tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9725220.post4680315875749771323..comments2023-11-05T05:39:14.998-05:00Comments on Going to the Mat: Baltimore School Contract NegotiationsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352443552682708733noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9725220.post-3027491476455441292007-09-05T20:02:00.000-04:002007-09-05T20:02:00.000-04:00I agree with just about everything you wrote, exce...I agree with just about everything you wrote, except that it is unrealistic to expect teachers to do all their planning and grading outside of the work day. I wonder if some of those staff development hours wouldn't be better used as catch-up days for teachers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9725220.post-42925678427382150042007-09-04T20:57:00.000-04:002007-09-04T20:57:00.000-04:00Wow. You obviously have a very warped view of wha...Wow. You obviously have a very warped view of what teaching truly entails. You have an even less realistic grasp on what it means to teach in a district like Baltimore City. I urge you to spend a week shadowing a dedicated teacher in Baltimore City; walk in their shoes for a while and then tell me if you'd write the same post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9725220.post-48565508960833774382007-09-04T20:38:00.000-04:002007-09-04T20:38:00.000-04:00You know what, buddy, you're right. Planning time...You know what, buddy, you're right. Planning time? Teachers don't need any planning time - they're just a bunch of babysitters anyway. So maybe we should start paying them like babysitters, and then all these complaints would probably go away.<BR/><BR/>I'm thinking the going rate for a babysitter is probably about $5 an hour - I don't think that's even minimum wage now, but it seems like a good number. But that's $5 per kid per hour. So I guess we have to estimate that each teacher has at least 20 kids per class - which is, I think, a pretty conservative number, by the way. But we'll use it for the sake of argument.<BR/><BR/>OK, 20 kids per class, let's say 6 hours per day, and 180 school days per year, at $5 an hour that comes out to . . . $108,000 a year !?!?!?<BR/><BR/>And that's just for a starting "babysitter" - I guess we have to pay the more experienced ones more money. And if we bump that class size up to 30 students - which I think is more realistic for BCPSS - then that base salary becomes $162,000. <BR/><BR/>Hell, I'd go back to teaching if I got paid like a babysitter!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9725220.post-55020810485855447242007-09-04T19:31:00.000-04:002007-09-04T19:31:00.000-04:00"Teachers have within their power the ability to m..."Teachers have within their power the ability to make the most immediate and long term changes." <BR/><BR/>What power do you think we have? Vert little! I am told what to teach and in what sequence. And I have the power to choose my behavior plan and system, but I have to rely on the office for more serious offenses. Yes, I have the power to teach and to put my passion into the classroom. I think that pays off for my students and my classes, but how do you think this affects my whole school? How do you think this is long lasting?<BR/><BR/>Planning time and meeting time are critical. Grading time is critical. You have a short and unrealistic view of how hard teachers work and how we spend our time. Spend a day in any elementary classroom and I assure you that you will be impressed by how long and how far teachers go. Every K-5 classroom teacher I know works HER tail off. <BR/><BR/>That being said, I'm off to grade 26 lab reports and to write a science test.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9725220.post-20224420123982599832007-09-04T17:50:00.000-04:002007-09-04T17:50:00.000-04:001. My lunch is 27 minutes, not 45.2. My workday is...1. My lunch is 27 minutes, not 45.<BR/><BR/>2. My workday is generally 7am-7pm, and I almost always take work home. Today, I left at 5:15, and it was the earliest I've left all year, and I've got 60 essays to grade tonight. To hear someone say that a teacher's work day is shorter than anyone else's is woefully inaccurate.<BR/><BR/><I>I don't know of any other job, unionized or otherwise, that even considers planning time a negotiable condition and the cause for a labor demonstration</I><BR/><BR/>And are other jobs jobs where you have to <I>present</I> effectively for several hours? Of course, planning time is needed.<BR/><BR/><I>According to the Maryland State Report Card for 2007, Baltimore City Schools have 21.6 percent of teachers with Conditional certification and 47 percent of classes being taught by teachers who are not highly qualified according to NCLB standards. In contrast, statewide, only 7.8 percent of teachers in Maryland are working with conditional certification and 17.8 percent of classes don't' have a highly qualified teacher. Based on those figures alone, the Baltimore City School Board should be out there with guns blazing that their desire to have more development days is meant to close those gaps.</I><BR/><BR/>Those numbers are because BCPSS cannot get qualified teachers to work under the conditions that the school system is in. We already have less planning time than any other district in the state; wouldn't making these conditions worse be a further mark against getting a job in the city?<BR/><BR/>In general, I'm not in favor of a work-to-rule tactic, and agree with a few of your points. However, too much of it is lost in illogic.epiphanyinbmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04112084772701911008noreply@blogger.com