How about "no?" [short answer--long answer below...]
***
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Texas Teacher stabbed and killed
"A special-education teacher who had a passion for music was fatally stabbed Wednesday morning in a Texas high school classroom, and police took a 16-year-old student into custody.
***
I don't want to sensationalize. It is sad when anyone dies, when anyone is killed.
For some reason I am particularly affected when a teacher is killed. It seems that the student was not in control of his own behaviors--I don't mean in the way a lot of our students are "out of control." I mean in the sense that he may have been psychiatric, so I'm sure his life is now ruined, in some ways.
For some reason, I'm not in a mood to lay blame, to scold, to pout, to rant, perhaps because it feels disrespectful.
***
I don't want to sensationalize. It is sad when anyone dies, when anyone is killed.
For some reason I am particularly affected when a teacher is killed. It seems that the student was not in control of his own behaviors--I don't mean in the way a lot of our students are "out of control." I mean in the sense that he may have been psychiatric, so I'm sure his life is now ruined, in some ways.
For some reason, I'm not in a mood to lay blame, to scold, to pout, to rant, perhaps because it feels disrespectful.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Talk Amongst Yourselves*
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets. - Edward Abbey" [yea, I got it off of the Toshiba start page--I'm TIRED!!]
***
Sometimes you get so depressed that you can't "blog" your way out of it. But I'm pulling out. ("Shake it off! Shake it off!" said crazy-like-a-fox Bela Karolyi....)
***
Sometimes you get so depressed that you can't "blog" your way out of it. But I'm pulling out. ("Shake it off! Shake it off!" said crazy-like-a-fox Bela Karolyi....)
Ouch! My ankle really hurts....but I have an Olympic Gold Medal, so, s'all good!
***
Also making it hard to blog is the super slowness of my computer.
***
Today I'm just going to try to chop wood,* make bread, haul sticks. Also blog. A little.
In the meantime, two favors:
1) Keep commenting--your comments are about 15 times more articulate than the posts, but I can't seem to respond to them [except in other posts] (thanks for that, Google!).
Basically, we regard commenters as guest bloggers.
2) Please refer a friend to this site. Do NOT e-mail about it on your work computer. You know, the Big Brother thing. But we need to see that more people are reading this, or we may have to regard this project as defunct.
***
BOY do I hate it when bloggers make extended comments meant only for a few people. That being said: LMG--you know you are in the Pantheon of friends, perhaps the Queen of the Pantheon...nay, you are the wife of Chronos, the progenetrix, the elder stateswoman. However "Cal" has a special place in the palace because he will e-mail me 17 times a day about bathroom fixtures. You two are tied, almost like some weird Greek god that is, like, conjoined, or twinned (Artemis/Apollo)... (okay, enough with the awkward mythological analogies).
***
*Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift a stone, and you will find me there. - Gospel of Thomas, v. 77, apocryphal/Gnostic?
*"Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water." — Zen Buddhist Proverb
*My house is dirty; therefore I will clean it. - Me
Reader: mentally insert here a video clip of "Maggie Jacobs" from "Extras" (portrayed by the same girl who plays the English girl on "Ugly Betty") cleaning her house up after being berated by the Ricky Gervais character....
*If you don't know from whence this quotation, then you are way too young or way too cool--probably both-- to read this blog!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Time = Money
Insurers Fight Speech-Impairment Remedy
By ASHLEE VANCE
Published: September 15, 2009
Devices like iPhones and netbook PCs that can help the speech-impaired are not covered by Medicare or insurers.
***
This story has a lot of meat. Wherever you fall on the insurance/health care debate, there are interesting issues here.
But because of my current interest-some-would-say-obsession with one thing and one thing only, here's what popped out at me:
"Doctors must still bring a patient into their offices instead of, say, inspecting an e-mailed photo of a rash if they want most insurers to pay for the consultation. Digitizing medical records is such a vast undertaking that the government is now spending billions of dollars to jump-start it."
Hmm? What? What...are you referring to? Why...why did this jump out at you. This has nothing to do with teaching, aside from the fact that everything has to do with everything in our interconnected universe Om Shanti....
