sometimes i am forced to learn lessons about myself, even if i have to do it kicking and screaming...which i usually do.
september 2nd was supposed to be pj's first day of second grade. unfortunately, the teachers in the bellevue school district met with the union, decided they weren't being paid enough and have now been on strike for a week. negotiations continue to fail and although it is illegal, the striking continues.
eric and i have been scrambling for a week now to find daycare for pj until this is all resolved. we are using up all our favors and the "strike camps" that have been set up are definitely not free and are now eating into our budget.
it's particularly tricky in this district as it is located in one of the wealthiest areas of the country. we are one of the very few families in the district that live in apartment homes and not million dollar mcmansions (seriously, bill gates' estate is less than a 10 minute drive from us). the teachers in this area just want to keep pace with the community, but inside, my guts are saying: if you wanted to live in a 2 million dollar home with a boat and 3 cars, wouldn't you have chosen a different profession? isn't that horrible? i think it's just my frustration talking. i just want school to start already!
here's my problem(and why i am so selfish): if the same situation arose somewhere else in the the country, i can see myself in complete support of these teachers i so admire. as i've had some time to mull this situation over, i find myself torn.
i consider teaching one of the most noble professions and will be forever grateful for those influential teachers that did so much for me growing up. and then this thought occurred to me yesterday: would i consider them so commendable if teachers were paid what they deserve? would they hold such a special place in my heart if they made six figures? is it their sacrifice that makes them so memorable? i don't even know the answer.
to any teachers reading this, i mean no offense. i think you are wonderful. i'll get down off my soapbox now. it's bedtime, anyway...
thoughts?
13 comments:
Great post, great questions.
I wonder if some sort of proportional business model like the one used by Ben & Jerry's could be implemented. At Ben & Jerry's, the highest salary can be no more than 14 times what the lowest-paid worker makes. So as the company makes money, everyone benefits proportionally.
Could we come up with some sort of legislation that would guarantee that teachers make no less than, say, 20% of the average of the top ten percent of the state's earners?
I've no idea what the numbers should end up being (maybe 20% is too much or too little), but as long as it was applied statewide, it might encourage teachers to stay in more rural areas rather than fighting for the urban jobs.
I dunno. All I know is that I'd like to be paid more than I am right now. But I still do pretty much the best job I can. So extra pay would just be gravy--it wouldn't make me a better teacher.
Lauren, I feel your pain.....from both the parent and the teacher perspective. I agree with Justin in that more money won't make great teachers better, but it might keep them in classrooms instead of having to leave the profession in search of work that would more adequately provide for their families. I would be interested to know how many of those striking teachers actually live in those mcmansions themselves. Wish we were there to help with the childcare issue.....I know that's a beast to deal with in any circumstance.
PS - maybe we can meet in person some day :-)
As a parent, I sympathize with you, Lauren. As a teacher, I sympathize with me. Just kidding, well, sort of. Good questions, though, and tough, too. I think it WOULD be harder to sympathize with teachers if they made six figures. As much as I need my doctors and dentists and am grateful for their education and skill, I don't believe I've ever thought of them in a sympathetic way. A friend of mine whom I used to visit teach has 14 children. One time she told me her obstetrician invited her and her husband to bring their kids over to his house to spend an afternoon riding his horses. She was reluctant to go and felt like they'd be imposing on him. I told her that she should definitely go because she had probably PAID for those horses. But I digress from the matter of striking teachers. Frustrating, isn't it?
I don't know where to come down on the issue either. I do know that if you raise teacher's salaries the money has to come from somewhere. Either from higher in the administration, by canceling other programs, by raising taxes, or some other equally different decision.
Excellent question on profession vs. pay and how that affects your opinion of people. I have had both good and lousy teachers. But I have been both a good and a lousy student, so I probably shouldn't judge.
And yet another teacher voicing opinion. . . Did you know you were related to so many?
I like knowing that people who chose teaching as a profession do it, not for the money, but for the love of teaching and the desire to give back a little of what we have been given. I think most people would agree that teachers don't earn as much as they deserve, but I don't think they teach any worse because of it, nor do I think they would teach any better if given more money. I fear if teachers were paid more money that we would have people in there only for the money with little desire to really teach, but who would only do the bare minimum asked, whereas now I believe, not all, but most teachers go above and beyond the call of duty. I love teachers, can you tell?
Oh, and on the striking issue: it bugs! I feel that as a teacher my first loyalty is to my students. Isn't that what teaching is all about? Can't they work with their union in a way that would avoid a strike and not punish the students by making them have to make up those missed days during their summer break?? Just a side thought :)
i know, right!!?
thanks for all your comments...
RD: why am i not working for Ben & Jerry's? Oh right, because my arse is growing on it's own; no need to add fuel to the fire.
What a great system.
Natalie, aka the newest member of the Halverson Clan, welcome! I doubt many of those teachers live in the multi-million dollar homes unless they have sugar daddies...or mamas.
Meg - Exactly! I think you summed up my exact feelings. It's hard for me to appreciate them at the moment while they're using the kids at leverage, but truly I appreciate them very much.
...something i forgot to mention was that the Bellevue District teachers are already the highest paid in the state and, if my sources are correct, in the top 5 highest paid districts in the country.
p.s. day 9...still striking
they probably won't accept monopoly money, huh? or to pay them in tomatoes.
okay, then. let's just give them more regular money. let's give everyone some more of that.
if we could just implement the 2-penny system i thought up in kindergarten. everything should cost one penny. except really big things like cars, houses, and the whole world. for that stuff, 2 pennies.
Lauren, I would be DYING. I feel for you having to call in favors, finding child-care and all that.
I second what everyone says about good teachers being wonderful and deserving and all that.
I would also, however, be so very angry at the situation. I would also be thinking not so nice thoughts about both parties.
I guess that doesn't help but now you have my two cents. BTW, I like SC's plan.
good points, all! megara, i totally agree: as a teacher (ok so i'm not teaching right now but i have a teacher-heart) i don't think i'm paid enough, but i do it anyway because i love it. like rd says, more money would not make me a better teacher. but, megan, your point also makes me wonder what would happen if people did start teaching for the money. would we have to get some kind of insurance like doctors do?
lauren, i sympathize with having to call in favors. it really bites. i have to do it whenever i want to go anywhere farther than my feet can take me. but i can sometimes walk. it's not like you can just leave pj hangin out by himself. good luck and i hope the strike ends soon!
also, i really like this two penny system. i've been wondering what to do with all of mine. i could buy many many cars!
Great Post! I was on maternity leave when this was all going down in Utah a few years back. I was so frustrated that the negotiations were happening right before school started. I sympathize with both sides as well.
I do remember working with a few teachers that had one or two other jobs just to make ends meet. I think if teachers were paid better than it would make those with extra jobs better teachers just in the way of not being so sleep deprived. I also know that as a full time teacher my children would have qualified for free lunch as my income was so low. I have a real problem with that. However, like you said we knew what we were getting into from the start.
I also agree that the students should come first. Strikes during the school year pose so many problems for so many people and the worst part is that its the kids who take the brunt of the consequences.
I wish we lived a few hours closer, then PJ could just hang with us.
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