# Fed up with Teacher Hate and Disrespect in this Country **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 30, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653 "2011-08-30T18:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/61 "2011-08-30T19:38:34Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Yikes. Try $35,000/year, 40 students per class (and you’re teaching five or six), 70+hours a week, planning for 4 different subject areas + typical problems that come with urban schools (gangs, drugs, gangbanger drug dealing **parents** , etc…). > > Some teachers think you had it relatively easy compared to others…but that’s just the thing: it doesn’t matter if you’re in an affluent district or a poor one or if you teach math and science (it’s really not limited to you guys) or whatever: If you’re doing your part and a student isn’t doing theirs, it isn’t your fault. I’m really sorry you had to leave the profession. Why not try alternative schooling? I DID have it easy compared to other teachers. And yet I was still incredibly unhappy. That’s why I knew I had to get out. I worked in a good school, made good money, and didn’t have gang problems or drug problems or anything like that. To teachers who are in that situation, I admire you greatly. I don’t know how you do it, honestly. Just the fact that you can survive like that year after year, makes you an EXCELLENT teacher, regardless of what anyone else says. And don’t be sorry for me, please. I am doing very well now in my new career; I love it, it’s technical, and people are respectful. I might go back into teaching later in life; I really loved it. Thanks for the support! ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/62 "2011-08-30T19:40:04Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > Again, teachers are working more than they are in the classroom. It’s unrealistic to compare teachers’ classroom hours and annual days to private sector office hours and annual days. “Office hours”? What are those? My mom’s a teacher, my girlfriend is a principal, I’m familiar with the hours that teachers put in. However, in the private sector, a lot of employees (such as myself) also work longer than “office hours” and work on the weekends. Shit, one day I was either working or traveling for 25 hours! I wish I had a teacher’s schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/63 "2011-08-30T19:42:45Z")
Then become a teacher. Nobody is stopping you. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/64 "2011-08-30T19:44:10Z")
And why is it that someone who has spent four years (or more) studying education in college, and has gone through whatever accreditations it takes to be a teacher, is being some greedy asshole because he might be able to expect a wage that’s right at the average for everyone else in the state. What entitled douchebags, huh? Maybe they should have taken their teaching degrees and gone out and managed hedge-funds instead. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/65 "2011-08-30T19:45:14Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Who the fuck said anything about starting salaries? \*\*kidchameleon \*\*did. > [@kidchameleon](#): > > … considering that the average _household_ income in Chicago is around $40k and **a brand new teacher with a bachelors pulls in around $45k** with pension working less than 40 hours a week for the CPS, they’re doing pretty good for only working 38 weeks a year. Bolding mine. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/66 "2011-08-30T19:46:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Then become a teacher. Nobody is stopping you. It is a possibility. Gotta pay off my student loans first, unlike teachers I didn’t get loan forgiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/67 "2011-08-30T19:46:09Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > “Office hours”? What are those? My mom’s a teacher, my girlfriend is a principal, I’m familiar with the hours that teachers put in. However, in the private sector, a lot of employees (such as myself) also work longer than “office hours” and work on the weekends. Shit, one day I was either working or traveling for 25 hours! I wish I had a teacher’s schedule. A worker with 2 weeks vacation and 10 holiday days puts in 240 days on the job. Most teachers in the state of California work about 185 days per year, based on union requirements. That comes out to about 7 extra vacation weeks per year. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/68 "2011-08-30T19:47:36Z")
Do right wingeres think that other government employees are overpaid? Senators? Congressman? Damn. Wish I had that gig. :rolleyes: Talk about inefficiency. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/69 "2011-08-30T19:47:38Z")
185 days, my ass. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/70 "2011-08-30T19:47:48Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > A worker with 2 weeks vacation and 10 holiday days puts in 240 days on the job. Most teachers in the state of California work about 185 days per year, based on union requirements. That comes out to about 7 extra vacation weeks per year. Are you seriously contending that teachers don’t routinely work outside the classroom? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/71 "2011-08-30T19:49:19Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > \*\*kidchameleon \*\*did. > > Bolding mine. Dio was responding to Drunky Smurf, not kidchameleon. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/72 "2011-08-30T19:51:09Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > Are you seriously contending that teachers don’t routinely work outside the classroom? Not 7 weeks worth, no. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/73 "2011-08-30T19:54:53Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Not 7 weeks worth, no. How much worth will you allow? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/74 "2011-08-30T19:56:54Z")
