Teachers have an easy life - yeah right!

**Roscoe** · 27-10-2011, 08:27 AM

From my schoolteacher daughter:

Teachers hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year!

It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or the hours they spend before or after school.

That would be $19.50 a day (8:30 to 3.........:45pm with 45 min. off for lunch that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day, maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any holidays.

LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year.

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive "baby-sitter" and they even EDUCATE your kids!' WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Make a teacher smile; re-post this to show appreciation!

**Metla** · 27-10-2011, 08:31 AM

They should be forced to stay on school grounds and work there for a minimum 40 hours a week, including during school holidays and their pay and position should be determined by how well they perform. Putting in overtime is all part of this, just like other industries.

Lack of performance and poor attitude should result in termination and blacklisting from the profession.

And yes, they are paid very well. They have nothing to complain about.

**Gobe1** · 27-10-2011, 08:36 AM

Yes there are plenty of people who get paid for 40 hours a week but have to work more, its called salary not wages. So what is the going rate for teachers these days?

**Metla** · 27-10-2011, 08:42 AM

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducatio...llowances.aspx

Damned if I'd do it.

**Billy T** · 27-10-2011, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Metla

They should be forced to stay on school grounds and work there for a minimum 40 hours a week, including during school holidays and their pay and position should be determined by how well they perform. Putting in overtime is all part of this, just like other industries.

Lack of performance and poor attitude should result in termination and blacklisting from the profession.

And yes, they are paid very well. They have noting to complain about.

That rant just shows how ignorant you probably are of the true working conditions for teachers Metla.

Teachers spend many hours outside of teaching time on lesson preparation, and assessment/marking of student work. they have frequent courses to attend, outside school hours of course, after school activities are unpaid, as are weekend sports. I could go on, but you don't deserve it.

And before you get your tits in a tangle and deliver another rant about who am I to comment etc, I spent 8 years as a trustee of my local College, all but the first 12 months as Chairman. Before that I gave voluntary assistance at Primary and Intermediate schools, and my wife spent years as an unpaid teacher-aide at primary level. I was regularly at the College at all hours of the day and evening, and at weekends, and there were always staff present. Many were doing their Masters degrees part time on top of their school obligations and duringmy tenure we had just two staff members that the BoT and I deemed not to be meeting their obligations. I can't comment outside of that period.

They inspired our students to achieve their full potential and I am proud to have been able to assist them in that task. My own school days were a barren experience by comparison and only three remain in my memory for their inspirational teaching and the encouragement they gave. Neither of my children are at the top of the academic tree, but my daughter is now doing her masters degree in Melbourne and my son is completing his honours degree in Auckland. That did not come about through overpaid, lazy or underworked teachers, it came about through dedication and hard work by all of their teachers, and in spite of overwork.

Whatever views I might previously have had about teachers' work ethics and workload were blown away by the reality and they earn their pay in spades. Your opinions are applicable to a minority only, as occurs in any profession including medicine and law.

Billy

**Metla** · 27-10-2011, 09:22 AM

I'm glad you have been exposed to such a positive environment, lets not pretend that's how it is everywhere.

I wouldn't send my children to any of the local free schools purely because of the poor level of teachers and administration, How it is where you are has no bearing on what I see around here. And this is one of the better areas. Damned if I'd cripple my childrens future by sending them to the schools I attended.

**Metla** · 27-10-2011, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by Billy T

Teachers spend many hours outside of teaching time on lesson preparation, and assessment/marking of student work. they have frequent courses to attend, outside school hours of course, after school activities are unpaid, as are weekend sports. I could go on, but you don't deserve it.

Billy

I'd say as a parent and tax payer I certainly do, What are there average hours per year, real facts please, and not including work they take home, If they elect to do that then that is their choice.

**Metla** · 27-10-2011, 10:29 AM

Personally I'm sick to death of teachers and their whinging, especially in light of their refusal to have their pay and position graded by real world results, and to have mandatory levels of achievements put in place.

Surely none of them were forced into the profession?, none of them appear to be impoverished, Can't see any external effects of being over worked, and hopefully they had the intelligence to do some research into the profession they decided to dedicate many years of their lives to, if not then thats there fault and they probably aren't smart enough to hold their position.

Yet we continually hear how hard they have it and how little they get paid, here's a tip, if its not working for you then go elsewhere, thats your right and you should have the ability, seeing as your underpaid in your position then surely someone else will pay you what you are really worth, go on, do it.

If you really are over worked then back it up with some facts and some real world action, Keep a log of all the work you are doing, what your achieving, the hours and how the pay relates.

I expect you to be working hard, Effort and dedication should be part of a paid position, and if the hours are anything less then 50hrs a week on the school grounds 48 weeks of the year then your not doing enough