In the car tonight, we got into a discussion about school. It turns out that my teenagers believe approximately 40% of teachers are just there for a paycheck and don't care about the kids. OK, they ARE teenagers. No biggie, right? My husband, in our "defense" says that it's actually only about 10%. I don't think he has any idea how hard my colleagues and I work, and how much we're up against, and blamed for student failures while they and their parents waltz around with no accountability at all. It just hurt. I can't believe my children, whom we're raising to value and respect education, feel that way. And I can't believe my husband, graced with the luxury of private schools his whole life, really knows anything at all.
In my experiences, I would say your husband's number is pretty solid. That's still leaving the great majority of teachers in your catergory...that is devoted, caring, and hard working.
Yeah, your husband's comment doesn't seem out of line at all. Flipping it around, he's saying that 90% of teachers are there out of passion for their students. Seems fine to me.
I don't know the exact percentage, but I DO know that there ARE teachers out there who DO only care about the paycheck (I student taught under one). So they do exist. 40% is just a scare tactic politicians use.
Agreeing here too. We have plenty of teachers here who put in long hours, feed needy kids, tutor for free etc, but we also have those who come as late as possible, leave as early as possible, and do as little as possible.
I do feel like I need to stand up for my fellow contract-hour-workers. I'm one of those teachers who comes in just before my contract time and leaves just after my contract time. I wouldn't say that I "do as little as possible". I would say that I have excellent time management during the day, that I structure my classes in such a way as to put much of the onus back on the students, and that I am fully invested while I'm at school.
A lot of the work you talk about is behind the scenes. What students see is the persona or attitude presented by the teachers when they interact in class. I agree with your hubby that it is probably 10% that really are there for the paycheck (maybe higher in some areas). The problem is, if teachers don't show they care, students will not know they care. Non-verbal frustration can sometimes come off as not caring. Not being willing to work with students when they have an issue that they think is important can be seen as not caring. Often teachers do not work with students but take the attitude that the student is out to somehow cheat the system or get around things. My own kids have said similar things in the past. They felt they were in a system where everyone was guilty until proven innocent and everyone was determined to be lazy slackers until they went so far overboard to prove otherwise. This leads them to believe that most of the teachers didn't really care about the needs of the individual students but their own needs and their paycheck. I think sometimes the policies of the classroom tell students they aren't important. No homework forgiveness ever. No bathroom passes for anyone. Don't care that your computer crashed or there was no ink when you went to print. The only important thing is the policies of the classroom. This directly tells students that they are a number, not a person that sometimes will have life events that no matter how well meaning they were made things go awry.
10% or more of any given industry is there for the paycheck above anything else. That means that up to 90% are there because they have a passion for their vocation. Those are the ones whose goods and services I seek. Sometimes, it might FEEL more like finding that 60% (especially when I'm trying to get a new doctor), but that is a skewed number brought on by frustration.
I agree, because there are people like this in every profession. Educators are not exempt from this. I know teachers who openly admit theybelieve teaching messed up their lives.
I don't find those numbers surprising. Before I went into teaching, I would say your son is correct at 40%. After teaching over 20 years, I agree with your husband. 10% seems about right.
I can think of a number of teachers in my lifetime who were there for a pay check or who act completely unprofessional. I would say it's less than 10% of all the teachers I've come into contact, but I think most people will remember negative experiences better than positive ones.
You probably have the same problem I do. I believe everyone is like me. I believe everyone goes into work and gives 110%. I believe people are good and always try to do the right thing. When I find out I am wrong I am shocked. I also feel like people might be lumping me into that 10-40%, and I hate it!!!! I try to remind myself everyday that I can't control what others think or do. I have to focus on me and do what is right. That helps keep me from getting upset.
