|
sharon
|
Judged:
1
1
How about picking on someone else for a change? Did anyone take into account that teachers get sick more often and more easily because of exposure to kids who are sent to school sick because it's free day care? Do your numbers reflect time out of the classroom for mandated staff development, training for NYS test correcting, and the test correctin days?
|
|
Kaili
|
Judged:
1
sharon wrote: How about picking on someone else for a change? Did anyone take into account that teachers get sick more often and more easily because of exposure to kids who are sent to school sick because it's free day care? Do your numbers reflect time out of the classroom for mandated staff development, training for NYS test correcting, and the test correctin days? you are so right. I used to work in a daycare center. I was sick pretty much every month. I can't tell you how often parent's send their kids to school sick.They give them tylenol in the morning,and by lunchtime the fever returns and there you go.Lots of parents will send them in with almost anything,pink eye,nasty noses and such.And kids transfer their sickness from kid to kid and then us,the teachers.
|
|
carol
|
Judged:
1
When are you running your story on absenteeism among postal workers, nurses, State workers, police, fire, etc.? Let's give the teachers a break, why don't we?
|
|
dedicated teacher
|
Judged:
2
1
Last night (Tuesday, 5/6), Channel 13 ran a story concerning teacher attendance. Personally, I did not get much out of the story. Many percents were mentioned: 2.2, 3.3, 6.6, but there was no meat or context. What were those numbers supposed to mean? #1: In the spirit of balanced reporting, why not compare teacher attendance to the attendance of other workers in other industries? #2: Why not report the reasons for teacher absences? I’m probably going to blow a whole myth here, but, guess what? Teachers are HUMAN!! There—I said it.(Lordy, I’ll probably be struck by lightning for revealing that!) Yes, we actually do go to the grocery store. You probably will see us at the laundromat. And, yes, we have to stay home with our own sick children. We have to take care of elderly, ill parents and take them to doctor appointments. And, believe it or not, we get sick ourselves.(Maybe people believe that as part of our Master’s Degree, we have to be inoculated against every illness). We have substitute teachers when we are required to be out of our classes for CSE meetings and professional development days. We have to take days off to lobby in order to fight crazy proposals from the state and federal governments. Two such proposals were that teachers be trained to give students their diabetes shots and that, no matter how many buildings in a school district, one school nurse is enough. #3: Also in an effort toward balanced reporting, why not run a story about the percentage of teachers who spend many, many hours with their students? Students are being excused during the school day to help with the prom this Friday. Guess who will have to stay after with them to get them caught up on what they missed? When students make poor choices and are dealt an out of school suspension for three months, guess who has to write up all the lessons for the tutor? Students go on vacation in the middle of the school year and ask us to write up everything they are going to miss for a week or two. Students who are home with babies are allowed home tutors and we have to write lessons for them. We have students with 30, 40 and more absences. Guess who has to work with these students during lunch, planning periods, and after school to catch them up? I’ve been coming in at 7:10 this week so that a student can get caught up. I’m sure I’ll never see that in a news story. Many teachers coach, advise classes and clubs, chaperone, run sports camps and summer enrichment programs in the summer, teach drivers’ ed., and summer school. Many teachers will be working this summer to write and learn new curriculum.(“Summer” being defined as July and August. Not June, July, and August as some would have people believe.) When we had exchange students from Austria and France, they were amazed at how “accessible” the teachers here were. The students expressed that in Europe, the teachers are sort of “hands off”. Students don’t go up to them and discuss personal things. Teachers don’t stay after when students have been absent. Students have to get help from another student in the evening or hire a tutor. Sports are not sponsored by the school. Communities offer and coach the sports. #4: It seems as though every time things are going poorly in the nation, we have to bring out one of those “dastardly” teacher stories to distract the viewers from the pain of losing their jobs, food shortages, not being able to afford health care, companies no longer offering pensions, failing 401(k)s, outrageous fuel prices, the dollar not being worth anything….. Tonight’s story will probably be that teachers caused all these things. It’s amazing the super powers teachers supposedly have to wreak destruction on the world.(oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, super powers come with our Master’s Degree too)
|
|
Sharon
|
Judged:
1
1
