re: 65% of teachers are ‘uncomfortable’ with returning to school, survey from AEA says

Of course they are. We paid them to stay at home for 6-7 months and do very little. Not sure what we expected to hear.

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I’ve pointed this out in previous threads, but I’ll share it here. I’ve been home since March. In that time, I’ve created lessons for students online. I’ve used programs designed for classroom management and have had to completely shift gears and turn them into my main form of communication with students.

My class does not involve much written work. I’ve had zoom sessions throughout the spring and summer. I’ve given free music lessons to my students over the summer. I still went up to the school and coordinated instrument pickup and drop off days. Why did they drop them off for a month and a half? It’s because I took them to get professionally cleaned in light of these current events.

We are also hosting a summer music camp for a marching season we may or may not have. This is all done virtually. The only reason I am able to respond frequently now is because we are doing 2 a days.

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I'm glad you are giving some limited instruction. Let me ask you this, do you think working 2 days a week deserves the same pay as you were making prior to the pandemic? My daughter goes to a decent public school. She was given an assignment for one class, each day. She completed it less than an hour. None of the assignments were graded. Little to no personal contact with any teacher. She basically logged onto the computer, did the assignment and never heard from that teacher until the next week when another assignment was posted. There was absolutely, no teaching happening. It was the akin to me dropping her off at a library, and telling her to read a book.

The fact of the matter is, a lot of money is being thrown at education. The public is getting very little in return for the money we pay in our taxes. Now we have 65% of teachers surveyed, saying they don't want to go back to work, and if they do, it will be similar to what you are doing. The equivalent of 2 days a week.

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Let me ask you this, do you think working 2 days a week deserves the same pay as you were making prior to the pandemic?

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2 a days means two sessions a day, not two days a week. Discussing pay with a coach or extra curricular teacher is touchy. I get a stipend for band activities, and received one for coaching basketball and golf in the past. If you do the math, my athletic stipends came out to me making about $6.25 an hour.

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She was given an assignment for one class, each day. She completed it less than an hour. None of the assignments were graded. Little to no personal contact with any teacher. She basically logged onto the computer, did the assignment and never heard from that teacher until the next week when another assignment was posted.

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It’s difficult to judge things based on how last year finished. It was a free for all. Schools were not the only places that were blindsided by the pandemic. The issue simple exposed how unequipped districts are in going online.

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The fact of the matter is, a lot of money is being thrown at education. The public is getting very little in return for the money we pay in our taxes.

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This is a very opinionated statement, where results differ from region. I assume if you polled people in the DFW area, Katy, Austin, Northside San Antonio, etc. in my home state, you would get some different answers.

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Now we have 65% of teachers surveyed

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This survey that you have latched on to polled less than .5% of teachers in America.

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I'm glad you are giving some limited instruction.

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That was a not-so-subtle shot.

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I mean, it’ll be different in every district in the country. I wouldn’t throw blanket statements around. Your right though, what would you suggest our pay be?

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A good start would be making pay based on performance. Base salary plus bonus for classes that excel. Sliding scale with disincentives for poor results, mainly losing your job. Unfortunately, tenure makes it almost impossible to get rid of a poor teacher.

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It’s funny. Normally if something isn’t satisfactory, you put in more resources. I don’t think that’s the opinion here. It’s probably similar to ‘defund the police’

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Ha! Isn't that what they did in St. Louis and DC a few years back. Some of the worst performing school systems in the country, yet the highest per capita spent per student.

You questioning the survey the OP posted, yet I'm seeing that at higher numbers from my FB feed, from teachers I know in different parts of the country.

Let me ask you this, name a profession where you get paid your full salary, but do much less work, and provide much less benefit to your employer? Teachers, as a whole, do not want to go back to teaching in schools, yet want their full salary. When you factor in how much is being spent on education, it's just a matter of time before people start questioning why day cares can be staffed and open, but schools cannot.

Let me put it this way, if you are paying $10K/year in tuition for a private school for your kid, the school does not open, and everything is virtual learning, how long before you start questioning the investment you've made into your kids education?

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Not a teacher and not related to any teachers. But in that profession I don't see how you do that in a manner that is fair. Depending on the age, area, parental involvement, etc the results may or may not be reflective as to how good a teacher really is.

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Easy. Start with a base line, and go from there. The goal should be to see improvement.

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Some of the worst performing school systems in the country, yet the highest per capita spent per student.

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Yes, because inner-city DC and St. Louis are bastions for quality education. There’s much more at play in those school systems and you know it.

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You questioning the survey the OP posted, yet I'm seeing that at higher numbers from my FB feed, from teachers I know in different parts of the country.

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We get it. You know many teachers for someone in the medical field.

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name a profession where you get paid your full salary, but do much less work, and provide much less benefit to your employer?

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My friend works in the accounting department for a major company. His company runs budgets for doctor’s and dental offices. He has been working from home since March. He admitted that he has spent much less time working, mostly because many dental offices have closed, or are still closed. His workload has significantly decreased, he’s at home, and still getting paid.

Your mentioning of providing less benefit to the employer is debatable. The school system was screwed when the pandemic hit, but not because of teachers. Immediately, debates centered around standardized testing and the impact that has on funding. The benefit I provided to my employer was limited by what my employer needed and demanded.

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Teachers, as a whole, do not want to go back to teaching in schools,

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Your only way of proving this was referring to a survey of less than .5% of the teachers in the country and what your friends say in FB. Simply put, that’s not good enough.

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Let me put it this way, if you are paying $10K/year in tuition for a private school for your kid, the school does not open, and everything is virtual learning, how long before you start questioning the investment you've made into your kids education?

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Then homeschool your child. As for your taxpayer dollars going to schools...it’s no different than people saying ‘you chose to become a teacher, you knew what you were getting into.’

‘You chose to live in this area, you knew you would pay taxes into these schools.’

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Normally, when a person or organization underperforms for the given compensation you don't reward them with more compensation.

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And when you exceed your expectations, do you not expect a raise? Teachers don’t get more for success nor less for failures. The road goes both ways.

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Compared to 50-75 years ago, America spends a ton more per student

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Or....this could be an example of inflation. People demand more from school systems also. More free lunches, bigger athletic programs and facilities, more technology in schools, more tutors within the schools. This one really isn’t hard to figure out.

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. A lot of which does not end up in the classroom but the bloated education bureaucracy.

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How does this relate to the OP and following discussion. It’s the fault of teachers that tax dollars are misused by local leaders?

I'm a teacher. I'm so ready to be back at work.... my kids are driving me crazy.