Have you heard that Wisconsin teachers' are sucking the state dry because they only work 9 months?

[sinkingfeeling]

This seems to be a big theme on the RW sites. That teachers are grossly over-paid because they only 'work 9 months'. Wonder what those RWingers think about this: "Corporate directors see more pay for part-time gig"?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2011-03-04-1Adirectorpay04_ST_N.htm

One of corporate America's cushiest jobs is becoming even more lucrative.
Compensation for corporate directors is rising sharply, a USA TODAY analysis of 2011 proxy filings finds. Behind the gains: higher cash retainers, fees and rising values of stock and stock option grants.

Directors at the USA's biggest 200 publicly traded companies received a median $228,000 in 2009, according to pay consultant Pearl Meyer & Partners. Board service can be far more lucrative. Apple directors averaged more than $984,000 in 2010. Occidental Petroleum directors averaged nearly $420,000.

Exactly how many times a year does a board of directors met?

[sadbear]

1. That's another crock of shit lie

Most teachers have mandatory training and continuing education throughout the summer.

[HereSince1628]

2. Tremendous jealousy and ignorance=mass stupid

I heard this all the time from family when I started university teaching.

Of course working 70 hour weeks during the semester was ignored as was doing 'professional' obligations in the summer that were, after all 'things I liked to do.'

I wonder how I ever became estranged from them?

[ejpoeta]

4. i think you are right. jealousy. from people who couldn't go to college

or feel like they have a crappy job and it can't be THEIR fault. It must be the fault of someone else that workers get crapped on all the time. blame it on union workers.... blame it on teachers.... don't even think about blaming ourselves or the people we keep choosing to elect!!

[ejpoeta]

3. i still stand my my statement the other day.....

our representatives seem to work part time.... they spend half their time campaigning and get paid for it. they make a hell of a lot more than teachers. this is ridiculous!! and frankly, after dealing with a bunch of kids five days a week for all those months, they would deserve a damned break!! I'd like to see any of the idiots who keep putting teachers down to go do their job so they can see just how 'easy' it is.

[bullwinkle428]

5. ZOMG!!1! This is HUGH! I KNOW they work year-round in every other state!

:evilgrin:

[SoCalDem]

6. 180 days @10 hrs per day = 1800 hours

I don't know of many teachers who don't put in at least 10 hrs a day..lots of it at home.

50 wks @ 40 hrs per week = 2000 hours..

Teachers work 1800 hours in 9 months, and then spend time & money taking additional classes in the "off-time"..much of it on their own dime..

Doesn't that all come down to about 4 hrs per week less than an "ordinary worker"?

Doesn't seem to be that much less..

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Next time a 'bagger tells you teachers and other public employees

are paid too much, you can say this:

"So you're pissed off because you think public employees are getting a better deal than you - better benefits, big pension, not much work - and you're so envious that you want to take that great deal away from them just because you don't have those things. I have a better idea: Instead of bitching about what you don't have, why don't you figure out how to get it for yourself? So get a job with the government. Be a teacher. Be a sanitation worker or a firefighter or a police officer or a snowplow driver. Go ahead. Get that fat pension for yourself. And call me back after you get that job so you can tell me all about the great deal you got."

[chemp]

8. Facebook Link: Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?
by Meredith Menden on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 6:32pm

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for less than 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 any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- 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 vacations.

LET'S SEE....

That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

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!!!!

[Obamanaut]

9. We've seen this several times here. Multiple threads with this as the OP .nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. And it can't be posted enough

Until the teacher bashing here stops, we need this posted over and over.

[Obamanaut]

16. Or, one could simply find one of the multiple threads with that as the OP, and

reply with a 'kick' or a punctuation mark, or something.

But why multiple threads on the same thing? Susan Boyle, Michael Vick and his dogs, Sarah Palin - all come to mind with these duplications of effort.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Hide thread, dude.

If you really don't want to see it, then why kick it?

[chemp]

13. duly scolded

i will NEVER post a viral post again! sob... :cry:

:sarcasm:

[LWolf]

10. We work more days than we're actually paid...in any state.

That's the reality: our contract specifies a number of days, and pays us for those days. Days we don't work, we don't get paid.