No Child Left Behind + NYS Testing + the dissolution of the American family = enough to make any teacher sick Where do I begin? I have been teaching for 25+ years; I have only 5 to go and already have 180 days of UNUSED sick leave accumulated. I put off gall bladder surgery for 6 weeks in 1988, not wanting to abandon my students in the last two months of the school year. On bad nights I slept on my knees with my head resting on a chair in my living room because I could not lie down with the pain. I gave up my summer for the recuperation (pre-laparotomy, full abdominal cut)and returned to school in September after only 5 weeks when 6-8 was the recommendation from my doctor. When I broke my ankle a few years later and was forced by surgery to be out for 6 weeks I ran my class from home, messengering in lesson plans, correcting papers from my bed, and talking to the sub daily on the telephone. Please do not paint me with your broad brush. As far as test scores being affected by teacher absence, I dare say that they are more likely diminished due to factors beyond my control: Mom not being home the morning of the test to cook a proper breakfast, the student spending every other night at Dad's house where homework is not monitored, or parents taking the student to Disney the week before the test because airfares are less expensive then than they are during the regular school vacation; or maybe the student was up half the night texting friends, cyber bullying ex-friends, or playing video games. Give me a break. Teachers get sick; parents send their kids to school sick because it's free day care. Teachers are out of the classroom for staff development which they are forced to participate in, special education review meetings which they must cover even if the students are not theirs, training for NYS test correcting and the correcting itself, and yes sometimes because they are sick; perhaps they are sick and tired of trying to make school "FUUUUUUNNNNNN" which seems to be the prerequsite for your Educator of the Week Series. Shame on you, WNYT; this was a cheap shot.
|
|
dedicated teacher
|
Judged:
1
I, like the comments listed previously, am disgusted by the cheap shot WNYT chose to take at teachers. I have been a viewer a long time, and it is now time for me to turn the channel. I find it ironic that opportunisitc journalism, bashing teachers is taking place just a week or so before local school budgets are to be voted on. Why not the postal workers, city road crews, county workers, or another tax payer funded occupation..etc..When times are tough, let's continue to demoralize the teachers! Shame on you Channel 13!! This is not the type of stories I would expect to see from this station. The channel owes local teachers an apology.
|
|
Annoyed Teacher
|
Judged:
1
After reading all of the posts above, I don’t believe I could say it any better. As a teacher I found this report insulting. How are parents supposed to trust the teachers that spend an average of 35 hours a week with their children if all the news ever reports is negativity towards the teaching profession?
|
|
NO LIES ALLOWED
|
Typical Teachers complaining as always. You immediately ATTACK other workers and positions because some little anti Union news station news 13 showed the truth. First off, if all you babies complaining were REALLY union people why are YOU watching News 13 anyways??? You are ALL typical Liberals who do nothing but complain. I'm one of the majority of NYS Taxpayers that have had it with all of you complainers. When you decided to become a teacher you knew what the job is about and the pay scale. If you dont like working only 5.5 hours a day and 180 days a year and receiving benefits, tenure , etc, 1 hour breaks for planning, 45 Min's for lunch and everything else, then go seek employment elsewhere!!!! Why continue this misery and suffering???? I'll tell you why, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT EVEN WITH ALL YOUR BULL COMPLAINING THAT YOU HAVE IT MADE!!!! Where else can you get a job like this? I get up every day at 3am to drive to work 2 hours away and work 5a to 2p and get home at 5p with traffic. I dont get an hour for planning my travel route home, I dont get 45 Min's lunch I eat and work, I dont get the summer from June to September off, I dont get every holiday off, I dont get Winter break, Spring Break, mid winter break weeks off, I dont get a guarantee position or a teachers aid to help me do my job. So, again, QUIT if it's that bad and stop pissing off the taxpayers who pay your salaries. and to all you teachers who clam that you are there to babysit!!! We are sick of the teachers crying about teaching children, if you don’t want to do it, then please don’t. You have never been paid to baby-sit my kids, i already pay for that. I thought that you were there to teach my children and also that it was a job for you and a job that you choose. If you think for one minute that you are there to baby-sit , then get out right away because we don’t want you anyways. Fed up taxpayers against stupid inconsiderate parent, worker insulting teachers. But for all you GOOD teachers, THANK YOU FOR ACTUALLY TEACHING AND THANK GOD YOUR THERE!!! NOW, go fix those idiots who bash ever other worker or position out there when some news station does an article on you.
|
|
dedicated teacher
|
Wow--maybe you could benefit from some classes about writing and including facts, rather than using terms such as "all you liberals", etc. That's called stereotyping, and it never captures the truth.
|
|
ballston lake
|
Judged:
1
1
Isn't interesting that this is the only repsosne that appears nasty in it's tone?? The other responses seemed like well thought out rebutals. I did not find the other posts slamming other professionals, but I found this one certainly ignorant. NO LIES ALLOWED wrote: Typical Teachers complaining as always.
