Highest Calling

I regard my work as a public high school teacher one of the highest callings.  Devotion to the youth of our nation insuring their education in an unbiased and democratic arena can not be matched.   Some people look at the hours and number of days they "think" we work, then call it an easy job.  Cushy.  As far as the hours and days I work:

     1.  I arrive at work between 7:30 am and 8:00 am using the time before the students arrive at 8:25 am

          to prepare for classes

     2.  Lunch is from 11:30 am until 12:20 pm.  I spend 10 minutes of that time in classroom 

          organization and/or paperwork

     3. Classes end for the day at 3:05 pm for the students and for me at  3:10 pm.

     4. I leave the building between 3:45 pm and 5:00 pm.  My average day would see me 

         leaving at 4:15 pm.  I work on preparation, research and paper work during the time 

         between 3:05 pm and when I head home.

     5. I attend and pay for myself conferences and workshops during the year to maintain my 

         credentials to teach.  I need 100 hrs every 3 years.  I think we are in our third cycle and I 

         have accrued in excess of 1200 hrs in total.  I have actually lost track as I am sure I

         earned more than this number.  

     6. Saturday, Sunday and all holidays are time to haunt the museums, research media, read

         course specific and general education pedagogy.  Investigate new approaches, methods

         and materials to utilize in the classroom

     7. Vacation and hiatus time is used for travel to the great museums of the world.  On my own dime 

          and without the benefit of a tax deduction for those dollars and dimes.

Educators like physicians and attorneys do not have regular, specific hours although they may have office hours.  Class time is akin to office hours.  Those who feel we work way less hours than those in the private sector, due to the ringing of school bells, simply have no understanding of the profession.  How many people in the private sector who are salaried, pay for supplies they need to do their job without being reimbursed?  How many pay for travel for their jobs with their own money?  Tools?  Books?  How many can not go to the restroom when they need to?  Just threw the restroom business in for fun but most people never think how we manage this human function.  We never, ever leave a class of kids alone for a minute.  While those kids are with me I am "in place of the parent" and responsible for all 30 assigned to me at any time.  I take that seriously as do my fellow educators.

       

An Over Educated Educator

To the Koch brothers, Christie, Bloomberg, Schundler(who has simply faded away, by the way), and a mountain of others including the infamous Teresa Ruiz, I know too much.  First you might ask, who is Teresa Ruiz?  She is my representative in the New Jersey Government down in Trenton.  Her qualifications for this job are:

     1. She works for Joe DiVincenzo Essex County Executive

     2. She is Hispanic from Newark

     3. She was put up for election by Steve Adubato, Sr.  The Essex County power broker, owner

         of a charter school(two of them) in Newark and a former Newark school teacher.

Essex County politics are unnavigable and impossible to describe.  Let me just say our founding fathers would probably shake their heads in wonder at the intricacies and nuances.  I have absolutely no proof of what I say about anything I write.  These things are my beliefs and nothing more, however having been around for more than 66 years I have certain experiences which lead me to my not so brilliant deductions.  Now for Teresa Ruiz.  What would make a public employee want a bill to strip public employees of their bargaining rights, reduce their pensions, make them pay more for health benefits and those pensions, deny the elderly retired workers a cost of living increase and strip teachers of tenure.  I need an answer here folks.  I am also speaking of a democrat.  This woman is a democrat as is her boss Joe "D"(as he likes to be called) and Steve Adubato, Sr.   She lives a few blocks from me in Forest Hill.  I do not know who she represents down there in Trenton but I know for certain it is not me. 

I, to my great dismay and disappointment, actually voted for her.  In my small area of Newark, we have a community organization, a Literary Society and various non named groups participating in community service.  Recently, for example, I drove by two of my neighbors who were painting over graffiti on a couple of utility boxes in our area.  We are all proactive in The Landmarks Committee of Newark and at what goes on at the City Council meetings .  Whenever an issue affects us or we support the issues of other sections, the word goes out via email or cell to get our asses down to city hall.  Enough of us do it to actually effect the outcome of the issue.  I have gotten my ass out to many meetings at city hall and have never seen Teresa Ruiz at any meeting.  Now, it goes without saying she may have been at ones I missed but I sincerely doubt it. 