I would say 10% go into it for the money AND the summer vacation because when I went into my teacher certification program, I overheard several people talking about becoming teachers because they wanted to be off in the summer. I also think some teachers go into the field because they can't think of anything else to do with their lives or there's that sick, small percentage that enjoy being in a position where they can control their rather "captive" audience because they can't relate to adults very well and don't have much control in their own lives. (my former grade level chair was like that. She seemed to enjoy yelling, belittling, threatening and honestly because a big bully toward her terrified first graders. I saw her put a kid in the corner and get into his face talking VERY mean and nasty and cursing at him. Thankfully she ended up being sued by three parents which is why she's my former grade level chair)
Happy she was sued, but wondering why she managed to get all the way to a grade level chair without having her behavior stopped. Unless she had some medical issue which drastically changed her personality, it probably wasn't a new behavior.
I think 10% would be right, for all professions. Some doctors just become doctors because they want bragging rights. Some clergy become clergy because their mothers push them into it. Some go into other professions because it is the family trade. I personally would not be teaching if there was no paycheck associated with my job. I like my job but not well enough to put up with all the frustration for free. I also imagine that there are lots of teachers who are just.this.close to retirement that are only there to finish out their career. And I understand that. They've had decades of frustration build up and they only want to finish out their careers. Teaching is my second career. I had a very sucessful one beforehand that wasn't as conducive to family life as teaching is. I openly admit that summers off and winter break were a significant part of my decision to actually teach. Does that make me less of a teacher? I could choose from a varitey of jobs with my education and experience. Just because I chose the one that works best for me and mine doesn't mean I'm not good at it or any less dedicated than the next person. I've worked HARD everywhere I have been employed. But not a single one of those jobs would I have done for free. And every one of them were much harder than the job I have now. Considering that I make half as much as I did in the job I left, the paycheck is not what draws me into teaching by any means. Since I *have* to have a paycheck though, it is the reason why I go to work each day.
I'm sorry but there is absolutely no way 90% of teachers are in it for the kids. If 10% are in it for the check another 20% are in it because of the job security and another 10% because it is a routine they handle easily. It has nothing to do with hours worked and everything to do with how you use those hours and on any given day there is a ton of hours being wasted at every school site. Educating the next generation one worksheet at a time!
Paycheck, holidays, shorter days at work, predictability of routine. I've met plenty of teachers who do it for those reasons. The ones I find the most disagreeable are those who had a 'real' job for a few years and then decided to go and teach for the holidays. Or, the kids who are finishing high school and say they will go into teaching if they can't get into their other choices. Makes me cranky.
I have a hard time understanding the insinuation that teachers who are in it for the paycheck, holidays, shorter days, predictability of routine are necessarily not quality teachers. I have worked many jobs. Most jobs I have had I have been there because of various reasons. At no point would I say I have not done a quality job. There is a thing called work ethics no matter what your reason for taking the job in the first place was. Some who I would not call great teachers were in it for the children and actually did not deal well with the children.
I agree with your relatives on the 40, minus the don't care part, for about 20% of the teachers. If teachers would take a survey about it, and HONESTLY state their reasons it would be a very interesting outcome. Your husband's number is better than your children's number. He thinks only 10% are there for the money and don't care. Right? Are they stating what they have noticed through their experiences, and what they hear from their friends? Did you dig more into why they think so? They have their reasons. Rebel1
It makes me sad that some people feel this way, especially the teachers' comments I see here that agree that a large percentage of teachers are in it for the wrong reasons. For the record, enjoying summer vacations, regular hours, and job security does not make you a sinister person. I appreciate all of those things and they had a hand in me choosing my profession. However, I can assure you that I am a d*mn fine teacher! Within a week of seeing how teachers are literally willing to risk their lives for their students, coming here and reading teachers agree about the complacency and indifference of a large percentage of other teachers is bewildering.
Well, I mean everyone simply is not in teaching for the right reasons. That is all I mean by my post.
but, what are the "right" reasons? I consider myself a pretty generous and giving person. However, every career move I've ever made has been for selfish reasons. Whatever would work best for MY family has been what I've done. When money was a big need I chose a job that pay well. When time was a big need I chose teaching so I could be on my kids' schedule. Does that make me less of a teacher? Less caring? Less effective?