You immediately ATTACK other workers and positions because some little anti Union news station news 13 showed the truth. First off, if all you babies complaining were REALLY union people why are YOU watching News 13 anyways???
You are ALL typical Liberals who do nothing but complain. I'm one of the majority of NYS Taxpayers that have had it with all of you complainers.
When you decided to become a teacher you knew what the job is about and the pay scale. If you dont like working only 5.5 hours a day and 180 days a year and receiving benefits, tenure , etc, 1 hour breaks for planning, 45 Min's for lunch and everything else, then go seek employment elsewhere!!!! Why continue this misery and suffering???? I'll tell you why, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT EVEN WITH ALL YOUR BULL COMPLAINING THAT YOU HAVE IT MADE!!!!
Where else can you get a job like this? I get up every day at 3am to drive to work 2 hours away and work 5a to 2p and get home at 5p with traffic. I dont get an hour for planning my travel route home, I dont get 45 Min's lunch I eat and work, I dont get the summer from June to September off, I dont get every holiday off, I dont get Winter break, Spring Break, mid winter break weeks off, I dont get a guarantee position or a teachers aid to help me do my job.
So, again, QUIT if it's that bad and stop pissing off the taxpayers who pay your salaries. and to all you teachers who clam that you are there to babysit!!!
We are sick of the teachers crying about teaching children, if you don’t want to do it, then please don’t. You have never been paid to baby-sit my kids, i already pay for that. I thought that you were there to teach my children and also that it was a job for you and a job that you choose. If you think for one minute that you are there to baby-sit , then get out right away because we don’t want you anyways.
Fed up taxpayers against stupid inconsiderate parent, worker insulting teachers.
But for all you GOOD teachers, THANK YOU FOR ACTUALLY TEACHING AND THANK GOD YOUR THERE!!!
NOW, go fix those idiots who bash ever other worker or position out there when some news station does an article on you.
|
|
outraged
|
Judged:
1
Yes, Prattsville, we did choose our profession, just like you chose yours and we worked hard to get where we are; what we did not choose was to be demoralized, maligned, scrutinized, and blamed for all the shortfallings of the family and the ills of society at large. I spend 40 minutes a day with each student and I cannot be held solely responsible for the sum total of his or her well being. We want parents to parent and news media to give us a break, that's all. And by the way, what school do your kids go to that's only in session 5.5 hours a day because I'd like to apply there. I've never had a lunch longer than 40 minutes and most often am working through it, meeting with colleauges, giving extra help to students, xeroxing lessons, planning filed trips, etc. We teach our students to get their facts straight before they hit the keyboard; maybe you need a trip back to school yourself; don't forget an apple for the dedicated teacher you meet there!
|
|
fed up with ignorance
|
Judged:
1
Thank you, dedicated Johnstown teacher, for taking the time to formulate such an honest, rational, and thoughtful response; battling ignorance is never easy.
|
|
Joe Teach
|
Judged:
2
1
People who have never stepped foot inside a classroom should not comment or write stories about the teaching profession. New York State teacher's unions are strong. Teachers probably deserve more sick days for what they endure day in and day out. The real problem here in the Capital District lies outside the schools in the communities. Teachers can only control what goes on in the classroom. Teaching in the inner city is 10x more difficult than anywere else. Teachers need their mental health days and no one should be questioning that, ever!
