
Anonymous
you haven't been here very long have you? PKM was absolutely awful. |