Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like fcps to propose additional stipends for curriculum help and lead teacher work this year as part of teacher salary raises.

I agree. Pay extra for team leaders and curriculum leads. I'm okay with my base pay.

I'd like to see better retiree healthcare benefits (ex. School board pick up some of the premium).

As a teacher what mechanism do you have to make sure this is part of the salary increase this year.

Nothing that has much weight. Email school board and BOS. Speak to SB members.

I doubt if they'll look to improve benefits anytime soon.

I am happy to do this, but it helps much more if teachers actually get involved. There must be some mechanisms where teachers have the ability to make suggestions within the system. It's a little awkward for parents to be emailing about how teachers should get paid.

I'm the teacher in the PP who said I email and talk to SB and members of the BOS.

We don't have many mechanisms that carry much weight. Not in a Right To Work state.

That is great. Parents will support you if we know that teachers also feel the same way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this a serious argument? This may be the stupidest argument I have seen yet on this forum--and, there have been some pretty stupid ones before this.

Of course, teachers are important. But, there are LOTS and LOTS of important occupations that touch us all.

I agree. Teacher here and as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I hate when these discussions turn into a "I have to do this, you don't have to do that" contest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First fix all the schools. Like working AC and heat and peeling paint and opening windows. Make the conditions actually even across counties and states (the physical plant parts). Then pay all teachers more and thereby having more people go into the profession and be able to pick the best ones for the job. Money is needed to make it a respectable profession so you don't lose people to other sectors because the pay is abysmal. Yea there are great teachers now that have the calling but many don't go into k-12 because of conditions and low pay and limited growth. Oh and get rid of administrative bloat and give principals and teachers more autonomy and less testing!

Their pay is equal, if not more to many similar professions only they get better benefits from many other gov't employees and get two months off plus Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break. I am so tired of hearing they are underpaid when they have a much cushier job than social workers, public health and more.

Our teacher was complaining this year about how small her classroom was. I thought it was huge and surprised by the comment.

I am a pp. You say teachers are paid better. Better than what? Someone with a master's degree and 20 years experience? No. That is the education level of most teachers after a few years.

Social workers, nurses and other gov't professionals also have master's degree. Our teacher has a few years experience as do most at our public school. The principal ran off most of the seasoned ones. Teachers are better paid. They don't have to go to the worst parts of town into people's homes on a daily basis and much more. Try being a front line social worker, especially somewhere like SE DC.

you should look at what Masters earn in the federal gov't. Or in other word, try living on a teachers salary. 35 yo's with masters make 6 figures mostly, unless they are teachers.

I was a social worker in DC making under $40,000 a year in SE DC. A teachers salary was higher starting and I had about 7 years experience. Most 35 yo's with masters are not making 6 figures depending on their career field. Teachers are not underpaid and if you feel you are, find a new profession.

As a social worker you were not responsible for educating children. That's the key that makes teaching such a noble and unique profession. This fact was pointed out by another poster earlier in this communication by one that some deliberately overlook.

You're right, we are not responsible for doing the actual educating, but we are responsible for making sure their educational needs get met. Many kids in foster care or at home in at risk placements have fallen through the cracks at school and a good social worker needs to find the resources to get those kids privately assessed, get them IEP's to get their needs met in school or get them into private placements. Its not a simple job as you may think. It is an extremely complex job trying to deal with many aspects of someone's life. We are responsible for the failures of the school, most of which just ignore the issues rather than try to resolve them. I can't tell your how many times I got calls from teachers about behavior. These were good kids who fell through the cracks and didn't have the basic reading, math and writing skills to make it in jr. high or high school so they'd act up as a distraction to get out of doing work they could not do. And, that's just one aspect of their lives. If we had teachers who put in the effort starting early on, these kids would have been identified, pulled out for supports and possibly been in a better situation to succeed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like fcps to propose additional stipends for curriculum help and lead teacher work this year as part of teacher salary raises.

I agree. Pay extra for team leaders and curriculum leads. I'm okay with my base pay.

I'd like to see better retiree healthcare benefits (ex. School board pick up some of the premium).

As a teacher what mechanism do you have to make sure this is part of the salary increase this year.

Nothing that has much weight. Email school board and BOS. Speak to SB members.

I doubt if they'll look to improve benefits anytime soon.

I am happy to do this, but it helps much more if teachers actually get involved. There must be some mechanisms where teachers have the ability to make suggestions within the system. It's a little awkward for parents to be emailing about how teachers should get paid.

I'm the teacher in the PP who said I email and talk to SB and members of the BOS.

We don't have many mechanisms that carry much weight. Not in a Right To Work state.

Anonymous wrote:Is this a serious argument? This may be the stupidest argument I have seen yet on this forum--and, there have been some pretty stupid ones before this.

