Anonymous wrote:I predict in the next decade that even urban areas will be going to 4 day school weeks or go towards shorter school days. There won't be enough $$ to pay staff enough to retain them. Staff won't be willing to stay in the conditions that are present. One solution will be to go 4 days a week or 5-5.5 hour days. Think it won't happen in your area? Think again. My school hosts student observers and student teachers. Most of the staff have been actively encouraging them to change majors. We don't have to twist their arms though once they see what it’s really like.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you think being a teacher is so great, come and do it. We have tons of openings. Surely there’s no good reason we’re all quitting.

The other classic retort - "you should just be a teacher." Absolutely minimizing that anyone who highlights the benefits of being a teacher may actually be in public service themselves. Social workers, public health workers, prosecutors, sanitation workers, public defenders, et al.

So, are teachers quitting over pay or something else? If it is pay, what hourly rate would it take? If it is "something else" - what is that?

The response to highlighting the hourly rate of pay has been puzzling - how is it an "attack on teachers" to highlight a rate of pay commensurate to other public service career fields.

The fact that social workers, prosecutors, and public defenders are underpaid doesn't mean that teachers are therefore overpaid. That you don't see the logical fallacy in your argument is astounding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you think being a teacher is so great, come and do it. We have tons of openings. Surely there’s no good reason we’re all quitting.

The other classic retort - "you should just be a teacher." Absolutely minimizing that anyone who highlights the benefits of being a teacher may actually be in public service themselves. Social workers, public health workers, prosecutors, sanitation workers, public defenders, et al.

So, are teachers quitting over pay or something else? If it is pay, what hourly rate would it take? If it is "something else" - what is that?

The response to highlighting the hourly rate of pay has been puzzling - how is it an "attack on teachers" to highlight a rate of pay commensurate to other public service career fields.

Anonymous wrote:If you think being a teacher is so great, come and do it. We have tons of openings. Surely there’s no good reason we’re all quitting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, sure, there are lots of other jobs out there that have demanding hours and that pay less than they should. But ACPS is losing teachers. Experienced teachers are leaving and there aren’t enough new ones to take their place. And new teachers have a notoriously high dropout rate anyway, meaning kids are left with increasingly inexperienced teachers, if they have a teacher at all. So raising pay is one way to encourage teachers to stay. If you don’t want to raise salaries, what other measures do you propose to increase retention?

In a time of teacher shortage - raising pay makes sense and the market demands that. But, that is why pay should be raised, not because teachers are woefully underpaid as compared to other public service careers.

So you are mad that teachers are asking for more pay and portraying themselves as underpaid, as opposed to the district deciding that increasing pay will encourage teachers to stay? The school system needs teachers and teachers are saying what will get them to stay. I don’t see the problem here.

What are you really looking for? Acknowledgement that your public service job is hard and you should be paid more? Okay, I’m sure that’s true. But no need to take your frustration out on teachers.

NP. Nothing this person said indicated they were frustrated and their point was spot on. Lots of my teacher colleagues overeat what others are paid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPs post literally reads like a 14 year old figuring out something wrong with the status quo, but instead they are going after public school teachers.

Thank you for epitomizing the devolution to ad hominem when facts of teacher compensation are highlighted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, sure, there are lots of other jobs out there that have demanding hours and that pay less than they should. But ACPS is losing teachers. Experienced teachers are leaving and there aren’t enough new ones to take their place. And new teachers have a notoriously high dropout rate anyway, meaning kids are left with increasingly inexperienced teachers, if they have a teacher at all. So raising pay is one way to encourage teachers to stay. If you don’t want to raise salaries, what other measures do you propose to increase retention?

In a time of teacher shortage - raising pay makes sense and the market demands that. But, that is why pay should be raised, not because teachers are woefully underpaid as compared to other public service careers.

So you are mad that teachers are asking for more pay and portraying themselves as underpaid, as opposed to the district deciding that increasing pay will encourage teachers to stay? The school system needs teachers and teachers are saying what will get them to stay. I don’t see the problem here.

What are you really looking for? Acknowledgement that your public service job is hard and you should be paid more? Okay, I’m sure that’s true. But no need to take your frustration out on teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, sure, there are lots of other jobs out there that have demanding hours and that pay less than they should. But ACPS is losing teachers. Experienced teachers are leaving and there aren’t enough new ones to take their place. And new teachers have a notoriously high dropout rate anyway, meaning kids are left with increasingly inexperienced teachers, if they have a teacher at all. So raising pay is one way to encourage teachers to stay. If you don’t want to raise salaries, what other measures do you propose to increase retention?

In a time of teacher shortage - raising pay makes sense and the market demands that. But, that is why pay should be raised, not because teachers are woefully underpaid as compared to other public service careers.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, sure, there are lots of other jobs out there that have demanding hours and that pay less than they should. But ACPS is losing teachers. Experienced teachers are leaving and there aren’t enough new ones to take their place. And new teachers have a notoriously high dropout rate anyway, meaning kids are left with increasingly inexperienced teachers, if they have a teacher at all. So raising pay is one way to encourage teachers to stay. If you don’t want to raise salaries, what other measures do you propose to increase retention?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPs post literally reads like a 14 year old figuring out something wrong with the status quo, but instead they are going after public school teachers.

Thank you for epitomizing the devolution to ad hominem when facts of teacher compensation are highlighted.

Anonymous wrote:OPs post literally reads like a 14 year old figuring out something wrong with the status quo, but instead they are going after public school teachers.