***
Doctors would charge for e-mail consults if they could, and perhaps they already do, except insurers won't reimburse; so, patients are free to request e-mail consults from those doctors interested in providing that service, as long as they (the patients) know they won't be reimbursed.
Now to be fair, my newest specialist actually answered an e-mail from me [for free], and I almost fell on the floor. Actually, I almost fell on the floor when he provided an e-mail address.
But that is extremely rare. In 40+ years of living, this is the first doctor to respond to an e-mail question, and it was about a matter of some importance--not life-threatening, but very important.
***
How can I articulate my thoughts without exploding into a rant?
When anyone e-mails you and requires more than a terse, one sentence reply; when parents e-mail you repeatedly, badgering, hounding, even though your answer will not change; or, even in the best of circumstances when people e-mail you requesting specialized knowledge possessed only by a chemistry teacher, early childhood specialist, Spanish teacher, choral director, professional writer and editor (English teachers, that's what you are)....
Your response should be:
"I am so happy to assist you in this matter. My fee for after hours consultations is $50.00 per hour."
This may seem outrageous to you? Silly? Another doctor I have charges for certain paperwork. And, to be quite honest, I didn't blink. That didn't peeve me off. It never occurred to me that this person should not be paid for the time it takes to provide me a service. Just because they are friendly, provide a nurturing, important, vital service to society, does not mean that the secretaries, copyists, plebotomists, doctors, nurses, clerks, and technicians should not be paid. Why? They are workers, not volunteers. Their offices are not a chapter of the Red Cross.
***
Phone time: A friend of mine paid a service provider for an hour long discussion on the phone.
Let that marinate.
How many hours have you spent on the phone with parents? After work hours....
Would you say, perhaps an hour a week? That might be high--let's say an hour a month, which is probably a tad low. Some teachers never call, some teachers call every parent once a month or more. Let's say you've been teaching 10 years:
10 years x 10 months x 1hour per month= 100 hours
At $50 dollars an hour.
That's 5,000 dollars. Could you use 5,000 dollars? I know I could. I could use that a lot.*
So, it's ridiculous to think that parents or the school system would pay for your time after work hours. Fine. Then withdraw your labor, and use that time after work to get a second job, play with your children, walk your dog, keep house, and enjoy your hobbies. Or volunteer--elsewhere. Make yourself unavailable. As one self-help guru observed in a flash of non-stupidity,
You teach people how to treat you.
You are good teachers. Get to teaching.
*A script you can use:
OVERWORKED TEACHER: I am so happy to assist you in this matter. My fee for after hours consultations is $50.00 per hour."
PARENT: Are you kidding me?
OT: No--I know that sounds strange, and I do not mean to be rude. But I have a second job [carpentry, installing drywall, teaching violin lessons, coaching soccer, after school child-care], and if I spend time after school hours on the phone, I will lose money that I so desperately need to pay my bills. I do not mean to be offensive, but these are the facts on the ground."
P.S. You shouldn't have to explain why you are requesting, nay, requiring, money for your labor...but such are the times--we are still operating under a Victorian model of teacher compensation.
***
It cracks us up so much when Parents Who Are Doctors or Lawyers demand the most time for conferences, phone consults, etc. Also "humorous": the insistence that they take your planning time, or that you meet them before or after school--or that you get another teacher to cover your class so that you can meet with them--you know this happens. "How about I come to court and interrupt your trial? But why not? Oh...is it because you are working?'
Perhaps place a placard on your wall--"I cannot be held accountable for student test scores because I am pulled out of class to meet with parents and other stakeholders. If performance pay is in effect, I have documented the hours I am pulled off task."
Monday, September 14, 2009
Why we need "Teach to the Contract Day"
Exchange between me and my dearest friend (edited to preserve privacy)
***
Me: “….the tutoring gig pays almost $50 dollars an hour. When I proofread and edit, I make $40 an hour. I took out a calculator....$50 an hour is 100K a year [at 40 hours a week working a full year, which I see now makes no sense]
That should be my goal. 40-50 dollars an hour. Right now (or up until now) I was making less than $20 per hour.
I know in my heart of hearts that 1) I am worth more that than that, and 2) I can do better. I am so sure I can...
