Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who keeps talking about my summer off… I wish you could be a fly on the wall for this past month. Do you have any idea how many additional hours we put in? I have worked every evening and weekend for the past month. I fell asleep at 7 last night because I’m so exhausted. I have more education than all of my Arlington neighbors who work from home, take long walks all day, make more than me, and then all tell me how “lucky” I am every summer. It is a choice I made, but it is not cushy. Have some respect. Or hey, join us… we can’t find enough people to do it, cushy gig that it is. Come and join the team.

The insurance thing does not affect me, but I can tell you that teachers in APS are quite rightfully upset. Duran gave all the central office staff an extra three weeks of vacation, and things are not getting done. There are basic things we need, many people that are supposed to support us, and our jobs have become much harder. Huge classes. No funding for field trips. No subs. Difficulty renewing licenses and getting supplies. All as this occurs, an expanding central office.

Now, you have teachers that will have to pay more for insurance. (Don’t just look at rates, look at the deductibles.). It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I don’t know anyone who only works for 8 hours a day. A lot of jobs if not most have to work extra which isn’t paid for. That’s kind of how it goes here in America. I don’t know anyone over the age of 25 who isn’t tired from work and life in general.

Those jobs pay a lot better than teaching positions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who keeps talking about my summer off… I wish you could be a fly on the wall for this past month. Do you have any idea how many additional hours we put in? I have worked every evening and weekend for the past month. I fell asleep at 7 last night because I’m so exhausted. I have more education than all of my Arlington neighbors who work from home, take long walks all day, make more than me, and then all tell me how “lucky” I am every summer. It is a choice I made, but it is not cushy. Have some respect. Or hey, join us… we can’t find enough people to do it, cushy gig that it is. Come and join the team.

The insurance thing does not affect me, but I can tell you that teachers in APS are quite rightfully upset. Duran gave all the central office staff an extra three weeks of vacation, and things are not getting done. There are basic things we need, many people that are supposed to support us, and our jobs have become much harder. Huge classes. No funding for field trips. No subs. Difficulty renewing licenses and getting supplies. All as this occurs, an expanding central office.

Now, you have teachers that will have to pay more for insurance. (Don’t just look at rates, look at the deductibles.). It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I don’t know anyone who only works for 8 hours a day. A lot of jobs if not most have to work extra which isn’t paid for. That’s kind of how it goes here in America. I don’t know anyone over the age of 25 who isn’t tired from work and life in general.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who keeps talking about my summer off… I wish you could be a fly on the wall for this past month. Do you have any idea how many additional hours we put in? I have worked every evening and weekend for the past month. I fell asleep at 7 last night because I’m so exhausted. I have more education than all of my Arlington neighbors who work from home, take long walks all day, make more than me, and then all tell me how “lucky” I am every summer. It is a choice I made, but it is not cushy. Have some respect. Or hey, join us… we can’t find enough people to do it, cushy gig that it is. Come and join the team.

The insurance thing does not affect me, but I can tell you that teachers in APS are quite rightfully upset. Duran gave all the central office staff an extra three weeks of vacation, and things are not getting done. There are basic things we need, many people that are supposed to support us, and our jobs have become much harder. Huge classes. No funding for field trips. No subs. Difficulty renewing licenses and getting supplies. All as this occurs, an expanding central office.

Now, you have teachers that will have to pay more for insurance. (Don’t just look at rates, look at the deductibles.). It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I don’t know anyone who only works for 8 hours a day. A lot of jobs if not most have to work extra which isn’t paid for. That’s kind of how it goes here in America. I don’t know anyone over the age of 25 who isn’t tired from work and life in general.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who keeps talking about my summer off… I wish you could be a fly on the wall for this past month. Do you have any idea how many additional hours we put in? I have worked every evening and weekend for the past month. I fell asleep at 7 last night because I’m so exhausted. I have more education than all of my Arlington neighbors who work from home, take long walks all day, make more than me, and then all tell me how “lucky” I am every summer. It is a choice I made, but it is not cushy. Have some respect. Or hey, join us… we can’t find enough people to do it, cushy gig that it is. Come and join the team.