Of course, teachers are important. But, there are LOTS and LOTS of important occupations that touch us all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a social worker you were not responsible for educating children. That's the key that makes teaching such a noble and unique profession. This fact was pointed out by another poster earlier in this communication by one that some deliberately overlook.

This is such a weird line of reasoning. Social workers can be responsible for keeping children alive and safe. They can be responsible for keeping elderly people alive and safe. Disabled people alive and safe. They can be responsible for keeping people functional and capable of living in society. They can be responsible for helping people be successful.

Sanitation workers are responsible for making sure we don't all live in filth and die of disease. I mean, really, what jobs do you think people hold that aren't important on some level?

Ok, mine. I'm a scientist. I contribute to general knowledge, but I'm not working in areas of health and safety, so I'm worthless on your scale of importance. But most of the people I know are in jobs that contribute to the general welfare in some way. My DH works for the phone company, making sure you can call for help in emergencies. My mother's a teacher (apparently the most sacred of professions) and my father's an engineer making sure the bridges you drive over don't crumble beneath your car and kill you. Which one of them should get the most money?

How strange some of you people are.

And without TEACHERS none of those professions would be possible.

And without water sanitation engineers and workers, teachers wouldn't have anyone to teach. How weird do you want to get?

You make absolutely no sense. But that's what happens when people would rather argue than discuss. Argue rather than accept truth.

Teachers affect ALL lives--the doctors, lawyers, engineers and sanitation workers. No other profession does that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like fcps to propose additional stipends for curriculum help and lead teacher work this year as part of teacher salary raises.

I agree. Pay extra for team leaders and curriculum leads. I'm okay with my base pay.

I'd like to see better retiree healthcare benefits (ex. School board pick up some of the premium).

As a teacher what mechanism do you have to make sure this is part of the salary increase this year.

Nothing that has much weight. Email school board and BOS. Speak to SB members.

I doubt if they'll look to improve benefits anytime soon.

I am happy to do this, but it helps much more if teachers actually get involved. There must be some mechanisms where teachers have the ability to make suggestions within the system. It's a little awkward for parents to be emailing about how teachers should get paid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a social worker you were not responsible for educating children. That's the key that makes teaching such a noble and unique profession. This fact was pointed out by another poster earlier in this communication by one that some deliberately overlook.

This is such a weird line of reasoning. Social workers can be responsible for keeping children alive and safe. They can be responsible for keeping elderly people alive and safe. Disabled people alive and safe. They can be responsible for keeping people functional and capable of living in society. They can be responsible for helping people be successful.

Sanitation workers are responsible for making sure we don't all live in filth and die of disease. I mean, really, what jobs do you think people hold that aren't important on some level?

Ok, mine. I'm a scientist. I contribute to general knowledge, but I'm not working in areas of health and safety, so I'm worthless on your scale of importance. But most of the people I know are in jobs that contribute to the general welfare in some way. My DH works for the phone company, making sure you can call for help in emergencies. My mother's a teacher (apparently the most sacred of professions) and my father's an engineer making sure the bridges you drive over don't crumble beneath your car and kill you. Which one of them should get the most money?

How strange some of you people are.

And without TEACHERS none of those professions would be possible.

And without water sanitation engineers and workers, teachers wouldn't have anyone to teach. How weird do you want to get?

You make absolutely no sense. But that's what happens when people would rather argue than discuss. Argue rather than accept truth.

Teachers affect ALL lives--the doctors, lawyers, engineers and sanitation workers. No other profession does that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like fcps to propose additional stipends for curriculum help and lead teacher work this year as part of teacher salary raises.

I agree. Pay extra for team leaders and curriculum leads. I'm okay with my base pay.

I'd like to see better retiree healthcare benefits (ex. School board pick up some of the premium).

As a teacher what mechanism do you have to make sure this is part of the salary increase this year.

Nothing that has much weight. Email school board and BOS. Speak to SB members.

I doubt if they'll look to improve benefits anytime soon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a social worker you were not responsible for educating children. That's the key that makes teaching such a noble and unique profession. This fact was pointed out by another poster earlier in this communication by one that some deliberately overlook.

This is such a weird line of reasoning. Social workers can be responsible for keeping children alive and safe. They can be responsible for keeping elderly people alive and safe. Disabled people alive and safe. They can be responsible for keeping people functional and capable of living in society. They can be responsible for helping people be successful.

Sanitation workers are responsible for making sure we don't all live in filth and die of disease. I mean, really, what jobs do you think people hold that aren't important on some level?

Ok, mine. I'm a scientist. I contribute to general knowledge, but I'm not working in areas of health and safety, so I'm worthless on your scale of importance. But most of the people I know are in jobs that contribute to the general welfare in some way. My DH works for the phone company, making sure you can call for help in emergencies. My mother's a teacher (apparently the most sacred of professions) and my father's an engineer making sure the bridges you drive over don't crumble beneath your car and kill you. Which one of them should get the most money?