Cal: Really? 20 an hour for usual teacher's schedule would be 32K…that's harsh....
{{32,000 divided by $20/hour = 1600 hours.}}
Me: OMG.
Cal is my dearest friend, my most cherished friend…and I am about to fly through the computer and start screaming.
….And I would never scream at Cal, because he is my favorite person of all right now. number 1 in the rankings. Also, I just went to yoga, and screaming is not in me. Five days ago I would have fallen on the floor and started sobbing.
Cal—no need to read this rant, and…I love you, man….
***
A Teacher’s Day (not in great detail) – high school; and times required for all tasks are underestimated:
7 am – required arrival time
Allowed to leave: 2:30 pm
Most teachers must stay at least an hour past this to do the most minimal of necessary tasks:
· copying or requesting copying [which in itself can take TOO FREAKING LONG!!]
· collating, stapling
· filing
· phone calls
· answering e-mail
· paperwork (fill out this overly complicated chart so that the administrator currently getting her Ph.d. can compile all your data and present it as her own)
· tutoring students
· decorating the room—not froo-froo—children need visual stimulus to learn
· book inventory
· attending required after school meetings:
o school-wide, departmental
o county-wide
o required orientations for new teachers
o technology seminars….
So, 3:30 pm [don’t laugh, we know you don’t leave ‘til 4 or 5 pm]
Minimum length of day at school:
8 ½ hours
I will not deduct lunch time, because if a teacher can grab lunch, it is a noisy affair with phones ringing, students buzzing in and out, asking for tutoring, recommendations, so essentially, you are still working. Lunches are working lunches.
Add: minimum one hour, give or take, of work at home—this fluctuates wildly based on whether you teach math, science, elementary, music, phys ed, worl languages, social studies, etc.
Without a doubt, the English teachers and history teachers take home the most work if they are even doing a half-a$$ed job. Elementary teachers come a close second. All teachers, if they are very good, on top of their game, have prep work to do. No…there is not adequate time during the day. Not even close.
English teachers can have non-stop grading sessions that take all night:
120 students x 10 minutes a paper = 1200 minutes = 20 hours….per week. That’s assigning one paper per week, with a really low number of students (24 per class?) giving it the most cursory read-through, edit, and perhaps comments, with little time for reflection. Many, if not most high school English departments want kids writing one paper a week.
So, we won’t include English teachers because they are such a special case that they merit their own post, if not their own website of despair.
So, 8/12 hours [at school] plus one hour [at home—all the teachers are laughing right now—ONE HOUR!?!] = 9 ½ hours – minimum
X 5 days = 47.5 hours per week
Add:
4 (minimum) hours of grading, lesson planning, answering e-mails, entering grades, phone calls on weekend. Yes, occasionally, you may have a weekend with much less work. Perhaps you forced yourself not to work, but the gnawing sense that a tsunami of work is about to explode on your horizon comes true the next weekend when you are chained to your desk for 8-10 hours each “day.” The days bleed into night. Up is down, black is white. You seem to understand all languages, and know that if you wanted to fly, you could. A giant panther leaps out of the moon and devours your heart.
So,
51.5 hours per week – this is a bare minimum
51.5 hours per week x 37 weeks(typical school year – 9 week marking periods x4 plus 1 required teacher work week):
1572.5 hours
Okay, here we go—let’s see if my hysteria was justified:
50,000 [a random appr. salary] divided by 1572.5 = 32 dollars an hour. So, I was off the mark. By a lot.
HOWEVER….that figure represents the bare minimum.
I cannot do the math right now to account for:
· Most teachers get to school much earlier—or even a little earlier-- than required.
· Those who make less than 50 K
· Those who take students on field trips that last until 1 in the morning—field trips are unpaid—no one seems to get this.
· Coaches who effectively lower their average hourly wage by working countless hours for what-- 500 bucks a year?
· …and newspaper advisors, after school homework helpers, afterschool hall monitors all working if not for free, for 3, 4, 5 dollars and hour, or a pat on the back.