Former teacher here. I left the profession for many of the reasons outlined in the OP. Yeah I got home at three in the afternoon. And then promptly took a nap because I was so damned exhausted from teaching six periods a day. Teaching is physically and mentally draining. Unless you’ve stood in front of 26 kids trying to make them smarter you have no idea what the profession entails. And that’s the problem. People think teaching is easy so they hold it in contempt. I’ve never held a harder job. Ever. But just keep insulting teachers. That’ll attract quality candidates to the profession. I would literally weep if either of my daughters decided to become teachers at this point. The mediocre pay and the utter lack of respect from parents and kids IMO is simply not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/75 "2011-08-30T19:58:04Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > How much worth will you allow? Based on the teachers I’ve lived with, maybe 2. Call it 4, and you still get way more fucking time off than the average American worker. I get the fact that teachers feel like they’re getting a ton of crap, but pick your fucking battles. Time off isn’t one of those. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/76 "2011-08-30T20:04:16Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Based on the teachers I’ve lived with, maybe 2. Call it 4, and you still get way more fucking time off than the average American worker. > > I get the fact that teachers feel like they’re getting a ton of crap, but pick your fucking battles. Time off isn’t one of those. I don’t think teachers are the ones picking the fight about time off. Responsible teachers need that time to help themselves become better teachers, and use it that way. It’s everyone ELSE who is picking this battle to fight with teachers, to derail the conversation… which reminds me, what was the point of this thread again? Oh yeah… it had nothing to do with teacher pay, time off, tenure, or whatever. It had to do with teachers getting blamed for failing students regardless of how good they are, and that this is keeping good qualified teachers from staying in the profession. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/77 "2011-08-30T20:07:30Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I get the fact that teachers feel like they’re getting a ton of crap, but pick your fucking battles. Time off isn’t one of those. Yes, the OP really shouldn’t have gone on and on about it like he did. Wasn’t that his number one complaint in fact? Not getting enough time off? :rolleyes: And obviously no one was aware that teachers got any time off at all before you jumped into the thread to enlighten everyone. But now that you’ve made a dozen posts on the topic, could you go ahead and fuck off? Those of us interesting in discussing the topic beyond exchanging "no u"s with Dio would greatly appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/78 "2011-08-30T20:08:08Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Former teacher here. I left the profession for many of the reasons outlined in the OP. Yeah I got home at three in the afternoon. And then promptly took a nap because I was so damned exhausted from teaching six periods a day. Teaching is physically and mentally draining. Unless you’ve stood in front of 26 kids trying to make them smarter you have no idea what the profession entails. And that’s the problem. People think teaching is easy so they hold it in contempt. I’ve never held a harder job. > > Ever. > > But just keep insulting teachers. That’ll attract quality candidates to the profession. I would literally weep if either of my daughters decided to become teachers at this point. The mediocre pay and the utter lack of respect from parents and kids IMO is simply not worth it. There are probably only a few jobs harder than teaching. You said it best though. Trying to teach 26 completely unique individuals for 188 days a year is exhausting work. I too would collapse after coming home because I was so mentally and physically exhausted. But it was really all the tears I shed from the lack of support and respect that drove me out of it. All the time off in the world doesn’t make up for the fact that you are made to feel like shit week after week. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/79 "2011-08-30T20:11:56Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Yes, the OP really shouldn’t have gone on and on about it like he did. Wasn’t that his number one complaint in fact? Not getting enough time off? :rolleyes: > > And obviously no one was aware that teachers got any time off at all before you jumped into the thread to enlighten everyone. But now that you’ve made a dozen posts on the topic, could you go ahead and fuck off? Those of us interesting in discussing the topic beyond exchanging "no u"s with Dio would greatly appreciate it. lol. I am sorry for ranting so much about the time off I got as a teacher. :smack: In my excessively long post, it looks like I just couldn’t help myself from bringing it up again and again! /sarcasm HERE IS A MESSAGE TO ANYONE WHO THINKS TEACHERS GET TOO MUCH TIME OFF: **GO BECOME A TEACHER AND SEE IF YOU FEEL LIKE THE TIME OFF IS WORTH IT**! Now, let’s get back to the points I really brought up! ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653/80 "2011-08-30T20:12:11Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > … [Teachers] still get way more fucking time off than the average American worker. Way more fucking time off = no need to exaggerate it, then. These discussions always seem to come down to this. [QUOTE=every debate about teachers ever] \*\* Pro: \*\*And teachers are overworked and underpaid. \*\*Con: \*\*They are not – they make more than average salary, and get more than average time off. They get all summer off and go home at 3! [/QUOTE] The point is not whether teachers get more, less, or exactly and precisely the same as the average: the point is whether what they get is excessive. Is more than average always excessive? I personally think teachers’ jobs are considerably harder, more stressful, and more important than average. Like other posters, I am not OK with crappy teachers being allowed to continue teaching, but I am deeply confused by the idea that good teachers ought to be ashamed to make more / get more time off than the average for their location and educational background. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fed-up-with-teacher-hate-and-disrespect-in-this-country/594653.md?page=5)