Day 169

• 6:15 -

Day 168

• 6:30 - 2:30, 5:30 - 7:30 (10 hours)

Day 167

• 6:30 - 3:00 (8 hours, 30 minutes)

Day 166

• 6:30 -2:30 (8 hours)

Day 165

• 6:30 - 2:30 (8 hours)

Day 164

• 6:15 -4:15 (10 hours)

Day 163

• 6:15 -2:30 (8 hours, 15 minutes)
• $18 (adviser tee-shirt and fundraiser car wash ticket)

Day 163

• 6:30 -1:30 (7 hours - woo hoo!)

Day 162

• 6:15 -1:30, 4:30 - 6:00 (9 hours, 45 minutes)

Day 161 - AP English Test Proctoring!

• 6:00 - 12:30 (6 hours, 30 minutes - an actual working-to-contract day!)

Day 160

• 5:45 -4:45, 6:30 - 7:30 (12 hours)

Day 158

• 6:15 -1:15, 2:30 - 9:30 (14 hours)
• $5

They grow up so fast.

The morning is starting off well:

• One of my former students recently got in trouble for creating a flip-book of two stick figures engaging in lude and lascivious activities. 
• I was privy to this conversation: 

"During class I flick pennies into the lake."
"Why would you waste pennies like that?"
"Because I'm not Jewish.  Jews save their change."

THINKING is so hot right now!

The assignment:  Read 2 easy pragraphs that summarize why the ERA never passed.  Look at a pretty, color-coded map of the US showing which states ratified and did not ratify the ERA.  Answer 7 basic questions.  In other words, busy work for a class that misbehaved for the sub.


Question 2 on the handout asked "How many states ratified the ERA?" The answer could be found directly in the 2 paragraphs, or the more adventurous (or anti-reading) students could count the number of gray states on the map find the answer that way.  I knew that some students would not read thoroughly or would not count carefully, and thus expected a couple of incorrect answers.  However, I never expected this gem:

58.

That's right, 58 states ratified the ERA. 

This student was seeking a free pass to the bathroom in exchange for answering 2 questions, mind you.  So, I sent her back to her desk to check that information.  She returned with her updated answer:

50.

That's right - all 50 states ratified the ERA, which is why it is in place today, which is why I am giving my students an assignment analyzing why it did not pass.  When I tried this sarcasm on the student, the student's response was "Well, that's what another student told me to write."  Am I more annoyed that she might have made this up this blatantly incorrect to take any responsibility off herself without actually thinking about what she was saying first, or that there may be other students in class who simply do not take the time to look at a map or read a couple of sentences anymore? 

Guys - I know that these types of assignments are not the most interactive, HD, iPad friendly assignments.  But they exist and you need to learn how to complete them and more importantly, how to learn from them.  Because you'll get them in other classes, in college, and at work.  Most shockingly, this mistake did not result from a lack of knowledge.  The answer was right there in the half-page reading and map.  If you all are not taking these kinds of things seriously, how do you ever expect to do well on an assignment that actually challenges you? How do you expect to be competitive in this job market when this is the kind of work you try to turn in at school?

"Reasons Why Kids Shouldn't Have Homework"

"Homework is the reason Hitler took over Germany."

**The kid responsible for the above quote also came up with the title for this post.

Day 157

• 6:00 -2:45, 5:00 - 9:00 (12 hours, 45 minutes)

Day 156

• 6:15 -2:00, 5:00 - 7:00 (9 hours, 15 minutes)
• $43 (SAT registration fee for an awesome student)
• detentions written:  2 (reason given on 1 of them:  "Did the exact opposite of absolutely everything he was supposed to do for one full hour.")

Day 155

• 6:15 -3:15, 7:00 - 7:30 (9 hours, 30 minutes)

Why?

As many of you know, I am in my third year of teaching.  Due to a variety of cuts in our pay, benefits and other bonuses, his year I am bringing home less money each month than I made as a first-year teacher (before I had my MA degree).  The outlook for next year is even more grim.

Yet, on a regular basis I read and hear comments from a variety of different types of people (including students) that public school teachers are lazy, over-paid, and spoiled. 

I have indignantly and self-righteously refuted these baseless claims for three years now, knowing full well how many hours, vacations, holidays and my own funds I have put in to doing this job well.  But, teaching is a deceptive creature and I am starting to wonder how the work that I put into my job compares with that of other jobs.  Hence, the format of this blog is changing, or just becoming more inclusive (yay BTSA vocab!).

To start, here is my income as a third-year teacher, including a break down of what that pay includes and does not include.

Annual Salary for 2009/2010:  $45,455
Master's Stipend (Annual):  $2,089
Annual Gross Salary for 2009/2010:  $47,544

This is based on 182 days of work.  By contract, 1 day of work is 6.5 hours (7:30 - 2:30, with a 30 un-paid lunch).

This comes out to $261.23 for every 1 day (or 6.5 hours) at work.  This is an hourly wage of $40.19...again, according to the contract.

Other details:

• Teachers are not paid for our coveted "vacations", like Winter Break, Spring Break, or Summer Break.
• We are paid for the 7 standard government holidays that occur during our work year.
• We do not get the standard paid 15-minute breaks, nor do we get overtime, holiday pay, or time-and-a-half.

Day 154

• 6:15 - 4:00, 6:15 -8:45 (12 hours, 15 minutes)