Spinoff from the teacher salary thread

[Anonymous]

I did not want to hijack the other thread. I have a real question for teachers out there. I wish that our teachers were paid more. Teachers like the ones at my daughters school should make more than me. I absolutely adore my daughter's elementary school teacher this year especially. I have thought about asking her if she is interested in weekend babysitting, traveling with us on vacation (vacation paid for completely plus extra payment for her), looking after our child in the summer (she has told me that she works each summer). This teacher is a young single woman. Maybe not babysitting or vacations this year since my kid is still in her class, but you get the drift. Teachers, would anyone be insulted to be asked. The last thing I want to do is risk insulting her or hurting her feelings. I perceive this to be very flattering as in, "we love you so much, we want you to spend more time with our kid and we are happy to pay you handsomely for your time if you care to spend it this way." Teachers, I would love your opinions.

[Anonymous]

Well. the teacher might want a break from being around young kids, possibly, but I don't think they'd be insulted. My aunt paid her child's (former, I think) teacher to fly cross county with her kid (the kid was 9 and coming to visit us solo in DC so the teacher got a free ticket to accompany her). I dunno about babysitting/vacations; I would never have done it but I taught older kids to begin with. I would most definitely not have been insulted, though, and it's very sweet of you to ask her!

[Anonymous]

If you are able to pay professional wages, I woudl not be insulted. I would approach it with a definite idea in mind, and ask her if she knows anyone who might be interested in this type of work. Tell her you specifically are looking for someone with a teaching background, and about how much you'd pay, what the arrangements would be. Ask her to let you know if she knows of anyone who might be interested. By her reaction you might get a sense of whether she is interested or not.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. I would not be insulted. Just make sure you pay her well, and don't add cleaning, cooking, etc. to the job.

[Anonymous]

It's unethical for her to do anything like that for a current student, but once the child is no longer a student it would be okay. I wouldn't be insulted to be asked, but you should be prepared also to be turned down, in case that is not something she wants to do for whatever reason.

[Anonymous]

K teacher here. I would not be insulted, per se, to be asked, but like a PP said you'd have to pay me professional wages and the time spent with the child would have to be instructional. Would not want to go on vacation with the family... that would be too much like an "au pair." Also, frankly, in the summer I relish my kid-free time (with the exception of spending time with my nieces and nephews.

Also, don't be surprised if she declines.

[Anonymous]

I guess I'm the outlier who would have been insulted when I was a young teacher. For me, it would have blurred the line between a professional relationship with parents/ former student and a domestic service relationship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K teacher here. I would not be insulted, per se, to be asked, but like a PP said you'd have to pay me professional wages and the time spent with the child would have to be instructional. Would not want to go on vacation with the family... that would be too much like an "au pair." Also, frankly, in the summer I relish my kid-free time (with the exception of spending time with my nieces and nephews.

Also, don't be surprised if she declines.

15:46 again. I agree with this PP. Something like a continuing tutoring relationship would feel very comfortable, but I would not otherwise want to become an employee of the parents.

Of course, I'm always happy to run into former students and continue to take an interest in their lives, but it's important to maintain a certain professional distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I would not be insulted. Just make sure you pay her well, and don't add cleaning, cooking, etc. to the job.

As a teacher, I think it crosses the line and is not a smart move on the teacher's part should she agree. It's best to maintain a professional distance.

[Anonymous]

I know for tutoring (in MCPS) teachers are not allowed to work for current students at that school. I don't know if the same applies to childcare.

[Anonymous]

Totally inappropriate, probably unethical, and highly insulting.

Teachers are professional educators, not babysitters.

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher, and when I was just starting out teaching, I knew some teacher friends who did this kind of work for families over the summers. They were well paid, took great vacations, and worked hard to keep things stimulating and fun for their charges. If the school has no policy against it, I feel there's no harm in asking. I taught summer school over the summers for relatively little pay and (when I was single) would have jumped at the chance to travel somewhere for 6 weeks and just teach a few school aged kids! It would not have been insulting at all. I think it is more like being hired as a governess!

No, teaching is not child care -- but summers are summers, and some teachers don't have summer jobs lined up and would like to work. If a teacher is married with kids o rhas a serious significant other, probably she wouldn't be interested. But some of the younger teachers may well be. Of course the key above all is to offer decent pay.

[Anonymous]

I've known some teachers who house sit (and pet sit) when a family is gone for a week or two. This means they (a) get paid and (b) aren't in direct contact with children or parents of a school family. Has worked out pretty well.

In another case (and to tie with another forum somewhere on this blog), a teacher drove a kid home from school for parents who could not be there. This was an older child, and apparently not burdensome.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, I think it's just silly that someone would be insulted. It's clear that the OP has the best intentions...and likely a good working relationship with the teacher. However, it would be highly frowned upon by most principals if a teacher were to do this for a family in their school (even if they no longer had the child). In my early years of teaching, pre-husband/family, this would have been a great way to make a few extra $$ over the summer. I do know of teachers who have done this with families with private school students---where the referrals came from students/parents who they worked with in their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I think it's just silly that someone would be insulted. It's clear that the OP has the best intentions...and likely a good working relationship with the teacher. However, it would be highly frowned upon by most principals if a teacher were to do this for a family in their school (even if they no longer had the child). In my early years of teaching, pre-husband/family, this would have been a great way to make a few extra $$ over the summer. I do know of teachers who have done this with families with private school students---where the referrals came from students/parents who they worked with in their school.

This is exactly WHY teachers have earned so little respect from the public.

Would you ask your lawyer to come on a vacation with you to watch your child? Suppose this lawyer practiced family law and had a minor in child psychology? Or worked as a child advocate????

What's the difference?

It crosses the line. We are professionals.