I've never met a teacher that didn't work for free outside of their contractual hours and days.

If I just add the extra hours I work during the work week beyond my contract, not counting weekends, holidays, or summer days...I work, on average, an extra 10 unpaid hours a week. In our 36 week school year, that's 360 unpaid hours, which translates to an extra 45 days a year, unpaid...

Again, not counting any work I do on actual non-contract days. If you add weekends, holidays, and summers, you can add, minimum, another 25 days, unpaid.

About 70 days of work a year. Unpaid. Given a 5-day work week, that translates to an extra 14 weeks. Working for free.

[treestar]

12. That's just silly

OK granted you could figure that in calculating yearly salary and come up with a higher number due to the three months off. And that's a nice feature. But it's not like they can do anything about it, unless and until we give up the concept of summer vacation. It's not their fault.

[TBF]

14. Have we assessed yet how many days politicians actually work -

because I seem to remember a certain "W" taking a lot of vacation time.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. I think people are missing the point of this post. Nobody seems to care that corporate board

members, with a median $228,000 in compensation, only attend about 6 meetings a year! Where is the RW/Tea Party opposition to that kind of money being paid for only 20 to 40 hours of 'work'?

[walldude]

17. Last night Megan Kelly was on Fox complaining about the

$50,000 a year salaries of the public employees. That's before taxes.

Like she has any fucking idea what it's like to raise a family on 50 grand a year. I'm getting tired of seeing these overpaid blowhards complain about the wages of people making a tenth of what they are.

[TheKentuckian]

18. The whole talking point is phony anyway.

It ignores the continuing education, lesson plans, workshops, and time for grading to start. I've never known a teacher that didn't come home and work till 6 or 7 at least three days a week.

They also insist on ignoring these are professionals that aren't compensated in the same neighborhood as other folks with masters degree level educations anyway.

[tanyev]

19. Jon Stewart Nails Fox News Hypocrisy On Teachers Vs. Wall Street Pay Levels (VIDEO)

Must see!

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/jon-stewart-nails-fox-news-hypocrisy-on-teachers-vs-wall-street-pay-levels.php?ref=fpi

[noel711]

21. The rationale behind the 9 month school year?

Has nothing to do with union bargaining or teachers' preference.

The traditional 9 month school year was mandated when the US was
an agrarian culture. Children were needed to help cultivate and harvest
the crops as they were in the field.
And also help with the animals.
Thus, the school year built around the crop cycles.
"Summer vacation" is now seen as a right, and most families
build in their vacation schedule around the school year.
Sadly this is lacking, because in many instances, children
lose much of learning if there isn't reinforcement in the home.
And then teachers must do review of reading/math etc when the
children return in the fall.

Of course this is hardly relevant for most of the country.
There are a few districts in the nations who have built a
12 month school year, factoring in various times for
tests, time off, and other activities.

Although this is unpopular among many,
I have advocated for most regions of the country,
a 12 month school year would improve learning skills.
Not that the kids need to be in the classroom for 365 days,
but rotate in vacation time, sports and other activities.
Even during the summer, schools should be open and offer
learning, social and sports program, and vocational training.

I have what some may define as a 'socialist' view of schools.
The public schools could be a community hub:
kids should have readily available library and media center,
nutrition and health centers should be at every school;
day care centers available for faculty and staff.
And, damn the conservatives, day care and parenting for
young mothers who should be in school too.

There should be a volunteer corps at every school,
engaging the experiences and wisdom of senior citizens
who spend time tutoring kids who need special attention,
and serving as surrogate grandparents for kids who
are either a distance from their families, or who don't have
a relationship with seniors. Mentors should be engaged
for at-risk kids, and those with emotional/social disabilities.

There should be publc space for lectures, debates,
sharing and enlightenment.

Public schools should offer continuing education for all
citizens: a democracy should encourage everyone to
life-long learning; an educated electorate is engaged
in civic and intellectual activities.

Teachers should not be expected to work every day all year long,
but use time for continuing education too, and have sabbatical
time to refresh their health and teaching apparatus.
Teachers do not punch time clock, and
'put in time,' but give of their whole selves in teaching.

Nine month school year is outdated, and not a union mandated
calendar. We need vast improvements in our whole school approach.