In a recent article "The Shocking Truth About How Much Teachers Get Paid" posted on Addictinginfo.com, an author writes a satire about the job of a teacher. I wanted to add my thoughts to the satire.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/06/01/you-wont-believe-how-underpaid-teachers-actually-are/
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/06/01/you-wont-believe-how-underpaid-teachers-actually-are/
Do not believe this article! Lies throughout. Though this article says a teacher works 180 days a year, that would be so untrue. I know my teacher friends who go in during summer and days off for bad weather to catch up on work or plan... more effective lessons. I have had teachers at my school during this bad weather working. They have been preparing, researching, grading, etc. all to prepare for the students. They will not get paid for these days as school has to be in session to count as one of their "180" days.
Another lie. 6.5 hours a day! That is so untrue. Let's start with the papers being graded. If you're like some people I know you would say "Don't give homework and you won't have papers to grade." How could improvement be assessed and how could a teacher know what to teach next? Homework is given to check for understanding. What a child knows determines the next step. If a teacher just kept moving through the standards without checking for understanding, a lot of students would be lost. Those papers do not get graded in the "6.5" hours a day students are at school. Those papers are graded between the hours of 3:30 p.m. And 8:00 a.m. College students, if you're planning on being a teacher, it is likely you're all nighters are not over.
Grading papers is not all that is needed to be done after hours. People may not be aware of the research that teachers do after school and evenings. No longer is there a book that says teach this and this is how. There is a list of standards and a teacher and his/her creativity takes it from there. That doesn't just happen. It takes research and careful planning. 6.5 hours! My foot!
Another thing about teachers, they are big fakes! While many families sit down in the evenings to watch tv, many teachers are pretending. They are there in the living room with their family, but they are reading a book to help them be better teachers, researching new methods, reading the latest chapter book so they can do a book talk to encourage their students to read or performing other countless activities that will make them a better teacher for their students. Such Fakers! They could probably get paid much better if they became actors for skills at pretending.
Speaking of entertainment, teaching has almost became an entertainment position. We've become so accustomed to being entertained as a society, that lessons must contain some form of entertainment to keep the kids on task. Not an easy task for all concepts.
Oh and that $50,000 salary. That's average in the nation. Arkansas is below average. Some people who train for two weeks get paid better than a teacher gets paid their first five years of their career.
I realize some say teaching is a choice and it's a choice the teacher made. I don't know if it's a choice or a calling. Good teachers have been called to teach much like an individual is called to preach. It is something done because hearts are passionate for the students. And it is a calling that is specific to an age group. Not all who are called to teach can work in any grade level. You know when you are called what age of student your heart desires to work with everyday.
I'm not writing this to complain. I love what I do. I wouldn't trade it.
Yes, there are problems with education and I know that. All teachers know there are problems. But a teacher works through those problems to make every child's education the best it can be.
So in closing, this article has a lot of truth in it, but there is so much more to think about. Appreciate the teachers in your life. Know they are not there for the glory and a high salary. They are there because they love kids. I know it's my passion. It's my calling!
A little cliche, "if you can read this, thank a teacher."
Another lie. 6.5 hours a day! That is so untrue. Let's start with the papers being graded. If you're like some people I know you would say "Don't give homework and you won't have papers to grade." How could improvement be assessed and how could a teacher know what to teach next? Homework is given to check for understanding. What a child knows determines the next step. If a teacher just kept moving through the standards without checking for understanding, a lot of students would be lost. Those papers do not get graded in the "6.5" hours a day students are at school. Those papers are graded between the hours of 3:30 p.m. And 8:00 a.m. College students, if you're planning on being a teacher, it is likely you're all nighters are not over.
Grading papers is not all that is needed to be done after hours. People may not be aware of the research that teachers do after school and evenings. No longer is there a book that says teach this and this is how. There is a list of standards and a teacher and his/her creativity takes it from there. That doesn't just happen. It takes research and careful planning. 6.5 hours! My foot!
Another thing about teachers, they are big fakes! While many families sit down in the evenings to watch tv, many teachers are pretending. They are there in the living room with their family, but they are reading a book to help them be better teachers, researching new methods, reading the latest chapter book so they can do a book talk to encourage their students to read or performing other countless activities that will make them a better teacher for their students. Such Fakers! They could probably get paid much better if they became actors for skills at pretending.
Speaking of entertainment, teaching has almost became an entertainment position. We've become so accustomed to being entertained as a society, that lessons must contain some form of entertainment to keep the kids on task. Not an easy task for all concepts.
Oh and that $50,000 salary. That's average in the nation. Arkansas is below average. Some people who train for two weeks get paid better than a teacher gets paid their first five years of their career.
I realize some say teaching is a choice and it's a choice the teacher made. I don't know if it's a choice or a calling. Good teachers have been called to teach much like an individual is called to preach. It is something done because hearts are passionate for the students. And it is a calling that is specific to an age group. Not all who are called to teach can work in any grade level. You know when you are called what age of student your heart desires to work with everyday.
I'm not writing this to complain. I love what I do. I wouldn't trade it.
Yes, there are problems with education and I know that. All teachers know there are problems. But a teacher works through those problems to make every child's education the best it can be.
So in closing, this article has a lot of truth in it, but there is so much more to think about. Appreciate the teachers in your life. Know they are not there for the glory and a high salary. They are there because they love kids. I know it's my passion. It's my calling!
A little cliche, "if you can read this, thank a teacher."
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