How strange some of you people are.

And without TEACHERS none of those professions would be possible.

And without water sanitation engineers and workers, teachers wouldn't have anyone to teach. How weird do you want to get?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First fix all the schools. Like working AC and heat and peeling paint and opening windows. Make the conditions actually even across counties and states (the physical plant parts). Then pay all teachers more and thereby having more people go into the profession and be able to pick the best ones for the job. Money is needed to make it a respectable profession so you don't lose people to other sectors because the pay is abysmal. Yea there are great teachers now that have the calling but many don't go into k-12 because of conditions and low pay and limited growth. Oh and get rid of administrative bloat and give principals and teachers more autonomy and less testing!

Their pay is equal, if not more to many similar professions only they get better benefits from many other gov't employees and get two months off plus Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break. I am so tired of hearing they are underpaid when they have a much cushier job than social workers, public health and more.

Our teacher was complaining this year about how small her classroom was. I thought it was huge and surprised by the comment.

I am a pp. You say teachers are paid better. Better than what? Someone with a master's degree and 20 years experience? No. That is the education level of most teachers after a few years.

Social workers, nurses and other gov't professionals also have master's degree. Our teacher has a few years experience as do most at our public school. The principal ran off most of the seasoned ones. Teachers are better paid. They don't have to go to the worst parts of town into people's homes on a daily basis and much more. Try being a front line social worker, especially somewhere like SE DC.

you should look at what Masters earn in the federal gov't. Or in other word, try living on a teachers salary. 35 yo's with masters make 6 figures mostly, unless they are teachers.

I was a social worker in DC making under $40,000 a year in SE DC. A teachers salary was higher starting and I had about 7 years experience. Most 35 yo's with masters are not making 6 figures depending on their career field. Teachers are not underpaid and if you feel you are, find a new profession.

As a social worker you were not responsible for educating children. That's the key that makes teaching such a noble and unique profession. This fact was pointed out by another poster earlier in this communication by one that some deliberately overlook.

You're right, we are not responsible for doing the actual educating, but we are responsible for making sure their educational needs get met. Many kids in foster care or at home in at risk placements have fallen through the cracks at school and a good social worker needs to find the resources to get those kids privately assessed, get them IEP's to get their needs met in school or get them into private placements. Its not a simple job as you may think. It is an extremely complex job trying to deal with many aspects of someone's life. We are responsible for the failures of the school, most of which just ignore the issues rather than try to resolve them. I can't tell your how many times I got calls from teachers about behavior. These were good kids who fell through the cracks and didn't have the basic reading, math and writing skills to make it in jr. high or high school so they'd act up as a distraction to get out of doing work they could not do. And, that's just one aspect of their lives. If we had teachers who put in the effort starting early on, these kids would have been identified, pulled out for supports and possibly been in a better situation to succeed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First fix all the schools. Like working AC and heat and peeling paint and opening windows. Make the conditions actually even across counties and states (the physical plant parts). Then pay all teachers more and thereby having more people go into the profession and be able to pick the best ones for the job. Money is needed to make it a respectable profession so you don't lose people to other sectors because the pay is abysmal. Yea there are great teachers now that have the calling but many don't go into k-12 because of conditions and low pay and limited growth. Oh and get rid of administrative bloat and give principals and teachers more autonomy and less testing!

Their pay is equal, if not more to many similar professions only they get better benefits from many other gov't employees and get two months off plus Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break. I am so tired of hearing they are underpaid when they have a much cushier job than social workers, public health and more.

Our teacher was complaining this year about how small her classroom was. I thought it was huge and surprised by the comment.

I am a pp. You say teachers are paid better. Better than what? Someone with a master's degree and 20 years experience? No. That is the education level of most teachers after a few years.

Social workers, nurses and other gov't professionals also have master's degree. Our teacher has a few years experience as do most at our public school. The principal ran off most of the seasoned ones. Teachers are better paid. They don't have to go to the worst parts of town into people's homes on a daily basis and much more. Try being a front line social worker, especially somewhere like SE DC.

you should look at what Masters earn in the federal gov't. Or in other word, try living on a teachers salary. 35 yo's with masters make 6 figures mostly, unless they are teachers.

I was a social worker in DC making under $40,000 a year in SE DC. A teachers salary was higher starting and I had about 7 years experience. Most 35 yo's with masters are not making 6 figures depending on their career field. Teachers are not underpaid and if you feel you are, find a new profession.

As a social worker you were not responsible for educating children. That's the key that makes teaching such a noble and unique profession. This fact was pointed out by another poster earlier in this communication by one that some deliberately overlook.