Teachers...take a deeper look

Argh...the looming rotating teacher's strike here in Ontario has brought to light some of my biggest pet peeves.  I should be sleeping right now, however, my mind is racing wondering how people can be so naive.
"Teachers are so lucky, they get the summers and so much other time off" - One of my favourite comments.  To these people I say, please find me a teacher who actually takes the whole summer off.  If you can find one that does, he or she is only in it for the money and is a VERY rare breed.   Most teachers are in the classroom cleaning up for at least a day or two, if not the entire week, after school lets out for the summer and then return with at least a week before school classes begin in the fall.  Two years ago when I was covering someone's maternity leave, I was in the school only a couple of days before the year started because that was the earliest I could get into the school.   As an "occasional teacher" (meaning that I am not permanent) I only get paid for the days that I work and I only get paid for the school day proper, which in this case meant that I spent several days working for free.  We as teachers are responsible for making the classrooms what they are and the school as welcoming as possible for the children.  During this year in question I spent an average of 40 minutes before the day started and 90 minutes after all the kids had gone home planning and preparing for the coming days and weeks and marking and grading various activities.  Most nights, even after I got home, I would spend another hour or so working.  My Christmas break consisted of the week between Christmas and New Years, I spent the rest working on new units of study that needed to be prepared for when we got back to school in January.  March break...a couple of days rest but also some more planning for when we returned.  During school I gave up one lunch hour a week to help with the Primary choir.  Doesn't sound like much, but since I'm not much on sports it was the best I could do.
Last year, I worked at that same school, only this time my hours were Monday to Friday 8:10-9:40.  I was paid a quarter of day each day.  Why you might ask did I accept this position?  Because in the previous year, I had fallen in love with the staff, the school community and the students!  Most days, I didn't leave the building until after noon hour because I was planning and prepping new units and modifying to meet student needs.  My favourite example from last year, of time spent working outside regular school hours, is my Christmas craft.  I was teaching Visual Arts to a class of 14 boys and 5 girls and wanted to do something that that could all proudly take home.  I saw an example of a wire hanger wreath and was sold.  You simply take a wire hanger and bend it into a circle.  Then you tie 5inch long and 1 inch wide pieces of festive fabric around the hanger.  I was approved to buy the fabric and then spent 4 hours cutting strips!!!!  This was not a requirement, it's what I chose to do for my students so that they could be proud of their project.
So no, teachers do not really get that much time off. 

As for comments about being well paid and great sick benefits and an awesome pension...well...yes, we are paid well, however, would you really want your children be educated by someone who feels that they aren't being well enough compensated to deal with the crap that comes from some kids which results in everyone suffering?  I sure wouldn't.  Teachers work hard for their money.  Often they are not only teachers but they must act as mediator, confident, parent, health care provider, custodian, decorator and various other positions...but it's all in a day's work.

Sick days...well yes, I think we deserve 20 per year...teachers spend more waking hours with your children then you do on a week day.  If your child is carrying a bug, teachers are the ones who are most likely going to get it.  If you figure that the average school population is 350 kids (and that's probably really low) then the way I see it is that on any given day a teacher is exposed to at least 300 sets of germs!  So yes, we NEED those sick days.  Should they be bankable...again I think so because I think in the long run it will benefit the students.  With the currently layout of 10 days that disappear at the end of the school year, I can almost guarantee that your children will see their teacher a lot less in the month of June than they would have if sick days hand not been touched.  The way I see it is leave the number of days and the banking of them as it was.  At the end of a teacher's career those days simply disappear.  No paying out, no using them in a large amount at the end of the career. 

With regards to the teachers' pension being FANTASTIC that's because it is.  It has been very well managed and invested with great success.  I really don't think that we should be looked down on for this.  However, to put thing into perspective, we also pay a fairly hefty amount into the pension.  Right now I am only supply teaching (you would think that someone would hire me after 8 years of this!) but on my last cheque which was for about $800 before taxes and deductions, almost $150 went to my pension.  I strongly believe that we deserve everything we get from our pension.

Should teachers ever strike...no, I don't believe so...however, I also don't believe that their right to strike should have ever been taken away.  I didn't hear\see the government telling the school boards that they could not lock teachers out, but that was being considered at one point very recently.  Very simply put, it is time to put the kids first but without taking away things that have been agreed upon in past negotiations.  I understand that things need to change financially, but maybe the government should have considered freezing their own wages first!!!

I think my dad said it best years ago when I was completing my placement "I never truly realized just how much work teachers do until now.  You are always working on something".  I just wish that the general public could see how hard and long we work and then maybe they would not judge us quite so harshly.

I know that this is not very well written and rambly and scattered, but please give me a break; it's 12:35 am, I'm tired but I simply needed to get all of this out of my brain....now maybe I'll be able to sleep.
Good night

Sitting here wondering what to write about and my mind keeps going back to "Black Friday" that is being hosted here in Ottawa.  I definitely won't be attending most of them, however, I am intrigued by the sale that will be held at Bayshore.  For a large part this is only because I have to drive my hubby to work for 6am!  I figure that if I'm there anyway I might as well see if I can get a couple of good deals!  So far there is only one that I am interested in but I am sure that there will be more added as the week goes on.

This however, brings me to a question that has been driving me crazy...why are we so driven, as a society, to cave to retail pressure?!?!  Yes fine, I'm caving but fact is this year I need all of the budgetary help I can get so I will brave the world of insanity and try to land a couple of great bargains!  But, what is it that drives us to do this other than to find the almighty bargain?  Also, why is this crazy Black Friday such a draw and why do we as Canadians feel the need to get in on it and participate up here to?  It's not like it's a holiday here in Canada and we don't have any crazy deals after our Thanksgiving?  Do retailers in the States think that people won't start their Christmas shopping if there aren't crazy deals available?  Are they under the impression that people won't know that Christmas is only a month away?  That no one can read a calendar or do the math?

I grew up in a border town and I don't ever remember hearing about "Black Friday" back in the day!  Did people cross-border shop?  Sure!  In our family it was only to go to stores that we didn't have, like Payless (yep, I'm that old!).  Others would go to buy products that were less expensive than in Canada such as dairy products and various baking products.

I still can't help but wonder what the draw is?  I would not be attending if I wasn't driving my hubby in because quite frankly, there are very few things that are important enough to get me out of bed that early, even on a weekday!

Anyone else planning some serious shopping this weekend?