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The Water Cooler
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Do teachers "really" have it that bad???
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<blockquote data-quote="fubarjohnnyr" data-source="post: 2994631" data-attributes="member: 25570"><p>Here are some observations from a 30 year educator in Oklahoma, take it for what is worth. </p><p></p><p>Keep in mind, I knew full well what I was getting into and was cognizant of the limitations that came with the career. Nearly every teacher will tell you that the important things about their jobs are the intrinsic ones. The ability to affect lives and impact future generations is a powerful motivator for the educators that do it for the right reasons. An individual who teaches for anything else, monetary reasons or otherwise, will be one of those who hates their jobs, hates kids, and hates everyone around them. I've seen my fair share of those through the years.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Economics</u>:</strong> In 1987 when I started my first year, $16,060 was my beginning salary. Adjusted for inflation rates, that is equivalent to $34,569.15 in 2017 dollars. Current salary puts me at approximately $6,000.00 above the adjusted number so I have managed around $200/year incremental increase over my starting salary in the past 30 years. It didn't move the needle on the money improvement gauge, but like I said before, I knew what I was signing up for. I don't ***** or complain. I, like many others, work extra jobs to fill in the gaps. </p><p></p><p><strong><u>State of Education</u>: </strong>Do you think that there was a great debate about the quality and funding of education 80 years ago? Nope! I'll tell you why, and it's a matter of local vs. central control. It used to be that WE, parents and teachers of a given community were responsible for educating our own kids. WE determined what was relevant and important to our kids. WE were invested in seeing success. WE valued what was successful because it was personal to us on a local level. We had our own standards.</p><p> It isn't that way now. Education is top-down and upside-down. The state takes precedent over the local, and the government takes precedent over the state. Tons of money is wasted from a far away downhill slide of bureaucratic crap made up by people who could care less about a kid that lives 2 houses down from you and I. It creates an atmosphere where no one wants to be accountable and everything is done to artificial "standards". Too many educators these days are just chasing test scores, to validate some politicians notion of success. Throwing more money into the way it is now, and you can bet your ass it's going into the money eating machine without ever seeing the other side, not into <em>teaching</em>. </p><p></p><p>Here is my own personal philosophy on teaching, and it doesn't come from the government, it doesn't come from the state, and it doesn't require loads of money. It comes from ME, a vested member in my community. The same community that educated me when I was a young one and the one I'm responsible to now. </p><p></p><p>Teaching is a simple thing, it's pure in its nature form. Turning a kid on to learn whatever interests them, doesn't matter what, is the key. Getting them to see value in learning new things, taking an interest in their own future, infecting them with the joy of possibilities. It's my hope that each one of them finds their own path and desires to make something of themselves. </p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, the government (state and federal) has in usual fashion complicated the entire process. As we all know, nothing controlled by government is ever done efficiently, productively, or economically.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="fubarjohnnyr, post: 2994631, member: 25570"] Here are some observations from a 30 year educator in Oklahoma, take it for what is worth. Keep in mind, I knew full well what I was getting into and was cognizant of the limitations that came with the career. Nearly every teacher will tell you that the important things about their jobs are the intrinsic ones. The ability to affect lives and impact future generations is a powerful motivator for the educators that do it for the right reasons. An individual who teaches for anything else, monetary reasons or otherwise, will be one of those who hates their jobs, hates kids, and hates everyone around them. I've seen my fair share of those through the years. [B][U]Economics[/U]:[/B] In 1987 when I started my first year, $16,060 was my beginning salary. Adjusted for inflation rates, that is equivalent to $34,569.15 in 2017 dollars. Current salary puts me at approximately $6,000.00 above the adjusted number so I have managed around $200/year incremental increase over my starting salary in the past 30 years. It didn't move the needle on the money improvement gauge, but like I said before, I knew what I was signing up for. I don't ***** or complain. I, like many others, work extra jobs to fill in the gaps. [B][U]State of Education[/U]: [/B]Do you think that there was a great debate about the quality and funding of education 80 years ago? Nope! I'll tell you why, and it's a matter of local vs. central control. It used to be that WE, parents and teachers of a given community were responsible for educating our own kids. WE determined what was relevant and important to our kids. WE were invested in seeing success. WE valued what was successful because it was personal to us on a local level. We had our own standards. It isn't that way now. Education is top-down and upside-down. The state takes precedent over the local, and the government takes precedent over the state. Tons of money is wasted from a far away downhill slide of bureaucratic crap made up by people who could care less about a kid that lives 2 houses down from you and I. It creates an atmosphere where no one wants to be accountable and everything is done to artificial "standards". Too many educators these days are just chasing test scores, to validate some politicians notion of success. Throwing more money into the way it is now, and you can bet your ass it's going into the money eating machine without ever seeing the other side, not into [I]teaching[/I]. Here is my own personal philosophy on teaching, and it doesn't come from the government, it doesn't come from the state, and it doesn't require loads of money. It comes from ME, a vested member in my community. The same community that educated me when I was a young one and the one I'm responsible to now. Teaching is a simple thing, it's pure in its nature form. Turning a kid on to learn whatever interests them, doesn't matter what, is the key. Getting them to see value in learning new things, taking an interest in their own future, infecting them with the joy of possibilities. It's my hope that each one of them finds their own path and desires to make something of themselves. Unfortunately, the government (state and federal) has in usual fashion complicated the entire process. As we all know, nothing controlled by government is ever done efficiently, productively, or economically. [/QUOTE]
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