· Marching band directors who take students on week- long field trips over Spring Break—no, this is not “fun” for the band teacher
· Prom
How many teachers come in a week, two weeks before the mandatory teacher work week? 50 percent? 75 percent? I would love someone to do a study and demonstrate how this effectively lowers everyone’s hourly wage. If no one came in until required,…that’s another blog post…
It is all too complex. I wish I had gone into Stats and gotten a Phd in Teacher Compensation and the Economics of Public School Wage Scales.
***
But (out comes the calculator) even factoring in one of those factors—teachers usually come to school early, let’s say a half an hour early--lowers the hourly wage to 25 dollars an hour.
AND….I have not factored in keeping up to date with the latest research in methodology, child psychology, course materials for your discipline, journals pertaining to your field. Granted, lawyers and doctors do this on their own time, but in other professions is “part” of the job and done during the “work day”--arts administration, journalism, research positions. Teachers are also researchers in their fields….some take it more seriously than others, of course.
AND, I think I way underestimated the length and frequency of after school meetings….
***
One might say, but you don’t HAVE to work those extra hours.
Teachers—PLEASE let rip in your comments. I know this blog is entreating you to work only the required hours, but we all know that schools would grind to a halt, an absolute halt, tremendous pressure would be brought to bear on you…bad stuff would happen.
Imagine you stopped grading papers after “work” hours. Now envision sitting in front of the superintendent with your union representative, a lawyer, three irate parents, your principal, and a box of tissues.
For amazingly painful and detailed descriptions of teachers’ days as contrasted with other similarly educated people, please read Teachers Have It Easy.
***
his blog is suggesting we do an action, a Teach to the Contract Day – once a year. It is very important that we educate the public on the real hours NO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT TEACHERS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY STOP REGARDING THEMSELVES AS GOVERNESSES….DO NURSES STAY THREE, FOUR, FIVE EXTRA HOURS??? I know they do extra work—I’ve seen my own nurses staying to do paperwork. BUT HOURS? No. Correct me if I am wrong.
***
Me: “….the tutoring gig pays almost $50 dollars an hour. When I proofread and edit, I make $40 an hour. I took out a calculator....$50 an hour is 100K a year [at 40 hours a week working a full year, which I see now makes no sense]
That should be my goal. 40-50 dollars an hour. Right now (or up until now) I was making less than $20 per hour.
I know in my heart of hearts that 1) I am worth more that than that, and 2) I can do better. I am so sure I can...
Cal: Really? 20 an hour for usual teacher's schedule would be 32K…that's harsh....
{{32,000 divided by $20/hour = 1600 hours.}}
Me: OMG.
Cal is my dearest friend, my most cherished friend…and I am about to fly through the computer and start screaming.
….And I would never scream at Cal, because he is my favorite person of all right now. number 1 in the rankings. Also, I just went to yoga, and screaming is not in me. Five days ago I would have fallen on the floor and started sobbing.
Cal—no need to read this rant, and…I love you, man….
***
A Teacher’s Day (not in great detail) – high school; and times required for all tasks are underestimated:
7 am – required arrival time
Allowed to leave: 2:30 pm
Most teachers must stay at least an hour past this to do the most minimal of necessary tasks:
· copying or requesting copying [which in itself can take TOO FREAKING LONG!!]
· collating, stapling
· filing
· phone calls
· answering e-mail
· paperwork (fill out this overly complicated chart so that the administrator currently getting her Ph.d. can compile all your data and present it as her own)
· tutoring students
· decorating the room—not froo-froo—children need visual stimulus to learn
· book inventory
· attending required after school meetings:
o school-wide, departmental
o county-wide
o required orientations for new teachers
o technology seminars….
So, 3:30 pm [don’t laugh, we know you don’t leave ‘til 4 or 5 pm]
Minimum length of day at school:
8 ½ hours
I will not deduct lunch time, because if a teacher can grab lunch, it is a noisy affair with phones ringing, students buzzing in and out, asking for tutoring, recommendations, so essentially, you are still working. Lunches are working lunches.
Add: minimum one hour, give or take, of work at home—this fluctuates wildly based on whether you teach math, science, elementary, music, phys ed, worl languages, social studies, etc.