The insurance thing does not affect me, but I can tell you that teachers in APS are quite rightfully upset. Duran gave all the central office staff an extra three weeks of vacation, and things are not getting done. There are basic things we need, many people that are supposed to support us, and our jobs have become much harder. Huge classes. No funding for field trips. No subs. Difficulty renewing licenses and getting supplies. All as this occurs, an expanding central office.

Now, you have teachers that will have to pay more for insurance. (Don’t just look at rates, look at the deductibles.). It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I don’t know anyone who only works for 8 hours a day. A lot of jobs if not most have to work extra which isn’t paid for. That’s kind of how it goes here in America. I don’t know anyone over the age of 25 who isn’t tired from work and life in general.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who keeps talking about my summer off… I wish you could be a fly on the wall for this past month. Do you have any idea how many additional hours we put in? I have worked every evening and weekend for the past month. I fell asleep at 7 last night because I’m so exhausted. I have more education than all of my Arlington neighbors who work from home, take long walks all day, make more than me, and then all tell me how “lucky” I am every summer. It is a choice I made, but it is not cushy. Have some respect. Or hey, join us… we can’t find enough people to do it, cushy gig that it is. Come and join the team.

The insurance thing does not affect me, but I can tell you that teachers in APS are quite rightfully upset. Duran gave all the central office staff an extra three weeks of vacation, and things are not getting done. There are basic things we need, many people that are supposed to support us, and our jobs have become much harder. Huge classes. No funding for field trips. No subs. Difficulty renewing licenses and getting supplies. All as this occurs, an expanding central office.

Now, you have teachers that will have to pay more for insurance. (Don’t just look at rates, look at the deductibles.). It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I don’t know anyone who only works for 8 hours a day. A lot of jobs if not most have to work extra which isn’t paid for. That’s kind of how it goes here in America. I don’t know anyone over the age of 25 who isn’t tired from work and life in general.

Anonymous wrote:For the person who keeps talking about my summer off… I wish you could be a fly on the wall for this past month. Do you have any idea how many additional hours we put in? I have worked every evening and weekend for the past month. I fell asleep at 7 last night because I’m so exhausted. I have more education than all of my Arlington neighbors who work from home, take long walks all day, make more than me, and then all tell me how “lucky” I am every summer. It is a choice I made, but it is not cushy. Have some respect. Or hey, join us… we can’t find enough people to do it, cushy gig that it is. Come and join the team.

The insurance thing does not affect me, but I can tell you that teachers in APS are quite rightfully upset. Duran gave all the central office staff an extra three weeks of vacation, and things are not getting done. There are basic things we need, many people that are supposed to support us, and our jobs have become much harder. Huge classes. No funding for field trips. No subs. Difficulty renewing licenses and getting supplies. All as this occurs, an expanding central office.

Now, you have teachers that will have to pay more for insurance. (Don’t just look at rates, look at the deductibles.). It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sympathize with you, APS teachers on Kaiser. It is not easy to find new doctors right now, but they’re out there. Good news is that this is likely a one time switch- most practices around here participate in many of the big plans.

As hard as this is, you not winning any supporters with this. Stop trying to get the parents to do your bidding for you. It’s unprofessional. The Board has a fiduciary duty to the taxpayers to ensure that the benefits that are being provided to you are being obtained at a reasonable cost commensurate with market rates. Insurance plans cost a whole lot more than the small fraction you individually pay.

Additionally - All of us in corporate land have been through insurer changes, along with massive YoY increases in premiums or deductibles, and limits on service. You are being offered what appears to be a great plan at a competitive cost. Stop threatening to quit or call out for days on end unless you’d like to come experience employer coverage out here in the wild.

Or maybe, just maybe we CARE about the kids we teach and feel bad that we will have to take days off because we know it sucks, but it is also the only way we are given. It isn’t a threat, just the reality of what we are facing.

This has nothing to do with insurance plans changing. I know some people are asking for more days off to "look for more doctors" That's nonsense. Most of this can be done online at any time of day. Even if not, our contract hours allow for phone calls.

No, my kid needs to be brought to a doctor so her multiple therapies can be approved. I need to take medicine for a chronic condition. I suppose after being in Kaiser for 20 years, I could be out of it, but I doubt a doctor will just approve and write a prescription without ever seeing me. I can pick a doctor out online, in fact I already have on the BCBS website. That doesn’t mean I can get him to prescribe meds sight unseen. We have to SEE the doctor and that can’t be done outside of contract hours.