Suddenly, before the election, she began appearing at our community parties.  I think she has come to a few since but I can not say for certain.  I do know I have met her several times at these gatherings but since I have not gone to any in the last two years since my husband Ed died, I do not know if she still shows up.  Having lived here for 10 years and 8 of those were fairly active in the community, I can honestly say I had never seen this lady before she decided to run for office.  I question her motivation in seeking an elected position.  What I really think is she is there as a voice in state government for Steve Adubato, Sr and Joe "D", neither of whom have a vote or a voice in creating state policy and law.  This is only what I think, strictly my opinion without any facts.  Consequently, I have little regard for the lady and her traitor tactics.  Traitor to nonelected public servants such as myself. 

Over Paid. That's Me!

It has become very clear to me over the past year and a half or so that many people consider educators to be grossly overpaid.  This was never the case in the history of education as most begining teachers with families are working slightly above the poverty level.  It takes a minimum of 3 years plus 1 day to attain tenure, that cursed word, and anywhere between 13-25 years to reach maximum on the salary guide.  Many teachers have or may be required to have Master degrees and many have 2 or more Masters.  If one achieves a Master degree, one can expect to be paid $1000-$3000 more per year.  It might take 10 years to pay that Master degree off.  For many it is not an option due to financial constraints.  Exactly how much does a teacher get paid per ten month contract.  Please remember it is a 10 month position that is slowly easing it's way up to an 11 month one.

So what is the salary, you ask.  It depends on the school district.  Go to Alabama and check out those salaries.  One will get a real shock.  I can really only speak for New Jersey.  I do not know exact figures because, again, it depends on the school district.  Every public employee's salary whether active or retired is available on line.  In NJ enter the state government site and you will be directed.  As an about figure, inner city teachers may average around $60,000 if they have been working  8 or 9 years.  At the top of the guide, after 2 Master degrees and 15-20 years of service a teacher may make $100,000.  That is a lot of money for putting up with crap from kids, parents, administrators, secretaries and custodians while trying to give those kids an education.  In smaller districts with a less unruly population to serve, a teacher with the same qualifications might make $80,000 a year.  Combat duty pay is what it is called when you have the courage to enter that inner city crime area and risk not only your life or limb but your car.  Lot's of little kids like to play throw rocks at the teachers cars as they are leaving for the day.  Once in a while as you are walking on the campus you may get hit with ice balls, snow balls or even a stray or maybe not so stray(who knows)bullet.  Maybe a book flying out of a third floor classroom might land on your head or car windshield.  If your car is damaged on school property, you will not be reimbursed your deductible.  Worse yet, once the car insurance company finds out you park in a school parking lot or on an inner city street, you are in line to have your premium doubled.  Rather than have that happen, many employees pay for the damage out of pocket..  After all, they are paid such  high salaries and can afford to repair their 5-20 year old cars.  As you climb the salary guide you are thrown, like it or not, into a higher tax bracket and social class.  As you move through life, no matter what your altruistic motivations, one wants to have a nice, safe place to live.  Purchasing a house or condo is part of the American Dream almost all college grads want including those grossly over paid teachers who generally are far behind their non teacher peers in saving up a down payment.  After spending between $100 and $1500 or more of their extra money each year on supplies they need to teach, they complain they do not have money to put away for that down payment.

to be continued.....

About Me and Education

I have been an educator for most of my life, in and out of school buildings.  It is what I was born to do.  I try to educate high school students, mostly juniors and seniors, introducing them to art through the language of painting.  I feel, after almost twenty seven years in the business, that I am able to speak with some small knowledge about education.  Mind you, I approach teaching as if I were a novice because the amount of my knowledge about it would fit into a thimble.  In the grand scheme of things I am but a tiny drop of water in the Atlantic Ocean when it comes to my field.  That being stated, let me begin this irrational, irrelevant, sometimes sarcastic vehicle for venting as oppose to beating the kids with a paint brush when they get on my nerves.  Or telling certain people what I really think of them in the crudest possible language I know.