Ok...there are lots of posts about how to dispel the myth of greedy teacher. First of all...I am self-employed myself, and have only had a few short jobs in the public sector. I have little experience and understanding about unions, but just like everything else in the world, I am sure there are positives and negatives that can found. What I am curious about...is it seems that MAYBE the idea of summers off could be the real OUTLIER compared to other public service sectors. So..how I look at it...is that there are just SO MANY other sectors that have similar benefits to teachers...the dental/medical/massage/disability/pension and on and on, that so many other people similarly enjoy...dont they? All government employees for example, reap so many benefits, that it is hypocritical for them to make any type of claim to who is selfish and who is not. I have ALWAYS stated, from the day I graduated from highschool in 1988, that there are two groups of professionals in this society....that I admire above everyone else are NURSES and TEACHERS. I had many friends who went to train for these professions right out of high school, and I simply could not imagine ever having tha ability to enter either of these fields. Hard work...very hard work...gruelling daily tasks that are performed to look after our society...is how I see it. Nurses do all the grunt work for doctors...as I have always put it. Teachers look after our youth...so many at one time...day after day. But what people seem to neglect is the scheduling requirements that these two professions have to conform to as well. I could not do it myself. Being restricted to an 8 to 4 job, M to F, every day, with little (although more than it used to be) flexibility to alter the work schedule. I LOVE being self employed, or being in a work-place that offers the flexibility to take extra weeks off ANY time of year, not just when kids are out of school. If I want to take two weeks off in November to go to a destination, it is of no consequence to anyone really. I know my teacher friends struggle trying to book family vacations during peak holidays when every school teacher or family is doing the same. AND no different from school kids themselves, one needs a break from the rigours of classroom learning..and that is a fact. I dont know...this is entirely a guess and may not reflect current opnion, but do most parents agree that having a summer break from school is justified...and necessary to some extent. Personally, I think teachers are well deserving of that summer break too...to rejuvenate...from what might have been the school year from hell...with who knows what kind of classroom size and composition. Nurses, similarly, often have to work the worst of shift....as there is no time off from looking after the sick or injured. Seriously, night shifts are not something I would ever desire, particularly if raising a family too. So...I will be asking and challenging those people who say teachers are underserving....to see what they have to say. Teachers and nurses need specialized training for a minimum of 2 years or more, (average 4 for each I would say?), and this is not a free education. It requires a commitment to choose either of these two professions for a career, and is not something someone is able to get employment in without credentials. Sheesh....I dont understand the government employee or self-employed person who criticizes the wages and benefits of these admirable public service professions...particularly if they have had little to no training themselves for their particular employment. Honestly...I will say it again....I really admire teachers and nurses....and those are two fields that I would be a complete failure at, because of the sheer commitment and passion one needs to be successful in those endevors. It is my guess, that many teachers and nurses who start out in those fields, do realize they arent cut out for that work, and need to look elsewhere once they have had enough of the hard work and dedication required to continue on.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 17:46:45 +0000