|
|
voice of reason
|
OK, "No Lies in Prattsville", let's see if I can unravel your incoherent rant and simplify it for you: 1. Every profession has its pros and cons, and every person has to be content with his or her own lot, especially when it's a free country and we've all chosen our own path; it's called being an adult. 2. Just like the old proverb says, "you never know what goes on behind closed doors." I am not qualified to judge your worth in your profession or your work ethic, so what makes you an expert on mine? Why do people who have never walked in a teacher's shoes feel they know so much about what they do in a day (and night, and on weekends and vacations?) If you're basing it on what you saw thirty years ago from the other side of the desk as a student, you are sadly midguided. Things have changed a lot since then and unless you follow a teacher around for a day, my friend, you have no business passing judgment on them or anyone else you know nothing about.
|
|
sub caller
|
Its all well and fine that teachers want to take days off during the school year, but you should also take into consideration the amount of time spent looking for a sub for your day off. The teachers who call in and ask for specific subs for their day off and then don't get the sub they requested because that sub is otherwise tied up or sick themselves or just working for another district should not take it out on the sub-caller. The teachers needs to understand that when they call in, they are not the only one calling in for the day off, and their are only just so many quailified subs to go around. Don't blame the sub caller for the plans not being followed and putting an unquailified person in the room for the day. I have been doing this for quite a while and you can tell which teachers are dedicated to their profession and which ones are just banging in every Friday or Monday.
|
|
tara dunspaugh
|
ballston lake wrote: Isn't interesting that this is the only repsosne that appears nasty in it's tone?? The other responses seemed like well thought out rebutals. I did not find the other posts slamming other professionals, but I found this one certainly ignorant. <quoted text> I agree with you. That posting was very ignorant and very offensive. I have been a teacher for ten years now and love it. This person has obviously never spent a day in a classroom.
|
|
shaking my head
|
You missed the point, Prattsville. Teachers are not complaining about what they have to do in the profession they chose, they are complaining about being bashed in the media unfairly. Your angry offensive attitudes have clouded your vision; a good teacher could help you out with reading comprehension and finding the main idea, and then maybe you could try reading it again.
|
|
RJC
|
Judged:
1
Did you ever consider the germ exposure rate that these teachers face on a daily basis? Tell me, how clean are the desks? Handles? How many parents are guilty of sending their sick teenagers to school when they should be home, rather than infecting the community? How many people would like to come to work truly sick, with a throbbing head and still 30 demanding students to deal with? When covering "the news" let's be fair and discuss the entire issue!
|
|
ballston lake
|
Judged:
1
1
what does this have to do with the story???? sub caller wrote: Its all well and fine that teachers want to take days off during the school year, but you should also take into consideration the amount of time spent looking for a sub for your day off. The teachers who call in and ask for specific subs for their day off and then don't get the sub they requested because that sub is otherwise tied up or sick themselves or just working for another district should not take it out on the sub-caller. The teachers needs to understand that when they call in, they are not the only one calling in for the day off, and their are only just so many quailified subs to go around. Don't blame the sub caller for the plans not being followed and putting an unquailified person in the room for the day. I have been doing this for quite a while and you can tell which teachers are dedicated to their profession and which ones are just banging in every Friday or Monday.
|
|
dedicated teacher
|
Judged:
1
1
Thank goodness for the rest of your comments! I was thinking all the same things about Prattsville's letter. Prattsville missed the point, yes, and I think people can have meaningful discussion without the nastiness. Does anyone out there know what a pain it is to be absent? Many of us report when we are ill, injured, or emotionally upset about something. It's easier to come in, than calling a sub and writing thorough, thoughtful lesson plans. One of my co-workers teaches HS math, which comes with a Regents. She came in for a month with pneumonia (against Dr. advice) because she wanted to be sure her students got the info. The night I got the phone call that my Dad had died (totally unexpected!), I don't even know how I drove to school to call a sub and write lesson plans. I had a bad car accident 3 years ago. It happened at 7 in the evening. By the time I was brought to my Mom's house, it was 3 a.m. At that point, tired, in shock and pain, and on painkillers, I still had to call a sub and write lesson plans. I returned to work after only a week with two broken knees and a broken foot because it was too hard to write plans from home. I was travelling room to room at the time and to another building. Also, when we're having a bad day, it's not like we can make phone calls and do paperwork in an office.(And I'm not putting down office workers!!!!) We have to put on a high-energy performance 4, 5, or even 6 times a day. Our students will accept no less. I love my students, love my job. I just don't want my career constantly maligned by people who don't have all the facts or choose to twist them.
|
Judge it!