Without a doubt, the English teachers and history teachers take home the most work if they are even doing a half-a$$ed job. Elementary teachers come a close second. All teachers, if they are very good, on top of their game, have prep work to do. No…there is not adequate time during the day. Not even close.
English teachers can have non-stop grading sessions that take all night:
120 students x 10 minutes a paper = 1200 minutes = 20 hours….per week. That’s assigning one paper per week, with a really low number of students (24 per class?) giving it the most cursory read-through, edit, and perhaps comments, with little time for reflection. Many, if not most high school English departments want kids writing one paper a week.
So, we won’t include English teachers because they are such a special case that they merit their own post, if not their own website of despair.
So, 8/12 hours [at school] plus one hour [at home—all the teachers are laughing right now—ONE HOUR!?!] = 9 ½ hours – minimum
X 5 days = 47.5 hours per week
Add:
4 (minimum) hours of grading, lesson planning, answering e-mails, entering grades, phone calls on weekend. Yes, occasionally, you may have a weekend with much less work. Perhaps you forced yourself not to work, but the gnawing sense that a tsunami of work is about to explode on your horizon comes true the next weekend when you are chained to your desk for 8-10 hours each “day.” The days bleed into night. Up is down, black is white. You seem to understand all languages, and know that if you wanted to fly, you could. A giant panther leaps out of the moon and devours your heart.
So,
51.5 hours per week – this is a bare minimum
51.5 hours per week x 37 weeks(typical school year – 9 week marking periods x4 plus 1 required teacher work week):
1572.5 hours
Okay, here we go—let’s see if my hysteria was justified:
50,000 [a random appr. salary] divided by 1572.5 = 32 dollars an hour. So, I was off the mark. By a lot.
HOWEVER….that figure represents the bare minimum.
I cannot do the math right now to account for:
· Most teachers get to school much earlier—or even a little earlier-- than required.
· Those who make less than 50 K
· Those who take students on field trips that last until 1 in the morning—field trips are unpaid—no one seems to get this.
· Coaches who effectively lower their average hourly wage by working countless hours for what-- 500 bucks a year?
· …and newspaper advisors, after school homework helpers, afterschool hall monitors all working if not for free, for 3, 4, 5 dollars and hour, or a pat on the back.
· Marching band directors who take students on week- long field trips over Spring Break—no, this is not “fun” for the band teacher
· Prom
How many teachers come in a week, two weeks before the mandatory teacher work week? 50 percent? 75 percent? I would love someone to do a study and demonstrate how this effectively lowers everyone’s hourly wage. If no one came in until required,…that’s another blog post…
It is all too complex. I wish I had gone into Stats and gotten a Phd in Teacher Compensation and the Economics of Public School Wage Scales.
***
But (out comes the calculator) even factoring in one of those factors—teachers usually come to school early, let’s say a half an hour early--lowers the hourly wage to 25 dollars an hour.
AND….I have not factored in keeping up to date with the latest research in methodology, child psychology, course materials for your discipline, journals pertaining to your field. Granted, lawyers and doctors do this on their own time, but in other professions is “part” of the job and done during the “work day”--arts administration, journalism, research positions. Teachers are also researchers in their fields….some take it more seriously than others, of course.
AND, I think I way underestimated the length and frequency of after school meetings….
***
One might say, but you don’t HAVE to work those extra hours.
Teachers—PLEASE let rip in your comments. I know this blog is entreating you to work only the required hours, but we all know that schools would grind to a halt, an absolute halt, tremendous pressure would be brought to bear on you…bad stuff would happen.
Imagine you stopped grading papers after “work” hours. Now envision sitting in front of the superintendent with your union representative, a lawyer, three irate parents, your principal, and a box of tissues.
For amazingly painful and detailed descriptions of teachers’ days as contrasted with other similarly educated people, please read Teachers Have It Easy.
***
his blog is suggesting we do an action, a Teach to the Contract Day – once a year. It is very important that we educate the public on the real hours NO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT TEACHERS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY STOP REGARDING THEMSELVES AS GOVERNESSES….DO NURSES STAY THREE, FOUR, FIVE EXTRA HOURS??? I know they do extra work—I’ve seen my own nurses staying to do paperwork. BUT HOURS? No. Correct me if I am wrong.
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